{"id":11941,"date":"2024-07-07T01:08:36","date_gmt":"2024-07-07T08:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/news\/nfl-news-roundup-key-updates-from-the-past-week\/"},"modified":"2024-07-07T01:08:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T08:08:36","slug":"nfl-news-roundup-key-updates-from-the-past-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/news\/nfl-news-roundup-key-updates-from-the-past-week\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL News Roundup: Key Updates from the Past Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Mandatory Minicamps Kick Off<\/h2>\n<p>The NFL offseason is in its final week before the summer break. Over 20 teams are holding mandatory minicamps this week. On Monday, the <strong>Atlanta Falcons<\/strong>, <strong>Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong>, <strong>Los Angeles Rams<\/strong>, and <strong>New England Patriots<\/strong> began their sessions. Key questions include <strong>Kirk Cousins<\/strong>&#8216; rehab and his adaptation to <strong>Zac Robinson<\/strong>&#8216;s offense, and the evaluation of rookie cornerbacks <strong>Jarrion Jones<\/strong> and <strong>Deantre Prince<\/strong> in Jacksonville. The Rams are assessing first-year players like <strong>Jared Verse<\/strong> and <strong>Braden Fiske<\/strong>, while the Patriots are observing <strong>Drake Maye<\/strong>\u2019s progress against <strong>Jacoby Brissett<\/strong> for the starting QB role.<\/p>\n<h2>Tuesday Minicamps and Key Questions<\/h2>\n<p>Tuesday saw a larger group of teams, including the <strong>Arizona Cardinals<\/strong>, <strong>Baltimore Ravens<\/strong>, <strong>Buffalo Bills<\/strong>, and <strong>Carolina Panthers<\/strong>, among others, begin their minicamps. In Arizona, the focus is on building chemistry between <strong>Kyler Murray<\/strong> and rookie receiver <strong>Marvin Harrison Jr.<\/strong>. The Ravens are determining their offensive line starters beyond <strong>Ronnie Stanley<\/strong> and <strong>Tyler Linderbaum<\/strong>. The Bills are sorting out their WR depth chart after moving on from <strong>Stefon Diggs<\/strong> and <strong>Gabe Davis<\/strong>. The Panthers are monitoring <strong>Xavier Legette<\/strong>\u2019s hamstring injury and its impact on building chemistry with <strong>Bryce Young<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Player Trades and Team Strategies<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Chicago Bears<\/strong> traded quarterback <strong>Justin Fields<\/strong> to the <strong>Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong> for a 2025 sixth-round pick that could become a fourth-round pick based on playing time. The Steelers now have both Fields and <strong>Russell Wilson<\/strong> as quarterbacks for the 2024 season. The Bears, holding the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, are expected to draft a new quarterback, likely <strong>Caleb Williams<\/strong>. The Steelers traded quarterback <strong>Kenny Pickett<\/strong> to the <strong>Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong> as part of a pick swap, giving them options at quarterback with Fields as a backup.<\/p>\n<h2>Injury Updates and Player Performances<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Los Angeles Rams<\/strong> improved their playoff chances with a win over the <strong>New Orleans Saints<\/strong>. <strong>Matthew Stafford<\/strong> led the Rams with 328 passing yards and two touchdowns, while rookie <strong>Puka Nacua<\/strong> had nine catches for a career-high 164 yards and a touchdown. The <strong>Cincinnati Bengals<\/strong> ruled out star wide receiver <strong>Ja&#8217;Marr Chase<\/strong> due to a right shoulder injury, increasing the target share for WR <strong>Tee Higgins<\/strong> and rookie WR <strong>Andrei Iosivas<\/strong>. <strong>Trevor Lawrence<\/strong> of the <strong>Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong> practiced but remains in concussion protocol, making him a game-time decision against the <strong>Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Notable Signings and Contracts<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Seattle Seahawks<\/strong> plan to sign linebacker <strong>Jerome Baker<\/strong> on a one-year deal worth $7 million after he was released by the <strong>Miami Dolphins<\/strong>. The <strong>New York Jets<\/strong> agreed to terms with left tackle <strong>Tyron Smith<\/strong> from the <strong>Dallas Cowboys<\/strong>, providing a significant upgrade if he stays healthy. The <strong>Denver Broncos<\/strong> signed veteran linebacker <strong>Cody Barton<\/strong> on a one-year deal. The <strong>Cleveland Browns<\/strong> hired former <strong>Titans<\/strong> head coach <strong>Mike Vrabel<\/strong> as a consultant, raising questions about the potential impact on current head coach <strong>Kevin Stefanski<\/strong>\u2019s position.<\/p>\n<h2>Controversial Comments and NFL Response<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Kansas City Chiefs<\/strong> kicker <strong>Harrison Butker<\/strong> delivered a controversial commencement speech at <strong>Benedictine College<\/strong>, criticizing Pride month and President <strong>Biden<\/strong>\u2019s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFL distanced itself from Butker\u2019s comments, clarifying that his views do not represent those of the organization. <strong>Jonathan Beane<\/strong>, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, reiterated the league&#8217;s commitment to inclusion.<\/p>\n<h2>Tragic Loss of NFL Prospect<\/h2>\n<p>NFL prospect <strong>Amitral \u201cAJ\u201d Simon<\/strong> died one week before the draft. Simon, a college football player who transferred to the <strong>University of Albany<\/strong>, played as a defensive lineman with the <strong>Great Danes<\/strong> in 2022 and 2023. The University of Albany announced his death on social media, stating he will be &#8220;profoundly missed.&#8221; Simon was eligible for next week&#8217;s NFL draft and had recently visited <strong>New England<\/strong>. He was named by the <strong>Coastal Athletic Association<\/strong> in February as one of the student-athletes who made the Commissioner\u2019s Academic Honor Roll.<\/p>\n<h2>Top Performers from Super Wild Card Weekend<\/h2>\n<p>The top 15 highest-graded players from the NFL Super Wild Card Weekend include <strong>Romeo Doubs<\/strong> of the <strong>Green Bay Packers<\/strong>, who secured all six targets for 151 yards on 16 routes, and <strong>Puka Nacua<\/strong> of the Rams, who had a career-high receiving grade of 93.1. <strong>Jordan Love<\/strong> of the Packers had the highest passing grade of the wild-card round, while <strong>Darnell Savage<\/strong> of the Packers had the highest coverage grade, including a game-changing interception return for a touchdown.<\/p>\n<p>In summary, the past week in the NFL has been eventful with mandatory minicamps, player trades, injury updates, notable signings, and top performances. The league continues to evolve as teams prepare for the upcoming season, making strategic moves and addressing key questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Catch up on NFL minicamps, player trades, injury updates, and top performances from the past week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[324],"tags":[1253],"class_list":["post-11941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-1253"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11941\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagers.com\/staging\/4285\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}