NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Pitt football freshman Mason Alexander, 18, dies in car accident in hometown

    Pitt football freshman Mason Alexander, 18, dies in car accident in hometown

    The Pittsburgh Panthers football team is grappling with the sudden and tragic loss of freshman cornerback, Mason Alexander, who died in a car accident on Saturday.

    According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Alexander, 18, was a passenger in a 2016 BMW traveling on Florida Road in his hometown of Fishers, Indiana. The driver of the car attempted to pass another vehicle but swerved to avoid a head-on collision after entering the northbound lane. This maneuver caused the BMW to veer off the road and crash into a tree, resulting in a fire. When first responders arrived at the scene, Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene around 9 p.m. ET.

    Alexander graduated early from Hamilton Southeastern High School in Indiana and enrolled at Pitt in January.

    “Mason is a special young man who is going to be dearly missed,” Hamilton Southeastern football coach Michael Kelly said Sunday morning. “To be honest, I don’t know if I’m still in shock but the hardest thing to think about is how things can happen to people, especially somebody like him. He had a presence and positivity about him that was unique. He didn’t think he was bigger than life in any way, and he had next level talent.”

    Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi shares condolences

    Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi released a statement following the news of Alexander’s passing, expressing his deep sorrow and acknowledging the impact of this tragic loss on the team.

    “I received a call this morning that no parent, teacher or coach ever wants to get – the news of the sudden loss of a young and promising life. Our entire program is shocked and deeply sadden to learn of Mason Alexander’s passing,” Narduzzi wrote.

    Alexander was one of the top recruits in the country as a cornerback. He was a two-time all-state selection and had offers from several top programs before picking…

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  • NFL combine 2025: Jalen Milroe’s hands apparently have grown half an inch since the Senior Bowl last month

    NFL combine 2025: Jalen Milroe’s hands apparently have grown half an inch since the Senior Bowl last month

    Getty Images

    It appears quarterback Jalen Milroe out of Alabama had a growth spurt. At the Senior Bowl, Milroe’s hand size measured in at 8 3/4 inches. One month later at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, his hand measured more half an inch bigger, at 9 3/8 inches.

    His hands have somehow grown by 5/8ths of an inch in 28 days. That’s significant because the consensus for the smallest acceptable hand size for an NFL QB is 9 inches, and Milroe’s hands were initially measured as smaller than that. Now, he’s got bigger hands than both Miami’s Cam Ward and Ohio State’s Will Howard.

    The likely explanation is that Milroe wasn’t spreading his hand properly when it was measured at Mobile, where those types of measurements don’t mean as much for prospects also attending the combine in Indianapolis. Or perhaps the measurement at one of the two locations was simply incorrect for another reason.

    Milroe’s height remained the same at 6-foot-1 1/2, while his weight dropped three pounds, from 220 pounds to 217.

    The dual threat quarterback used his arms and his legs in college, finishing with 71 total touchdowns (38 passing and 32 rushing). He had the most touchdowns in the SEC, but also had the most turnovers with 23. 

    Jalen Milroe NFL Draft landing spots: Ranking five best fits for Alabama dual-threat QB

    Garrett Podell

    Last season, he had 20 rushing touchdowns and 16 passing touchdowns, which ranked 11th most in the nation and was No. 1 in the SEC. He finished with 15 turnovers in 2023, fourth most in the nation and most in the…

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  • TCU WR Jack Bech honors brother killed in New Orleans attack at NFL combine: ‘He’s got the best seat in the house’

    TCU WR Jack Bech honors brother killed in New Orleans attack at NFL combine: ‘He’s got the best seat in the house’

    No one is having an NFL scouting combine quite like TCU wide receiver Jack Bech.

    Bech is competing in Indianapolis two months after the death of his older brother Tiger, who was among 14 people killed in the terror attack that rocked New Orleans on New Year’s Day. To honor him, Bech took the field Saturday wearing cleats with the Bible verse “And ye who stay on the path of righteousness shall reap what thine hath sewn,” and angel wings on the other side.

    The cleats were the same he wore at the Senior Bowl, where he also wore his brother’s No. 7. Tiger played wide receiver at Princeton.

    Bech performed well at the combine, showing strong hands in the gauntlet drill and holding his own in the measurement drills.

    “I know my brother has got me now until the end of time. He pushes me to new heights. He will be with me. He’s got the best seat in the house,” Bech told NFL Network at the combine.

    Bech is coming off an even more emotional performance in the Senior Bowl, where he earned MVP honors after catching the game-winning touchdown and getting mobbed by his teammates.

    Bech is seen as a mid-round NFL Draft prospect who projects to find playing time as a possession receiver after leading TCU with 62 catches, 1,034 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Those stats earned him second-team All-Big 12 honors.

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  • Ten biggest college football spring practice questions: QB battles, the transfer window and roster shakeups

    Ten biggest college football spring practice questions: QB battles, the transfer window and roster shakeups

    Spring football will soon get underway across the country as college football teams begin preparations for the 2025 season. That means position battles, transfer arrivals and freshman debuts. It will also mean, at least at some places, a traditional spring game! (More on that in a second.)

    The sport is rapidly changing, highlighted last season as fans enjoyed the first season of the 12-team College Football Playoff. With one season of experience on how that system plays out from the beginning of the regular season through the College Football Playoff National Championship, there are more questions than ever during the spring sessions as teams around the country vie for one of the 12 spots come December. 

    To get ready for the wave of practices across the country, these are 10 national storylines we’re following this spring.

    1. Uh, who’s going to play a spring game?

    Spring practice is going to happen across the country; coaches won’t waste their 15 sessions. But the institution that is the spring game? It’s very much in danger. Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas, USC and Florida State are among the teams to cancel their spring game thus far. Their reasons vary as to why. Florida State is doing renovations on Doak Campbell Stadium; Texas cited concerns with player workload after back-to-back CFB Playoff runs; and Nebraska … well, Matt Rhule doesn’t want his players poached in the transfer portal.

    Expect more teams to join that list over the coming weeks and months as colleges shift toward NFL-like offseasons with OTAs and training sessions replacing the traditional spring practice regime.

    Hopefully the schools that cancel figure out a way to still engage with fans — be it by opening practices to the public or via fan events. Spring games are…

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  • Full list of 2025 NFL combine results and 40-yard dash times, plus winners and losers for every position

    Full list of 2025 NFL combine results and 40-yard dash times, plus winners and losers for every position

    The NFL Scouting Combine has reached the weekend from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. While prospects have descended onto Indianapolis over the last few days, the action ramps up Saturday as the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs hit the field. 

    First up were the defensive linemen and linebackers. Following Thursday’s session, defensive backs and tight ends will took the field on Friday, and we’ll wrap everything up on Sunday with the offensive lineman. 

    One of the more critical aspects of the NFL combine is getting the measurements on these prospects, which continues to paint a clearer picture for teams as they craft their draft boards. Below, we’ll detail every prospect’s measurables along with what they clocked during the 40-yard dash.  

    NOTE: This table will be updated as more information becomes available.

    QB measurements

    TE measurements

    Player nameSchool40-yard dash timeHeightWeightArm LengthWingspanColston LovelandMichigan–6-5 3/424832 1/8
    Tyler WarrenPenn State–6-5 1/225631 3/476 1/2Harold Fannin Jr.Bowling Green4.726-3 1/424132 1/479 1/4Gunnar HelmTexas4.846-5 24132 3/479 1/2Elijah ArroyoMiami–6-5 1/82503381 7/8Mason TaylorLSU–6-5 1/825132 1/478 3/4Terrance FergusonOregon4.636-5 3/824731 7/880 1/8Oronde Gadsden IISyracuse– 6-4 5/824333 3/881 5/8Mitchell EvansNotre Dame4.746-5 3/825831 7/877Jake BriningstoolClemson4.756-4 5/824131 1/277 5/8Moliki MatavaoUCLA4.826-5 5/826032 1/278 7/8CJ DippreAlabama4.706-4 7/82563279 3/4Jackson HawesGeorgia Tech4.836-4 1/225332 1/879Gavin BartholomewPittsburgh4.716-4 5/824631 3/878 3/8Thomas Fidone IINebraska4.706-52433482 5/8Brant KuitheUtah–6-223631 5/876 3/4Joshua SimonSouth Carolina4.666-4 1/823933 7/883Luke LacheyIowa–6-5 3/425132 1/878 3/8Jalin ConyersTexas Tech4.756-3 1/226032 1/480 7/8Bryson NesbitNotre Dame4.896-523831 3/477 3/8Robbie OuztsAlabama4.916-3 27431 1/478 1/4

    Top-10 40-yard dash times

    TE winners and losers

    By…

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  • Brent Venables among College Football Coaches with Most to Prove in 2025

    Brent Venables among College Football Coaches with Most to Prove in 2025

    The Oklahoma Sooners are in a place they haven’t been in for quite some time. They’re coming off of just their second losing season since 1998. The other thing that’s unfamiliar is that their head coach likely enters 2025 on the hot seat.

    Not everything that happened in 2024 was Venables’ fault, but as the Hall of Famer Bill Parcells once said, you are what your record says you are. And in two of the last three seasons, the Sooners have been a losing football team. That’s why ESPN’s Bill Connelly included Venables among head coaches with the most to prove in 2025.

    Oklahoma has suffered just two losing seasons in the past 26 years, and Brent Venables was in charge for both of them. The Sooners faced a ridiculous schedule during last season’s 6-7 campaign, and they enjoyed a bright spot with their late-November pummeling of Alabama. But that was their only win over an FBS opponent after September, and they fielded their worst offense of the 21st century. Venables has recruited well enough to fend off any major hot seat issues, but you eventually have to turn recruiting potential into on-field production, and OU’s schedule won’t get any easier in his fourth season in charge. – Connelly, ESPN

    Venables was mentioned along with notable head coaches James Franklin, Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley (!!!), Bill Belichick, and Cal’s Justin Wilcox.

    As optimistic as I might be about the Oklahoma Sooners in 2025, it’s 100% a prove-it year for Venables and the program. Year one in the SEC wasn’t kind to the Oklahoma Sooners. A second year of struggling in their new home will turn the heat up on the head coach’s hot seat.

    He’s taken an aggressive approach to fixing the issues that plagued the team last year by bringing in an up and coming offensive coordinator and the best quarterback in the transfer portal to right everything that went…

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  • Rams QB Matthew Stafford avoided the legacy gamble that Aaron Rodgers made

    Rams QB Matthew Stafford avoided the legacy gamble that Aaron Rodgers made

    Early Friday morning, as Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was preparing for a meeting with head coach Sean McVay, a league source with significant interest in this offseason’s QB carousel offered a prediction and theory on the story that had dominated the start of the NFL scouting combine: Stafford and the Rams would stay together in 2025; a financial middle ground would be found; and while Stafford would never say it publicly, the compromise would showcase that sometimes elite players do learn from the mistakes of their peers.

    In this case Stafford wasn’t going to fall into the same trap that has swallowed some of the precious final years of Aaron Rodgers’ career, leaving the future Hall of Famer in search of a way to bookend his NFL legacy with something other than his spectacular failure with the New York Jets.

    “They played each other [late in the 2024 season] and I know the respect Matthew has for Aaron,” the source said. “I don’t think it’s lost on him what happened with Aaron and the Jets. [Heading into their late December game] Matthew was getting asked about Aaron and I’m sure there were mental notes taken — especially with Matthew knowing there would be some career decisions to make this offseason.”

    “When it’s [crunch] time, I think Matthew will know his best opportunity to finish on his terms and winning terms will be [with the Rams].”

    Ultimately, the source guessed correctly. Several hours later, the Rams announced they’d reached an agreement to keep Stafford in place for the 2025 season. And just like that, the other future Hall of Fame quarterback in the winter of his career has avoided the kind of legacy-capping dice roll that is currently defining Rodgers’ offseason search for redemption.

    Matthew Stafford and the Rams won’t be breaking up after all, to the chagrin of would-be suitors looking for a veteran QB to lead in the 2025 NFL season. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

    It’s the…

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  • Cowboys 2025 free agency primer: Pending free agents, cap space available, what to know this NFL offseason

    Cowboys 2025 free agency primer: Pending free agents, cap space available, what to know this NFL offseason

    The Dallas Cowboys’ “all in” 2024 offseason  was just the opposite of what owner and general manager Jerry Jones initially promised. 

    Dallas ended up spending an NFL-low $20.47 million in free agency, per OverTheCap.com, and procrastinated on extending both All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott, which is why Jones’ offseason slogan transformed into “get it done with less.”  Having less experienced depth and just less depth in general doesn’t yield positive results in the NFL. That’s why the Cowboys went from having three consecutive 12-win seasons from 2021 to 2023 to going 7-10 in 2024 amid an injury-plagued campaign.

    Cowboys executive vice president and COO Stephen Jones took some accountability on behalf of the team’s front office at head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s introductory press conference, saying they needed to “take a long hard look” at their free agency strategy. Following some reflection, the younger Jones declared Dallas will be “selectively aggressive” this offseason. 

    “We’re going to look at everything we can. We’re going to be selectively aggressive,” Stephen Jones said Monday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Obviously you know there are things in this league, you have certain amount of resources they allow you to have. We’ll look at that. We’re going to try to improve our football team. Not try, we’re going to improve our football, and we expect to have success next year.”  

    As we get closer and closer to the unofficial kickoff to free agency with the legal tampering window beginning on March 10, let’s take a closer look at the Cowboys and where they stand entering this key period on the calendar.   

    Cowboys free agency lookahead

    Unrestricted free agents: DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LB Eric Kendricks, CB Jourdan Lewis, DT Osa Odighizuwa, RB Rico Dowdle, G/C Brock Hoffman, WR Brandin Cooks, QB Cooper Rush, DE Carl Lawson, WR…

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