NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins has designs on changing the organization

Quinshon Judkins arrived in Columbus a year ago and promptly helped Ohio State win a national championship. He landed in Cleveland last month, a second-round pick of the Browns, and has plans to have as big an impact with his NFL team.

The Browns, though, won only three games last season and still don’t have a clear answer at quarterback. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2020.

“As a whole, we had a great draft class,” Judkins told Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated. “I think everyone brought attention because of our talent, and our work ethic. Really everybody who came in with that mentality of being ready to work. I feel like for myself, as a competitor and as a player, that was one of my goals.

“When I come to be a Cleveland Brown, I’m coming in to change the organization, contribute, do the best I can. I know what it takes to win, so I’m going to bring that mentality here to Cleveland and do the same thing.”

Judkins spent his first two seasons at Ole Miss and rushed for 2,725 yards and scored 34 total touchdowns. Last season at Ohio State, he had 1,060 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns.

“The people who know me, who recruited me, they know I have a lot of accomplishments,” Judkins said. “Freshman of the Year SEC, everything. Turn on the tape. It shows. I do everything as a player. Complete running back, every-down running back, catch, block, run 80 yards, 90 yards, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. I’m just excited to do it at the next level.”

PFT

 

Kyle Shanahan: Right now, Christian McCaffrey is healthy as can be

After helping lead the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII in 2023, Christian McCaffrey’s 2024 season was marred by injury.

McCaffrey dealt with bilateral Achilles tendinitis well into the regular season. Then in his fourth game of the year, he suffered a PCL injury that sidelined him for the rest of the campaign.

But this spring, McCaffrey is back.

“Christian is as ready as any player I’ve ever been around,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said in his Thursday press conference. “When he gets hurt, he’s got to rehab and get better. Right now, he’s healthy as can be.

“We’ve got to kind of protect him from himself, but Christian has a good idea of what he needs to do right now. He’s doing a lot less than he normally would do, but I know he is excited on how healthy he feels and the fact that he can get out there.”


McCaffrey was the AP offensive player of the year in 2023, registering a league-high 339 touches, 2,023 yards from scrimmage (1,459 rushing, 564 receiving), and 21 touchdowns.

In four games last year, McCaffrey was limited to 202 yards rushing and 146 yards receiving on 15 catches.

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Frank Ragnow announces retirement at 29. HE says his body isn't feeling right and doesn't want to make it worse. The Lions are gonna feel this one. He was arguably the best center in the league along with Humphrey and Linderbaum. Who is the best center in the NFC now Cam Jurgens?

 

Jaguar on the cover of Madden...

 

Jim Marshall, one of the all time greats dies at 87.

RIP.

 

Steelers lose TE Donald Parham Jr. to ACL tear

Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, veteran tight end Donald Parham Jr. suffered a torn ACL during Tuesday’s OTA session.

Parham signed with the Steelers earlier this year, after spending all of the 2024 season on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Undrafted out of Stetson in 2019, Parham spent offseason time in Detroit and Washington. He parlayed a brief 2020 stint with the XFL into an opportunity with the Chargers. He spent four years in L.A., catching 67 passes for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Parham will now miss the 2025 season. The Steelers have three other tight ends on the roster — Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and J.J. Galbreath.

 

This has reopened the talks between Pittsburgh and Miami on possibly sending TE Smith to the Steelers.

 

I heard they were also talking to Atlanta about Pitts.


Both would be a huge increase over Parham.

 

You'd think Pitts would be off limits, but one never knows.

 

Cole Kmet was surprised by Colston Loveland pick, now understands Bears’ vision

The Bears’ decision to draft tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick in April elicited a strong reaction from one member of the team.

Cole Kmet has been playing tight end in Chicago since the 2020 season and he signed a long-term contract extension with the team ahead of the 2023 season, so it’s natural that he was “taken aback” by the addition of another player at the same position. Kmet said conversations with the team told him that “there’s going to be areas where we complement each other” and that the goal is to have the best tandem of tight ends in the league, which got him on board with the selection.

“You’re just understanding their vision and their expectations for you as a player,” Kmet said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s hard to come into work every day when you don’t know your set expectations. I think having those conversations kind of cleared the air a little bit.”

If the partnership doesn’t pan out, the Bears can part ways with Kmet after the season without serious cap ramifications but the hope for all involved is that the tight ends are part of an offensive turnaround in Chicago.

PFT/Alper

 

It seems as I just read an article that Pitts is entering his final year of his rookie contract and at the moment is injured... missing workouts. Atlanta says they would love to retain him, but Pitts told ESPN that he 'wouldnt mind' a trade and teams have inquired about Pitts, so stay tuned.

 

He's in the last year (5th year option) of his rookie contract and hasn't performed to a top ten first round level. I would be surprised if he doesn't go into free agency. I don't think he is getting top TE money, which is only around $14-19M per year. He is currently at $10.8M on the option year, I don't know that he keeps that number into his next contract. He isn't ranked in any top15 list for TEs..anywhere... His production has him ranked right around 20th overall in the league... Now we have a few rookies coming in that might push him down further, they might not, but he has had 4 years to show his stuff and it just hasn't developed.

A new system could be what he needs to show his true potential.

 

Kmet is part of a very, very large group of people questioning the Bears' draft strategies. Sounds to me like he's just come to peace with the idea that they suck, just like the rest of us.

 

He definitely took the high road and good on him.

 

Source: Ravens give WR Rashod Bateman 3-year, $36.75M extension

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Lamar Jackson will have his top big-play wide receiver for the foreseeable future, as the Baltimore Ravens announced Thursday that they had signed Rashod Bateman to an extension.

Bateman's deal is for three years, $36.75 million and includes $20 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

This contract comes a year after Bateman signed a team-friendly two-year extension worth $12.8 million because he didn't qualify for a fifth-year option after starting 2023 training camp on the "did not report" list. Now, after becoming Baltimore's most explosive wide receiver, he is under contract through the 2029 season.

ESPN

 

Reports: Michael Pittman Jr. did not suffer a serious injury

It looks like the Colts avoided a double dose of bad injury news on Thursday.

Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had to leave practice early, but multiple reports say that he avoided a serious injury. Pittman banged knees with a teammate before exiting the field for further evaluation.

The Pittman injury came after head coach Shane Steichen announced that quarterback Anthony Richardson is out with a shoulder injury until some point in training camp.

PFT