NFL Player News

Wednesday, March 17

• 03/17/10 - 12:49PM ETDerek Anderson : Two-Year, $7.25 Million Deal With Cards

  Anderson's contract with the Cardinals is a two-year pact worth $7.25 million, ESPN.com reports.

  The deal includes $3.25 million guaranteed, and incentives max out at $18.25 million. Anderson is currently Matt Leinart's backup. Anderson's deal is structured so that he can be an affordable No. 2 QB, but he can also be rewarded if he wrests the starting job from Leinart.

• 03/17/10 - 9:54AM ETDerek Anderson : Joins Cardinals

  Anderson has agreed to terms with the Cardinals, NFL.com reports.

  With the Cards, Anderson will presumably have a chance to compete with penciled-in starter Matt Leinart for the top job. It's been a forgettable couple of years for Anderson, who was recently released by the Browns, but his strong 2007 numbers are evidence that he can be a fantasy producer in the right circumstances. Even without Anquan Boldin, Arizona has some nice weapons in the passing game, starting with Larry Fitzgerald.

• 03/17/10 - 7:11AM ETRex Grossman : Agrees to Join Redskins

  Grossman agreed to a one-year contract with the Redskins on Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

  Jason Campbell will be back in Washington for another season, but his position as the starter doesn't seem especially secure, especially with a new coaching staff coming in. Grossman has experience with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan from their time together in Houston, so he could theoretically make a push for the job with a strong training camp. Then again, it is Rex Grossman, he of the 69.5 career quarterback rating and 33:36 TD:INT ratio.

• 03/17/10 - 12:58AM ETRyan Fitzpatrick : Competing for Quarterback Job

  Bills head coach Chan Gailey said Tuesday there is no front-runner for the starting quarterback job at the moment. Although he said the team could sign a prominent free agent, the three quarterbacks on the team — Fitzpatrick, Trent Edwards and Brian Brohm — would fight it out for positions if the situation stays the same, The Buffalo News reports.

  We're not sold that the Bills will sign a prominent free agent QB, so Fitzpatrick may be given a fair shake to earn the starting job. He's a smart kid, but he also offers little upside, so he's probably behind Edwards in terms of odds of winning the starting job.

Tuesday, March 16

• 03/16/10 - 1:00PM ETMatthew Stafford : (Knee) Progressing Well After Surgery

  Stafford, who had cleanup knee surgery at the end of the 2009 season, isn't running full-speed yet, but he is fine otherwise and expects to be able to participate fully in team workouts, the Detroit Free Press reports.

  The knee will get there in time, but more importantly, he says his throwing shoulder is fine. "The shoulder feels good," Stafford said Tuesday. "The kneeÂ’s coming along. I threw today full speed, felt pretty good." He'll be ready when it counts and the starting job is his, so there's some upside to be had here given that Calvin Johnson is still around and the team has added the capable Nate Burleson to its receiving corps.

• 03/16/10 - 12:20PM ETByron Leftwich : Steelers Interested in Bringing Him Back

  The Steelers are apparently waiting for Leftwich to be released by the Buccaneers this off-season, the St. Petersburg Times reports.

  Leftwich was now-troubled Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's backup during their Super Bowl run in the 2008 season before signing as a free agent with the Buccaneers last year. He went 0-3 as a starter and eventually was placed on injured reserve with tendinitis in his right throwing elbow. The Buccaneers are now committed to Josh Freeman as their franchise quarterback making, Leftwich expendable. That being said, the team is in no hurry to release Leftwich- if anything they may end up trading him to the Steelers. If Leftwich were to go to the Steelers and if Roethlisberger has to miss any time in 2010, Leftwich could be in line for some starts, which would give him at least some marginal fantasy value.

• 03/16/10 - 11:17AM ETAlbert Young : Moving the Up the Depth Chart, For Now

  With LaDainian Tomlinson choosing to sign with the Jets and Chester Taylor leaving as a free agent, Young is the leading candidate to back up Adrian Peterson, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "Albert Young is a guy that has developed here tremendously in the last two years. As a matter of fact, Brett Favre and I had a long conversation about him when we were down south, and he believes he's got a chance to be a good back in this league," said head coach Brad Childress.

  It's still not clear if the Vikings will sign a free agent to replace Taylor or take a running back in the draft, but Young could see his fantasy value jump if he's No. 2 on the depth chart.

Monday, March 15

• 03/15/10 - 2:34PM ETRuvell Martin : Signs with Seahawks

  Martin has signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks, the Seattle Pots-Intelligencer reports.

  He's not exactly Brandon Marshall, an impact player the team is said to be interested in, but Martin gives the Seahawks some added depth at a position in flux and has an outside chance to carve out a decent role in 2010 with a break or two his way.

• 03/15/10 - 1:59PM ETBen Roethlisberger : Not Present for Start of Workouts

  Roethlisberger was not working out with his teammates and was not at the SteelersÂ’ practice facility, as the team started offseason workouts Monday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

  Roethlisberger has kept a low profile since recently being accused of sexual assault in Milledgeville, Ga. That's still a pending situation that could linger as Roethlisberger and the Steelers begin their preparation for the 2010 season. Big Ben has had to deal with scrutiny before, but this latest allegation has the potential to be a major distraction for him in the coming weeks and months.

• 03/15/10 - 8:17AM ETClinton Portis : Attending Voluntary Workouts

  Portis was present at the start of voluntary workouts on Monday, the Washington Post reports.

  Portis has a lot to prove this offseason with a new coaching staff and coming off a serious concussion that forced him to miss eight games. The signing of Larry Johnson also adds competition for touches.

• 03/15/10 - 7:57AM ETKyle Orton : Will Participate in Offseason Program

  Orton is expected to participate in the Broncos' offseason program this week, possibly in an attempt to begin his competition with newly acquired Brady Quinn, the Denver Post reports.

  The acquisition of Quinn certainly puts pressure on Orton, who the Broncos got after trading Jay Cutler and unsuccessfully obtaining Quinn before the 2009 season. While there will obviously be a quarterback competition when training camps open up, Quinn appears to be in the lead already since the team wouldn't have acquired him if they were perfectly happy with Orton.