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General manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday that Brooks (knee) is doing well in his rehab, and the Panthers are optimistic that the running back will be able to contribute in 2026, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Morgan didn't provide any specifics regarding where Brooks stands in his rehab program for the right knee ACL tear he sustained in December 2024, but the 22-year-old at least appears to have avoided any setbacks in his recovery from surgery. A second-round pick in 2024, Brooks has appeared in just three games through two seasons, as he was delayed at the start of his rookie campaign while recovering from an ACL tear in the same knee that he sustained in college. Coming off a pair of major surgeries, Brooks will need to prove that his explosiveness hasn't been compromised as he aims to secure a role out of the Carolina backfield. The Panthers leaned primarily on the duo of Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard out of the backfield in 2025, but with Dowdle bound for free agency this offseason, Carolina could have an opening for Brooks to serve as the top complement to Hubbard during the upcoming season.

General manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday that the door is open for Dowdle to return to Carolina in 2026, but the Panthers will give him the opportunity to test the market in free agency, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Though the Panthers are seemingly keen on retaining Dowdle at the right price, it's possible that the franchise won't be able to afford the running back coming off his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season. If Dowdle heads elsewhere, Morgan expressed confidence in the remaining members of the running back room (Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks and Trevor Etienne) being capable of picking up the slack. After opening 2025 as the Panthers' starter before sliding to second on the depth chart, Hubbard had already moved back into a near-even timeshare with Dowdle by the end of the regular season and then handily out-snapped and out-touched Dowdle in the Panthers' wild-card loss to the Rams.

Bears GM Ryan Poles said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that teams have called about the availability of Bagent via trade this offseason, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Bagent was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Shepherd in 2023 and started four games as a rookie, completing 94 of 143 passes for 859 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions across five total appearances. He's attempted just six regular-season passes over the last two campaigns but has looked good during the preseason when on the field. Bagent has two years remaining on his contract at $4 million each season, so he's very affordable and could be a stop-gap option for a rebuilding team.

Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Colts GM Chris Ballard said he's hopeful the team can re-sign Pierce before he becomes a free agent next month, JJ Stankevitz of the team's official site reports.

"We've had great discussions about both of them," Ballard said of Pierce and fellow impending free agent Daniel Jones (Achilles). "We'll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done. It's been very positive. When both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out in the right way." Pierce had a career year during the 2025 campaign, posting career highs in targets (84), catches (47) and receiving yards (1,003), while producing six touchdowns. He's led the entire NFL in yards per reception in back-to-back years as one of the game's top downfield weapons. Pierce is one of the top free agents set to hit the market in March if the Colts are unable to hammer out a deal.

On Tuesday, GM Monti Ossenfort said that "all options are on the table" regarding Murray and the Cardinals' future at quarterback, Jayna Bardahl of The Athletic reports.

Per Ossenfort, "as it pertains to that position -- as it pertains to every position on our team -- we're going to look at every avenue to improve, and we're going to continue to go through our process with that." For now, the Cardinals have Murray, Jacoby Brissett and Kedon Slovis under contract, but at this stage, the status of Murray -- who played in just five games last season after suffering a foot injury in Week 5 -- remains unclear. Important context on the front is due to arrive in mid-March, given that if Murray is on Arizona's active roster on the fifth day of the upcoming league year, he'd be due a guaranteed roster bonus for 2027 of $19.5 million, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.

The Texans have no plans to trade Stroud, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.

Per Bien-Aime, the QB's name surfaced online in trade speculation in the wake of a playoff run that included seven turnovers. However, GM Nick Caserio firmly denied such a possibility Tuesday, while noting of Stroud, "we are not trading the guy. He's our quarterback. He's going to be playing quarterback for the Houston Texans in 2026." Stroud, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he threw for 3,041 yards, with 19 TDs and eight interceptions in 14 games. Looking ahead, WR Christian Kirk is the team's most notable pass catcher in line to become a free agent next month, but otherwise Houston's top wideouts and tight ends are on track to be available options for Stroud this coming season.

The Falcons officially placed their franchise tag on Pitts on Tuesday, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

The expected move prevents Pitts from reaching the open market in free agency, while he and the Falcons have until July 15 to negotiate a potential multi-year extension. Per McElhaney, the projected franchise tag value for tight ends in 2026 will be approximately $16 million. The 2021 first-rounder is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he recorded 88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns (on 118 targets) in 17 games.

According to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, the signs point to a potential break between Mixon (who is recovering from a foot injury that sidelined him this past season) and the Texans.

That's a notion echoed by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, who indicates that the Texans are expected to ultimately part ways with the running back -- who reportedly recently underwent surgery to address his foot issue -- via a failed physical. For his part, GM Nick Caserio describes Mixon's status with the team as "a moving target," while adding "we'll kind of see what the availability is going to be, what the prognosis is for the season and then ultimately try to figure out what makes sense for everybody involved." Per Wilson, releasing Mixon from his contract would save the Texans $8.5 million.

Jets general manager Darren Moughey said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that the team intends to place the franchise or transition tag on Hall (knee) if he isn't signed to an extension before the start of free agency, James Palmer of The Athletic reports.

Hall would play out 2026 on a one-year deal worth roughly $14.5 million if he receives the franchise tag. The transition tag would be worth an estimated $11.7 million and allow the running back to negotiate with other teams, though New York would retain the right to match any offer sheet he receives. Across 16 regular-season appearances in 2025, and despite numerous hurdles caused by the Jets' struggles on offense, Hall managed to log the first 1,000-yard rushing campaign of his career, totaling 243 carries for 1,065 yards and four scores, plus a 36-350-1 receiving line on 48 targets. While Hall's fantasy prospects could improve were he to hit the open market, it appears the Jets will prioritize retaining the 2022 second-round pick. Though he missed Week 18 due to a knee injury, there have been no reports that his availability is in any jeopardy for the start of training camp.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that Judkins (ankle) has shed his walking boot and is on track for the start of training camp, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Judkins underwent successful surgery to address a dislocated right ankle in late December, and he's on track to enter 2026 at full health. As a rookie, the 2025 second-round pick logged 14 regular-season appearances, gaining 827 yards and seven touchdowns on 230 carries (3.6 YPC) while securing 26 of 36 targets for 171 receiving yards. He appears set to lead Cleveland's backfield next year, while 2025 fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson could be the favorite for the No. 2 role, as Jerome Ford is slated to become an unrestricted free agent.