2026 NFL Odds: Back Sean McVay to Win Second COY Award

The number of Sundays without NFL football is quietly creeping towards single digits. The biggest move made this offseason was a stunner on the first day of June, with the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Rams, acquiring the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. After losing a nail-biter to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game, the ultra-aggressive Rams made a trade with the Cleveland Browns to add what they hope is the final piece of a championship puzzle. The Rams are now as low as +500 to win it all next year, the shortest odds on the board. While they are the rightful favorite, considering their abundance of talent on both sides of the ball, is there a better way to bet on their success and get some juicier odds? Well, Rams head coach Sean McVay is 40-1 to win NFL Coach of the Year. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Granted, this award often goes to the coach of the team who generally overachieves preseason expectations the most … but it doesn't always go to that coach. In 2019, John Harbaugh won it after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a gaudy 14-2 record. The Ravens had made the playoffs the year prior, and were not a surprise contender, so their coach won the award by simply winning a lot of football games. In 2007, the New England Patriots went 16-0, and head coach Bill Belichick was named Coach of the Year. You catch my drift: The award can be won by simply dominating the competition, and the Rams have the talent to do just that. There is also a scenario where Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is 38 years old, potentially misses a few games due to injury. Under these circumstances, McVay would have a chance, from a narrative perspective, to garner lots of support by possibly winning with a backup quarterback. In short, the Rams have the talent to flirt with 14- or 15-plus wins, and considering the odds, that makes McVay a good sleeper candidate to win the hardware. PICK: Sean McVay (40-1) to win Coach of the Year

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Who's the Next Brock Purdy? Scouts Weigh In On 6 Rookie QBs

NFL evaluators have never been perfect, especially when it comes to the most important, most over-scouted position in sports. That’s how a quarterback such as Brock Purdy was once the "Mr. Irrelevant" of the 2022 draft, only to earn a $265 million contract just three years later with the San Francisco 49ers. And it’s how Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time, was only the 199th pick of the 2000 draft. Still, there’s usually a reason why quarterbacks slip into Day 3 of the draft. And it takes a special combination of overlooked skill and unexpected opportunity for them to rise from that obscurity. So, who among the six quarterbacks selected on Day 3 this year have a chance to do that? Which, if any, can be the next Purdy and turn into a franchise-changing star? We posed that question to several NFL scouts and evaluators. Here’s how they ranked the candidates. Draft slot: Seventh round, 223rd overall Résumé: The Rutgers quarterback (and Minnesota transfer) was a bit of a surprise pick, even as a seventh-rounder. He did start 42 games over his four years at two schools, but his passing numbers were middling (8,604 yards, 55 TDs, 27 interceptions and just a 56.3% completion rate). He also offered little as a runner. The 6-2, 216-pounder did steadily improve and had a solid senior year (62.2%, 3,124 yards, 20 TDs, seven interceptions). He became a better downfield passer too. That was enough to get the "Greek Rifle" on the NFL’s radar. Scouts' takes: "The improvement was there, but you have to squint to see it. … I think this was the case of an offensive coordinator (David Blough) just falling in love and seeing something he could work with. He just doesn’t do anything good enough to be a starter in this league. At best, he’s a backup. … If you go only by his senior year, I get it. He’s smart and makes a lot of good decisions. I could see him as a game-manager who eventually you can trust for a few games if your starter goes down. Eventually. … He’s definitely a developmental prospect. But his tools are good. Nothing about him is great." Opportunity: It’s hard to see where he’d fit in Washington, where Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota are the established top two and the scheme is built for a more mobile and athletic quarterback. Kaliakmanis certainly could push Sam Hartman for the No. 3 job, but might need a strong summer to earn a roster spot. Purdy potential: He’s a long shot to even get on the field this season. He might need a few years of development before he’s ready to play at all. Draft slot: Seventh round, 234th overall Résumé: The starter for the past three-plus years at Texas Tech, he put up some good numbers in the Red Raiders’ spread offense. He completed 62.8% of his passes overall and 66% as a senior. He also threw only 28 interceptions to go with his 8,989 yards and 71 touchdown passes. The 6-2, 221-pounder showed his toughness, too, playing through knee, shoulder and leg injuries over the years. Scouts' takes: "He’s smart and he processes everything really quickly. Maybe too quickly. He’s not as accurate as his numbers suggest, and he may not have a strong enough arm to get it there against NFL defenses. … He’s not athletic. He can’t run at all. He’s a pocket statue. … He’s tough as anybody, but the kid can’t stay healthy. I bet a few teams crossed him off with all the medical issues he’s had. … He (almost) never played under center in college. I need to see him do that before I can tell what he’ll be. … He’s a really good kid and was a great leader in college. He knows how to get the most out of his teammates. They’re going to love having him in the (QB) room. … I could see him work as a backup. If he ever gets in, he can probably game-manage for you. It won’t be spectacular, but he won’t (mess) things up. Guys who don’t (mess) up can play a long time in the league." Opportunity: Since the Patriots are the defending AFC champs and have Super Bowl aspirations again, it would take a lot for them to put any part of their season in the hands of a seventh-round rookie. Even if Drake Maye and Tommy DeVito got hurt, they’d sign a veteran. So there’s just no clear path to the field for Morton. Purdy potential: He is probably more of a solid backup than a future starter. He’s even a few years away from that, though. Draft slot: Fifth round, 178th overall Résumé: He was a one-year starter at North Dakota State, where he was one of the best and most efficient quarterbacks in the FCS. He completed 71.9% of his passes for 2,719 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. And he ran for 923 yards and 13 touchdowns, too. At 6-2, 232 pounds, his 4.56 speed made him an intriguing prospect, especially because of all that untapped potential. He played running back at times during his career with the Bison, too, adding to his value for NFL teams. Scouts' takes: "I was looking at him as maybe a tight end before last year. I was surprised by how good he was at quarterback. But I don’t know how much of that was about the (low level of) competition. … That’s the key, right? Can he do it above (the FCS)? His size and arm strength are good. He was pretty accurate on that level. But his mechanics are off and he can be a mess under pressure. He waits too long on his receivers, and his first instinct is to always run. It’ll take time to coach that out of him. … He’s a gimmick guy for now. The Eagles are pretty smart. They’ll find surprising ways to use him. But he’s got a long ways to go to be a quarterback in this league. … I just don’t know what’s there. He didn’t play enough (at QB). The (competition) level was too low. His skills are worth a flier, but it’s a flier." Opportunity: He’s not beating out Jalen Hurts or backup Tanner McKee any time soon. Veteran Andy Dalton is there, too, and the Eagles wouldn’t dream of handing important reps to a project QB on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. He could have a chance to play in some short-yardage or goal-line situations where he could use his running ability. But his days as a pure QB might be on hold for a bit. Purdy potential: Maybe a few years down the road. But the real issue for him now might be getting enough practice time. His reps as a QB will be limited. And if he’s given a gimmick role, most of his reps might go toward that. His development as a passer might have to wait. Draft slot: Sixth round, 182nd overall Résumé: A four-year starter, first at Boise State, then at Arkansas, the 6-6, 227-pounder was one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football. The two-way threat ran for 1,379 yards and 16 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Razorbacks. He also dazzled with his speed, running a 4.36 40 at the Scouting Combine. His passing numbers were less electric, but still strong. He completed more than 60% of his passes, averaging 2,934 yards, 17 TDs and 10 interceptions over those two years. Scouts' takes: "His size and ability to move is jaw-dropping, and so are some of the plays he made in college. But he’s almost too big for his body when he throws. His mechanics can be awkward at times. … I could see why (Browns coach Todd Monken) would want to work with him. If you can fix his mechanics and turn him into even an average passer, you’ve got something there. But that’s a pretty big ‘if.’ … He got into trouble a lot as a passer. He probably should’ve had a lot more interceptions than he had. And he had a lot. … They need to start from scratch with him as a passer. He takes too long to get the ball out. He’s not accurate. His velocity is really inconsistent. But man, can he move. They’ll keep him on the roster just for that. … He defines the word ‘freak,’ especially at quarterback. If anybody can turn him into a better passer, he’d be scary." Opportunity: Who knows what the Browns have planned for one of the weirdest QB rooms in the league. Sheduer Sanders returns as the incumbent starter. Dillon Gabriel, who was drafted higher Sanders and started six games last year, is still there, too. And now they’re dusting off Deshaun Watson and giving him a shot to win the job. So Green has at least three hurdles to clear. But given his running ability, multiple scouts suggested he could make the roster and have a role in short-yardage and goal-line situations, at least. Purdy potential: You never know with the Browns, but Green seems to fit more as a situational weapon than anything else. Presumably the Browns will exhaust Watson, Sanders, Gabriel and maybe even another quarterback from the 2027 draft before giving Green a real shot at the job. Draft slot: Seventh round, 249th overall Résumé: As a junior at LSU, he was one of the nation’s best QBs, throwing for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns (albeit with 12 interceptions). But there was a major drop-off during his senior season thanks to a preseason abdominal injury and the struggles of his Tigers team. The 6-2, 203-pounder played just nine games and threw for 1,927 yards with only 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He did complete 67.4% of his passes, though, which was the best percentage of his career. At the NFL Scouting Combine, doctors reportedly found that a cyst on his spine was the cause of his abdominal injury. Scouts' takes: "I’m still shocked he went so late, even with the (cyst). It was pretty obvious he was hurt last season. But he showed so much the year before. … What scares teams is he’s a ‘gunslinger.’ That can work, but it’s high-risk. He’s also not the most mobile guy, which makes his style even riskier. You’ll get a lot of big plays, but a lot of big mistakes. … He’s got such a good arm. He knows it, too. He thinks he can make every throw. Most of the time he’s right. … He’s worth a shot, but you’re going to need a strong stomach. He’ll reward you, but it’s going to hurt first." Opportunity: He certainly seems to have landed in the right place. He’ll get plenty of reps this summer while Patrick Mahomes rehabs a torn ACL, especially since Justin Fields is now the Chiefs' backup. Nussmeier will be taught by Andy Reid, one of the NFL’s best offensive coaches. It’s not crazy to think he can emerge as Mahomes’ primary backup once he’s fully healthy. The Chiefs don’t think their dynasty is over, though, so they won’t let Nussmeier step in as a starter anytime soon. Purdy potential: He’s in the perfect place to develop and iron out his flaws. He also has a chance to get a ton of valuable practice time and preseason action as a rookie. If he can stay healthy and Reid can unlock what he showed two seasons ago, his NFL future could still be bright. It’ll just be brightest someplace else. Draft slot: Fourth round, 110th overall Résumé: A three-year starter at Clemson, who started 40 games overall. The 6-2, 207-pounder had a big junior season (3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns, six interceptions, plus 463 yards and 7 rushing TDs) capped by a big game against Texas in the College Football Playoff (336 yards, three TDs, one interception). That led some to project he’d be one of the top QBs in the 2026 class. But it all fell apart during his senior year, as the Tigers struggled and his production dropped (2,943 yards, 16 TDs, 6 interceptions). Klubnik played through a severe high ankle sprain he suffered in October, and a right wrist injury later in the season. Scouts' takes: "The tools are all there: the arm, the athletic ability, and he’s really smart. His big flaw is that he can be pressured into bad decisions. That’s a worry for someone with as much experience as he had. … He was just starting to look like himself again when he got hurt last year. He started a little slow, but it was coming along. The injury changed everything. … I never thought he was a can’t-miss prospect. He’s not as cool under pressure as (Fernando) Mendoza. But had he stayed healthy he probably could’ve been a second-rounder. Maybe late first. … On the right team he could be good. Just keep the pressure off him and he’s got the skills to make things happen. But he has to be in a better situation than he’s in right now." Opportunity: Of all the Day 3 picks, the 22-year-old Klubnik has the clearest path to actual playing time. The Jets signed a stop-gap starter in Geno Smith, a 35-year-old journeyman who has thrown 32 interceptions over the past two seasons. With a good summer, Klubnik could beat out Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook for the No. 2 job. And it’s not inconceivable the Jets could turn to Klubnik late in the season. It would be worth it to see what they have before diving headfirst into the QB-rich 2027 draft. Purdy potential: It’s not crazy to think he’ll play at some point this season, but the overall situation with the Jets isn’t great. They do have a decent offensive line, though, and at least a few weapons. If injuries really were the issue last season, Klubnik could even play well. He’d have to show a lot, though, to convince the Jets to not draft another quarterback in the first round next year.

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How Bears Coach Ben Johnson Is Challenging Caleb Williams To Become An Elite QB

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams established many routines in their first season together. One of Johnson’s favorites was their post-practice meeting. All season long, they’d finish their work on the field and, once Williams got out of pads and into street clothes, the Chicago Bears' rookie coach and second-year quarterback would log anywhere from 60 and 90 minutes together in Johnson’s office. Much has been made of how Williams once called his early-season relationship with his coach "fragile." But in those post-practice meetings, they seem to have built something solid. And when I asked Johnson about the moments with Williams that were most fun last season, the coach pointed to those one-on-one sessions, where he would lay out the nuances of opposing defenses in relation to the Bears' game plan. "It's just this complete clarity of how we want to attack that opponent this week," Johnson told me in March at the NFL Annual League Meeting in Phoenix. "I think the coolest thing was seeing [Williams'] growth from early in the season." It’s not rare for an NFL head coach to spend time with his starting quarterback every day of the season. But it is rare to see a coach have as much of an impact on his quarterback as Johnson seemed to have on Williams in 2025. After all, at this time last year, there were concerns that the previous Bears regime left the QB in a state of developmental regression. Chicago won just five games in 2024 and fired its head coach in midseason for the first time in franchise history. Williams took 68 sacks, tied for the third-most all time. It was a tough rookie year for the No. 1 overall pick, who'd been touted as a generational prospect. But these coach-QB meetings helped catalyze the Bears’ breakout success in 2025. Williams engineered six fourth-quarter comebacks to lead all NFL quarterbacks last season, earning the nicknames "Iceman" and "Cardiac Caleb" — and just recently, the cover of "Madden NFL 27." The Bears went 11-6 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020. As Johnson tells it, those meetings had a cascading effect on the relationship between coach and QB. Everything improved: communication, repetition, execution. "We'd meet the night before the game to go over his favorite calls, and to see how that went from early in the season to what it looked like at the end of the season, [it was] much more fluid," Johnson told me. "We just saw the game so much more through the same lens as the year went on. I think all those quarterbacks saw that and witnessed that firsthand. So I think that was the coolest thing, just to see where it started to where it finished." At the end of Chicago's season, which concluded in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, Johnson said he wanted Williams to get away from football for a little while. But just before he let Williams go, Johnson had a message for his QB about the 2026 season. "It's going to be more difficult. I'm going to push you more," Johnson told Williams, per the QB. "Yessir, let's do it," Williams remembered telling Johnson. While the players took their time off after the season, Johnson and his staff spent their time self-scouting, a process that spanned roughly a month and a half. They dove into every phase and every element of the game. "As you watch clip in and clip out, I think it would have been easy to get a little bit upset or disappointed that it didn't look quite the way we want," Johnson told me. "And yet I see it as, ‘Man, we got so much room for improvement. This is great. This is gonna be good to get these guys back in, and they're gonna be able to see this. And hey, we can be so much better as an entire team if we just make these few small changes going forward.’" Of course, I was most curious about the Bears’ findings on the QB. Johnson told me he would boil the self-scout into three takeaways and goals for Williams, whose work is well underway, with minicamp in session this week. Johnson wouldn't disclose all three points of emphasis, but he discussed one item after Williams finished the 2025 season with a 58.1 completion percentage, second-worst in the league. "We need to get the completion percentage up," Johnson told me. "And so we'll look at that as we go through the cut-ups of where we can best do that. There were probably 80 or 90 throws on tape that we felt like could have been completions. "You're always going to have some drops by the route-runners. … We need to find a way to complete some of those other ones, though. That's really the challenge for Caleb. If we do that, then we'll be 65%, 70% completion, which is closer to where we want to be." That’s the challenge for Williams — or at least one of them. The QB is already facing that challenge head-on. "It starts with reps," Williams told the media in May at OTAs when asked about reaching the coach's goal of a 70% completion rate. "And then the next part, it comes down to comfort in the offense. And I think that toward the end of the year, it started to grow for me. … The last part is the details, whether it's the receiver's steps and where his landmark is to break or settle. And then from there, it's being able to deliver a catchable ball, whether it's velocity or ball placement." Meanwhile, Johnson is putting plenty of challenges on his own plate. That includes making sense of all the Bears’ narrow victories and come-from-behind games. As impressive as that quality was for Chicago, it can also lead to regression. Look at the Kansas City Chiefs as a cautionary tale. They made the Super Bowl in 2024 with a run of 17 consecutive wins in one-possession games (a streak that started in 2023). But the Chiefs lost nine one-possession games in 2025 and finished 6-11. As I tried to spit out a question about whether the Bears were worried about that same fate, Johnson, smiling wide, interrupted me. "You think it was fluky? Is that what you’re getting at?" he asked me. That’s not it. Anyone who listened to the Bears explain how they beat the Green Bay Packers on a bomb to receiver DJ Moore in Week 16 knows that Chicago’s comebacks were not fluky. They were a product of hard work and careful planning. That 46-yard walk-off play exemplified how Johnson’s steady hand and sharp mind can literally change the game, which was why Williams called him "the best coach in the world" after the game. Johnson had that play ready for that moment. That’s how the Bears won. "That's a play that Coach and I — we were sitting in his office, one of those meetings — and we discussed that play," Williams said after the game on the FOX broadcast. But history has a way of repeating itself, and dramatic wins are often not sustainable. Johnson admitted he’s thought about that. "It goes back to a term that I learned early as a coordinator called ‘unstable success,’" he told me. As the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator before coming to Chicago, Johnson knew that success in the screen game and the red zone did not automatically carry over from year to year. It was on the coaching staff and players to create and sustain success, rather than expect the same results, even with the same ingredients. So Johnson made that an emphasis every offseason. Detroit was a top-five team in the red zone for three years in a row, from 2022 to 2024. "I view that as a challenge," Johnson told me. "So to your point, do you want all these games to come down to the very end like that? No, hopefully our growth as a team means that we score more early and more often and our defense plays a little bit better in terms of limiting the points, and we're not in those spots. "But at the same time, I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose that ability to score 14 points in less than two minutes. That's something that you're going to want to lean on at some point. And I think that's part of who our guys are. That's part of who Caleb is. … I view it as a challenge. And I think when you frame it that way, I think our guys will see it the same way." That actually loops back to the discussion of completion percentage. Because if Williams becomes more efficient, Johnson said he could envision scenarios where the team might not need late comebacks to win games. But that changes the equation in more ways than one. Efficiency often means taking what’s available. And in today’s NFL, with two-high-safety defenses growing increasingly popular, efficiency requires quarterbacks to check the ball down and/or make good use of the short (and quick) passing game. How will the Bears balance that with Williams, who, considering his impressively low sack (27) and interception (7) numbers last season, was just the right amount of aggressive in 2025? "He knew when he could take chances and not. And certainly when you're in that, ‘Hey, we're in fourth downs from here on out’ mode, I think that kind of helps his mentality," Johnson told me. "It's so curious with him. He's just always been such a great protector of the ball. For a guy that can be a little bit aggressive at times with some of these throws he makes, he rarely puts it in harm's way. "And so I think that's a little bit unique to him. And so maybe it's one of those things we just need to encourage him to open it up a little bit more earlier in games, when he might be just a little bit more conservative in some of the decision-making early in games." If you need any further proof that the Bears built something enviable last year, just look at their coaching staff moves this offseason. After just one year in Chicago, Johnson’s staff produced two offensive coordinators for other teams, with Declan Doyle taking over the Baltimore Ravens' offense and Eric Bieniemy returning to his old gig as Kansas City's OC. It’s clear that teams want the recipe for Chicago's secret sauce. One thing that has been a common refrain from Johnson this offseason is that the Bears are starting over. They’re tearing everything down to ground zero, and they’re piecing together a brand-new version of the team for 2026. "The number one enemy that we would have right now is entitlement or complacency based on what we did a year ago," Johnson told me. There’s no doubt the Bears are young and talented. There’s no doubt they showed tremendous progress in 2025. There’s no doubt their quarterback has the potential to be great. And how many times have we seen that go wrong in Chicago? But this particular team seems different, and that's because of Ben Johnson, who is hell-bent on bridging the gap between goals and results. Just ask Caleb Williams.

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Brendan Sorsby Scouting Report: Where Would He Rank Among Top QB Draft Prospects?

The Brendan Sorsby saga has taken another unprecedented turn. After previously being declared ineligible by the NCAA for wagering on college sports, the star quarterback was granted a temporary injunction Monday that makes him eligible to play for Texas Tech this fall — for now. The ruling sent shock waves throughout the sport and could have major ramifications within both college football and the NFL. Sorsby, scandal aside, is regarded as one of the more talented QB prospects in the country, bringing great attention to where — and if — he will play in 2026. There's still the chance Sorsby winds up in an NFL supplemental draft this summer, which hasn't seen anyone selected since the Arizona Cardinals used a fifth-round pick on safety Jalen Thompson in 2019. While Sorsby's playing status appears to be far from settled, he'll immediately return to the NFL radar should he again lose his NCAA eligibility. In the meantime, we've examined his biggest strengths and weaknesses, where he ranks as a draft prospect, his pro comps and his best NFL team fits. Strengths At a solid 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Sorsby certainly looks the part of an NFL quarterback. And he possesses both the arm and athleticism to star at the highest level, as well. In today’s era of simplified offenses, statistics can certainly be misleading. Sorsby’s numbers speak for themselves, however. He completed 61.4% of his passes for 7,208 yards and 60 touchdowns against 18 interceptions over 35 combined games at Cincinnati (2024-25) and Indiana (2022-23) while rushing for another 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has plenty of arm strength to make every throw in the playbook and is a gifted, creative passer who can throw from various arm slots. He has excellent touch on intermediate throws, consistently "dropping it in the bucket" on fades and verticals. Sorsby can ramp up the RPMs and fire deep crossers and deep outs with precision, as well. Frankly, the arm talent is undeniable. As his rushing totals suggest, Sorsby is also a real threat as a runner. Cincinnati and Indiana both wisely called plenty of QB runs for him, but he isn’t reliant on them to keep the defense honest. He shows patience in the pocket and looks to exhaust his downfield passing opportunities before dropping his eyes to scramble — but when he does so, Sorsby can scoot. He accelerates smoothly and has good lateral agility to elude, as well as the body armor to absorb the occasional tackle. He is a competitive runner with good vision and understanding of where he is on the field, scrambling for first downs 109 times over the past three years. Sorsby plays with a swagger that will appeal to NFL teams. He showed steady development over his three seasons as a starter and looked like a future first-round pick at Cincinnati last year. Perhaps most importantly, he showed maturity and humility in publicly admitting his gambling addiction and recently completed a 35-day inpatient rehabilitation stint at Algamus, a respected gambling treatment facility in Goodyear, Ari. Weaknesses The concerns with Sorsby are just as obvious as his talent, though most of them are off the field. The quarterback position demands leadership, accountability and selflessness. Some NFL teams may have a hard time believing Sorsby possesses enough of these to justify a draft pick. He is an admitted gambling addict who bet thousands of times, including on Indiana while he played for the Hoosiers. He used family and friends’ names as a proxies to bet, clearly attempting to evade NCAA rules. Scouts looking to vet Sorsby may find few advocates. Though Curt Cignetti and many of his coaches were not yet at Indiana when Sorsby played there, others who were there may be hesitant to sully the reputation of the defending national champion Hoosiers. The program, itself, sounded like one seeking to distance itself from Sorsby with a short, terse statement to The Daily Hoosier following the discovery of his gambling. And given that the University of Cincinnati filed a million-dollar lawsuit against him for violating the 18-month NIL contract he signed following his Indiana transfer, Sorsby may not have many Bearcats supporters, either. His former teammates at Cincinnati might feel similarly given that Sorsby opted out of the 2026 Liberty Bowl versus Navy, a Jan. 2nd game the Bearcats lost 35-13 while generating just 12 total first downs on offense. Frankly, interested NFL teams will ultimately spend more time evaluating Sorsby’s character than his weaknesses on tape. But like with any young quarterback, he certainly has flaws. Sorsby shows good accuracy to all levels of the field, but some of his deep balls do flutter a bit, providing defenders a chance to recover. A couple of his interceptions this past season came on deep balls that hung in the air, notably including one in the final seconds of Cincinnati’s season-opener at Nebraska, where Sorsby was intercepted at the goal line to seal a 20-17 loss. While I like his ability to drop his arm angle and throw around defenders as well as over them, Sorsby often needlessly resorts to more of a sling-shot, sidearm release that effectively makes him a much shorter passer and more likely to have passes batted down at the line of scrimmage in the NFL. Like most quarterbacks at this stage of their careers, Sorsby can get a touch panicky when the rush is getting home and his accuracy diminishes when his feet aren’t set. As a runner, he often carries the ball with just one hand and, despite what his statistics suggest, he has struggled a bit with fumbles. While losing "just" five fumbles over his college career, Sorsby actually put the ball on the ground 12 times on 294 career attempts, per PFF. Draft range There was not a player in the 2026 draft class with a higher ceiling and lower floor than Sorsby, so projecting where he would have been selected is a more complicated hypothetical than it might appear. Let me explain. Sorsby is a more physically gifted and significantly more experienced quarterback than Alabama product Ty Simpson. If the former didn’t come with the off-field complexities noted above, I believe he could have been drafted before Simpson, who surprisingly went No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams. This isn’t to suggest that the Rams specifically would rank Sorsby over Simpson. As noted prior to the draft, I thought Simpson — an accurate and quick-thinking pocket passer — was a particularly clean fit for Los Angeles. For the record, I do not believe that Sorsby would have challenged Fernando Mendoza as the Las Vegas Raiders' No. 1 overall selection had he declared. Sorsby’s traits and ascending game would have attracted plenty of other suitors after Mendoza, however, including perhaps the New York Jets at No. 2 overall and the Cardinals at No. 3. But, of course, Sorsby does have character concerns, and NFL clubs may have known — or at least suspected — of them prior to the draft. (Reports of him being under NCAA investigation for sports gambling surfaced just days after the draft.) So, it’s also quite possible that he would have tumbled. Ultimately, though, the upside of a cheap contract for a starting caliber quarterback would just be too tempting for some clubs. I'm guessing someone would have thrown a Day 2 dart, at minimum. As for the 2027 draft, which Sorsby is presently tracking to be included in, the competition is considerably stiffer. In my way-too-early 2027 mock, I had five QBs coming off the board in the first round, and all by the No. 14 overall pick: Arch Manning (No. 1, Dolphins), Dante Moore (No. 2, Cardinals), Sam Leavitt (No. 4, Browns), Julian Sayin (No. 12, Jets) and LaNorris Sellers (No. 14, Steelers). Also of note, FOX Sports' Joel Klatt ranked quarterbacks C.J. Carr and Trinidad Chambliss among his initial top-10 prospects in the 2027 class. There's still obviously much to sort out with Sorsby, but as of today, I'd slot him behind most of this group and peg him as a second-round pick for 2027. Best NFL team fits My best NFL comp for Sorsby right now is a cross between Baker Mayfield and Jaxson Dart. It makes him suitable for several teams around the league. Chief among them: the Cardinals, Jets, Colts, Dolphins, Texans, Buccaneers, Ravens, Cowboys, Vikings and Steelers.

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Can 'Perfectionist' Denzel Boston Elevate Browns? Here's What Makes 'Gifted' WR Special

LOS ANGELES — Denzel Boston wanted to play quarterback. His favorite player was Michael Vick, and he wore a Vick No. 7 jersey growing up in Puyallup, Washington, a half-hour drive south of Seattle. But as he took snaps from center in youth football under the watchful gaze of father Chris, Boston told me he wanted to wear receiver gloves like his older brother Andrew, who developed into a talented and productive receiver at Eastern Washington. Boston’s father wasn't having it. "I wanted to wear gloves, but my dad was like, ‘You’re not wearing gloves at quarterback,’" Boston told me recently at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere. "So, I switched to receiver." The move proved a wise choice for Boston, who developed into an explosive receiver for the University of Washington and was selected in the second round of this year’s draft by the Cleveland Browns. And over the last month, Boston has produced his fair share of highlight-reel plays during organized team activities for the Browns, creating a buzz for what the rookie can do once the season rolls around in September. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Boston’s size and physicality stand out at the next level. Boston routinely defeated smaller corners by bullying them at the catch point and snatching the ball away on contested catch opportunities in college. He finished with 125 catches for 1,715 yards and 20 touchdowns during his final two seasons for the Huskies. For Boston, the goal is to continue that dominant trend as a big-bodied, big-play receiver in the pros. "It comes when the DB is playing you tight, and you’ve got to swipe by with some type of hand-to-hand combat," Boston told me when asked about his physicality. "Or, you’ve got to shut him off to get that over-the-shoulder ball. I also think understanding your skill set is a big thing as well. I’m not a 5-11 receiver. I’m not going to move like one, either. So, it’s understanding that I have my dominant traits, and I need to use those dominant traits to empower myself on the field." Ricky Proehl, a former NFL receiver and current head coach of the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks, worked with Boston in the lead-up to the draft. Proehl said Boston is a highly talented and motivated pass catcher who should blossom into a productive receiver at the next level. "He’s gifted. Great hands. Good route runner and explosive coming off the ball," Proehl told me. "He’s a big receiver with a big catching radius. The thing that impressed me the most is for a taller guy, he can drop his weight and change direction like a smaller guy. "You feel his explosiveness coming off the ball, but he can drop his weight and change direction. He’s special, and he can make an immediate impact." Proehl compared Boston to another physical freak coming out of college in former Pittsburgh Steeler Martavis Bryant. However, Proehl offered one weakness that Boston needs to work on — he cares too much. "I think the biggest thing he’s got to work on is he’s a perfectionist — which isn’t a bad thing as a receiver," Proehl told me. "I had those issues, because you want to run the perfect route every time, take a good angle coming out and you don’t want to slip on the route. But sometimes that’s going to happen, and you’ve got to let it go. "And sometimes he’s like, ‘Let me run it again.’ And I’m like, ‘Nah, you can’t run it again in a game. This is what you’re doing, and this is what you need to do. But forget it. It’s not that bad.' But I think he’s going to have a successful career. He’s a great kid. He works his tail off. And he’s going to make big plays." Boston said he looked to his older brother Andrew Boston for mentorship. Four years older than Denzel, the older Boston totaled 2,621 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns during his college career for the Eagles. "The main thing with him is he was always making sure I was working hard, keeping my head down," Boston told me about working with his older brother. "Whenever he would come home, he always had me at the field doing some kind of extra work, doing some type of catching drills. Just something that he felt like he missed out on when he was my age, that he just wanted to give back to me." Boston continued to get that mentorship in college, waiting his turn behind older receivers like Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk. Like Boston, all three of those receivers are playing in the NFL. "Having Rome there, who’s kind of built like me and moves in a similar way, really helped with my confidence – being able to take from him when it comes to matchups," Boston said. "And just having J-Mac (McMillan) also bringing me on the field and getting my feet right. He’s the one that brought me in and got my "Sweet Feet" on, is what I call it. And then with Ja’Lynn Polk, it was always just a mentality thing with him. The way he showed up every day, getting up early at the facility and always just challenging me every day, not only physically but mentally in the classroom." Boston joins fellow rookie receiver and first-round pick K.C. Concepcion on a Browns offense that includes receivers Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond, along with running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson and tight end Harold Fanin Jr. Cleveland also improved things up front with first-round draft pick Spencer Fano, along with free agent additions Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins. Of course, the Browns still must figure out who the starter will be at quarterback between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. And if neither of those two emerges, the Browns secured an extra first-round pick in next year’s draft by trading star edge rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, giving them two first-round picks to chase a signal-caller of the future in next year’s talent-rich quarterback draft class. "Shedeur is a cool guy who brings high energy," Boston said about Sanders. "Whenever I see videos or clips of him, he always has high energy. He seems like he wants to be better each day, the way he works out when we’re in the facility and stuff like that. And he’s not afraid to help other people. Like, I remember we had a drill and he was like, ‘Hey, next time just take this up over here and I’m just going to launch that.’ And I was like, ‘All right, cool.’ He’s just showing up every day trying to get better. And he has a great attitude. "And there’s no doubts there at all about what Deshaun can do. Basically, he’s had some great years in Houston. He’s come into a rough patch right now, but there’s always light at the end of those tunnels. God always gives his toughest soldiers the strongest fights. I think whatever quarterback they decide to go with — and that goes for all four of them — are going to do well."

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After Another All-UFL Season, Battlehawks WR Hakeem Butler Hoping For NFL Call

St. Louis Battlehawks head coach Ricky Proehl has been working with receiver Hakeem Butler since he joined the organization in 2023, so he understands how unique a skill set the 6-foot-5, 242-pound pass catcher possesses. Butler put together another All-UFL performance this season — one of a league-leading seven players from St. Louis to make the spring football all-star team. Butler led the UFL in receiving yards (641) and yards per catch (22.1) in 2026. Winning the UFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2024, Butler has been a mainstay since the league’s inception three years ago. Butler’s the all-time leader in spring football receiving yards, with 2,192 yards over his career. However, that success has not translated into a spot on an NFL roster. But Proehl believes Butler, now 30, just hasn't received the right opportunity. "No one ever gives him a chance to where he gets comfortable," Proehl told me. "It's like, if he doesn’t have success early, ‘OK, get rid of him. He can’t do it.’ And that’s not the case. There’s no doubt in my mind he could have played for me with the Carolina Panthers when I was coaching." Originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Butler missed his rookie season due to a broken hand. Since then, he’s spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers and, most recently, the Cincinnati Bengals two years ago, but none of those opportunities turned into a long-term job in the league. Proehl believes that Butler could develop into a hybrid tight end/receiver at the next level, comparing him to former Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears tight end and current FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen. Proehl points to Butler’s improved speed this season, saying he got up to 22 mph on a 75-yard catch and run for a score against the D.C. Defenders earlier this year. "He wants the football, but he’s not a distraction," Proehl said. "If he’s not getting his targets and he feels like he can help the team win, then he’ll be vocal in a positive way, like ‘Hey guys, I can help you. I need to get some targets.’ But if he understands that he’s getting double-teamed and it’s opening up other guys, he’s happy with that. He wants to win. "He’s very humble. He lets his actions speak volumes, and his innate ability to make plays. To track a deep ball or to create a big play with a run after catch. A man his size with the things he does is pretty special. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be at the next level. I think it’s just finding what his unique quality is and putting him in a position for success." For his part, Butler says he’s focused on the present. "I’ve tried to prove things for a period of time, and at this point I’m just trying to be the best version of myself," Butler told me. "And if an opportunity presents itself from the person they see on the field week in and week out, then that’s cool. "But I’m not really into trying to prove much anymore. I am who I am at this point. My game is going to get better for sure, but I’m just Hakeem. So, if they’re bringing me in to be Hakeem, then they’ll be super happy with me. If they’re bringing me to be something else, then it will never work." Butler’s production will be a key factor when the Battlehawks host the Louisville Kings at the Dome at America's Center in Sunday’s UFL semifinal matchup (6 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). The Battlehawks have qualified for the playoffs in each of the UFL’s first three seasons, the only franchise in the league to accomplish the feat. The winner advances to next week’s United Bowl. Proehl said Butler and the rest of his team are focused on doing the little things better ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Kings. The Battlehawks have lost two of their last three games, but defeated Louisville early this year in the only matchup between the two teams, a 16-3 victory. However, veteran quarterback Louis Perez, acquired by St. Louis in a midseason trade, did not play in that earlier contest. "For us, it’s going back to the basics," Proehl said. "Let’s scale back offensively and do what we do well. Getting the ball out and getting the ball to Hakeem. Getting the ball to Stevie [McBride]. Getting the ball to our running back and having some balance on offense. And then take some shots when they present themselves. "But we need to get the ball out and take some pressure off Louis. Let him do what he does best, and that’s read the defense and get the ball out quick, instead of holding it and trying to wait for that chunk play. We’ve got too many weapons offensively, and we need to let them do their thing."

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Baker Mayfield's Comments Show Extension With Buccaneers Is Complicated

TAMPA BAY — Baker Mayfield set a tone for his extension negotiations with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first comments to the media this offseason: He wants to be the team's long-term quarterback, but he's willing to play out the final year of his contract without a new deal in place. "Contract stuff is happening, starting, talks and whatnot, not anywhere close to what we were thinking," Mayfield said Friday during a youth football camp he's hosting at the Buccaneers' indoor practice facility. "Would love to be here long-term, and as of right now, that's not exactly the case. I'm under contract for 2026. The guys in that locker room, the staff know that I'm still going to be me, still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl. To me, that's the priority. Everything else will take care of itself." Mayfield, who has one year remaining on a three-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2024, added that his deadline to get an extension done is the start of training camp. "Obviously, yes, I'd love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline," Mayfield said. "As soon as training camp starts, we're not doing any contract stuff. It's all ball. It's not up to me when that gets done by. Hopefully before that. If not, we'll still have a good year." While the Bucs haven't announced when training camp will begin, it's usually late in July. So, the clock's now ticking on both parties to get something agreed to before then. But what should both sides be looking for in the potential extension? That's tough to figure out. Mayfield, who turned 31 in April, has seen a career resurgence in Tampa, taking over in 2023 after Tom Brady's retirement. Once a No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield was traded from his first NFL home to the Carolina Panthers in the summer of 2022, struggled there and finished that season with the Los Angeles Rams. When he first signed with the Buccaneers, it was a one-year, $4 million deal that got up to $7 million with a strong first year. He led the Bucs to back-to-back division titles, passing for a career-best 41 touchdowns and 4,500 yards in 2024. But Mayfield, much like the Buccaneers, was inconsistent last year, playing through multiple injuries while key offensive pieces were sidelined throughout the season. The Bucs opened the year 6-2, with Mayfield throwing 13 touchdowns against two interceptions. Then, they lost seven of their last nine, with Mayfield throwing 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions. The Bucs finished in a three-way tie atop the NFC South standings, losing to the Panthers due to a tiebreaker to miss the playoffs for the first time in six years. The Buccaneers have dealt with significant departures this spring, with two beloved players from their 2020 Super Bowl roster now gone. Linebacker Lavonte David retired after 14 seasons in Tampa, and Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers after 12 seasons in Tampa Bay. That leaves Mayfield as the unquestioned face of the franchise, and creates questions as to just how much it will cost for Tampa to keep him. Mayfield hasn't publicly stated how much money he's looking for in his next contract, but Spotrac projects his value at around four years and $214 million. That works out to $53.6 million per year, a figure that would make him the seventh-highest-paid quarterback in the league. However, most of those deals were to quarterbacks who were younger at the time of signing, with two exceptions. Dak Prescott signed a $60 million-per-year pact at age 31 with the Dallas Cowboys, and 38-year-old Matthew Stafford signed a one-year, $55 million extension this spring with the Los Angeles Rams following his MVP season. If Mayfield ends up playing out the 2026 season without a contract for 2027, though, he'd be in line to potentially become a prime franchise tag candidate or one of the most coveted players at any position next offseason. The franchise tag for quarterbacks in 2027 is likely to be about $51 million for one year, a significant raise that would take up a larger chunk of the 2027 cap than a long-term extension. In the event Mayfield isn't tagged, he'd join a relatively deep talent pool of free agents at quarterback. Kyler Murray (Minnesota Vikings) and Tua Tagovailoa (Atlanta Falcons) are on one-year rests after being cut from huge contracts, while a veteran like Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns) could be an option for teams looking to add at quarterback next March. Of course, Mayfield's play in 2026 will largely dictate what the Buccaneers plan to do with him if he doesn't sign an extension this offseason. It could go two very different ways for the Bucs: If Mayfield looks like the first half of last season and gets Tampa Bay back to the playoffs, he'd have leverage for an even larger contract. But if he and the team struggle, the Bucs could move on from him and head coach Todd Bowles, perhaps looking in another direction for both key spots. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has made it clear the team loves Mayfield and wants to keep him in Tampa on a long-term deal, but such a contract would be the largest in franchise history. Recent deals for Tagovailoa, Murray and Watson can show how getting a $200 million deal wrong can damage an NFL franchise, though resetting at the position is not an easy process as well. A four-year extension, though, could also elevate Mayfield's spot in franchise lore. If he signed such a contract, Mayfield would likely have all the franchise's major passing records by the time the deal ends. The Buccaneers haven't had good luck with sustained success from their quarterbacks, which was a big reason why they missed the playoffs 12 years in a row from 2008-19. But they've become a playoff mainstay since the turn of the decade, with Mayfield mostly doing his part. And even after missing the playoffs last season, Tampa Bay is still the oddmakers' favorite to win the NFC South in 2026. It's clear what both sides ultimately want, though. Mayfield has made it evident he wants to stay in Tampa, where he's found stability in his career, and his family has found a home, with he and wife Emily welcoming daughter Kova and son Maverick since he arrived. But there was a leverage aspect to Friday's comments, as Mayfield's the top quarterback entering a contract year that's negotiating a huge deal. So, the question now is whether the Buccaneers want to pay enough to sign on for the same stability or take their chances letting the season play out without a new deal. "They know who I am," Mayfield said Friday. "They know it doesn't matter what the contract is. It's not going to change my work ethic, the leadership aspect of it, what I try to bring with guys, trying to elevate everybody. ... You worry about giving somebody that much money, if it's going to change their attitude, how they show up in the building. With me, that's not the case. They gave me a chance at a point in my career when I really needed it, helped me out, but I think I did the same as well. It's time to get something done long-term, and I would love to be here long-term."

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