The Saints used a 3^rd round pick on Martez Wilson in 2011 and he played sparingly as a rookie, which is not a surprise. However, the Saints brought in 3 free agent linebackers this offseason, Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne, and Chris Chamberlain so there isn’t a lot of room for Wilson to play at linebacker. Given that, the Saints are working him out at defensive end in OTAs.

At 6-4 250, he has decent size to play defensive end, but is probably very raw as a pass rusher. He worked out as the 2^nd team right end opposite Greg Romeus, with Will Smith and Cameron Jordan as the starters. The Saints have a real need at defensive end, particularly for pass rushers. They managed just 33 sacks last year, with 7.5 of them coming from safety Roman Harper. Will Smith, who led their defensive line in sacks, turns 31 in July and will miss the first 4 games of the season with suspension. Wilson could play a hybrid role just to get on the field and might be a pleasant surprise as a defensive end on 3^rd down.

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Former 1^st round pick Dez Bryant had somewhat of a breakout season in 2011 with 63 catches for 928 yards and 9 touchdowns. However, according to him, he was never healthy all last season, despite only missing 1 game. While players often admit this and it’s not uncommon (no one is ever really 100%), it’s all the more reason to expect a huge season from Bryant in 2012.

The Cowboys lost one of their leading receivers from 2011, Laurent Robinson (54/858/11), this offseason. Bryant also reportedly didn’t know the whole playbook last season. That should improve in 2012, his 3^rd year in the league, a common breakout year for receivers. Bryant has crazy physical talent and if he can keep his head straight and play all or most of the 16 game season, he should surpass 1000 yards for the first time in his career.

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The Patriots scooped former Pro Bowler Brian Waters in the preseason last season and he played better than maybe even they could have ever imagined, making the Pro Bowl on a New England line that was one of the best in the league and helped the Patriots make the Super Bowl. However, at 35 years of age, there was some doubt about whether or not he’d return for his 13^th NFL season.

According to the Boston Herald, not only will Waters be returning, but he has been planning “all along” to return. The Herald mentioned that Waters always misses voluntary team practices to spend the spring with his family and this year has been no different. The Patriots have been tight lipped on his status, but they love doing that so that doesn’t really mean anything. This would explain why the Patriots didn’t use a single draft pick on an offensive lineman. Waters’ return will be incredibly valuable to an offensive line that already lost one veteran, Matt Light, this offseason.

Even with Light retiring, the Patriots should still have one of the best offensive lines in the league. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer are both talented young bookend tackles that the Patriots have spent high picks on in recent years. Logan Mankins is perennially one of the best guards in the league and should be fine after offseason surgery on a partially torn ACL. And then, of course, Waters.

Dan Koppen or Dan Connolly will compete for the center job and whoever wins will probably be the weak link on this line and that’s not really a knock on either. 2011 5^th round pick Marcus Cannon is healthy after missing most of last season with a tumor and will provide valuable depth inside and outside. Once a projected 2^nd round pick, Cannon could end up being a steal when all is said and done. Now healthy, he could be Waters’ successor at guard.

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When Johnny Knox suffered a gruesome spinal injury late last season, it was fair to wonder if he’d ever play again. While he hasn’t ruled out playing again, Knox did acknowledge today that he could miss part of all of next season. Knox, the Bears’ leading receiver with 37 catches for 727 yards and 2 touchdowns in 14 games last year, has lost 30 pounds since the injury and looked noticeably frail jogging as part of his rehab.

Given that he is acknowledging he could miss a significant portion if not the entirety of next season already in May, I’d say it’s very doubtful that he plays in 2012. The Bears probably agree as they brought in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery this offseason. They seem content going into 2012 with Marshall, Jeffery, Earl Bennett, and Devin Hester as their top 4 receivers. They’re also prepared for the possibility that Knox never plays again, a strong possibility given the recent spotlight on neck, spine, and head injuries and their post-career effect.

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According to the Chicago Tribune, Jay Cutler could be getting a long term deal from the Bears before Matt Forte. Cutler is due 16.17 million over the final 2 years of his deal, while Matt Forte has yet to sign his 7.7 million dollar franchise tender in hopes of a long term deal. These are the first real rumblings of a Cutler extension and an extension would likely not sit well with Forte, who was angered earlier this offseason when the Bears gave 3 million dollars per year to Michael Bush to be his backup.

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According to Head Coach Joe Philbin, the Dolphins will be selecting their starting quarterback in the preseason, before week 3, so they can get their starter a full preseason game of reps. The Dolphins are choosing between incumbent Matt Moore, veteran free agent acquisition David Garrard, and #8 overall pick Ryan Tannehill. Matt Moore was the predicted starter by owner Stephen Ross, as well as ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter believes Moore will be the starter until he is no longer producing and winning.

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One day after it was reported that Ray Rice wants Adrian Peterson money (7 years, 96 million, 36 million guaranteed), Jason La Canfora is reporting that Rice and the Ravens are talking. The Ravens reportedly will not even consider giving that much money to Rice, but the fact that they are talking is a good sign. La Canfora has called the talks between the two sides “constructive” and believes the two sides will agree on something in the neighborhood of 8.5 million per year over 5 years with 20-25 million guaranteed.

That contract would be on par with what Arian Foster, LeSean McCoy, and Chris Johnson have received in the last calendar year. That contract is also a good guess for what the Bears will give Matt Forte and what the Jaguars will give holdout Maurice Jones Drew. The situation doesn’t sound as bleak as it did yesterday if La Canfora is to be believed and it sounds like the two sides could come to an agreement before Training Camp and avoid a long holdout.

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The Lions slapped defensive end Cliff Avril with the franchise tender earlier this offseason. However, he has yet to sign the 10.605 million dollar tender. He and the Lions are in negotiations, but reportedly are not close. Avril wants to make that franchise tender amount for 4-5 seasons, according to NFL.com’s Albert Breer, who says Avril is shooting for 42 million over 4 years with more than half of that guaranteed.

The Lions, meanwhile, won’t budge from 8-9 million per year. Jason La Canfora, also of NFL.com, reports that the two sides are not close and not even talking at the moment. I would still say the two sides will get a deal done before Training Camp, but I can’t say for sure. Avril is undersized at 6-3 260, but has 30 sacks in 4 seasons after going in the 3^rd round in 2008, including 11 last year. He is also an ideal fit for the Lions wide nine scheme.

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Staying true to his word that there would be an open competition for starting quarterback, Pete Carroll is giving Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson, and Russell Wilson equal reps in OTAs. Jackson is the incumbent and a mediocre starter for a 7-9 team with a 23^rd ranked offense last year. Matt Flynn was a big money offseason acquisition as Aaron Rodgers’ former backup. He’s played very well in 2 career starts. Russell Wilson was their 3^rd round pick and someone they’ve talked up endlessly this offseason. All signs right now are pointing to Flynn winning the starting job, Wilson being his backup, and Jackson, owed 4 million, will be cut as part of final cuts. Nothing is set in stone, however, and Carroll loves competition.

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The first major injury of OTAs happened today as Giants wideout Hakeem Nicks broke a bone in his foot. Nicks was given a time table of 12 weeks for recovery, which would put him back right around the end of August. Head Coach Tim Coughlin acknowledged that Nicks’ status for week 1 would be “close.” It’s definitely possible he’ll miss the entirety of the preseason, at the least. Despite catching 76 passes for 1192 yards and 7 touchdowns last season, he’s a risky pick atop fantasy drafts this year.

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