- Close
senior NFL national reporter- Dan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.
- Close
senior NFL national reporter- Jeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.
Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season has arrived, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are here to break down the biggest questions, latest news and notable buzz heading into the slate of games. Plus, they pick out which players should -- or shouldn't -- be in your fantasy football lineups.
What does Aidan Hutchinson's fractured tibia and fibula mean for the Lions, and is there an edge rusher on the trade market who could help? What's the word on the Browns' quarterback plans and whether they could sit Deshaun Watson? What's the latest buzz coming out of this week's league meeting? It's all here, as Dan and Jeremy answer big questions and empty their reporting notebooks with everything they've heard heading into Week 7.
Jump to a section:
Watson's future | Hutchinson injury aftermath
Intel from this week's league meetings
Fantasy tips | Latest buzz and notes
Is there an edge rusher on the trade market who could help the Lions, who just lost Aidan Hutchinson?
Fowler: I can think of a highly productive edge rusher who has averaged nearly 13 sacks per season since 2020, a player who hasn't been on the field all season because he's disgruntled with his current team out of the greater New Jersey area. Haason Reddick would be an obvious player the Lions can inquire about, and I've been told they have reached out. Reddick's recent hiring of agent Drew Rosenhaus, who is known for getting deals done expeditiously, could improve his chances of either staying with the Jets or facilitating a trade. Multiple teams have long believed the Jets have no choice but to cut ties eventually, and Detroit would be smart to at least attempt a deal.
Also, is it worth calling the Raiders about Maxx Crosby, given Las Vegas' 2-4 start? I highly doubt Las Vegas would part with him, but it's worth asking. Giants pass rusher Azeez Ojulari interested teams back in August because he was behind Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the depth chart; he has three sacks in six games. I don't expect the Lions to mortgage their future, but I expect them to at least look around.
Graziano: I agree and expect the Lions to be aggressive. They have plenty of cap space to absorb incoming contracts as needed, and they have the loftiest of goals. They don't have a third-round pick in 2025, which is a potential problem in doing deals, but they'll try hard to solve this problem. The problem is the availability of high-end talent at a position where every team is always looking to add.
Much of what I've heard after the Rosenhaus news broke indicated that a Reddick/Jets deal could happen pretty soon, but people I talked to Tuesday wonder if the Davante Adams trade makes it more likely Reddick gets moved to another team. Detroit would make the most sense.
I don't expect the Raiders or Browns to be eager to deal away franchise-cornerstone types such as Crosby or Myles Garrett. Ojulari is a great name to watch if the Giants tumble out of contention. Jadeveon Clowney has $2 million in guaranteed 2025 money in his deal with Carolina, but that likely wouldn't stand in the way of a deal once he's healthy. Josh Uche is in the final year of his contract in New England and cheap. Trevis Gipson was a healthy inactive for the Seahawks this week. Ogbo Okoronkwo is signed through 2025 in Cleveland but has no more guaranteed money on his deal. What about Chase Young? The Saints really like the guy and could be interested in signing him to a long-term deal, but if they check in and don't feel good about their chances of doing that, could he be on the move for the second deadline in a row?
Fowler: That's not a bad call. Young signed a one-year deal with New Orleans in hopes of parlaying it into a new contract with the team. With the Saints sitting at 2-4, perhaps the organization would listen to offers closer to the deadline. I'd be mildly surprised if anything happens. Young garnered a third-round pick in last year's trade from Washington to San Francisco, and now that he's fully healthy and playing productive snaps, I would surmise New Orleans wouldn't accept anything less in a deal, if it even considers it.
All of these moves require the Lions to unload precious draft capital, but what if they stand pat? Is there enough for the defense to stay afloat? Looking at the depth chart, four edge rushers are on injured reserve. It's hard to win that way. James Houston is intriguing, though. He exploded with eight sacks in seven games as a rookie in 2022 but hasn't done much since. Maybe he can regain his fastball with an extended look.
Graziano: Yeah, while you can't rule out a bigger move for someone like Reddick or Clowney, the most likely outcome here is they pick through other teams' practice squads for guys they think are scheme fits. Like signing Isaiah Thomas off the Bengals' practice squad Tuesday. They might have no choice but to attack the problem with volume and use a rotation of capable players to try to replace Hutchinson, a superstar who was having an otherworldly season.
What has gotten the most buzz from execs you've talked to at the league meetings?
Graziano: It sounds like a fairly normal agenda for the October meeting. Updates on player health and safety initiatives, on upcoming streaming games and on future international game plans. I think owners are eager to hear the data and feedback on the new kickoff rule and discuss what that needs to look like moving forward. Two minority ownership situations -- Tom Brady's partial purchase of the Raiders and Pistons owner Tom Gores' partial purchase of the Chargers -- were approved at this meeting. And they announced the site of the 2028 Super Bowl, which will be played in Atlanta.
Fowler: The entertainment value came before the meetings, when Jets owner Woody Johnson, fresh off his team's trade for Davante Adams, held court. He gave a great "Talladega Nights" analogy to the Jets' all-in season: "You're not a thinker. You're a driver!" -- that seems to be the team's approach. Johnson believes Adams will elevate the offense, "particularly with having that relationship with the quarterback." He is high on interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, whom we've heard should get real consideration for the job. He calls the Jets' current direction an "exciting" one. When asked whether the season was salvageable after the 2-4 start, Johnson quipped, "Salvageable? We're going to kick -- you can add the words after that. We're going to do really well."
Talking to executives on the ground here in Atlanta, the feeling is the Jets made a necessary move for Adams, given this season has to work. It could all blow up in 2025. And if they can flip a decent pick for Reddick, they would all but even out the score with draft capital.
"Other teams had reservations about paying the full salary, and the Raiders were pretty set on getting the money off the books, so the Jets made the most sense because they actually had the cap space to do it," said an AFC executive about the Jets, which entered the week with somewhere above $15 million in cap space. "And they were a little desperate."
What's your sense on the Brady news, Dan? The people I've talked to here don't seem to have a major problem with his stake in the Raiders, believing his long standing as an ambassador for the game will translate well.
Graziano: It's potentially a significant breakthrough for players at a time when new NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. is focused on how to expand opportunities for players to obtain equity in NFL teams. Brady is a former player, of course, but during the process of trying to buy a piece of the Raiders he ran into resistance from NFL team owners who worried about "the quality of his money," as one source put it.
Basically, the owners tend to look at even the wealthiest players as being of a different class of wealth, and as a result are hesitant to open the doors to their club to them. Now that Brady has bought into a team, you wonder if that creates opportunities for players to pursue equity stakes as part of the future economic landscape of the league.
Fowler: I could see that. Russell Wilson, one of the league's all-time earners, has long desired to own an NFL team. Speaking of players, here are a few on-field competition items from this week:
Kickers are dealing. Their 339 field goals through six weeks are the second most in NFL history. More than 20% of those kicks are from 50 or more yards. Kickers are too good, and they greatly affect how teams strategize.
Moving the touchback on kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35 remains a "nonstarter," per NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent. That could change at the league meetings in March, but there's no momentum for it right now. The objective with the new model is improved safety, and league data says only one concussion has occurred from a kickoff play this season, according to NFL executive vice president of player health and safety Jeff Miller. That's considered a big victory.
The league has seen seven hip-drop tackles through the first five weeks, an improvement from last season.
Expect the league to discuss the onside kick rules in the future. Under the current model, teams must declare whether they are executing an onside kick, which minimizes suspense. "I think we need to revisit that," Vincent said.
What are you hearing on the Browns' ticking Deshaun Watson clock?
Graziano: I used to work at a place where the guy in the cubicle next to me and I would wonder what you really had to do to get fired. For instance, how many days in a row would you have to walk into the boss' office and punch him in the face before you were shown the door? We ultimately landed on three, maybe four. No way it gets past four days.
I feel like Watson is on Day 300 somehow, and I have no idea how badly he has to play in order to get benched. Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said very clearly, again, Monday that Watson would be the starting quarterback. The Browns continue to project an evidence-free belief that things will get better for Watson if they stay the course. At this point, their only way out of his contract appears to be if the league suspends him again -- he served an 11-game suspension in 2022 after he was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions -- and they get to void the guaranteed $92 million he has left on his contract in the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
The worst part is Watson has no obvious incentive to get any better. If you know you're going to get paid $2.5 million a week no matter how you perform and you know you can't lose your job no matter how you perform, how motivated can you be to do the necessary work to improve? Do you see any light at the end of this tunnel, Jeremy?
Fowler: There's no strategy, no front-office maneuvering that can make this more palatable should he continue to struggle. I'm still baffled by Watson's play and hold a sliver of hope that a once-top-five quarterback can regain the confidence a 29-year-old should have in his game. But even coaches who have prepared for Watson this season and recently held that same hope are now admitting he looks done.
If we're looking for any sort of optimism: Watson completed 11 of his final 12 passes Sunday against Philadelphia. Running back Nick Chubb will return this week for the game against the Bengals. There's still enough talent on the roster to string together a few wins and camouflage the uneven quarterback play. The Browns believe they aren't that far off. That could buy Watson more time to find any sort of rhythm with his receivers, whose chemistry with the quarterback has been middle-school-dance awkward thus far. But now, Amari Cooper is off to Buffalo, traded away on Tuesday.
All of that seems galaxies away right now. My sense through all of this is the Browns are resigned to their fate, having no choice but to ride this out and hope things turn. Any decision to bench Watson would inevitably involve team owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry, and they need to give Watson superfluous chances to rediscover even a semblance of his old game, due to the contract. Or they could bench Watson with the promise to return to him in a few games, like an extended break, which might end up being the best course.
I've seen the notion floated that Cleveland could send a bevy of draft picks to a team in exchange for absorbing the contract outright. But that prospective team would need, like, two whole drafts to do that. What's the cleanest escape route here, Dan?
Graziano: There really isn't one. This is a sunk cost at this point from a cash perspective, and the Haslams can handle the money. But because of the contract restructures they've done with Watson the past two offseasons, the cap hit they'd take by releasing him is prohibitive. Cutting him after this season would result in a dead-money cap hit of almost $173 million. Even if they split that up over the 2025 and 2026 seasons, each half would represent the highest dead-money hit ever. Cutting him after next season would result in a dead cap hit of nearly $100 million. Currently, the $85 million in dead money the Broncos took on by cutting Russell Wilson in March is the record.
As for a trade? Setting aside the legitimate question of who in the world would trade for him, even moving the remaining $92 million salary off their books would still leave them with a dead-money hit of almost $81 million. And in your hypothetical scenario, Jeremy, they'd have to fork over a boatload of draft picks for the privilege of taking that dead money hit. Unless he gets suspended again and the Browns can void the guarantees, it's hard to imagine any scenario in which he isn't on their roster through at least 2025 and probably 2026.
Fowler: Those numbers are dreadful and not the least bit manageable. And to think Cleveland has a hefty payroll outside of Watson, with seven players facing cap hits between $19 million and $24.6 million in 2025. Those can be reworked, but the point remains that this organization has major challenges to build a competitive roster around Watson next season. That's why the Cooper trade to Buffalo was so interesting. Sitting at 1-5, the Browns decided to cut ties with one of their most accomplished players -- and Watson's most frequent target -- for a third-round pick. Acquiring impact players on a rookie scale will be paramount. And, perhaps in a weird way, moving on from Cooper could take the pressure off Watson, encouraging him to simply hit the open man in more of an equal opportunity offense. That's the hope. And that's about all Cleveland has right now.
What's your top fantasy football tip of the week?
Fowler: Tyrone Tracy Jr. is feeling like a viable RB2 or flex play as he and the Giants take on the Eagles. The rookie has parlayed back-to-back starts into 237 yards on 42 touches while Devin Singletary nurses a groin issue. Even if Singletary comes back this week, Tracy has shown enough juice to earn opportunities. New York tailbacks have sneaky pass-catching viability since the offense relies on the quick passing game over vertical throws.
I also like Jacksonville running back Tank Bigsby vs. New England, and if Joe Flacco quarterbacks the Colts for a third week, slot receiver Josh Downs will be an attractive option off the wire.
Graziano: (Checks to see which team the Panthers are playing ...) Yeah, start all of your Commanders running backs. Brian Robinson Jr. if he's back. Austin Ekeler either way. Jeremy McNichols. Alfred Morris. Clinton Portis. John Riggins. All of them. Two of the top 11 scoring RBs in Week 6 were Falcons. Guess who the Falcons played last week? No team is allowing more fantasy points to running backs than Carolina, and there's no reason to think it stops now.
Just so you don't think I'm giving you the same tip every week, I'd think about Saints tight end Juwan Johnson in Thursday night's game. It doesn't look like the Saints will have wideouts Chris Olave or possibly Rashid Shaheed due to injuries on a short week. Quarterback Spencer Rattler has to throw to someone. And while the Broncos have been a stingy defense this season, tight end is the position group that has scored the best against them in fantasy. Worth a shot.
What else are you hearing this week?
Graziano's notes:
• I'm curious to see how the week turns out in Pittsburgh vis-à-vis its starting quarterback situation. The Steelers are 4-2 with Justin Fields and just scored a season-high 32 points against the Raiders on Sunday, but still coach Mike Tomlin is leaving open the door to the possibility of Russell Wilson starting against the Jets. I'm a little bit skeptical, given everything I've heard over the past month and a half about how the staff there is happy with Fields' progress and the way he has grown as the season's gone along. He has executed their game plans, avoided turnovers and won games. It's clear he still needs refining as a thrower, and that might be why Tomlin harbors some curiosity about what the offense would look like with Wilson in there. But anything Wilson might potentially be able to add with his arm would come at the cost of Fields' legs, which have been a weapon for the Steelers in the run game. Wilson can't run like Fields. And honestly, what evidence is there from the past three years that Wilson will be an upgrade over Fields in the areas in which Fields is short?
Add in the fact that Wilson has barely practiced, the possibility he might not yet be in game shape and an offensive line that was already struggling will now lose center Zach Frazier to injury for at least Sunday's game. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to make this switch. Even if Wilson starts, I'm willing to bet the Steelers have a package of plays for Fields, as was their Week 1 plan before Wilson got hurt. We'll see how the week goes, and I may be the last one to jump on the train here, but I still think there's a nonzero chance this is Fields' job and he doesn't give it back.
• The 5-1 Texans dominated the Patriots on Sunday in spite of the loss of top wide receiver Nico Collins to injury. The return of running back Joe Mixon, combined with the presence of two other top wideouts in Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, should help them weather Collins' absence. But they're also adding a key player on defense against Green Bay in Week 7, as defensive lineman Denico Autry's six-game performance-enhancing drug suspension comes to an end and he's eligible to play. Autry was a big free agent signing for the Texans this offseason, and they believe he'll be a versatile lineman for their defensive front and bring a boost to their pass rush -- especially as they now lose defensive lineman Mario Edwards to a four-game drug suspension of his own.
• Teams are wondering if the Raiders will keep selling off players. And while I don't think they intend to move Crosby, as we discussed earlier, there are a few players who could be on the move in the next three weeks if Las Vegas doesn't feel they fit into its long-term plans. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is making a $5 million salary this year and has a non-guaranteed $10.5 million salary in 2025. He is a solid player who could help a team at a low cost. Veteran guard Cody Whitehair is making a veteran minimum $1.21 million this year and is a free agent in 2025, and teams are always looking for offensive line help. Veteran defensive tackle John Jenkins is in the same contract situation as Whitehair and could be of interest to teams needing defensive line help.
Remember, the Raiders go into the offseason knowing they need to answer the question of who their long-term franchise quarterback will be, so any extra draft picks they can acquire would only help that pursuit.
• The acquisition of Adams by the Jets has put free agent signee Mike Williams on the trade block, and a number of teams think the veteran wideout could be on the move soon. His 2024 salary is just $5 million, plus another $100,000 bonus for each game he's on the active roster. So if a team acquires him now, it would have to pay $3,333,333 (plus up to another $1.1 million in per-game bonuses) the rest of the season. Williams spent all offseason getting healthy on the Jets' watch and likely could help a team where he's more welcome. The sum of $5.876 million in dead money would accelerate onto the Jets' salary cap if they dealt him, but that's hardly the worst of the damage Aaron Rodgers has done there so far. Don't be surprised to see Williams in a different uniform in the next few weeks.
Fowler's notes:
• The receiver trade market exploded Tuesday. The Jets and Bills have addressed their needs with Adams and Cooper, respectively, and more moves will come. Here are a few things I'm hearing about that market:
The Williams trade buzz is noteworthy, as you said, Dan, because while the Jets appear comfortable moving on, I'm hearing he is open to a trade and the team knows that. I'm not expecting a deal this week, but stay tuned.
Pittsburgh appears to be the next team up. It has been scouring the earth for receiver help, making strong pushes for Brandon Aiyuk and Adams in the past. Williams could make some sense as a deep-threat option, though the Jets and Steelers play this week, which complicates matters. Either way, Pittsburgh will be looking.
The receiver-depleted Chiefs haven't been overly aggressive on the market to this point. As was told to me, coach Andy Reid values receivers who either have played in his system or know it well. Finding a plug-and-play situation isn't always clear cut. That said, Kansas City will stay nimble. The Chiefs liked DeAndre Hopkins in 2023 free agency, but Tennessee isn't eager to deal him as of now, and he likes playing in Tennessee. I don't get the sense he's angling to get out of there. Carolina's Diontae Johnson would be a good fit, but his base salary is $7 million and the Panthers do not seem eager to deal him just yet. The Bills just released Marquez Valdes-Scantling, so perhaps the Chiefs add a familiar face in the short term.
Things appear to have settled between the Packers and Romeo Doubs, so I don't see him as a major trade target as of now. One source said both sides "have moved past [the Week 5 suspension] and are focusing on football."
• People with the Rams are optimistic their season can get back on track after a 1-4 start, and there's no better time for wide receiver Cooper Kupp to return. Kupp has made clear he is hopeful about this week, assuming all goes well with his practice work, which is off to a good start so far. The feeling is that even if the Rams choose caution and hold him out, next Thursday vs. the Vikings is on the table. So, his return will occur sooner rather than later.
Puka Nacua is a different story. He's looking more like a November conversation, given the quick turnaround from Sunday to Thursday games coming up. Coach Sean McVay kept morale high after the team broke for the bye last week, believing it's doing all of the right things to get in position to win. Attrition is the primary factor for the losses. Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford is in good spirits and has remained engaged and motivated behind the scenes despite the sluggish start. This could be the end of a run, and Stafford and McVay plan to maximize it.
• Jayden Daniels brought his secret weapon -- an AI program to aid quick decision-making in the pocket -- to the NFL. While at LSU, the 2023 Heisman winner and No. 2 overall pick used a German program called Cognilize, a virtual reality-style simulator that enhances split-second reads in specific game situations in "immersive decision-making training," according to the company. The technology promotes cognitive training, sharper reflexes and unlimited reps. Sources confirm Daniels has continued using the technology during his successful rookie season. And, as a result, Washington might be the only team in the league with the program. Whatever Daniels is doing is working just fine. He ranks third in QBR (73.7) and has 1,726 total yards (322 rushing) and 10 touchdowns (four rushing).
• Injuries updates: The Cardinals have some level of optimism about wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. returning soon, depending how fast he can pass through the five phases of concussion protocol. He took a bad hit, so the team won't rush him out there, but he's doing well coming out of the game. ... Patriots offensive tackle Vederian Lowe suffered an ankle sprain Sunday. Sounds like a day-to-day issue. ... The feeling early in the week was that Chargers tight end Hayden Hurst (groin) might have to miss some time, but he avoided major injury. ... Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong (ribs) "could miss some time" but appears to have avoided major injury, I'm told, though the team will get full clarity Wednesday.