After letting Nick Cross sign with the Commanders, on a very reasonable deal, the Colts signed Juanyeh Thomas— a former UDFA from the Cowboys. Thomas played three years with the Cowboys and only started four games in that span. I was shocked to see the Colts part ways with Nick Cross, especially after seeing what […] After letting Nick Cross sign with the Commanders, on a very reasonable deal, the Colts signed Juanyeh Thomas— a former UDFA from the Cowboys. Thomas played three years with the Cowboys and only started four games in that span. I was shocked to see the Colts part ways with Nick Cross, especially after seeing what he signed for. I think the Colts like the safety class and believe they can replace him. But overall, it’s pretty shocking to see a player that they traded up for and developed, walk for pennies on the dollar. That being said, I like the addition of Junayeah Thomas. It’s a great buy low option with some upside. I also think the Colts DB braintrust of Lou Anarumo, Chris Hewitt, and Jerome Henderson deserve some benefit of the doubt still. This certainly feels like a player they believe they can develop and outplay his contract. NFL scouts and execs will tell you that safety can be one of the harder positions to scout. There can be an entire game where the ball doesn’t find them or there is lack of plays in a game to draw observations from. From watching his film, it’s obvious that Juanyeh Thomas is an ultra competitive safety who’s played in some bad defenses. The common theme is that he truly plays to the sound of the whistle. On this particular rep, you can also see him take a great angle to the ball to limit the damage once Josh Jacobs bounces the run outside. Watch Thomas hold his disguise. He has a very tough assignment to match James Cook in the flat from the middle of the field. He does a nice job hanging with him, and then gets his eyes to the football. He also is apart of some of collateral damage from his teammate and takes a big shot. This is one of the best plays I’ve seen from Thomas on tape. You can tell he studies a lot of film because he is diagnosing this play at the snap of the whistle. The way he fits this run, he basically has to make the play because he’s coming through the backdoor. If he misses this tackle there’s not enough bodies on the outside to make this play. The Cardinals are telegraphing crack toss to the field here and Junayeh definitely knows it (as you can see from his tweet). He get’s lucky that he guessed right— but sometimes that’s where the best plays on a football field happen. SAFETY POSITION OUTLOOK Juanyeh Thomas is exactly the type of player I think the Colts should be taking a chance on. A player with intriguing movement skills and a high level of competitive toughness that could provide some upside in a new scheme. That being said, I’d imagine the Colts will likely have an open competition at the position. They signed Jonathan Owens and still probably have some hope that Hunter Wholer can make the roster— given his performance in training camp last year. When you consider how many needs the Colts have, it makes sense that safety is far down the priority list— at least in terms of resources committed. The Colts assembled a quality staff on defense that I still trust to develop that position. Safety is not a position that historically requiter premier assets in order to find premiere players, so I like the idea of starting fresh and holding a competition. I also would not rule out the Colts drafting a safety in a class that has some intriguing options. The Colts, ever since Lou Anarumo has arrived in Indy, are very committed to making sure they are set at the DB position. They have been stubborn about making sure they are never short at the position. I expect them to commit to adding depth, whether that be through a late day 3 pick or reasonable deals for veteran options, and see who sinks or swims. Juanyeh Thomas, as of March 18th is certainly the favorite to start next to Cam Bynum— but we also have a long ways to go until we know that for certain. See More:
Colts Film Breakdown: Juanyeh Thomas
De’Von Achane not for sale, say Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are not interested in trading De’Von Achane, as per reports. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that though teams have called general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and the Dolphins to inquire about trading for the Pro Bowl RB, he is not available in any capacity. Why would the Dolphins potentially trade Achane? There has been […] The Miami Dolphins are not interested in trading De’Von Achane, as per reports. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that though teams have called general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and the Dolphins to inquire about trading for the Pro Bowl RB, he is not available in any capacity. Why would the Dolphins potentially trade Achane? There has been a lot of speculation regarding Achane’s future with the Dolphins, given the rest of the team’s moves this offseason. The Dolphins have strategically moved off veteran players and taken on massive cap hits, in hopes of clearing out cap space for the 2027 season and beyond. In fact, Miami is set to incur over $175 million in dead money next season, with the following players no longer on the team. Tua Tagovailoa: $50M+ Tyreek Hill: $28.2M Jaylen Waddle: $26.3M Jalen Ramsey: $20.9M Minkah Fitzpatrick: $13M Bradley Chubb: $10.9M Terron Armstead: $10.7M James Daniels: $4.8M Zach Wilson: $3.8M Alec Ingold: $2.0M Jonnu Smith: $1.7M Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: $1.6M Matthew Judon: $1.4M Jason Sanders: $663K Cam Smith: $528K Mohamed Kamara: $160K Given this exodus of talent, many around the league suggested that Achane might be next. Achane is currently playing for the Dolphins on a 4-year, $5.44 million rookie contract. Seeing as he’s three years into this contract and will be a free agent next season, a scenario in which the Dolphins traded Achane for more draft capital would not be crazy. The Dolphins would not have to pay Achane next year, thus furthering their goal of staying in a healthy situation salary cap-wise. Of course, the Dolphins could be playing mind games, and only publicly suggesting that Achane is not for sale to entice teams to come back with a better offer. If that is the case, only time will tell. If Achane stays, what does Miami’s future look like? Seeing as we cannot see into the future, this news taken at face value suggests that Achane is here to stay. In three seasons with the Dolphins, Achane has 4,334 total yards, 35 total touchdowns, and 172 receptions. Given these incredible numbers, he will likely fetch top-of-the-market money if offered a new deal. The top five highest paid running backs in the NFL (Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffery, Derrick Henry, Kenneth Walker III, and Breece Hall) all earn about $15 million per year. Currently, the Dolphins are set to have $156 million in cap space in 2027, the 3rd-most of any team. In other words, they will certainly have the room to sign Achane to a long-term contract, if desired. See More: General
What Panthers writers, fans are saying about Lions EDGE D.J. Wonnum
The Detroit Lions finally added to their EDGE room on Tuesday by agreeing to terms with free agent D.J. Wonnum. At just 28 years old, Wonnum certainly fits the Lions’ description of a young player with potential—which has certainly been Detroit’s type this free agency. But what do Carolina Panthers writers and fans think about? […] The Detroit Lions finally added to their EDGE room on Tuesday by agreeing to terms with free agent D.J. Wonnum. At just 28 years old, Wonnum certainly fits the Lions’ description of a young player with potential—which has certainly been Detroit’s type this free agency. But what do Carolina Panthers writers and fans think about? Let’s check in on people who covered Wonnum for the past two seasons have to say about the new Lions defender. Panthers writers, fans The main comment from Carolina seems to be that the writing was on the wall for Wonnum after Carolina made the splash move of signing Jaelan Phillips in free agency. However, there are clearly some mixed feelings about how Wonnum’s time in Carolina should be defined. After a relatively successful start to his career with the Minnesota Vikings—including two 8.0-sack seasons—the expectations were relatively high when Wonnum signed a two-year, $12.5 million contract in Carolina. He responded with a mediocre two years: one promising season shortened by injury and a relative let-down in 2025. In total, he tallied 23 starts, 7.0 sacks, 79 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and an interception. But numbers don’t tell the whole story, so here’s a more detailed account of Wonnum’s time in Carolina from Panthers writers: Wonnum has had a strange two years in Charlotte, which included an extended recovery from an injury, then a splashy first few games in 2024 and then a relatively quiet 2025. Last year, he had one interception, one fumble recovery, 42 tackles and three sacks (career low). He did, however, start 16 of the 17 games he played in. Wonnum still has a lot going for him, he’s still just 28 years old, has had seasons where the talent and production really align, and even on a poor unit with last year’s Panthers defensive line, showed some solid reps at times. Wonnum should still have a lot of football to play in the NFL; it may just not be in Carolina, especially if he wants to get another solid contract. There was optimism Wonnum would build on his strong finish in 2024, when he provided a spark to the league’s worst defense with four sacks after missing the first half of the season. But Wonnum was held without a sack for the first 13 games last season before recording two in a loss at New Orleans. He finished with three and has just seven in two seasons in Carolina, one fewer than his 2023 total in Minnesota. A longtime scout for another NFC team said the 28-year-old hasn’t looked the same since his quad surgery (and complications stemming from it). The Panthers used their second- and third-round picks on edge rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen last year, and will look to upgrade the position again this offseason. Wonnum’s two-year deal is up. His dirty work throughout the 2025 campaign didn’t go unnoticed, but something was missing after a long-term injury at the start of his tenure with the Panthers, which came with complications. The time has come to part ways. And for a fuller profile on Wonnum, here are a few cut-ups from writers during his time with the Minnesota Vikings (all written after the 2023 season). The reality is that Wonnum is best suited as a team’s third edge rusher, not an every-down starter. He has 23 sacks in four seasons, but many of them — especially prior to 2023 — came on plays where he was unblocked or was cleaning up a scrambling quarterback thanks to good coverage on the back end. Wonnum’s PFF grade was a career-best 62.3 this season (60 is average) after three years in the 50s, and his pass rush win rates have never been particularly impressive. Fascinatingly, he has 7.5 sacks and 41 pressures in eight career games against the Chicago Bears, with 15.5 sacks and 95 pressures in 55 games against everyone else. Defensively, keep an eye on D.J. Wonnum, who a pro personnel source said should be considered a top “sleeper” for free agency. Wonnum, who has posted 23 sacks in his four seasons of play, played in a career-high 83% of the team’s defensive snaps last season and has excellent length and size as an edge rusher (6-5, 260, 34 1/8-arm). Wonnum has only been a full-time starter in two of those seasons (2021, 2023) and has experience playing with his hand in the dirt earlier in his career under former head coach Mike Zimmer’s 4-3 scheme and as a stand-up pass rusher over the past two years. A to Z Sports’ Josh Queipo: Wonnum isn’t a household name outside of Minnesota, but he has been a consistent contributor to the Vikings defense since getting selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The long and lean pass rusher is a capable run defender (32 stops this year), while adding 30-40 pressures per season over the past three years. Wonnum is a solid rotational edge who can step into a starting role if injuries require it. That’s a valuable commodity in the NFL, where he can raise the floor of the room and help a defense continue to operate throughout a long and grueling season. His profile is similar to Dorance Armstrong in Dallas a couple of years ago before he signed a two-year, $12 million extension with the Cowboys. Panthers fans If you’re looking for a more emotional reaction, fans are always the best source for that. Here’s how Panthers fans reacted to Tuesday night’s news that Wonnum was headed for Detroit. And I want to end with a quote from Wonnum
Roster analysis: D.J. Wonnum brings starting experience, flexibility to Lions front
Nine days into the 2026 free agency period, the Detroit Lions finally signed an edge rusher, as they came to an agreement with D.J. Wonnum on a one-year contract with a reported value of up to $6 million. Let’s take a closer look at the Lions’ newest defensive end and why he’s more likely to […] Nine days into the 2026 free agency period, the Detroit Lions finally signed an edge rusher, as they came to an agreement with D.J. Wonnum on a one-year contract with a reported value of up to $6 million. Let’s take a closer look at the Lions’ newest defensive end and why he’s more likely to be a replacement for Marcus Davenport than Al-Quadin Muhammad. Origin story Wonnum found the field at South Carolina as a true freshman, playing in all 13 games. As a sophomore, he was named a starter and team captain, and would hold both roles for the next three seasons. Wonnum never put up gaudy statistics at South Carolina, but his size, length, and athletic profile helped him get drafted in the fourth round (pick No. 117 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings. Wonnum worked his way into the Vikings’ edge rotation as a rookie and found a starting role in his second year as a down defensive end. The Vikings switched to a 3-4 scheme in his third season, and Wonnum reverted back to a reserve role, only to regain a starting role when the Vikings hired Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator. In total, Wonnum would go on to start 31 games for the Vikings over four seasons. In 2024, Wonnum departed for Carolina after the Panthers gave him a two-year contract, despite him recovering from a quadriceps tear sustained on Christmas Eve 2023, when the Lions beat the Vikings to win the NFC North title. Unfortunately, Wonnum’s road to recovery was a long one, marked by a litany of “complications.” Upon his return to the field in 2024, Wonnum would go on to start the Panthers’ final eight games that season, and this past season, he started 15 of 16 games. What the experts are saying Wonnum wasn’t a high-profile free agent, so there wasn’t much written about his profile as a free agent. However, Darin Gantt of the Panthers’ website wrote a fascinating story chronicling Wonnum’s road to recovery in 2024, the medical obstacles he overcame, and how that has changed his perspective on life. “Wonnum walked reporters through an offseason that’s generally been described as involving “complications,” which more specifically involved three surgeries following his Christmas Eve injury, which cut short his final season with the Vikings. Then came his body rejecting the internal stitches used to repair his quadriceps tear, a MRSA infection, and weeks of taking blood thinners after he developed blood clots as a result of the intravenous antibiotics he was taking to fight the infection. “Football injuries are one thing. His offseason went to a different level and involved medical issues that push closer to the life-changing or life-threatening variety.” Expected role in 2026 Wonnum certainly fits the profile of what the Lions are looking for in a base end to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson, and should be viewed as a healthier version of what the Lions were hoping to get from Marcus Davenport. At 6-foot-5, 258 pounds, and possessing the desired length (34 1/8-inch arm length), and athletic profile (RAS: 8.07) for the position, Wonnum physically looks the part. He has impressive experience for a 28-year-old, with 54 starts across 86 games and an average of 47 snaps per game, illustrating his ability to stay on the field in any situation. Furthermore, he has experience operating from a three-point stance, as a stand-up pass rusher, and can kick inside in obvious pass-rushing situations. He sets a firm edge against the run, showing an understanding of how to maximize his length in leverage situations. Wonnum isn’t a flashy pass rusher; he does have some variety to his attack, but doesn’t excel at any one move. Over his six-year career, Wonnum is credited with 126 “run stops” (plays that result in an offensive failure), as well as registering 30 sacks and averaging 193 pressures (roughly 32.1 per season and two-and-a-quarter pressures per game). Wonnum gives the Lions some flexibility as they continue to add talent to the position. He is capable of starting as a base end in a rotation, but is also capable of coming off the bench if needed. He’s never had more than eight sacks in any one season—though he has accomplished this twice—and he has a base of consistency but lacks pizazz. Free agency impact There are still talented veteran pass rushers on the free agent market—as we discussed in Tuesday’s question of the day—and the addition of Wonnum shouldn’t rule the Lions out from considering adding any of them to their roster. At this time, the Lions only have three true pass rushers on their roster: Wonnum, Hutchinson, and Ahmed Hassanein, who spent the majority of his rookie season rehabbing from injury and on the practice squad. The Lions will also use Levi Onwuzurike and Tyler Lacy in the 4i role in big sets, but that usage is unlikely to deter them from adding more pure pass rushers. The obstacles that could get in the way of the Lions in adding more edge players in free agency are redundancy and price. Cam Jordan and A.J. Epenesa are a bit redundant to Wonnum, while Jordan, Jadeveon Clowney, and Joey Bosa are likely to command a difficult price tag. Adding a pass-rushing specialist seems the more likely path in free agency, and the Lions may consider veterans like Von Miller or Kyle Van Noy. NFL Draft impact Regardless of what happens in free agency, the Lions will likely have a pass rusher near the top of their 2026 NFL Draft wishlists. With a deep edge rusher class, the addition of Wonnum gives the Lions the flexibility to not force
Discussion: Which free agent loss will have the biggest impact on the Lions?
Throughout the offseason, SB Nation will host surveys for NFL fans, sponsored by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook. For Pride of Detroit, we are tasked with fielding questions from Detroit Lions fans, and as we move through the first few waves of the offseason free agency period, the Lions have lost some familiar names, so […] Throughout the offseason, SB Nation will host surveys for NFL fans, sponsored by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook. For Pride of Detroit, we are tasked with fielding questions from Detroit Lions fans, and as we move through the first few waves of the offseason free agency period, the Lions have lost some familiar names, so we thought it would be a good time to check in once again. In this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey, we have just one question: Which free agent loss will have the biggest impact on the Lions? For this question, we have provided five options for Lions fans to choose from, but as always, if you have a different name you believe is more significantly relevant, shout them out in the comments. Here are the choices for this week’s survey question: Taylor Decker Al-Quadin Muhammad Roy Lopez Alex Anzalone Amik Robertson Decker has locked down the left side of the Lions’ offensive line for a decade, and while he debated retirement, his return was equally as surprising as his asking for his release after the Lions presumably asked him to take a pay cut. The Lions have signed Larry Borom as a replacement on the offensive line, but Detroit may also use a high draft pick to help make up for the loss of Decker. Muhammad was viewed as a pass-rush specialist by the Lions, but he maximized his opportunities in Detroit, securing 11 sacks in 2026, and he signed with Tampa Bay on a 1-year deal worth up to $6 million. The Lions signed edge rusher D.J. Wonnum to a similar 1-year deal worth up to $6 million, but stylistically, he is closer to Marcus Davenport than Muhammed. If Wonnum is headed for the early down role, the Lions will likely still be on the hunt to find a pass-rushing specialist, though that could be a high-priority target in the draft. Lopez got a contract bump and a raise this offseason by returning to the Cardinals, and the Lions haven’t added any free agents to replace him. Now, they are returning Levi Onwuzurike from injury, but his health and ability to make an impact are still unknown. Meaning the Lions may still be on the hunt for a DT3 Lopez-like player. Anzalone was the leader of the Lions’ defense for four seasons before (reluctantly) passing the reins to Jack Campbell this past season. The Lions began preparing for Anzalone’s departure last season when they gave a contract extension to Derrick Barnes, and this offseason, they have re-signed Malcolm Rodriguez and Trevor Nowaske, but replacing none of the three can one-for-one replace Anzalone’s instincts and coverage skills. This may be another high-priority position they attack in the draft. Robertson was a steady inside/out corner with an infectious dog mentality. The Lions opted to sign nickelback Roger McCreary as a replacement, while also securing positionally fluid Christian Izien as insurance. Neither may be as consistent as Robertson, but both are young, hungry, and have upside to work with. Alright, now it’s time for you to weigh in. Please vote in the survey below, share your feedback in the comments, and check back later this week for the results. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. If you want to get these surveys emailed to you weekly, you can sign up here. Build Your Winning Bracket! SB Nation’s CBB expert Mike Rutherford and resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean will answer all your questions this week and help guide you to bracket glory! Drop in SB Nation’s March Madness Feed all week long and we’ll have both on hand! (All times ET) Sun 7-10pm: Chris Dobbertean Mon-Wed 10am-1pm: Mike Rutherford Mon-Wed 5-8pm: Chris Dobbertean Thursday 9am-12pm: Chris Dobbertean and Mike Rutherford Join SB Nation’s March Madness Feed!See More:
Eagles News: “The highest variance of any NFL team in 2026”
The Feed post of the day Each day, we highlight a BGN community post here in this space. Head over to The Feed to submit your entry and have a chance to be featured in The Linc! Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links … Win-now? Rebuild? What NFL teams’ initial free agency […] The Feed post of the day Each day, we highlight a BGN community post here in this space. Head over to The Feed to submit your entry and have a chance to be featured in The Linc! BCHaas14h Bleeding Green Nation Most Likely To Be Traded: Non-AJ Brown Edition I think I can safely say that we are all tired of the will they or won’t they trade AJ Brown no matter which side of the discussion you sit on. So let’s discuss something different. What non-AJ Brown under the radar player that is currently on the roster do you think is most likely to be traded between now and the start of the season? I’ll start: Tyler Steen Tyler Steen was a serviceable OG last year with a PFF grade of 73.4 (put whatever weight on that that you desire), which ranked 13th amongst guards in their rankings. I think we can easily say that Steen was not the cause of the offensive line’s drop-off in play last year and that he is a decent starter in the league. So why would the Eagles trade Steen especially when we have concerns for Landon’s and Cam’s longevity? Well, for one thing he is in the last year of his rookie contract so if they are going to capitalize on his value, this is the year to do it and there are a ton of teams that need OL help. Marry that with the fact that we are likely to draft 1-2 OL in the first few picks in 2026 and suddenly the OL room is crowded: Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Steen, Johnson, Drew Kendall, Miles Hinton, Connor Williams, Willie Lampkin, Hollin Pierce + 2 high draft picks. That’s 12 OL for what typically amounts to 9-10 rostered players along with a couple stashed on the practice squad. The issue with extending Steen is that 4 other linemen are making top tier money at their positions and the offense needs to get younger and cheaper as the defensive stars are getting ready to be paid (or in the case of Davis already being paid). Note that Steen is a fine guard and the Eagles would be better having him on the roster for 2026. He’ll likely get a decent long-term extension that still will command north of $13-14M/year (for reference, Seumalo got 3yr/$31.5M and is 32 years old and was ranked just behind Steen, who is 7 years younger). Is that affordable for the Eagles? Sure, but they are going to have to make hard decisions and for this exercise, the cost vs replacement and savings with a rookie contract is the deciding factor when considering future cap allocations. LikeRec 1CommentsThin Stroke Comment Icon BubbleReply 33 Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links … Win-now? Rebuild? What NFL teams’ initial free agency moves revealed – The Athletic Philadelphia Eagles. To me, the Eagles have the highest variance of any NFL team in 2026. At their best or middle-best, though, they are a playoff team and so are in this bucket. Free agency for them has thus far been headlined by GM Howie Roseman’s aggressive attempts to build a trade market for receiver A.J. Brown, who remains on their roster. And yet other moves were classic of this Eagles era: signing their own good players and keeping a roster strength intact. In this case, things kicked off with their extension of defensive lineman Jordan Davis. Most interesting move: Signing cornerback Riq Woolen to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million. If pairing Woolen with Cooper DeJean (slot/safety) and Quinyon Mitchell (perimeter cornerback) works, this will be as dominant a secondary as there is in the NFL right now. Not-so-great expectations? Reluctantly dragging Dallas Goedert back into the fold typifies this Eagles offseason – PHLY To me, the Eagles’ Goedert dance – the tight end and his agent pushed back his contract void date twice as talks continued – kind of sums up what has so far been a “meh” offseason for a team that underachieved in 2025. Goedert led the team with 11 touchdowns last season, and was the Eagles’ top red zone target. Yet it seems that Goedert is back only because no market for him materialized in free agency. Management seemed largely indifferent to the prospect that he might leave, even though there is no adequate replacement on hand, and the resulting dead cap charge would have further complicated chances of trading A.J. Brown. (Which, I’m compelled to state one more time, will not make the Eagles a better team, whenever it happens.) Maybe the plan is to avoid another season of underachieving by lowering the talent level and thus expectations for 2026. Jaylen Waddle trade affirms Eagles’ asking price for A.J. Brown – BGN There was some buzz about the Broncos being interested in A.J. Brown. They clearly won’t be trading for him now. One fewer suitor for Brown doesn’t necessarily help the Eagles’ leverage. However … The Eagles’ reported asking price for Brown in a trade is further legitimatized with the Waddle trade. Though Waddle is about 1.5 years younger, Brown is a superior player. Here’s a look at their stats since 2021, which is when Waddle entered the NFL. How Jaylen Waddle trade impacts Patriots’ outlook with A.J. Brown – Pats Pulpit Considering all that, and what Waddle netted his now-former team, it is no stretch of the imagination that Brown would fetch the Eagles a similar return. The circumstances are different in that particular case, both financially and in terms of player motivation to move, but Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman has stood firm on his high asking
NY Giants 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: Peter Woods, iDL, Clemson
The New York Giants were busy throughout the opening week of free agency. However, there was on weakness on the roster that they didn’t address: Their defensive line depth. The interior defensive line isn’t a strength of the 2026 NFL draft class. There aren’t any prospects who are likely to go in the top 10, and we might not see any selected until the end of the first round. Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods was widely considered a potential high first round pick coming into the year, but saw his draft stock fall off dramatically in the midst of a bad season for the Tigers as a whole. Is Woods still a potential steal for the right team? Or was he overrated coming into the year? Prospect: Peter Woods (11)Games Watched: vs. Georgia Tech (2025), vs. SMU (2025), vs. South Carolina (2025)Red Flags: Hamstring (2026, limited him to a 10-yard split at Clemson’s pro day Measurables (Note: Woods also ran the 10-yard split of the 40-yard dash at Clemson’s Pro Day. He was timed at 1.67 seconds, which is faster than the 1.75 average. ) Strengths Best traits Explosiveness Power Leverage Versatility Disruptiveness Peter Woods is a compact, but powerful, athletic, versatile, and competitive defensive lineman. Woods is an undersized defensive tackle at 6-foot 2 ½ inches, and 292 pounds, however he’s also explosive in a short area. He tested with an above-average 1.67-second 10-yard split, and appears to have a good first step and burst on tape. He also has clear power in his upper and lower halves, and is capable of jolting blockers backward when he uncoils his hips. His stocky frame also belies good short-area quickness and agility, partly as a result of short, choppy steps on the move. Woods’ quickness and agility also allows him to line up as a jumbo edge rusher on occasion, even playing from a two-point stance. He was particularly productive from that alignment in 2024, before playing a more traditional defensive tackle role in 2025. His power and agility each make him both useful and disruptive on stunts and twists. He’s effective crashing down, occupying blockers to free up the looper, while also effective as a looper himself. He’s disruptive when attacking individual gaps, and his traits create opportunities to scheme him opportunities to penetrate into the backfield. Woods typically keys the snap well and is one of the first players moving at the start of the play. He also tracks the ball well in the backfield and is both quick and accurate when diagnosing the play. He’s quick to disengage and pursue ball carriers on screens or swing passes, and offers great effort in pursuit. Weaknesses Worst traits Block shedding Long speed Consistency The single biggest weakness in Woods’ profile is his arm length, and that shows up in several areas of his game. Most notably, it severely limits how he’s able to take on blockers and can lead to some significant inconsistency in his production. Woods is able to be disruptive if he wins the initial leverage battle or is able to stop opposing linemen from locking in their blocks. However, he has a frustrating tendency to stay blocked if linemen get their hands on him first. Likewise, his lack of length limits his ability to make plays off of blockers, as well as his tackle radius. He simply doesn’t occupy much room in gaps and ball carriers can get around him even with half-man leverage. Woods also has limited long speed, and reaches his top speed quickly. That limits how successful he’s able to be in pursuit and as a pass rusher. He’s effective when he wins quickly, however his play speed slows dramatically when he has to run quarterbacks down. Finally, teams will want to know why Woods’ production fell off so dramatically from 2024 to 2025 and whether that’s linked to the hamstring injury that kept him from running the 40-yard dash at the Clemson Pro Day. Game Tape (Woods is the Clemson defensive tackle wearing number with white tape on the back of his arms) Projection Peter Woods projects as a high-volume defensive lineman in an aggressive one-gap defense. Whether he’s nominally a “starting” or “rotational” player will likely depend on the situation into which he’s drafted. However, his blend of traits should allow a creative and aggressive defensive coordinator to find a variety of ways to get him on the field. In particular, his ability to line up as a stand-up rusher on the edge is uncommon for players who would ordinarily be defensive tackles. Teams will likely have concerns regarding Woods’ arm length, as well as his dramatic fall-off from 2024 to 2025. His arms may mean that he might not be consistently productive at the NFL level, and his limitations certainly showed up on tape last year. That said, his versatility could allow his future team to scheme him opportunities to disrupt and be an outlier. Teams can be wary of outliers, and his drop in production could cause enough hesitation to knock him down draft boards. However, that could mean a team could get a steal if Woods is able to regain his 2024 form. Does he fit the Giants? Possibly, depending on the scheme Final Word: An early second round pick See More: New York Giants Draft
Daniel Jeremiah mock draft: NY Giants get Sonny Styles with No. 5 pick
If the New York Giants stay at No. 5 in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, their choices likely center on running back Jeremiyah Love, safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Sonny Styles, and perhaps wide receiver Carnell Tate. In his most recent mock draft, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network has given Giants Styles. Jeremiah wrote simply this: Styles would be a monster playing behind the Giants’ dynamic front line. In Jeremiah’s scenario, Love went to the Tennessee Titans at No. 4. In the same scenario this week, faced with the same choice, ESPN’s Mel Kiper this week chose Downs for the Giants. You can read Chris’s take on Kiper’s choice here. Jeremiah ranked Styles No. 3 on his most recent top 50 prospects big board. He wrote: Styles is a tall, long and rangy linebacker prospect. He made a smooth transition from safety to linebacker during his college career and put on an epic display at the NFL Scouting Combine. In the run game, he’s quick to key, read and fill to make tackles. He uses his length to press off blocks and has outstanding lateral range to pick up production on the perimeter. He’s a firm, reliable tackler with stopping power on contact. Styles is outstanding in coverage. He can carry slot receivers down the seam and smoothly mirrors tight ends all over the field. He’s an explosive blitzer and will run over running backs who try to block him in pass pro. Styles’ performance in the Big Ten title game against Indiana answered any questions about his game, as he was the best defender on the field in that matchup. He reminds me of Fred Warner as a player. It’s hard to find prospects with Styles’ combination of speed, athleticism and instincts. Valentine’s View I have seen a fair amount of folks around Big Blue View trying to make the case that Styles is not a good enough player to be considered at No. 5. I have no idea what those of you who are knocking Styles are looking at. If you are looking for what used to be called a “thumper” at linebacker, few of those players exist anymore. The linebacker position isn’t Ray Nitchske or Dick Butkus anymore. Not even Harry Carson or Ray Lewis. It is smaller. It is faster. It is more versatile. Sports Info Solutions charted Styles with two (TWO!) blown or missed tackles in all of the 2025 season for Ohio State. He may not punish ballcarriers, but he always gets them to the ground. Styles is a converted safety who is still learning the linebacker position, and still gaining size and strength. Here is the scouting report from The Ringer: Rangy and versatile linebacker who brings sideline-to-sideline speed and incredible reliability as a tackler. Styles is an ascending playmaker with a rare combination of athleticism, length, and range at the linebacker position. A former safety who made the switch to linebacker over the past two seasons, he’s tall with an angular, tapered build, and he effortlessly covers ground at the second level. Styles showcases good vision to sort through the trash on run plays and still keep his eyes on the ball. He brings effortless lateral agility to strafe from gap to gap and arrive at the ballcarrier to make a stop. His closing speed stands out; he drives on the ball decisively to deliver a hit and corral the runner. He’s an incredibly reliable tackler: He missed just two tackles in 2025, per PFF, while racking up 47 stops. Styles glides around in man coverage and can put himself into position to play the ball in zone. He sees routes developing and keeps his head on a swivel to adjust his drop. He’s a blur as a blitzer, flying downhill to shoot through the line. He tallied nine sacks in his college career. There are times when Styles struggles to disengage from blocks and allows himself to get sealed away from the play. He’s thin-framed and lacks the sand in his pants to defeat blocks and bring high-end stopping power. He will occasionally take the cheese on a play fake and find himself chasing a decoy. There were times when his intensity waxed and waned while chasing down a play or pursuing from the backside; he may need to turn up the aggressiveness at the next level. Here is what I wrote in my notes from the games that I watched: – Very comfortable, smooth in zone drops as a former safety – Comes downhill aggressively vs. run – Not a big hitter, but does not miss tackles – Can run with big slot WRs or TEs, and change direction in the open field … can carry down the seam – Willing to take on blocks rather than run around them – Probably needs to get stronger, not surprising as a converted safety – Can and does stack and shed, but sometimes gets stalemated (strength??) – Comfortable communicating and aligning teammates … LEADERSHIP – Shows excellent instincts for where the ball is going to be – Has ball skills – Could be used as a spy I had Trevor Sikkema, highly-regarded draft analyst for Pro Football Focus, on my podcast after the Combine. Here is what he said about Styles: “I thought about Styles in this regard even before his crazy Combine performance. Styles’ game against Indiana this past year is the best single game that I’ve seen from any prospect of any position in this class. The way that he was able to read and react to the ball, his anticipation before the ball was even snapped, and then his athletic ability to go hunt the football and be a difference-maker at the line of scrimmage when ball carriers were reached in the line. I mean, that’s difference-making stuff. Elite coverage grade, elite run defense grade this past year for him. Hadn’t missed a tackle all year until that Miami game when I think he maybe had one
2026 NFL Free Agency: Biggest remaining team roster holes
Some NFL teams vigorously attacked roster holes in the first wave of free agency, while others stood pat, leaving them still in search of answers. 2026 NFL Free Agency: Biggest remaining team roster holes The Bengals’ young linebacker corps needs a veteran presence: Rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter earned poor 40.2 and 39.5 PFF overall grades, respectively, in 2025, yet the team hasn’t addressed the position in free agency. Miami’s rebuild has left the roster barren: While almost any of the Dolphins’ units could have made this list, the secondary is a particular weakness. Each of their five defensive backs who played more than 110 snaps last season earned PFF overall grades below 60.0. 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team. Free agency is a perfect opportunity for NFL teams to find quick fixes for roster weaknesses, and many teams did just that over the first week of free agency. However, there are still gaping holes on some rosters. We’re looking at some roster liabilities that have yet to be addressed by teams. New York Jets wide receiver corps The Jets rostered arguably the worst group of pass catchers during the 2025 season. None of their wideouts reached 40 receptions or topped 400 receiving yards, leading to a combined 59.5 PFF receiving grade, which ranked 31st in the league. New York’s 17 combined drops were tied for the sixth most in the NFL, even though the wide receivers were targeted just 272 times — the seventh fewest in the league. Garrett Wilson, who was battling injuries and did not play after Week 10, led the group with a 72.5 PFF overall grade (38th among all wide receivers). Among 80 wide receivers with at least 50 targets, Wilson’s 1.74 receiving yards per route run ranked 28th. However, the Jets not only failed to sign a wide receiver during the first wave of free agency, but they also lost John Metchie III, who logged the second-most receptions among the team’s wide receivers in 2025. He signed with the Panthers. New York’s projected starters at the position are Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams, who ranked 38th, 86th and 94th in PFF overall grade this past season, respectively. Cincinnati Bengals linebackers The Bengals fielded one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2025, if not the worst, largely due to the poor play of their inexperienced linebackers. Rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter both played between 790 and 800 snaps last season, with no other Cincinnati linebacker logging more than 400 snaps. Yet, the young duo remained a liability for the entire season. Whereas Knight’s 40.2 PFF overall grade ranked 83rd among 88 qualifying linebackers, Carter’s 39.5 mark placed only 85th. The 88th-ranked player at the position was also on Cincinnati’s roster: veteran Oren Burks. He played 340 snaps and earned a 30.2 PFF overall grade. Surprisingly, the Bengals have not addressed the position in free agency thus far. Cincinnati’s front office and fans must hope that at least one of their two young linebackers makes significant progress in their second season in the league and develops into a starting-caliber player. The Bengals should still be expected to add a veteran at the position this offseason. Washington Commanders cornerbacks Five cornerbacks logged at least 150 snaps for the Washington Commanders in 2025. Each one earned a PFF overall grade below 60.0. Washington’s cornerbacks combined to earn a 47.8 PFF coverage grade, which ranked last in the NFL, while their 62.7 completion percentage allowed placed ninth worst. The only moves the Commanders have made to address the position so far in free agency are releasing veteran Marshon Lattimore and signing Amik Robertson. Out of 112 qualifying cornerbacks in 2025, Robertson ranked just 107th with a 48.6 PFF overall grade, while his 48.0 PFF coverage grade placed 101st out of 109 qualifying cornerbacks. If his last season with Detroit is any indication, the Commanders are far from stabilizing their cornerback room. Miami Dolphins secondary The Dolphins could have made multiple appearances on this list across their barren roster. Even though Miami had safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and cornerbacks Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas in 2025, the team traded Fitzpatrick to the Jets, while Jones and Douglas are currently still free agents. Miami added multiple defensive backs in free agency, including Darrell Baker Jr., Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Zayne Anderson, but it’s not an encouraging unit on paper. Of the 17 defensive backs currently under contract with the Dolphins, only two — Baker and Dante Trader Jr. — logged more than 400 snaps in 2025. Furthermore, their five defensive backs who played more than 110 snaps last season each earned PFF overall grades below 60.0. While this unit looks like arguably the worst in the league, the Dolphins’ other moves suggest that they could be content with what they have in the secondary right now.
Would you pick Sonny Styles or go with Caleb Downs at pick No. 10?
Greetings, Bengals fans! With NFL Draft season in full swing, two of the most popular names mentioned for Cincinnati with the No. 10 overall pick have been a pair of Ohio State standouts. Caleb Downs is widely regarded as one of the best safety prospects in recent memory, while Sonny Styles is constantly compared to […] Greetings, Bengals fans! With NFL Draft season in full swing, two of the most popular names mentioned for Cincinnati with the No. 10 overall pick have been a pair of Ohio State standouts. Caleb Downs is widely regarded as one of the best safety prospects in recent memory, while Sonny Styles is constantly compared to 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner. It feels like either guy would be an instant-impact player for any NFL team, especially on a Bengals defense that had one of the worst safety groups and linebacker groups in the league for the past two seasons. While many mock drafts have Styles going before the Bengals are on the clock, there are plenty of projections with Downs landing in Cincinnati. But for the sake of debate, let’s say somehow both Styles and Downs are on the board at No. 10. If that miracle happens, which player are you selecting? Sound off in the poll below and in the comments section! Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Bengals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. And Who DEY! See More: Cincinnati Bengals Draft
