The 49ers will have to wait a year to see their 2012 5^th round pick hit the field as linebacker Darius Fleming has torn his ACL. The injury, which was suffered in practice, but did not happen because of contact, will likely sideline him for the entirety of the 2012 season. With two solid rush linebackers after on the roster in Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks, the 49ers were looking at Fleming, formerly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, as purely a depth player at most in 2012, so they won’t miss him much. Still, you never like to see an injury happen to a player before he can ever play in an NFL game.

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The Raiders have signed free agent fullback Owen Schmitt, previously of the Philadelphia Eagles, reuniting him with Gregg Knapp, the Raiders’ offensive coordinator who was the Seahawks offensive coordinator in 2009 when Schmitt played for them. Schmitt, once one of the league’s most promising young fullbacks as a 5^th round pick, has seen his promise go south over the past few years thanks to injuries.

Schmitt is a long shot to make the Raiders’ 53 man roster because they already have a solid fullback in Marcel Reese and most teams don’t carry more than one. Schmitt was likely just signed for practice purposes as Reese is skipping practices after not yet signing his exclusive rights tender. Schmitt could make the roster as a pure special teamer, but it’s unlikely.

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One day after promising his holdout wouldn’t last into the season, Welker ended his holdout completely and signed the Patriots’ 1 year, 9.5 million dollar franchise tender. Negotiations between the two sides are not complete as both sides do want a long term deal. They have until July 16^th’s deadline to come to agreement on one, but Patriots fans can breathe a little easier knowing that Welker will not miss any mandatory practices and risk getting out of shape like Chris Johnson or Darrelle Revis.

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When the Buccaneers drafted Doug Martin in the 1^st round of the 2012 NFL Draft, it seemed like a death sentence for LeGarrette Blount and his fantasy value. However, it might have been just what Blount needed. Blount showed up to Buccaneers’ OTAs noticeably slimmer and in much better shape than 2011, when his conditioning was a big part of the reason why he saw little playing time down the stretch.

Rookie running backs tend to struggle some out of the gate and the Buccaneers plan to run a lot this year so I could still see Blount being involved in the offense a good amount on non-passing downs, though Martin will probably still lead the team in carries. Still there’s some sleeper value with the running back who is less than 2 years removed from rushing for 1007 yards and 6 touchdowns on 201 carries.

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Saints’ kicker Garrett Hartley was one of the league’s premier kickers in 2010, before missing all of 2011 with injuries. Proving just how uncertain things are for kickers, Hartley will now have to beat John Kasay, who did a solid job in his absence last year, to keep his starting job and likely his roster spot, this according to special teams coordinator Greg McMahon.

Kasay nailed 28 of 34 field goals for the Saints last year and Hartley, who made several big kicks in 2009 in the Saints run to the Super Bowl, has hit 42 of 49 in his career. Whoever wins will be a valuable fantasy kicker on an explosive offense, but whoever loses should latch on somewhere else because both are talented. Hartley does seem to have an advantage because he’s 17 years younger than Kasay, who turns 43 in October. He’ll still need a strong offseason, however.

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In one of the weirder stories of the offseason, Jaguars’ defensive tackle Terrance Knighton needed emergency eye surgery after injuring it in a bar fight earlier this offseason. The injury, and the location of the incident, seemed very bad for Knighton, a talented player, who was already being criticized for being out of shape and unable to keep his weight in check.

While Knighton will miss the Jaguars’ mandatory minicamp, as he is unable to run or lift until the injury is healed, Knighton did sound optimistic today saying that the injury is progressing faster than expected and that he does feel he’ll be ready for Training Camp. We’ll have just to wait and see on this. The Jaguars’ organization can’t be very happy with this and it could end up costing him playing time or even his roster spot if he doesn’t have a good camp.

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Donovan McNabb has yet to go on a single visit this offseason, or at all since being released midseason by the Vikings last year, but at least he has one supporter, former Head Coach Andy Reid, who said that he thinks McNabb can still play and that he looks good physically. While that does suggest Reid has seen McNabb work out this offseason, don’t expect any reunion between the two.

Reid’s scheme is the only one that McNabb has ever had any kind of success in, but the Eagles already have 3 quarterbacks under contract behind Michael Vick in Mike Kafka, Nick Foles, and Trent Edwards and McNabb might not even agree to go back to Philadelphia in a backup role after being the starting quarterback there for so long. While McNabb might be glad to hear he has someone supporting him, it likely won’t lead to any tangible change for him. He’ll still struggle to find a #3 quarterback job, if he’d even accept one.

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The Seahawks spent a 4^th round pick on Robert Turbin, despite giving Marshawn Lynch a great contract this offseason. Turbin provided much needed depth behind the talented, but injury prone Lynch. However, he could provide more than just that. Today, Carroll suggested that Turbin could be their 3^rd down back, praising his pass catching abilities and saying that he has all the tools to become a good pass protector.

Turbin’s name is certainly one to monitor for fantasy purposes because before last year, Lynch had managed just 322 carries in the last 2 years. With a new contract in hand, Lynch could revert to his previously disappointing self and/or get hurt. Turbin might not worth a fantasy draft pick, but he could end up making a few starts this season.

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When Jason Peters tore his Achilles for the 2^nd time in as many months yesterday, many wondered if he’d ever be the same player again. The Achilles won’t lead to a major setback in his recovery, reportedly around another 3 weeks, but it’s never a good thing when a guy tears the same thing twice in this short of time. If you ask the Philadelphia Inquirer, Peters career could be in doubt.

The Inquirer, who consulted with a notable foot and ankle surgeon for this report, said that a 2^nd tear like this is a rare phenomenon and that it’ll make the road to recovery much tougher. Peters won’t play in 2012 and is no sure thing in 2013, a shame for a player who had finally lived up to his potential as one of the top tackles in the league in 2011.

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Tim Tebow is a lot of things and one of them is a notoriously bad practicer. Tebow’s performance in practice during Training Camp last year was so bad that he was at one point listed at 4^th on the depth chart. He eventually overcame that and proved he was much better in games than in practice, leading the Broncos to an AFC West title and a playoff win in overtime over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now in New York after Denver signed Peyton Manning, Tebow appears to be impressing more in practice. He’s made an impression on one notable figure, Jets quarterback coach Matt Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh said that Tebow’s mechanics looked good and he was impressed with his arm strength. The mechanics part is news as that’s Tebow’s biggest flaw, but he has been working a ton on it this offseason so maybe he’s made noticeable improvements. This is just one more reason to believe that Mark Sanchez is on a very short rope at quarterback for the Jets and that Tebow could be starting for them sooner rather than later.

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