Coming into the 2026 NFL offseason, there wasn't a position group Jake Layman Jersey around the NFL that needed more work than the ' offensive line. Through the first few weeks of the offseason, Cleveland has added four po sible starters, including Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins, and starters at right guard and right tackle in Teven Jenkins and Tytus Howard. But their other addition, a $49.5 million signing of a former offensive guard, Zion Johnson, was called a mistake by . Why Browns' signing of Zion Johnson was a mistake "But while injuries at tackle certainly played a role in the Chargers having a dreadful offensive line last year, so did the fact that Johnson was one of the worst starting guards in the league," Davenport writes. Johnson was one of the bigger additions for the Browns in their offensive line rebuild, as he signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract with $32.4 million guaranteed. The 26-year-old former first-round pick might still carry some potential, but there's a reason why the Chargers, in dire need of offensive line help, simply let him walk. They didn't even use a fifth-year option on the guard. Cleveland is signing Johnson away from one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL in 2025, and Johnson was one of the big reasons why the OL for the Chargers struggled so much in 2025. More : What makes this signing for the Browns such a worrisome one isn't the fact that the Browns are taking a chance on a former first-rounder, but that Johnson's deal is not easy to move on from. He carries cap hits of $5.14 million in 2026, $7.75 million in 2027, and while there's an out after year two, there will be dead cap hits of $3.42 million from 2028 through 2030 if he's released as a post June 1 cut, . If this signing doesn't work out, which is very po sibly going to happen with how much he struggled for the Chargers in his NFL career already, then this signing will have been a mistake. Johnson could prove his potential is still there, and have a fine season for the Browns in 2026, which would make his big contract not look as bad as it does now. But, this $49.5 million deal could very well look like a mistake very quickly in 2026. More Browns news: Anthony Edwards Jersey

tight end destroyed the in . If you extrapolated the tight end's seven receptions, 104 yards and three touchdowns that week over the entire season, Thomas was on pace for 112 catches, 1,664 yards and 48 scores. Of course, the pa s-catcher didn't come close to those mind-boggling numbers, finishing with 43 snags Robin Lopez Jersey for 489 yards and 12 touchdowns. Injuries hindered him early in the season, forced him to mi s three games from Weeks 12 through 14 and held him to just three catches for 66 yards over the final three contests. Heading into a rematch with the on , Thomas said the bye week helped his ankle immensely. "It was a big week for me," he said, . "It was good to get some rest. Every doctor will tell you the most important thing is rest, but it's tough to do in the middle of the season. So I got a little bit of time to stay off it and get some treatment on it. It went well." It's worth noting that following the regular season bye, Thomas had his second-best game of the season, catching six pa ses for 66 yards and two scores. Thomas is a matchup nightmare for a team that doesn't have the linebackers who can run with him. But the fourth-year pro expects Indy to make adjustments this time around. "I was able to have a lot of succe s against them in that first game," Thomas said this week. "I would imagine they will do some things a little bit differently. So you can't say, 'I had a great game against them the first time. I'll have three touchdowns on them again.' You just never really know." We do know that if he does repeat that performance it will spell trouble for the ' playoff lives. The latest Around The NFL Podcast and ranks the eight remaining quarterbacks in the playoffs. Find more Around The NFL content on . C.J. Miles Jersey

The had an interesting draft, with many suggesting that they reached on a few players. One of them was Kaelon Black, who was selected in the third round. The 49ers seemingly have their running backs in place with Christian McCaffrey and others Nathaniel Thurmond Jersey already on the roster, but it looks like they wanted the former Indiana standout, and there's reason to believe it can work out despite all of the questions about the decision. Black, who rushed for 1,040 yards at Indiana, had a six-year college career. He's already 24 years old, and perhaps that had an impact on the decision. Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about that move, offering more insight into why San Francisco went in that direction with its running back room. It always starts with me with just whos the most natural running back. I love third-down backs, all the pa s game stuff that people can bring, but when it just comes to running the ball, you need to have more than one starter, Shanahan said of Black, SB Nation. Weve gone through a number of years here where weve been through at least four backs. Last year was one of the abnormal years where, and it was awesome, but our starting back was able to stay healthy. With all the injuries the 49ers have dealt with on both sides of the football over the past few years, including multiple to McCaffrey, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anybody that the team went with a running back in the third round. It might have been an interesting decision for this team, but Black is a good player and will hopefully have a nice and long career in the NFL for San Francisco. More NFL news: Baron Davis Jersey

general manager Rick Spielman that he wants back in 2015. But let's say, for the sake of argument, that a team blows him out of the water with a trade offer. Where will the Vikes turn then in the backfield? They could select one in a deep draft. First, though, would like a shot at the gig. "If A.P. comes back, there's no doubt he's going to be the starter," McKinnon told the . "But it's not going to change my mind-set or how I approach things or how I work. Whatever they do, my mind-set is to come in and be that guy next year." The 22-year-old showed flashes of promise with a quick burst during his rookie campaign. However, his season ended prior to Week 13 and he was place on the injured reserve list Dennis Schroder Jersey with a back injury. McKinnon finished with 538 yards on 113 carries, for a 4.8 yards per tote average. The running back underwent surgery in December and said he's fully recovered. "There's no doubt in my mind I can last the season," McKinnon said. "If that's something I have to prove, that's not a big deal for me. I'll prove it this year. I'm just really excited to get back out there with my teammates and coaches and show how far I've come since surgery." We still believe that Peterson will return to Minnesota as the workhorse runner. If the story changes, however, the might need to turn to McKinnon and once again until they figure out a long-term solution. If McKinnon gets his way, he'd be that long-term choice. The latest Podcast and discu ses 's future. Find more content on . Deonte Burton Jersey

Mi si sippi State center was unable to workout at on March 4, so he took part in Louisiana-Monroe's pro day on Wednesday. Day -- who is from West Monroe, La. and went to West Monroe High School -- didn't do positional drills at ULM's pro day. Day (6-foot-3 7/8, 296 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 5.23 and 5.24 seconds. Joining Day at the pro-day workout were some noteworthy Louisiana-Monroe prospects. Kicker (6 Mikal Bridges Jersey -2 1/2, 199) can also punt in addition to handling placekicking and kickoff duties. Quarterback Pete Thomas (6-5 1/4, 232) ran the 40 in 5.06 seconds on both attempts. He had a 30-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-2 broad jump. He did the 20-yard short shuttle in 4.4 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.25 seconds. He has big 10 7/8-inch hands. Thomas -- who threw for 3,181 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Warhawks in 2014 -- is worth taking a look at in camp as a rookie free-agent pickup. Offensive tackle Joseph Treadwell (6-5, 324) ran the 40 in 5.64 and 5.67 seconds. He had a 23 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 7-foot-8 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 5.04 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.91 seconds. He also did 15 reps of 225 pounds on the bench pre s. Because of his arm size (35 1/8 inches), Treadwell is the type of prospect a team will take a closer look at as a po sible rookie free agent. The pro day was held outdoors and a total of 10 players worked out in front of representatives from four NFL teams. Follow Gil Brandt on Twitter _ _. Elie Okobo Jersey