With the NFL regular season steadily approaching, this article aims to touch on IDP-relevant news and topics during training camps and preseason games. We'll look at injuries, contract situations, camp battles, rookie buzz, and other pertinent IDP topics. The plan is to have this article ready for your viewing every Thursday until the season kicks off. Thanks for tuning in; let's get to it!

IDP News: S Justin Simmons, Atlanta

Justin Simmons signs a one-year, $8 million deal with Atlanta.

After upgrading their pass rush by trading for Matthew Judon, Atlanta added another savvy veteran, bringing in Justin Simmons on a one-year deal. We were waiting to see where Simmons would end up, as his name continued to be floated around teams who needed safety reinforcements. While we assume Simmons will pair with Jessie Bates III in the starting lineup, it sounds like Atlanta still wants to find ways to get Richie Grant involved. However, Grant can be left on the waiver wire. Safety DeMarcco Hellams (ankle) is set to miss extended time and will serve as depth when he returns. The Falcons potentially deploying some three safety looks will be something to keep an eye on, with alignments and linebacker usage being points of interest for IDP purposes.

IDP News: CB Stephon Gilmore, Minnesota

The Vikings bring in Stephon Gilmore, signing him to a one-year, $10 million deal.

Gilmore finds a new home in Minnesota but has familiarity with defensive coordinator Brian Flores from their previous time together in New England. Gilmore brings some much-needed help at cornerback for the Vikings, as he and Shaq Griffin, who just returned from his hamstring injury, will likely play outside. Byron Murphy II has outside ability but is likely to see time at the nickel spot as well, making him a possible in-season streaming option in deeper IDP true-position or CB-required formats.

IDP News: EDGE Arden Key, Tennessee

Arden Key gets his six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy overturned.

After initially thought to be out the first six weeks, Arden Key appears to be back in the mix for the Tennesee defense, after winning his appeal to get his suspension overturned. In his first season with the Titans in 2023, Key played all 17 games (9 starts), playing a career-high 728 defensive snaps (63%) and compiling 30 tackles (17 solos), six sacks, and 12 quarterback hits. Key should bookend Harold Landry III as the Tennesee starting edge duo. As my esteemed colleague Tripp Brebner pointed out in his Reading The New Defense article on the Titans defense, Key is a potential value to consider in the latter rounds of deep IDP leagues. 

IDP News: Buffalo Linebackers

The Matt Milano injury fallout; who is Joe Andreessen?

With Matt Milano set to miss significant time after suffering an unfortunate torn bicep injury, there are snaps for the taking next to Terrel Bernard. Bernard was held out of action this week in Buffalo’s preseason game against Pittsburgh, leaving Dorian Williams and undrafted rookie Joe Andreessen as the starters at linebacker. Williams played 24 snaps, while Andreessen, who donned the green dot, got a bit more run, seeing 44 snaps. 

While Williams is the leading candidate to get the first shot at starting next to Bernard, Andreessen stole the show this week. Andreessen was all over the field, showing his speed and tenacity while piling up 12 tackles (7 solos) and two tackles for loss with his extended playing time. Williams is the preferred choice at the moment if you’re looking for a Buffalo linebacker after Bernard. Still, Andreessen at least needs to be on your watchlist after his impressive performance this past week. What’s better than an undrafted rookie linebacker making some noise, right?

 IDP News: LB Jerome Baker, Seattle

Seattle expects Jerome Baker to be ready when Week 1 gets here.

Seattle brought in Baker, along with teammate Tyrel Dodson, on a one-year deal to help fill the void left at linebacker with the departures of Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks. Baker has been dealing with a hamstring injury, leaving him on the sidelines over the past few weeks. We received some clarity this week on his situation, with coach Mike McDonald stating “Plan is to have him ready for Week 1” after this week’s preseason game. 

With Baker unavailable, promising fourth-round rookie Tyrice Knight has shown well while soaking up valuable practice reps and preseason snaps. Dodson is my preferred choice of the Seattle linebackers, as we talked about his potential to don the green dot a couple of weeks ago in this article series. However, a healthy Baker could bring some value to your linebacker unit towards the end of IDP drafts. As for Knight, he’s a name to remember for in-season waiver wire interest in redraft and is an excellent dynasty stash with Dodson and Baker just on one-year deals.

IDP News: LA Chargers Linebackers

Rookie Junior Colson returns to practice but faces stiff competition with Denzel Perryman and Daiyan Henley.

Colson had been absent from the first few weeks of training camp after undergoing an appendectomy. The highly-touted rookie returned to the field and reportedly made his presence felt in practice last week. The positive news is a welcomed sight, as many IDP gamers, myself included, had high hopes for the third-round rookie out of Michigan due to his profile and familiarity with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who he played under in college. 

While the recent reports are encouraging, Colson has yet to hit the field for preseason action. Veteran Denzel Perryman and athletic second-year man Daiyan Henley have formed the Chargers starting linebacker duo. Perryman and his veteran presence led the defense as the signal caller, as the job is likely his to lose for the time being--Colson will be lurking. Henley, with his athleticism and coverage potential, could make it tough for the team to take him off the field if he continues to show well. Colson is a promising IDP dynasty asset with a bright future, but we should temper his early redraft expectations until we see how this unit shakes out when all are fit. This is an important group to monitor as we navigate it for IDP potential with the season approaching. 

IDP News: Philadelphia Linebackers

The battle between Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean rages on.

We’ve talked about the Philadelphia linebacker unit a couple of times already in this article series. Through the first two preseason games, it’s been Devin White and Zack Baun as the starting linebackers for the Eagles defense. However, Nakobe Dean isn’t going down without a fight, showing well both on the practice field and during preseason game action. While Baun still feels like the current favorite for the starting spot next to White, let’s not count out Dean just yet. With one preseason game left, we’ll likely circle back on this situation again next week. 

IDP News: New England Edge Rushers

A look at the Patriot Edge group after the Matthew Judon trade to Atlanta.

New England made waves last week, trading veteran edge rusher Matthew Judon to Atlanta in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick. While Atlanta received a much-needed upgrade off the edge, who picks up the slack for the Patriots' defense? Let’s discuss.

Anfernee Jennings’ role grew out of necessity last season, as he played a career-high 677 snaps (67%), compiling 66 tackles (49 solos), 14 tackles for loss, and one-and-a-half sacks in 2023. The appeal with Jennings is in his snap volume and weekly floor, as he should see the field plenty again with Judon now out of town. Keion White is a versatile second-year player with intriguing talent. There is some IDP upside with White potentially seeing an expanded role this season, as the Patriots hope their 2023 second-round investment steps up where they need him. Joshua Uche is another intriguing name, as he’s a pass-rush specialist who notched 11.5 sacks in 2022. Uche lacks ideal size and has never cracked a 40% snap share during his four years in New England, however, he’s at least a name to monitor with this ability to make an impact with limited opportunities. 

IDP News: EDGE Bryce Huff, Philadelphia

Is Bryce Huff gaining Vic Fangio’s trust?

The Eagles paid Bryce Huff handsomely this offseason, awarding him a three-year, $51 million deal during free agency. Huff was coming off his best season as a pro, hitting double-digits for the first time with 10 sacks, and producing a stellar 20.1% pressure rate in 2023, about eight percent above the league average. However, Huff was used as a part-time pass-rush specialist, holding just a 42% snap share (480 snaps) for the Jets last season. 

While Philadelphia paid Huff full-time starter money, there were still questions on whether he could hold up as a run defender and the added workload. After the Eagles preseason game against New England this week, where Huff started and played 10 defensive snaps, he received some praise about his ability to hold up with a more expanded role from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. In regards to Huff in an article via Brooks Kubena from The Athletic, Fangio stated “He needs to learn to do that,” Fangio said. “In the game, he did some stuff he really hadn’t done up to this point yet, which was great to see. Great for his confidence, great for our confidence in him. So, that 12, 15 plays he got in the game were very fruitful for him.”

The confidence from his defensive coordinator is at the very least a positive sign to Huff seeing more ideal volume with his new team. We’ve been waiting to see what he can do with more reps, so even a 60% snap share would be welcomed for us IDP gamers. Let’s hope Huff can fly with his new team this season–awful pun intended, sorry.

Thanks for taking the time to read my article. Feel free to reach me on Twitter @KBellf54 with any questions or feedback.

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