Author: nfltalk

The Rams have made it clear that they have interest in a potential reunion with cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Now that cornerback Jaire Alexander is available to any team, coach Sean McVay was asked on Tuesday whether the Rams would have interest in the former Packer.

“We haven’t had a lot of those discussions,” McVay told reporters. “There are so many layers to the Jalen conversation. Obviously, with Jaire, a lot of respect for him as a player, haven’t talked about those types of things. Our main focus . . . this will really represent our last OTA day so we’ve kind of just been focused on our group. [G.M.] Les [Snead] and I have had some dialogue and discussions as it relates to the Jalen thing, but there’s really no news to report on. And with Jaire, nothing but respect for the player but I don’t know if that’s a direction that we would go.”

It seems to be a polite way of saying the Rams aren’t interested in Alexander. And they still seem to be interested in Ramsey.

Still, 10 days after the Dolphins acquired the ability to trade Ramsey and spread the cap charge over two years, Ramsey has yet to be traded. Given the deadline-driven realities of the NFL, it’s possible that the Dolphins will wait to do a deal until training camp approaches.

Especially if Ramsey decides to force the issue by showing up and participating — Brett Favre in 2008-style.

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PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles did not have a typical mandatory minicamp like in years past, using an offseason with less than the maximum three mandatory minicamp practices to lighten the workload on the defending Super Bowl champions. Every player was in attendance for the session, as the Eagles quickly exited the building for the summer soon after the 80-minute session was completed. 

This offseason felt shorter due to the lack of OTA practices (Eagles only had six) and the one-practice mandatory minicamp, a small price to pay for players to rest up their bodies and prepare to defend a Super Bowl championship in five-and-a-half weeks. 

There was a few intriguing developments from the practice, including who stood out in the session and who are the early favorites for some of the intriguing camp battles come July. Quite a few players have improved their stock heading into training camp, while others are certainly worth watching late in the summer.

Here were five takeaways from the Eagles’ one and only mandatory minicamp practice, including some standouts from the session. 

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The Bengals have released linebacker Germaine Pratt. He even got the perfunctory “thank you for everything” social-media post.

Pratt has every right to be thinking, “Tanks fer nuttin.”

He asked to be traded on February 12. The Bengals instead squatted on his contract for months, neither trading him nor cutting him.

Releasing Pratt now makes it harder for him to find a suitable landing spot for 2025. It makes it harder for him to replace the $5.25 million he was due to make this year in Cincinnati.

It’s another example of the one-way nature of NFL contracts. The team can tear it up whenever the team wants. The player is stuck.

And the team can wait to cut the player until the player is screwed. It’s all the more reason for players to argue for the inclusion of roster bonuses or guarantees early in the league year. It forces the team to make a decision, and it allows the player who is released to get to the market before cash has been spent and roster spots have been claimed.

For Pratt, the most obvious potential destination is Indianapolis, where former Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anuramo now runs the defense. Still, he would have had more options (and likely would have made more money) if the Bengals had cut him in March.

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Kirk Cousins is expected to show up on Tuesday for the Atlanta Falcons’ mandatory minicamp after not taking part in OTAs, according to multiple reports. Cousins, who did take part in Atlanta’s voluntary workouts in April, would still prefer to be traded to a team where he can start.

To this point, Cousins’ time in Atlanta can best be summarized as odd. The Falcons, shortly after signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal, shocked everyone when they then used a first round pick to select fellow quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who replaced Cousins in the starting lineup in Week 15 of the 2024 season. 

With Penix now entrenched as the starter, Cousins reportedly wants to be traded. Atlanta, however, has apparently been bullish when it comes to its asking price for Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler with 163 career starts under his belt. 

The Falcons have had discussions with multiple teams regarding a possible trade of Cousins but asked teams to take on a significant portion — reportedly at least $20 million — of the remaining $37.5 million guaranteed on Cousins’ contract. 

Further complicating matters is the fact that Cousins has a no-trade clause, so even if a team meets the Falcons’ reported demands, Cousins can veto a possible trade if he doesn’t want to play for that team. 

With Aaron Rodgers now officially in Pittsburgh, the New Orleans Saints would be the best possible fit for Cousins given Derek Carr’s recent retirement. But given the fact that the Saints are a division rival, the odds of the Falcons trading him there are incredibly slim. 

If no opportunities present themselves by Week 1, Cousins may be content remaining in Atlanta for the 2025 season. He’s got $27.5 million guaranteed coming his way (plus a $10 million roster bonus), and there’s a chance he may get another chance to start for the Falcons if Penix either gets hurt or struggles at some point during the…

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Despite being a fifth-round pick in April’s NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders is still drawing talk from NFL fans as he enters his first mandatory minicamp Tuesday through Thursday and attempts to climb up the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback depth chart.

As the fervor around Sanders continues to escalate, despite nothing really changing since the end of the draft, now is a good time to take stock of what Sanders needs to do to actually get the job. As the fourth quarterback that the Browns added this offseason, Sanders really does face a battle toward having a relevant rookie season, but there is a path for him to help his case with a strong offseason.

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Part of the reason there is so much excitement for Sanders is that the Browns’ quarterback room doesn’t appear to have an entrenched starter. Joe Flacco will presumably resume his role as the team’s starter, which he had for the latter part of 2023 season, when he helped lead the Browns to a playoff berth. Flacco’s experience within the offense, and experience in general, are going to be assets that the Browns lean on as they enter training camp. However, third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett are viewed as beatable for the primary backup job.

What’s interesting about this quarterback race is that Gabriel and Sanders find themselves needing to do the same thing to solidify their standing in the Browns’ quarterback room. Gabriel was the 94th overall selection in this year’s draft, 50 picks prior to Cleveland’s trade up for Sanders. Their goals are similar: get to a high enough understanding with the playbook where the coaching staff feels comfortable having them active once the regular season starts and the games start counting.

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Where they differ is the practicality of the investment and what that means for their immediate futures with the Browns. Gabriel’s investment as a top-100 draft pick means he will likely be getting the first chance at practice reps over Sanders…

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