NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • College football QB rankings: Ranking every Power Conference starter entering 2026

    College football QB rankings: Ranking every Power Conference starter entering 2026

    College football fans who appreciate elite quarterback play are in for a treat next season. This budding crop of elite signal callers in next year’s NFL Draft class is anchored by projected Heisman candidates who will show out in 2026. You should pencil in several scintillating playoff matchups featuring expected first-rounders. 

    CBS Sports has spent the offseason flipping on the tape, talking to various staffs and gathering intel on the game’s best this spring, handicapping each Power Four conference at the quarterback position in the form of player rankings. We’re not ignoring the Group of Six arms, either. There’s plenty within that group who could crash the CFP discussion next season, including starters UNLV, Boise State and Memphis.

    Think of these Power Four 1-68 quarterback rankings as a fluid exercise with changes coming as more info comes in this offseason, especially once spring practice is over and depth charts are more solid. These rankings are slotted using our conference-by-conference power ratings from individual analysts, then adjusted accordingly from a national scope. The more experienced passers with eye-opening numbers rise while those who have struggled or might be Year 1 as possible starters round out the group.

    🏈 Conference QB supremacy

    Notre Dame excluded as an independent program

    ConferenceAvg Rank ↓Median ↓Top 10Top 25Avg of Top 5 ↓TotalSEC27.325.0486.816Big Ten32.830.0478.018Big 1237.634.50517.416ACC41.844.01419.217

    Check out all of our spring quarterback rankings by conference here: SEC | ACC| Big 12 | Big Ten | Group of Six

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  • Ranking NFL’s longest playoff droughts by whether they can end in 2026

    Ranking NFL’s longest playoff droughts by whether they can end in 2026

    The New York Jets haven’t had much to brag about over the past 15 years, but they do finally have something to brag about now: The Jets officially hold the title of having the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports. 

    The Jets have gone 15 seasons without sniffing the playoffs. Going into the 2025 NFL season, they were tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the longest playoff drought in North American pro sports, but the Sabres clinched a playoff spot over the weekend, ending their drought at just 14 seasons, so the Jets now stand alone. 

    When you think about it, it’s a drought that shouldn’t even be possible. The NFL thrives on parity: The league is literally designed to help the worst teams get better by giving them a higher pick in the draft, but the Jets have defied all the odds by NOT getting better. It’s almost impressive how long they’ve been able to stay bad. 

    With the Jets now holding the title of the longest active postseason drought, now felt like a good time to take a look at the longest active playoff droughts in the NFL and then after we do that, we’re going to rank each team based on their chance of ending their drought this year. 

    Over the past five seasons, 28 of the league’s 32 teams have made the playoffs at least once. So who are the four teams that have failed to make the postseason in that span? Let’s take a look: 

    Longest active playoff droughts in NFL

    Jets (15 seasons): Last playoff appearance came in 2010Falcons (Eight seasons): Last playoff appearance came in 2017Colts (Five seasons): Last playoff appearance came in 2020Saints (Five seasons): Last playoff appearance came in 2020

    So will any of these droughts end this year? Let’s rank each team by their chances of getting it done. 

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  • Chicago Bears Draft: A closer look at some Texas A&M prospects

    Chicago Bears Draft: A closer look at some Texas A&M prospects

    Taylor Doll continues her Making Monsters’ NFL Draft series of podcasts with an interview with Tony Catalina, who covers Texas A&M for the Austin Statesman. They break down several Aggies prospects, including EDGE Cashius Howell, who has been linked to the Chicago Bears in some recent mock drafts. They also discuss wide receiver KC Concepcion, offensive tackle Trey Zuhn III, and others.

    Howell (6’2.5”, 253) may not have the prototypical build for a Dennis Allen defensive end, but there’s no denying his ability to rush the passer.

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    Catalina said that Howell’s first year after transferring from Bowling Green (2024), he was a situational pass rusher behind Nic Scourton (now with the Panthers) and Shemar Stewart (Bengals). “But this year, he [Howell] came in noticeably bigger. He came in noticeably stronger with a different type of attitude, different type of edge being the main guy with the most opportunities. I mean, he really never looked like a guy who came from the MAC, right?”

    “Like playing at Bowling Green and then going to the SEC is just night and day as far as talent and effort. But, man, he really did explode on the scene.”

    In 2025, Howell racked up 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 6 passes defended, while being named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous Consensus All-American.

    Give Taylor’s show a listen in either of the embeds below, and let us know if you’d like any of the Aggies they discussed to end up in Chicago.

    PODCAST VERSION:VIDEO VERSION:

    Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms, so be sure to hit subscribe wherever you get your audio. Our YouTube home is also called 2nd City Gridiron, so subscribe there for our pods and other video content.

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    The 2nd City Gridiron team now has a merchandise store! Support your favorite content creators right here!

    Here’s Taylor’s full schedule for her NFL Draft…

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  • Oklahoma State football’s Julian Wilson had smooth transition to other side of Bedlam

    Oklahoma State football’s Julian Wilson had smooth transition to other side of Bedlam

    STILLWATER — The first piece of Oklahoma State football gear Julian Wilson was handed after being hired onto Eric Morris’ coaching staff was a bright orange shirt.

    The perfect item for Wilson’s Bedlam transition.

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    A high school star at Southmoore, Wilson played defensive back at OU before a brief NFL career. Now 34 years old, Wilson has been on the rise in the coaching ranks the last several years.

    And he has landed back in his home state, following Morris from North Texas.

    “The first shirt I put on was bright orange,” Wilson said with a smile. “That was the first thing they gave me when we came here. I already had my Jordans ready to rock with it.

    “It’s good, man. You gotta understand, I’m an Oklahoma kid. I’m from this state. I was born here, raised here. That’s my alma mater. It’s nothing but love there. But now, I’m employed by Oklahoma State, so I’m gonna give the Pokes everything I got.”

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    Top photos of Oklahoma State football QB Drew Mestemaker, Cowboys in spring practice

    Trip White (30) runs drills during Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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    Top photos of Oklahoma State football QB Drew Mestemaker, Cowboys in spring practice

    Trip White (30) runs drills during Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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    Top photos of Oklahoma State football QB Drew Mestemaker, Cowboys in spring practice

    Head coach Eric Morris stands on the field during Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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    Top photos of Oklahoma State football QB Drew Mestemaker, Cowboys in spring practice

    Caleb Hawkins (24) runs drills during Oklahoma State football practice in Stillwater, Okla., on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

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    Top photos of Oklahoma State football QB Drew…

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  • NFL 2026 Draft odds: Could Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love go No. 4 overall to Titans?

    NFL 2026 Draft odds: Could Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love go No. 4 overall to Titans?

    There has not been a running back chosen in the top five of the NFL Draft since the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley at No. 2 in 2018. But that drought – the longest in draft history without a top-five back — may well end in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 from Pittsburgh, with the Tennessee Titans sitting at No. 4 and Notre Dame tailback Jeremiyah Love as the +145 favorite to be the choice there via DraftKings.

    If you plan to bet on NFL Draft futures, check out the latest DraftKings promo code for the best offer.

    We all know that running backs have been largely devalued in the NFL in recent years with more and more passing. The Raiders took Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 last year and he had a solid rookie year but didn’t get any Offensive Rookie of the Year votes or greatly help a terrible team in the grand scheme of things.

    Teams have been able to find quality running backs in later rounds. Perhaps my Bears don’t win the NFC Central last year without the contributions from seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers. Another seventh-rounder in Jacory Croskey-Merritt became the Commanders’ featured back. Perhaps as proof of tailbacks being devalued, one hasn’t won OROY since Barkley. The top finisher in voting last year was the Patriots’ Treveyon Henderson in third, and he was a third-round pick out of Ohio State.

    The Titans, an NFL-worst 6-28 in the past two seasons, have been looking for a true No. 1 back ever since Derrick Henry left for Baltimore. They have a new head coach in defensive-minded Robert Saleh, and his offensive coordinator is former Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Tennessee already has its QB of the future in place in  Cam Ward, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2025.

    There is nowhere to go but up for the Tennessee offense after finishing 30th in points (16.7 PPG) and 31st in total yards per game (259.6). It marked the franchise’s worst scoring output since…

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  • College football spring QB battle updates, starter predictions for 2026 season

    College football spring QB battle updates, starter predictions for 2026 season

    As spring practice comes to a close for most teams this month, there are five undecided quarterback competitions we’re keeping an eye on across the Power Four ranks, along with several others expected to continue into fall camp later this year.

    Schools are allotted 15 spring practices for player development, schematic installation and position battles before breaking for the three-month offseason ahead of the 2026 season. Multiple scrimmages — and a spring game for a few — provide coaching staffs with live action to determine where a competitor stands in the quarterback race and who leads the huddle with precise decisions.

    For transfer quarterbacks, spring drills are imperative toward establishing relationships and familiarizing themselves with personnel and terminology before the real fight begins in August.

    Tennessee 

    Challengers: George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon, Ryan Staub (Colorado transfer)
    Frontrunner: George MacIntyre

    The latest ahead of Saturday’s spring game: After a Knoxville judge denied Joey Aguilar’s request for another season with the Vols, Josh Heupel was forced to turn to Plan B — choosing a redshirt freshman, five-star true freshman or a depth signing to lead the first-team next season. MacIntyre had nine total passing attempts last season behind Aguilar, while Staub started two games in three years with the Buffaloes.

    Coming out of Tennessee’s second spring scrimmage this month, Heupel didn’t reveal who he was leaning toward, but MacIntyre and Brandon…

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  • Buccaneers to work out free agent OL Kenyon Green

    Buccaneers to work out free agent OL Kenyon Green

    Free agent offensive lineman Kenyon Green will work out for the Buccaneers on Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports.

    The Texans made Green a first-round pick in 2022.

    Green, 25, started 14 games at left guard as a rookie but missed the 2023 season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. He started 12 games in 2024 before the Texans traded him to the Eagles in the 2025 offseason.

    He spent time on the Eagles’ practice squad and later joined the Ravens’ practice squad but did not play last season.

    Green has started 23 of 27 career games.

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  • Who has the edge for Florida football’s starting quarterback spot?

    Who has the edge for Florida football’s starting quarterback spot?

    Less than a week remains until Florida football’s annual Orange and Blue Game, which also represents the end of the spring practice season. With the program in reboot mode, many questions still surround the Gators, including the starting quarterback job.

    Among the many changes to have taken place over the past few months was the acquisition of former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Aaron Philo through the NCAA transfer portal, as well as the addition of his offensive coach at that same school, Buster Faulkner. Without a clear incumbent for the QB1 spot, Philo is entrenched in a battle with rising redshirt sophomore Tramell Jones.

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    The two have served as backups during their young collegiate careers — Jones held the clipboard for DJ Lagway last season in Gainesville while Philo played behind Haynes King in Atlanta. Both are looking to take a step forward this coming fall and take over as the starting play-caller.

    CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford recently looked at some of the hottest spring football quarterback battles, including the one happening right now in the Swamp. He currently has Philo out in front, but his ascendance into the starting role is anything but a foregone conclusion at this point.

    “Philo may have the leg up on Jones, given the arrival of Buster Faulkner as Florida’s new offensive coordinator,” Crawford begins. “Philo studied under Faulkner the last two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, playing behind veteran quarterback Haynes King. The Georgia native played in two games as a redshirt freshman, including a 373-yard start against Gardner-Webb with King on the mend.”

    His competition is “a former three-star signee in 2025 who flipped his commitment from Florida State, re-signed with the Gators in December after meeting with first-year coach Jon Sumrall.” Jones completed 21 of 35 passes for 191…

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