Fantasy Football Diehards | FootballDiehards.com

The Facts: Woods watched his Rams teammates win a Super Bowl without him. Then the Rams signed his replacement and shipped him to Tennessee. It would be understandable if the veteran wide receiver was a little bitter or slow to adjust to his new environment. Instead, Woods -- who was afforded the opportunity to help choose his new destination -- is feeling slightly impatient in his return from season-ending knee surgery. "I actually feel like they're kind of holding me back a little bit," Woods said with a smile, via the team's official site. "I am trying to get back as well as I can, just doing everything (trainer) Todd Toriscelli has me doing, trying to stay focused and be patient with it. Right now I feel really, really good, getting going, being able to do some things." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Woods is about as consistent as they come, averaging 63 receptions per season and finishing with exactly 90 in both 2019 and 2020. He's gaining a steady 12.4 yards per reception over his nine professional seasons, and likely would have played an important role in Los Angeles' run to Super Bowl LVI had he been healthy enough to play. The Titans hope Woods can play a similarly essential part in their offense, especially after the departures of A.J. Brown and Julio Jones. Woods is certainly embracing the role of veteran leader, according to Titans GM Jon Robinson, and could end up helping Tennessee's first-round selection, Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks, a whole lot in 2022. "He's just a consummate pro, and he's everything we're about," Robinson said. "He's helping our younger players and we're excited to see him on the field. ..." We'll continue to watch for more on Woods' ongoing recovery.

The Facts: Watkins' latest stop has him in a new location, but among familiar company. Watkins' position coach, Jason Vrable, doubles as Green Bay's pass game coordinator in 2022. He's bringing with him some familiar terminology from their days spent together in Buffalo, and believes the wide receiver's move to Green Bay will position him for success -- and that's without even mentioning who will be throwing passes to Watkins. "I talked to Sammy about it the other day. The way he was running some routes and catching, it reminded me of when he first walked on the field (in Buffalo)," Vrable told reporters Thursday. "The biggest thing had been some injuries, if you looked at the thing. But he know he's going to work as hard as he can. He's here doing all the workouts right now in conditioning. He feels good where his body is at." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Familiarity could be very beneficial to Watkins, who joins a Packers team looking for quality replacements for key contributors lost in the offseason. Watkins won't be expected to suddenly morph into Davante Adams, but if he can produce at even 70 percent of Adams' rate in the last couple of seasons, Watkins will be flirting with a career-high output. He'll have to compete with the likes of Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and second-round pick Christian Watson for targets in 2022. But if his history tells us anything, it's that Watkins will be right at home on a team intending to contend for a Super Bowl and will find a role that best suits his team's ambitions. At 28 years old, Watkins is still in his prime. Perhaps a pairing with a future first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback is precisely what he needs.

The Facts: Mond's 2021 season ended with his coach telling reporters he'd seen enough of him. Fast-forward to 2022, where Mond has a new coach and a new perspective. Instead of being stuck in the bottom-of-the-depth-chart doghouse under Mike Zimmer, new Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell is giving Mond plenty of opportunities to earn the backup job behind Kirk Cousins. "Kellen's having a good spring so far, working incredibly hard, digesting the system," O'Connell said Thursday. "He made a couple of checks yesterday at the line of scrimmage that he wasn't prepared play-by-play for ... he just kind of instinctively did that. Those are the little things you look for." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: The description from O'Connell is more important than the actual production at this stage of the offseason, primarily because it's a significant departure from the tone Zimmer took regarding Mond in the coach's final days with the Vikings. A new regime means a longer leash, which fits with Mond's developmental timeline. He's about to take Cousins' job -- he's not -- but it should make Vikings fans feel better about the potential of Mond, who sure seemed like an afterthought for much of 2021.

The Facts: A Foles-Frank Reich reunion is imminent. The Indianapolis Colts and Foles are working on a deal that is expected to be agreed upon early next week. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Foles, who was released by the Chicago Bears on May 1, led the Philadelphia Eagles to the franchise's only Super Bowl crown in 2017 with Reich as the offensive coordinator. The 33-year-old Foles, barring a setback, is now bound for his sixth NFL club and will back up another new Colt, Matt Ryan. ... Foles' release by the Bears, who the QB spent the past two seasons with, came after the team was unable to find a trade partner. Foles had his finest season with Reich as his OC, rallying the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory and winning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. The Colts got the veteran starter they hope can push them back to prominence and now they have their season second-stringer, as well.

The Facts: Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, believes the NFL will render its initial decision on Watson’s possible discipline by June or July, and that they’ll want to talk to Watson again beforehand. “We should know what their position is initially sometime in June, and then everybody will figure out if there’s going to be a hearing about it or can people work things out, or whatever,” Hardin told cleveland.com by phone on Friday evening. “The only thing that’s certain is that they want to try to get everything done this summer — and earlier than later in the summer. Past that, we don’t really have any firm dates or possibilities.” Reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Diehards Line: Hardin also said “we expect they will want to talk to him again” in a continuation of interviews regarding the 24 allegations by massage therapists of sexual misconduct during appointments. Two separate grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal charges, but 22 therapists have civil suits against him, including 20 who accuse him of sexual harassment and two of sexual assault. Hardin said Watson cooperated fully with NFL investigators Lisa Friel and Jennifer Gaffney during three days of questioning Monday through Wednesday in Houston, but the review under terms of the Personal Conduct Policy is ongoing. Once Friel and Gaffney wrap up their investigation, they’ll turn their findings over to former U.S. District Judge Sue L. Robinson, who will determine whether or not to discipline Watson. Sanctions can include a fixed or indefinite suspension, a fine, or a combination of the two, or banishment from the NFL with an opportunity to reapply. Discipline may also include a probationary period with conditions that must be met for reinstatement or continued participation. If Watson appeals the decision, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee can overturn or modify the discipline as they see fit, and their ruling will be final. If Watson is suspended for all or part of the 2022 season, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett will start in his place. ... Meanwhile, Hardin is bracing himself for Tuesday night’s episode of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, during which Soledad O’Brien interviewed several of Watson’s accusers. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like, but I’m not optimistic,” he said. “I believe they’ll air the accusations of the women without attempting to look behind it to see what kind of merit do they have.” Hardin said such interviews were anticipated as the civil suits play out and understands they won’t help Watson’s case.

The Facts: Whether Geno Smith, Drew Lock, or someone else ends up as the Seahawks starting quarterback in 2022, that QB1 is going to have Metcalf as his primary target. It doesn’t appear like the Seahawks and Metcalf are headed for a divorce, with both the receiver and head coach Pete Carroll each saying this month that a long-term deal will get done. So that means the quarterback will have to get him the ball. During an interview on sports radio KJR on Thursday, Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron noted that the more Metcalf is involved, the better off the team will be. “With DK’s skill set, that’s something we are striving to do, is get DK his touches,” Waldron said. “Because that’s going to make us a better offense… I put that on us.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Waldron also said that Metcalf has “increased his leadership role” on the team in the wake of quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner’s respective departures. “He’s driven to succeed,” Waldron said. “It’s knowing he has a skill set that, really, is a top-notch skill set. ... The sky’s the limit for DK for what he can be in this league. ...” Playing all 17 games last season, Metcalf caught 75 passes for 967 yards with 12 touchdowns. In 2020, Metcalf was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro after recording 83 receptions for 1,303 yards with 10 TDs.

The Facts: Three weeks after the draft, Mayfield continues to be on the Cleveland roster. That likely will continue to be the case. Jeff Howe of TheAthletic.com reports that a “holding pattern” exists as to Mayfield. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Howe reports that the Panthers and Seahawks remain interested in Mayfield. The problem continues to be the amount of Mayfield’s $18.8 million guaranteed salary that Cleveland will pay, and that his next employer will carry. Mayfield can play, if heathy. He’s currently not healthy, which reduces the urgency to resolve things. Also worth watching: The Deshaun Watson situation. As PFT suggests, if Watson ends up being suspended for a significant piece of the season, the Browns may need Mayfield. Before they can do that, however, they need to rebuild the bridge to Baker. That may be impossible. But both sides ultimately may need each other, and Mayfield’s best option could be to play for the Browns instead of the Seahawks or the Panthers. Mayfield may need some persuading to get there.

The Facts: Rodgers played a significant role in the Packers bringing back Tom Clements as the team’s quarterbacks coach. But Clements is not pressed that Rodgers isn’t attending the voluntary offseason program this year. Though the Packers are integrating several new receivers, Clements doesn’t foresee any issues for Rodgers and the new pass catchers whenever he arrives. “We’ll have to see what the program is like during the OTAs,” Clements said in his Thursday press conference. “I know it’s a little bit different than it was previously when I was here. But Aaron doesn’t need reps at this time of the year. So, obviously, it would be nice to have him here. But he’s seen these things 1,000 times. He’ll be ready to go when training camp starts.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Rodgers hasn’t been around in the spring for a few years, electing to spend his time on mindfulness and training elsewhere. It clearly hasn’t affected the quarterback negatively, as he’s won the last two MVP awards. Clements added that for the new receivers — who are mostly working with quarterback Jordan Love — it’s best for them to learn the system and then learn from their mistakes so they’ll be ready to go when training camp begins. “I think that there will be enough time at that time for Aaron to work with them,” Clements said. ... Rodgers did come around the building around two or three weeks ago, Clements said, when he was in the area for a Milwaukee Bucks game.

The Facts: Drew Lock arrived in Seattle from Denver on March 16 in the Russell Wilson trade. The Seahawks re-signed Smith on April 19. Smith’s two previous seasons in Seattle, though, give him with an early edge on Lock a month later. “Right now, Geno has done such a good job of carrying over (the offensive principles from 2021). He already had a head start over Drew right there,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said on KJR, via Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. “We have a long time to go. We are just in T-shirts and shorts right now, going against air. We have a long way to go to see where this competition (goes).” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: It reiterated what Pete Carroll said last week about Smith being “automatically” ahead in the competition to replace Wilson. The Seahawks, though, are banking on Lock being their starter. They have not pursued a veteran quarterback with skins on the wall, like a Baker Mayfield, and they didn’t draft a quarterback. Seattle appears all in on Lock, with Smith a fallback option. Team officials repeatedly have praised Lock, and Waldron did again Thursday. “Drew has a good, calm presence in the huddle out there, (things) we saw in the last three games of his rookie year,” Waldron said. “The thing I like about Drew is, really, his ability to make every throw on the field. The way he moves and he changes his arm angle and doesn’t have to be just a (static) pocket passer out there. ...” Lock, 25, went 8-13 in his starts for the Broncos, completing 59.3 percent of his passes for 4,740 yards with 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

The Facts: Hilton has not found a place to play in 2022, but the longtime Colts wideout isn’t looking to hang up the cleats at this point. Stephen Holder of TheAthletic.com reports that Hilton has remained in contact with the Colts and has let them know that he plans to play in the 2022 season. Holder also reports that Hilton has had “fruitful conversations” with two other teams about continuing his career outside of Indianapolis. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: As PFT suggests, it’s hard to know how fruitful those talks could be if they have not resulted in a deal for Hilton at this point. A return to the Colts may be his preference, but they drafted Alec Pierce in the second round and have sounded bullish about their young receivers throughout the offseason. Should that opinion change by the end of the offseason program, the Colts could turn back to Hilton as long as someone else hasn’t moved more quickly to secure his services.