NFL Player News

Sunday, May 20

• 05/20/12 - 9:24AM ETMike Wallace : Likely to Skip OTAs

  Wallace is not expected to be in attendance when Steelers' OTAs start on Tuesday, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

  Wallace has until June 15th to sign a one-year tender worth $2,742,000, or it will be reduced to $577,000. Unless the two sides can come to terms on a long-term deal, don't expect to see Wallace at Steelers' camp until mandatory mini camp begins on June 12th.

Friday, May 18

• 05/18/12 - 1:32PM ETBeanie Wells : Knee Coming Along

  Wells noted Friday that he is "coming along" in his recovery from offseason knee surgery, the Cardinals' official site reports.

  "I'm rehabbing, just trying to get back," said Wells, who doesn't have a timetable for his return to the field. That said, it doesn't sound like there is any concern about his availability for the season, with most of the gray area lying in what he'll be able to do leading up to training camp. "I am hopeful, but it's offseason stuff," Wells said. "Being ready for training camp is the most important thing."

• 05/18/12 - 11:38AM ETJohn Skelton : QB Competition on Tap

  Coach Ken Whisenhunt said the competition between Skelton and Kevin Kolb will begin "as evenly as possible," NFL.com reports.

  This has been the narrative throughout the offseason for the Cards, as Skelton's 6-2 record under center turned some heads. Statistically, Kolb outperformed Skelton, but was unable to translate that into victories. Either quarterback, however, should receive a boost from the revamped passing game (Michael Floyd) and run game (the return of Ryan Williams).

• 05/18/12 - 11:08AM ETDallas Clark : Visits Patriots

  Clark visited the Patriots on Tuesday, NFL.com reports.

  With Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Daniel Fells already on their roster, tight end is not a pressing need for the Patriots, so we'd imagine they were simply kicking the tires on Clark, with an eye toward having a book on him should something open up due to an injury. At this point, the market for Clark is cool, so despite the name recognition, he's off the fantasy grid for now.

• 05/18/12 - 8:57AM ETWes Welker : Contract Comments Irk Pats

  Welker's recent comments about his negotiations with the Patriots have reportedly not gone over well with the team, the Boston Globe reports.

  Among other things, Welker noted that "there have been talks, but nothing that's brightened anything at all. It's actually gotten worse." In the meantime, Welker recently signed his franchise tag, which will pay him a guaranteed $9.515 million this season. The report suggests that the Patriots' current offer to the wideout is now less than the two-year, $16 million deal the team had proposed last year and goes on to speculate that this could be Welker's last season with the team. We'll take that last bit with a grain of salt, and though he is not the sort of player who needs extra motivation to produce, Welker in playing-for-his-next-contract mode can't hurt fantasy owners.

• 05/18/12 - 4:57AM ETJustin Blackmon : Looking Good

  Blackmon has impressed players and coaches with his performance at OTAs so far, according to the Florida Times-Union.

  "He's ahead of where you think most rookies would be," said coach Mike Mularkey. Blackmon has the potential to become this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year, but his development depends almost entirely on the ability of quarterback Blaine Gabbert to get him the ball.

Thursday, May 17

• 05/17/12 - 9:33AM ETDelone Carter : Undergoes Surgery on Thumb

  Carter required surgery to repair a thumb injury and did not participate in on-field drills in Wednesday's OTAs, the Indianapolis Star reports.

  He'll likely be fine by the time training camp begins, but it's something to watch since he had fumbling issues last season that reduced his playing time in the second half of the season. Carter will compete with Donald Brown and Vick Ballard for playing time this summer.

• 05/17/12 - 8:56AM ETStephon Gilmore : Could Start Soon

  Gilmore signed his rookie contract with the Bills on Thursday, The Buffalo News reports.

  Rookie holdouts are going to be a lot less common under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which really helps a team like the Bills that has traditionally watched their spending closely. Gilmore was said to have a good rookie camp. While he needs to get more physical as he adjusts to the pro game, he stands a chance at starting right away.