Nolan, Richard discuss the Lions’ top storylines after OTAs.
Nolan, Richard discuss the Lions’ top storylines after OTAs.
Green Bay, Wis. – Green Bay’s Bo Melton still considers himself a wide receiver first and foremost even as he spends part of the Packers’ minicamp working out at cornerback.
Melton also isn’t about to make any comparisons to Jacksonville Jaguars rookie receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who proved his credentials as a two-way player while winning the Heisman Trophy at Colorado last season.
But he’s more than happy to test himself out in this role.
“It’s just something that came up,” Melton said Wednesday. “I want to give it a shot. I’m still a wide receiver, so I’m not really transitioning to cornerback, but if it works, it works.”
The 26-year-old Melton started giving cornerback a chance as the Packers opened their minicamp Tuesday, one day after Green Bay released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander. The idea of testing Melton out on defense actually came up long before that.
Melton said it started shortly after the Packers signed Melton off the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad in December 2022. Melton hasn’t played defense since high school – he says he worked out on defense early in his college career at Rutgers before getting assigned to receiver – but the Packers like the tackling ability he has shown on special teams.
“Coach (Matt) LaFleur came up and asked me, ‘Would you ever think about doing it?’“ Melton said. “I was like, ‘If it’s going to help the team, I might as well,’ you know what I mean? That’s my motto since I’ve been here. I’m a team-first guy.”
The scenario still caught his teammates by surprise.
Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine said he wasn’t aware of the possibility until Melton joined the defensive players in Tuesday’s practice. Melton insisted he told his teammates this might be happening, but nobody believed him.
Melton’s younger brother – Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton – also was stunned. Bo Melton didn’t tell his brother about it, so Max learned only after he went on social media Tuesday and saw evidence of Bo backpedaling like a cornerback.
“I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ … It’s just shocking. I’m still in shock,” Max Melton said from the Cardinals’ minicamp.
Max did say that he believes his brother can succeed as a cornerback. Bo agrees that this can work but realizes it will take time. That became apparent when a reporter brought up Hunter’s name during Melton’s time with reporters Wednesday.
“Travis is a different athlete, as everybody knows,” Melton said. “He’s a Heisman Trophy winner, won a lot of awards. I’m not going to compare myself to somebody that’s done that. But what I will say is I like to run for days.”
He also possesses a work ethic that has enabled him to stick on an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent.
Melton was on Green Bay’s practice squad late in the 2023 season when the Packers activated him for a critical game against the Minnesota Vikings. He caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s 33-10 victory.
The Packers signed him to their active roster shortly afterward, and he caught a touchdown pass in a playoff loss at San Francisco. He played all 17 games for the Packers last season as a reserve receiver and special teams contributor.
“I just love everything about the guy, how he shows up every day ready to compete and give his best effort,” LaFleur said.
The Packers are set with Keisean Nixon, Valentine and Nate Hobbs as their top three cornerbacks following Alexander’s departure, but they lack proven players behind them. Any contribution Melton could provide would add depth while increasing his value.
“It’s just a feel thing right now,” Melton said. “I still don’t know if it’s going to be true or not. Coach Matt, we’ll figure that out. When I meet with Coach, we’ll see what’s going on. Right now I’m just going to go train for wideout. I feel like that’s where I thrive at, that’s where I make plays at. And defense, if it comes, it comes.”
Valentine likes what he’s seen so far.
“He’s been embracing it,” Valentine said. “I’ve been trying to show him the ropes a little bit. Give him some DB 101. But he looks natural to me.”
Melton believes he can thrive in both spots. His younger brother is eager to find out, even as he gets ready for his own season about 1,800 miles away from Green Bay. Perhaps those cornerback skills run in the family.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how it unfolds, to be honest,” Max Melton said. “I’m just excited.”
Flacco pleased with offseason work
Berea, Ohio – Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff know what they have in Joe Flacco. That’s why Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders have received almost all the snaps during this week’s minicamp.
While Flacco said Wednesday it would be nice to get a couple more snaps, the 40-year-old quarterback feels like he did what he needed to do during the Browns’ offseason program.
“For me, it’s go out there and just kind of getting your feel back and getting the ball off your hand well, make sure you’re going through your reads the right way. So I feel great with that,” Flacco said. “I feel like I’m getting through things and spinning it well and the other things will come.
“It’s not like I’ve had a million reps, so it’s tough to kind of get in a groove and do those things. But as far as when I’m out there, just kind of getting through everything and just the vision of it all, I felt good, felt comfortable.”
Flacco signed a one-year contract in April and expected to compete with Pickett and one rookie for the starting job. The Browns took Gabriel in the third round and then surprised nearly everyone by trading up in the fifth round to select Sanders.
Ever since Sanders’ selection, most of the questions to Stefanski have been about dividing the snaps for his four quarterbacks. Stefanski said throughout OTAs not to read too much into who did what, but his decisions will be scrutinized even more once training camp starts in late July.
“I don’t know what the plan is exactly, but I trust Kevin and that he has a plan for all us and that’s really all I can do,” said Flacco, who’s entering his 18th season. “I’d love to go out there and take 120 reps a day and get in a groove and do all those things, but like I said, the coaches have a plan, Kevin has a plan, and my job is to just trust that, go out there and do the best they can.”
Flacco has enjoyed his interactions with Dillon and Sanders.
“I would say I’ve had a smile on my face a good portion of the time I’ve been here this spring, so it’s been a lot of fun,” he said
Flacco remains the favorite to be the Browns’ starter when they open the season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. In 2023, he went 4-1 as Cleveland’s starter and averaged more than 300 passing yards per game as the Browns made the playoffs for only the third time since the franchise returned in 1999.
The decision not to re-sign Flacco after that playoff run ended up costing the Browns. They went 3-14 in 2024 and saw high-priced starter Deshaun Watson suffer a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in Week 7. Watson will miss this season after rupturing the tendon again in January, but he has been participating in meetings and rehabbing at the team complex.
Cleveland will wrap up its offseason program early next week. Flacco has been pleased with what has transpired the past two months.
“Every time you take that field, you’ve got to give yourself that reminder like, ‘Oh yeah, this is where I want to be. And man, I can do this. I love doing it,’” he said. “And to go out there against your team and to actually complete some balls and bat balls down and do all the things that everybody’s doing, it just gives you that little reminder like, ‘OK, yeah, we look good. We’re going to compete.’”
Sweat wants same success in Arizona
Tempe, Ariz. – The most recent time edge rusher Josh Sweat was seen on an NFL field, he was making life miserable for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in February.
Now he hopes to lead the Arizona Cardinals to that sort of success.
“All you got to do is approach every day with your max effort,” Sweat said on Wednesday during the second day of the team’s minicamp. “I promise you’ll see a result. That’s what made the difference for me.”
The 28-year-old Sweat signed a $76.4 million, four-year contract in March as the centerpiece of the Cardinals’ rebuild of the defensive front. General manager Monti Ossenfort also added free agent linemen Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell, and selected Walter Nolen III with the No. 16 overall pick out of Mississippi.
On top of that, Darius Robinson – a first-round pick last season from Missouri – hopes to make a big jump after an injury-filled rookie season. This year’s third-round pick Jordan Burch is also pushing for a role.
But it’s Sweat whom the Cardinals expect to lead the way.
“I embrace it,” Sweat said. ”At the end of the day, I’m trying to be the best teammate I can be and help out however I can.”
Third-year coach Jonathan Gannon is pleased that Sweat has embraced more leadership heading into his eighth NFL season. Arizona finished 8-9 last season, which was a four-win improvement over 2023.
Now the franchise is trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
“Guys pick his brain about certain things,” Gannon said. “He’ll help in that way, because he’s played a lot of ball. He’s been successful. I always say, ‘You want to know ball, talk to the players.’ He’s one of those guys you can talk to.”
Sweat’s resume speaks for itself.
He had 2 1/2 sacks of Mahomes in Philadelphia’s 40-22 victory over Kansas City in the Super Bowl. He added eight sacks during the regular season and has been a consistent pass rush threat with 39 sacks over the past five seasons, including at least six each year. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
“I know he can impact a game,” Gannon said. “That’s one of the reasons we signed him.”
Gannon is familiar with Sweat’s talent after spending two seasons with him in 2021 and 2022 as the Eagles defensive coordinator. The Eagles made the Super Bowl in Gannon’s final year before losing to the Chiefs, which was one of the big reasons he earned his first opportunity to be a head coach with the Cardinals.
Nick Rallis – Arizona’s defensive coordinator – was also with the Eagles during those two seasons as linebackers coach.
The hope is the familiar faces will help Sweat make a quick transition to a new franchise.
“From a standpoint of what his job description is – that’s not going to change much,” Gannon said. “Then it’s just tweaking his game. There’s some differences than what we did with him (in Philadelphia) to what we do now and he picked it up quick.”
Sweat agreed: “The scheme, you can play fast in it. Picking it up is easy. It’s not going to take me very long at all.”
Brown carted off field at Commanders minicamp
Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown was carted off the field after getting injured during minicamp in Ashburn, Virginia, on Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear what happened to cause the injury or its extent. Reporters in attendance reported Brown walked off slowly after making a catch, threw his helmet in frustration when he reached the sideline and was carted up the hill to the practice facility.
Brown, who caught Jayden Daniels’ desperation pass against Chicago for one of the Commanders’ signature moments last season, missed the final four games of last season and their playoff run to the NFC championship game with a kidney injury. He re-signed on a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million.
Washington also took care of some longer-term business Wednesday, signing safety and special teams ace Jeremy Reaves to a one-year extension through the 2026 NFL season, according to a person with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce the deal.
“Grateful for the journey, the fans, this team and organization,” Reaves posted on social media. “Much more in store!”
Reaves, now 28, was an All-Pro selection on special teams in 2022. He missed the majority of 2023 after getting sidelined by a torn ACL five games into that season.
2025 Lions schedule
▶ Sun., Sept. 7: at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
▶ Sun., Sept. 14: Chicago, 1 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Mon., Sept. 22: at Baltimore, 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
▶ Sun., Sept. 28: Cleveland, 1 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Sun., Oct. 5: at Cincinnati, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Sun., Oct. 12: at Kansas City, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
▶ Mon., Oct. 20: Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
▶ Sun., Nov. 2: Minnesota, 1 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Sun., Nov. 9: at Washington, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Sun., Nov. 16: at Philadelphia, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
▶ Sun., Nov. 23: N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Thur., Nov. 27: Green Bay, 1 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Thur., Dec. 4: Dallas, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
▶ Sun., Dec. 14: at L.A. Rams, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
▶ Sun., Dec. 21: Pittsburgh, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
▶ Thur., Dec. 25: at Minnesota, 4:30 p.m. (Netflix)
▶ TBD-Flex Game: at Chicago, TBD
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