Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos have a few clear positions of need. Denver can add players in the draft, but there are still options in free agency and the trade market. This trade pitch has the Broncos calling up an NFC South team to pick from a crowded backfield.
For this trade pitch, the Broncos call up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for running back Rachaad White. With Bucky Irving breaking out in his rookie season, and Sean Tucker being a good complementary back, White becomes an expendable piece.
The Broncos would trade just a sixth-round pick for White, who is in the final year of his rookie deal. Tampa Bay would save over $3 million in cap space and net a draft pick while doing so. White's looming free agency and the Buccaneers' crowded backfield make this trade work for both sides.
White, the 91st overall selection in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, has played all three years with the Buccaneers. He had a solid 2023 season, running for 990 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 272 carries, all career highs.
In 2024, he took a step back due to Irving's emergence. White finished with 613 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 144 rushing attempts. While his overall numbers were down, his efficiency jumped forward, as he ran for 4.3 yards per attempt, .6 yards more than his previous career high.
White is also a potential 'joker' option for Sean Payton, as he can work out of the backfield as a receiver. White never had fewer than 50 receptions in a season, and in 2024, White finished with six receiving touchdowns.
His value is not just as a running back but also as a receiver. Pairing White with a rookie running back and Audric Estime would be a strong running back room. White would allow the Broncos to be patient with their rookie while also getting good production from a running back in 2025.
Denver acquiring White for just a sixth-round pick would be a significant boost for Bo Nix and the offense in 2025. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers would gain additional draft capital, clear up $3 million in cap space, and allow Irving to take the reins in the backfield. This trade would benefit both the players involved and each team overall.
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The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
The Kansas City Royals were hoping to bolster their outfield ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. They were able to do just that in a trade on Saturday. Steve Gilbert from MLB.com reported that the Royals have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark Feinsand from MLB.com reported that relief pitcher Andrew Hoffman will head to Arizona in exchange for Grichuk. The Royals desperately needed help in their outfield. Royals outfielders had been the worst in the majors, posting an atrocious .219/.273/.328 batting line with just 19 home runs entering Saturday's action. Although Grichuk is in the midst of a disappointing season himself, he is an immediate upgrade over whatever the Royals have sent into the outfield. Grichuk had posted a .243/.280/.462 batting line in 186 plate appearances entering Saturday, hitting seven homers and 15 doubles. In exchange, the Diamondbacks receive Hoffman, who FanGraphs ranked as the Royals' 22nd-best prospect entering the season. His upper-90s fastball and new kick change are both considered plus offerings, although his ability to command his arsenal is questionable at best. Hoffman's potential and flaws were evident this season. He made his major league debut for the Royals, allowing six runs, two earned, on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings, striking out five. However, Hoffman had dominated at Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA and a 1.125 WHiP over his 40 innings, striking out 55 batters with just 10 walks. He is another intriguing addition for a Diamondbacks team that has prioritized pitching in their two trades thus far. The same upside does not exist for the Royals. Kansas City had the same record as the Diamondbacks entering the second game of their doubleheader against the Guardians. Grichuk signed a one-year contract with $5 million guaranteed for 2025. There is a mutual option worth $5 million, with a $3 million buyout, for 2026. Theoretically, Grichuk could be part of the Royals' plans next season. However, mutual options are rarely picked up. As the Royals are currently under .500 and need to pass four teams in the standings to seize the final wild-card spot, adding a rental option does not make sense. It is possible that both sides can work out an arrangement for 2026, but unless that happens, the Royals' latest move is questionable at best.
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh clubbed his 40th home run of the season on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels, not only extending his major league lead but also making him the first player in baseball to reach the 40-home run mark this season. It also helped him make some history. With his 40th home run, Raleigh became both the first catcher and the first switch-hitter in baseball history to reach the 40 home run mark before the end of July. Here is a look at his 40th home run. He is already in the process of having one of the best seasons ever for a Mariners player, and also one of the best seasons ever for a catcher, for any team. Especially when you add in his defense, where he is one of the best defensive catchers in the league. His only serious competition for the American League MVP Award remains New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. But with Judge sidelined for a period of time now due to an elbow injury, it might open the door for Raleigh to really put himself in the lead for that award.
Training camp is underway, and the dawn of the 2025 NFL season is quickly coming into view. As the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles emphasized this week, the new league year provides a fresh slate for every team and a new chapter for each player. For rising NFL talents, the 2025 campaign could be a springboard toward stardom. Let's take a look at three budding stars who deserve more playing time in the upcoming season. Bengals RB Chase Brown With the superstar receiver tandem of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins commanding major attention from opposing defenses, Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown could be in store for a huge year. Brown, 25, finished the season strong after wrestling the starting role away from veteran rusher Zack Moss after a month as the reserve. From Week 5 onward, the Bengals ball-carrier rushed for 806 yards, which was the sixth-highest total of any AFC rusher. He was one of seven running backs to record 3+ receptions in at least 10 games. In his last 8 games, Brown averaged 116 scrimmage yards. That projects to 1,976 over 17 games, which would have been the third-most in the NFL last year. Proving valuable as a rusher and receiver, Brown should be a core piece of the Bengals' vaunted offense moving forward. “Brown is going to be one of the focal points of our offense because he deserves to be,” Pitcher added. Entering the year as a starter for the first time in his career, Brown could be in store for a breakout season in 2025. "Chase Brown is going to be, by the end of the season, a household name," Bengals OC Dan Pitcher said during training camp. "He's everything that Austin Ekeler was. You'll all know who he is." Lions WR Jameson Williams Williams, a former Detroit Lions first-rounder, was one of the league's most dynamic players in 2024. The speedy wideout had six 40+ yard receptions, the third-most in the NFL. Only Ja'Marr Chase, Brian Thomas and Alec Pierce had more. Williams, 24, has game-breaking speed similar to Tyreek Hill and DeSean Jackson and could sprint toward stardom in 2025. In just 11 starts, he was one of 24 wideouts with a 1,000-yard season in 2024. Slated for increased playing time in 2025, Williams could erupt in Detroit. Jayden Reed Last season was a mixed bag for the Green Bay Packers wideout Reed. He erupted for 168 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against the Eagles in Brazil. Three weeks later, Reed stuffed the stat sheet once more and posted 139 receiving yards and a touchdown in a divisional matchup against Minnesota. Following his hot start, Reed never drew more than six targets after Week 4 and seemingly tumbled down the Packers' pecking order. The 25-year-old receiver was used almost exclusively in three-receiver sets, playing just 63% of the snaps. Despite his lack of playing time, the 5-foot-11 wideout led Green Bay in receiving yards (857) and was second in receiving touchdowns (6). Additionally, Reed caught nine of 11 targets of 25+ air yards, proving himself a capable deep threat for Jordan Love and the Packers. Even after selecting Texas wideout Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Packers must find ways to feature Reed more often.
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