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McCloud got first-team reps this spring and caught some passes from QB Kirk Cousins for big plays, ESPN.com's Marc Raimondi reports.

Advice: McCloud mostly served as a return specialist and fourth/fifth WR while playing for four different teams the past six seasons, but he got five starts and 66 targets with the Steelers back in 2021, catching 39 passes for 277 yards en route to a league-low 4.2 yards per target. He may now get another chance at significant snaps on offense, having signed in March with an Atlanta team that has Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore projected as the top three wide receivers. London and Mooney are locked in as starters, and tight end Kyle Pitts will get a significant target share, but Moore was a disappointment in Arizona and could now face competition from McCloud for a No. 3 role that would figure to entail a lot of screen passes, jet sweeps, etc. rather than downfield targets. The Falcons also have KhaDarel Hodge and Casey Washington as options if they want to go with a more traditional WR and not a vertically challenged YAC specialist like the 5-foot-7 Moore or 5-foot-9 McCloud. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:46 am

Giants TE Lawrence Cager impressed coaches during minicamp.

Advice: With Darren Waller’s recent retirement, the Giants are looking for a reliable pass-catching tight end. “It looked this spring like Cager and fourth-round pick Theo Johnson will be asked” to fill Waller’s role in the New York offense. Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Cager, a converted wideout who has 19 receptions over five NFL seasons, was “probably one of the most improved players throughout the offseason.” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan did not mention presumed starting TE Daniel Bellinger as a candidate to take on pass-catching duties in 2024. Rotoworld Yesterday, 5:51 am

Mayfield made significant progress in picking up the intricacies of new coordinator Liam Coen's offense throughout the offseason, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports. "There's a lot fewer mistakes and 'M.E.'s," said head coach Todd Bowles. "He has a lot more audibles on his plate than he did in the past and he's getting them down very [well]."

Advice: Bowles' comments came in the midst of the mandatory minicamp the Buccaneers held earlier in June, following a particularly productive penultimate practice of the offseason in which Mayfield spread the ball around effectively. Mayfield has had plenty of opportunity to progressively get a handle on the offensive system, as he was also part of 10 voluntary OTA practices before minicamp. While there figures to be some additional growing pains with the offense, there will be multiple weeks of training camp and preseason games for Mayfield and a top quartet of incumbent pass catchers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer and Cade Otton to continue building chemistry within it. Rotowire.com Monday, 8:59 pm

ESPN’s David Newton said Ian Thomas has “stolen the spotlight” at tight end during Panthers’ OTAs and minicamp.

Advice: Rookie fourth-rounder Ja’Tavion Sanders was expected to be the Panthers tight end who would impress in the passing game. While that still may happen, Newton writes that in head coach Dave Canales’ “tight-end-friendly scheme [Thomas] has become a big target” at the position. The Panthers rank dead last in the league in tight end targets over the last four seasons, and Thomas hasn’t gone for more than 197 yards since posting a line of 36-333-2 as a rookie back in 2018. We’ll take this one with a grain of salt, but it’s possible the seven-year vet is the preferred tight end for the Panthers in 2024 if his strong offseason carries into training camp. Rotoworld Monday, 3:03 pm

ESPN’s Sarah Barshop says Cooper Kupp has been a “surprise offseason standout” for the Rams.

Advice: It goes without saying that Kupp, 31, is a well-established name in football circles, but Barshop notes that the veteran receiver being healthy this offseason is “showing up on the practice field.” Head coach Sean McVay also said during OTAs that he doesn’t think “anyone really understands the amount of things” Kupp was dealing with last season as far as injuries are concerned. Kupp has a concerning injury history, appearing in just 21 games over the last two seasons. He also hasn’t cracked 1,000 yards since going for 145-1,947-16 in 2021. While we don’t expect him to be the player he was during that 2021 season, Kupp still remains a high-volume target in the Rams’ offense. He was targeted on an impressive 23.2 percent of his routes last season. Assuming he’s healthy, Kupp should be a high-end WR2 in PPR drafts and is still more than capable of providing a top-12 fantasy week. Rotoworld Monday, 2:32 pm