The Detroit Lions picked up the fifth-year option for the 2022 season on center Frank Ragnow on Wednesday, according to a source. The move was widely expected after Ragnow had quickly become one of the league’s best interior linemen in his first three seasons in the NFL. Ragnow will make $12.657 million fully guaranteed in 2022, but the option doesn’t prevent the two sides from

The Denver Broncos acquired quarterback Teddy Bridgewater from the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick (No. 191 overall), according to a source. The Panthers will pay a portion of Bridgewater’s 2021 compensation as part of a restructured contract. If anything, Bridgewater will be a solid backup option, but the Broncos are also bringing him in to push Drew Lock for

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot isn’t sure exactly which way the team will go with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round of Thursday’s NFL draft. The first-year GM insists there’s “definitely no pressure” heading into his first draft, because he thinks the pressure comes in the process of preparing for the draft. “We’ve gone through the different things that can happen.

Stanford’s Davis Mills, Florida’s Kyle Trask and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond could all be selected in Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday night on Day 2 of this year’s NFL draft. A handful of teams have done “extra legwork” on some or all of the potential Day 2 quarterbacks. The list of teams includes the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay

The New Orleans Saints are a team weighing a potential move up in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, according to sources. According to a source, the Saints may want to move up to grab Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley, and they feel that they may need to move ahead of the Tennessee Titans at No. 22 overall to get it

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (knee), who tore his ACL in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears last year, is on track to be ready for the start of the 2021 season, according to sources. It was reported several months ago that Barkley was doing very well in his rehab, and this is more evidence of that. The consensus No. 2 pick in

Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (core, groin), who played with a significant groin injury late in 2020, also had surgery to fix a core muscle injury in January, according to a source. However, he took part in position drills at his Pro Day and should be fully healed soon after receiving a thumbs up at his combine medical checkup. Despite playing through injury last

The Cincinnati Bengals will not pick up the fifth-year option for the 2022 season on 2018 first-round pick Billy Price, according to a source. Price will now become a free agent after the 2021 season. He would have earned an estimated base salary of $10.4 million in 2022 had the Bengals picked up the options, and it would’ve been fully guaranteed. Price becomes the first

Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and will not be attending the NFL draft in Cleveland this week. “Fortunately he is completely asymptomatic and feels totally normal,” said his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. “He will be watching the draft at home in North Carolina while in quarantine.” Farley has the potential to be a lockdown cornerback in the NFL, but he’s

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed wide receiver Antonio Brown to a one-year deal worth up to $6.25 million on Wednesday. He’ll receive $3.1 million fully guaranteed, including a $2 million signing bonus. There was always mutual interest on both sides in a reunion, and Brown all along wanted to return to continue playing with quarterback Tom Brady after winning the Super Bowl last year. The

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (ankle) “is right on track or maybe a little ahead of schedule” in his rehab from a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle last year, according to head coach Mike McCarthy. The head coach was impressed with Prescott’s extensive workout last Saturday. A second surgery in December to clean up a previous issue has not slowed Prescott’s rehab.

There isn’t a whole lot of trade activity just two days ahead of the NFL draft’s first round on Thursday, so we may not see many trades go through. This draft class may not be rich in elite-level talent at the top. “Now, depending on which quarterbacks are available in the top 10, I would expect there to be at least serious discussion about trading

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh guaranteed that the team will pick up quarterback Lamar Jackson‘s fifth-year option for the 2022 season. Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, isn’t the only big-name player that hasn’t had his option exercised yet, as Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Bills quarterback Josh Allen are in the same boat. “Nothing. There’s nothing to the fact. No. He’s our guy,”

The Chicago Bears exercised linebacker Roquan Smith’s fifth-year option for the 2022 season on Tuesday. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Smith had his best season for Chicago last year, recording 139 combined tackles (18 for loss). He also pitched in four sacks, and his 98 solo tackles ranked second in the NFL. Smith was named a second-team All-Pro for his efforts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers exercised safety Minkah Fitzpatrick’s fifth-year option for the 2022 season on Tuesday, according to a source. The move was a no-brainer for the Steelers, as Fitzpatrick has been a Pro Bowler and All-Pro each of the last two seasons. Pittsburgh acquired the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 draft early in 2019 for three draft picks. Fitzpatrick had four interceptions, 11

The Washington Football Team exercised defensive tackle Daron Payne’s fifth-year option for the 2022 season on Tuesday. Payne will make roughly $8.5 million fully guaranteed in 2022. He is due a fully guaranteed $2.5 million in base salary in 2021 with a $4.6 million salary cap hit. Payne was the No. 13 pick in the 2018 draft and has become a staple on the team’s

The Denver Broncos have been a candidate to add another quarterback this offseason after Drew Lock was highly inconsistent under center in 2020. However, they may not add a signal-caller in the draft, as they feel they have options at QB outside of picking one with the ninth overall pick in the first round this Thursday. If the Broncos don’t take a quarterback in the

Alabama running back Najee Harris is one of the top-three running backs heading into Thursday’s NFL draft — along with Clemson’s Travis Etienne and North Carolina’s Javonte Williams — and most teams think that Harris will be taken by No. 24 overall (Pittsburgh Steelers) in the first round. Harris is a top between-the-tackles runner that can handle a heavy workload and also has excellent hands

Alabama wide receiver and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who had 1,856 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns last season, has been criticized for weighing in at just 166 pounds at the medical checkup in Indianapolis earlier this month. But Smith doesn’t think he’s too light to be successful at the next level. “We play football. We’re in a football business. We’re not weightlifting. We’re not

The Washington Football Team acquired offensive guard Ereck Flowers from the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday in a trade that involves a swap of late-round draft picks, according to sources. The move frees up some money for the Dolphins, while Washington receives an offensive lineman that will compete for a starting job this year. Flowers initially transitioned from tackle to guard in D.C. and was reportedly