Nick Cross
S IND (11)
Wed 5/1/24 4:23 PM

Cross will have an opportunity to earn the starting free safety job this season, according to defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
EDGE Analysis
Cross will be competing with Rodney Thomas and Daniel Scott (knee) for who starts at safety next to Julian Blackmon this season. The Maryland product saw more opportunities during his second NFL campaign in 2023, which led to him totaling 39 combined tackles and an interception. However, to earn the role he'll have to unseat Thomas, who started all 15 games for the Colts last season.

QAshton Dulin
WR IND (11)
Wed 5/1/24 4:12 PM

Dulin, who tore his ACL during training camp last season, still doesn't have a timetable for his return, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
EDGE Analysis
Dulin is feeling good and doing work on the field, according to Boyd, which at least notes that progress in his recovery is being made. The 26-year-old probably would have operated as the team's No. 4 wideout and possibly return man had he been healthy in 2023, and he'll likely be competing for the same roles in 2024, once he is healthy enough to do so.

Will Harris
S NO (11)
Wed 5/1/24 4:05 PM

Harris signed a one-year contract with the Saints on Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
EDGE Analysis
Harris spent the first five seasons of his career in Detroit after the Lions selected him in the third round of the 2019 Draft. However, he saw his role diminish greatly in 2023, moving to more of a special teams role and rarely taking the field on defense. The move to New Orleans should give him a fresh start and the opportunity to earn a larger role with experience at both corner and safety.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
EDR/LB TB (5)
Wed 5/1/24 3:59 PM

Tryon-Shoyinka will not have his fifth-year option picked up by the Buccaneers, Luke Easterling of USA Today reports.
EDGE Analysis
Tryon-Shoyinka will now enter the 2024 season in the final year of his rookie contract. Although it hasn't been all bad for the Washington product, he has yet to live up to the expectations of being the team's first-round selection in the 2021 Draft. However, he did post career highs with 45 combined tackles and five sacks last season, despite playing 250 fewer defensive snaps than he did in 2022.

Zach Ertz
TE WAS (14)
Wed 5/1/24 2:53 PM

Rookie second-round pick Ben Sinnott is a threat to take playing time from Ertz, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
EDGE Analysis
Ertz signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Commanders early in the offseason, getting about two-thirds of the money guaranteed. It's backup-level money, but with a good chance at a starting job given the lack of veteran competition at TE in Washington. Sinnott looks like a real threat, however, coming in as a second-rounder after putting up a 49-676-6 receiving line his final year at Kansas State and then running a 4.68 40 at 6-4, 250. The rookie could steal enough playing time to make Ertz irrelevant for fantasy even if the 33-year-old gets most of the snaps in clear passing situations early on.

Trey Palmer
WR TB (5)
Wed 5/1/24 2:48 PM

Palmer and rookie third-round pick Jalen McMillan are the top candidates for Tampa Bay's No. 3 receiver job, Joshua Queipo of Pewter Report reports.
EDGE Analysis
Palmer, a 2023 sixth-round pick, held the role for nearly all of his rookie season, though he was perhaps miscast in the slot. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen said he wants to put Chris Godwin back in the slot as his primary alignment, which means the team's No. 3 receiver this upcoming season likely will play a majority of snaps outside. While that's perhaps good news for Palmer given his 4.33 wheels, McMillan has decent speed in his own right (4.47) and is slightly taller and heavier (6-1, 197, compared to Palmer's 6-0, 192). There's also the matter of Palmer being a much later draft pick and then struggling with his opportunities as a rookie; he caught just 57.4 percent of his 68 targets and averaged 9.9 yards per catch, which works out to a RB-like 5.7 YPT.

QMarquise Brown
WR KC (10)
Wed 5/1/24 2:41 PM

Brown (heel) and first-round pick Xavier Worthy are the main new faces in Kansas City's revamped receiving corps, Jacob Sloan of FOX 4 Kansas City reports.
EDGE Analysis
A lot has happened since Brown signed a one-year, $7 million contract in mid-March, starting with fellow Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice being involved in a hit-and-run accident that's led to criminal charges. Rice will likely face a suspension at some point, and his potential absence leaves Brown, Justin Watson and Kadarius Toney as the top veteran wide receivers. Worthy may be talented enough to jet to the front of that group, coming in as a first-round pick after setting the NFL Scouting Combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash time. He'll be one of the few players in the league faster than Brown, albeit with similar questions about his size (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) and how that affects the rookie's transition to the NFL. As for Brown, there's been nothing reported this offseason on the heel injury that ended his 2023 season in Arizona after Week 15. He'll likely be available for offseason practices and is expected to line up with the first-team offense.

Drake Maye
QB NE (11)
Wed 5/1/24 1:28 PM

Head coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday that Maye and Jacoby Brissett are slated to compete for the Patriots' starting quarterback job in the coming months, Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
As the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye is no doubt viewed as the team's quarterback of the future, but given his limited experience (just 26 collegiate starts) along with the fact that he doesn't turn 22 years old until August, he could work behind Brissett early on during his professional career. With that in mind, Maye's standing in redraft leagues isn't as high as it is in dynasty formats, but the North Carolina's product's upside is undeniable, given that he has the prototypical size (6-foot-4, 223 pounds), arm talent and mobility of a potential star signal-caller.

Gabe Davis
WR JAC (9)
Wed 5/1/24 12:23 PM

Davis looks to have a top-three role at receiver to open the 2024 season after the Jaguars released Zay Jones on Tuesday, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.
EDGE Analysis
With both Jones and Calvin Ridley -- who led the team with 1,016 receiving yards last season -- no longer on the roster, Christian Kirk, Davis and first-round pick Brian Thomas represent the clear starters in the position group, while Parker Washington, Tim Jones, Devin Duvernay and Elijah Cooks are on hand as depth options. While with the Bills in 2023, Davis recorded 45 catches (on 81 targets) for 746 yards and seven touchdowns in 17 regular-season outings. In his new locale, the 25-year-old's fantasy upside hinges largely on what sort of volume he sees relative to the promising Thomas, who was viewed by most as the No. 4 wideout prospect available in last week's draft.

Deebo Samuel
WR SF (9)
Wed 5/1/24 12:06 PM

Samuel wasn't traded during the 2024 NFL Draft and now seems likely to stay with the 49ers for at least one more season, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
The 49ers selected receivers in the first round (Ricky Pearsall) and fourth round (Jacob Cowing), and while they reportedly fielded trade offers for both Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, nothing ever came to fruition. The receiver group now appears likely to undergo significant changes next offseason, at which point Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are scheduled for unrestricted free agency and Samuel will have just one year remaining on his contract (with no guaranteed money). A contract extension for Aiyuk in the coming weeks or months would further increase speculation about Samuel eventually being the odd man out.