The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine took place this past week, and it’s a much more important event than just the future NFL stars of tomorrow running around in their underwear. General managers and head coaches from around the league hold press conferences to discuss their looming free agents, the possibility of utilizing the franchise tag, different draft prospects and offseason game plans at large. This past week, we saw both extensions and permission being given to players to seek trades, plus the first big quarterback domino of the offseason fell out in the NFC West.
With the work in Indy now mostly in the books, what can we take away from the combine? Below, we will break down one thing we learned about each AFC team during combine week. We saw a legendary player announce his intention to play again in 2025, one team was very up-front about their plan at quarterback and we have a stand-off that is about to get ugly. Let’s jump in.
Baltimore Ravens
Ravens optimistic about re-signing Ronnie Stanley
The Ravens have a couple of important free agents on the offensive line with Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari. At the combine, general manager Eric DeCosta revealed he was optimistic he can find a way to keep Lamar Jackson’s left tackle in Baltimore.
“You never want to say 100%, but I feel good that we’ll have a good, healthy debate, a good process,” DeCosta said, via the Ravens’ official website. “We’re going to meet with Kim in Indy this week and I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to get a deal done.”
Head Coach John Harbaugh also believes Stanley will be back in 2025.
“I think that we’ll probably keep Ronnie,” Harbaugh said. “I’m hopeful that we will.”
Buffalo Bills
They would ‘love’ to keep James Cook in Buffalo
The Bills’ leading receiver from 2024, Khalil Shakir, received a four-year extension this week, but another one of their important weapons is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he wants to keep his star running back in Buffalo for years to come.
“James is a good player for us. He has the ability to be a mismatch player. He can play all three downs,” Beane said, via the Bills’ official website. “He helped our offense do a lot of great things and we would love to keep James here long term.”
As you may remember, Cook previously hinted during an Instagram Live session that he’s looking for $15 million per year — which would make him the No. 2 highest-paid running back in the NFL. Naturally, Beane wishes that information was not out there, but it didn’t affect how he feels about the player.
“I love James. James speaks from the heart, he means well. I want James here, hopefully, like a lot of guys. The business is the business. Would I prefer we don’t take the business outside? Yes, I think that’s always the best way to handle it. But James is a grown man, and he’ll handle it the way he does. It doesn’t change my view of him. And just because we’re not on the same page today doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be tomorrow, two weeks, two months, two years,” Beane said.
2025 NFL Combine: Grades for top QB prospects, plus winners and losers from on-field workouts
Chris Trapasso
2025 NFL Combine: Grades for top QB prospects, plus winners and losers from on-field workouts
Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins has beef with someone
Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor both reiterated their desire to keep Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson under contract for the future. Specifically when it comes to Higgins, Tobin said they want to get a long-term deal done with him — and always have.
“I think Tee Higgins is a fantastic football player, and I want him on my team,” Tobin said. “Whenever I’m in charge of a football team, I want Tee Higgins, so I’m going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins. Our preference with Tee Higgins is do a long-term agreement. Always has been, and it continues to be. We’ll work hard to get that done.
“We want to re-sign these guys, reward them for their ability level and add to the football team. It’s a tall task, we think we’re up to it and [executive vice president] Katie [Blackburn] has us in position to attack it well.”
Later that day, Higgins posted an emoji of a “cap” on social media, indicating he believes a lie has been told. The Bengals have until March 4 to franchise tag Higgins. Could it happen again?
Cleveland Browns
The Myles Garrett standoff will get ugly
Were the Browns going to posture differently concerning Myles Garrett’s trade request after his very public Super Bowl radio row tour? No.
“Myles, as you guys have all heard me say, he’s a huge part of our organization,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said on Tuesday. “Really good person. He’s an awesome player. Understand the trade request and everything, but our stance really has not changed. We can’t imagine a situation where not having Myles as a part of the organization is best for the Browns. […] We’re not interested in moving him.”
ESPN even asked Berry if Garrett was “unmovable,” which Berry confirmed.
“I understand the frustration. We’ve had plenty of dialogue, but ultimately my responsibility is to make the decisions that are best for the Browns and having Myles as a part of the organization is a huge piece of that,” Berry said. “We’ve had plenty of dialogue throughout the season and after the season ended, certainly with both him and his camp, both before and after the trade request. And again, our interest is in keeping Myles in Cleveland.”
What will happen and which side will fold first? Stay tuned.
Denver Broncos
‘Joker’ is like Loch Ness Monster, but Broncos will keep looking
Denver will focus on upgrading Bo Nix’s weaponry this offseason, and that includes securing Sean Payton’s “Joker” — a versatile chess piece, typically a tight end or running back, that is a perennial mismatch.
“It’s kind of like [searching for] the Loch Ness Monster, trying to find a ‘Joker,'” Broncos general manager George Paton said, via the Broncos’ official website. “I’ve played Sean’s teams that have had them, and they’re hell.”
Payton said that they may not find this player at No. 20 overall, but they’re “always searching.”
“They’re just mismatch guys,” Paton said. “They’re hard to find, whether it’s a receiver, whether it’s a tight end, runner or guys that can just stress the defense in so many different ways, and you can’t single-cover them. So there’s just not many of those guys in the league. Really, there aren’t. You can count them on one hand with how many there are. So, it’s unique. We’re always searching, and we’ll find one certainly at some point.”
Houston Texans
Trenches will be a point of emphasis
After C.J. Stroud was sacked a whopping 52 times in 2024, Houston will be focused on adding to the offensive line. According to head coach DeMeco Ryans, protecting Stroud is the secret when it comes to making plays.
“Getting better protection for C.J. is definitely a main point of emphasis for us,” Ryans said, via the Texans’ official website. “We know when C.J. is protected, he has a clean pocket, he’s a pretty good quarterback. I constantly show guys clips in our meeting after a game of plays when we protect well and we should we have a good pocket, I’ll show guys explosives, show outstanding throws that C.J. is able to make in the middle of the field, along the sideline. He’s capable of making any throw on the football field, but it’s just a matter of protecting him and giving him that comfort when he’s in the pocket. When we do that, we can move the ball, we can make plays.”
Indianapolis Colts
They will have a QB competition
There was plenty of optimism surrounding Anthony Richardson entering last season, but he hasn’t made the kinds of strides the front office was hoping for. Richardson was benched in the middle of the regular season, then brought back to the starting lineup while the Colts went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the fourth-straight season. Richardson’s 47.4% completion percentage was the worst in a single NFL season since fellow Florida Gator Tim Tebow in 2011.
This offseason, the Colts are going to add another quarterback via free agency or the draft, and he will compete with Richardson.
“I know we all want a finished product right now. I do, you do, fans do. We all do,” Ballard said, via NBC Sports. “But I think as he [Richardson] continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”
Jacksonville Jaguars
James Gladstone doesn’t believe this is a talent-deficient roster
The new Jaguars decision-makers are still learning each other’s names, but general manager James Gladstone believes the Jags were better than a four-win team last year.
“The talent that exists on this team is better than that record,” Gladstone said, via the Jaguars’ official website.
Still, there’s work to be done — and a word Gladstone loves to use when it comes to roster construction is “intangibles.”
“We’re going to elevate the floor of the roster immediately,” Gladstone said. “We look forward to injecting this ecosystem with some intangible elements that Liam and I both covet.
“That’s rooted in things like mental and physical toughness, just elevating the floor of the roster and at the same time leaning into the guys that we have and knowing that we can put them in some good spots to really showcase their capacity and their attributes.”
