{"id":106037,"date":"2025-06-05T13:16:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T13:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/106037\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T13:16:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T13:16:19","slug":"predicting-seven-nfl-players-who-will-make-noise-at-2025-minicamp-cowboys-eagles-could-have-sleeper-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/106037\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting seven NFL players who will make noise at 2025 minicamp: Cowboys, Eagles could have sleeper weapons"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 NFL<\/a> offseason is in full swing. All 32 teams have held some kind of organized team activities (OTAs), and others have mandatory minicamps around the corner. It’d be a stretch to label these sessions as fully formed football practices, given teams aren’t permitted to use full pads until training camp. Still, storylines are already emerging<\/a> from the return of on-field action, from Cam Ward<\/a> and Travis Hunter<\/a> showcasing their big-play potential to George Pickens<\/a> making his debut with the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The big names are sure to drive the headlines even more as the offseason progresses. If\/when Aaron Rodgers<\/a> ends up with the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>, for example, it’ll be hard for the rest of the NFL<\/a> not to keep an intrigued eye on Western Pennsylvania. And what about Micah Parsons<\/a> or Trey Hendrickson<\/a>, elite edge rushers who are still searching for long-term contracts from their respective teams? Parsons has pledged to attend Dallas’ mandatory minicamp, but financial squabbles can lead to unexpected shifts in attitude.<\/p>\n

What about more overlooked names, however? Which under-the-radar players have a chance to make some noise at upcoming minicamps? Here are seven veterans who just might increase their profiles:<\/p>\n

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Acquired from the New England Patriots<\/a> in April, Milton has been something of a quiet sensation ever since coming out of Tennessee as an ultra-gifted but unpolished passer. Now positioned to fight for the No. 2 job behind Dak Prescott<\/a> in Dallas, the big man is practically built for the spring stage, possessing a freakish level of athleticism that already earned him some social-media buzz for an effortless backflip at OTAs. If nothing else, he’s a virtual lock to crack the highlight reel while showcasing his electric arm in new threads.<\/p>\n

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The Indianapolis Colts<\/a>‘ offseason has been dominated by discussion surrounding the team’s quarterbacks, with Anthony Richardson<\/a> set to battle ex-New York Giants<\/a> castoff Daniel Jones<\/a> for the top job. Lost in the shuffle is Herbert, who could end up playing a pivotal role as insurance for the talented but well-worn Jonathan Taylor<\/a>. Once the most explosive member of the Chicago Bears<\/a>‘ backfield, Herbert’s speed should show up in shorts and shells, positioning him for a sizable complementary workload after a quiet finish with the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n

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The Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> are betting big on Ashton Jeanty<\/a> at running back, spending the No. 4 overall draft pick on the Boise State product to be a do-it-all weapon for new coach Pete Carroll. Still, Jeanty is a rookie, and Mostert has toted the rock at the NFL level for a decade. It’s not unreasonable to think his fundamentals could earn him more reps than expected under the sage that is Carroll. And a lighter workload compared to his peak days with the Miami Dolphins<\/a> might end up unlocking some of the home run speed that’s propelled him in the past.<\/p>\n

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Familiarity is key here. Williams endured an ugly 2024 season away from Los Angeles, bouncing between the New York Jets<\/a> and Pittsburgh Steelers after the Chargers<\/a> said farewell in a cost-cutting move. Yet his return to the Bolts could do wonders for the rest of his career. Now paired with the savvy and fresh-legged Ladd McConkey<\/a>, Williams should be freed up to stretch the field as a secondary outlet for Justin Herbert<\/a>. And there’s no better time to go deep on cover men than in the spring, where the contact is minimal and the grass is green for sprinting.<\/p>\n

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A.J. Brown<\/a> and DeVonta Smith<\/a> are the rightful headliners of the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>‘ Super Bowl-winning wide receiver corps. But Dotson played a big hand in setting the tone for the Birds in the big game, quietly settling in as a dangerous No. 3 option for Jalen Hurts<\/a> down the stretch of his 2024 debut in Philly. His 2025 targets may not increase a ton thanks to the wealth of weapons in the Eagles’ lineup, but in the spring, there should be ample opportunity for the ex-Washington Commanders<\/a> prospect to showcase his first-round athleticism.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fantasy projections for Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, other rookie TEs; what history says to expect Year 1<\/p>\n

\n Josh Edwards <\/p>\n

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A career overachiever whose personal quirks, like refusing to wear shoes whenever possible<\/a>, often overshadow his ability to hang around the NFL as a quasi-starter, Hollins may not be the fastest, most imposing pass catcher on the block. He’s a versatile warrior, however, earning the trust of quarterbacks across the league with scrappy jump-ball and special teams skills. It wouldn’t be a shock at all if he emerges from the spring as one of Drake Maye’s<\/a> go-to outlets on the perimeter, even with bigger names like Stefon Diggs<\/a> and DeMario Douglas<\/a> in tow.<\/p>\n

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The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> spent big money in the trenches this offseason, bolstering both sides of the line with proven veterans. One area that seemingly went unaddressed was the secondary, which lost Stephon Gilmore<\/a> and Camryn Bynum<\/a>, among others. We say “seemingly” because Rodgers, a modest free agent addition from the Super Bowl<\/a> champion Eagles, has the upside to man multiple spots for Brian Flores. A fluid athlete who once looked like the NFL’s next best return man, he could quickly pin down a starting corner job in Minnesota.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 NFL offseason is in full swing. All 32 teams have held some kind of organized team…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":106038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[8694,1586,1504,1303,53,127,1673,391,256,1370,257,2772,7354,5640,833,7,467,392,492,1753,1159,470,393,262,9228,251,491,259,249,56,255,6,109,57,531,9896,128,1503,111],"class_list":{"0":"post-106037","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-a-j-brown","9":"tag-aaron-rodgers","10":"tag-anthony-richardson","11":"tag-ashton-jeanty","12":"tag-buffalo-bills","13":"tag-cam-ward","14":"tag-camryn-bynum","15":"tag-chicago-bears","16":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","17":"tag-dak-prescott","18":"tag-dallas-cowboys","19":"tag-daniel-jones","20":"tag-demario-douglas","21":"tag-devonta-smith","22":"tag-drake-maye","23":"tag-football","24":"tag-george-pickens","25":"tag-indianapolis-colts","26":"tag-jalen-hurts","27":"tag-jonathan-taylor","28":"tag-justin-herbert","29":"tag-ladd-mcconkey","30":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","31":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","32":"tag-mack-hollins","33":"tag-miami-dolphins","34":"tag-micah-parsons","35":"tag-minnesota-vikings","36":"tag-new-england-patriots","37":"tag-new-york-giants","38":"tag-new-york-jets","39":"tag-nfl","40":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","41":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","42":"tag-stefon-diggs","43":"tag-stephon-gilmore","44":"tag-travis-hunter","45":"tag-trey-hendrickson","46":"tag-washington-commanders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}