Rounding Up the Latest Buzz Around the NFL Offseason

The NFL is in that nexus of time and space between the draft and training camp where most news is liable to be bad. After all, what is there to report when nothing is happening?

There is still plenty of buzz and news around the league, though, and not all of it is negative. Let's take a look at the latest from around the league.

It was just a small blurb—half of a sentence, really—that set the fantasy football realm abuzz.

"Look for Ertz to make a sizable jump in snaps," wrote CSNPhilly.com's Geoff Mosher. Really? In a Chip Kelly offense with a bona fide quarterback? Apologies to Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez, but Sam Bradford is far superior if he can just stay on the field.

Ertz already saw a big increase in snaps, going from 482 as a rookie to 603 last season, per Pro Football Focus. He still didn't seem to be on the field as much as fantasy owners would have liked, though—that snap count accounted for a little over half the team's total offensive plays.

Getting on the field more would be a huge boon for fantasy owners, and it should perk up the passing game in Philadelphia.

Rarely do the offseason doldrums hit without Brett Favre making some sort of headline. We weren't spared this year.

Favre recently said he could suit up and play, as he told Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop in an interview:

"I think I could play. As far as throwing. Of course, we’re not trying to start some he’s-coming-out-of-retirement deal.

"Do I think I could play and lead a team? Look, no. But I could play. I could make all the throws I made before, I just couldn't throw it near as far, but that never matters anyway."

Please, let's not start a "he's-coming-out-of-retirement" thing.

With Independence Day around the corner, it's time for another Holiday News Dump!

The NFL has begun its weekend early, announcing a rash of suspensions on Thursday. Here they were, in no particular order:

• Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson drew a four-game ban for violating the substance abuse policy, per ESPN.com.
• Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain also got four games for the same reason, per ESPN.com.
• Packers defensive lineman Datone Jones got off light with a one-game ban in that violation category, per NFL.com's Marc Sessler.
• Chargers star tight end Antonio Gates got a shocking four-game suspension for violating the performance-enhancing drugs policy, as reported by Todd Adams of the San Diego Union-Tribune

The fireworks got started early.

Of course, the holiday weekend isn't quite here yet (at the time of this writing), so we could well be in for some real fireworks in the form of a Tom Brady announcement. What else is lurking out there, though? We'll find out soon enough.

We all got to witness the beautiful destruction wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. rained down on opposing defenses as an NFL rookie last season. We've come to learn he was also a world-class soccer player in the making, per Connor Orr over at NJ.com.

Could he be a three-sport professional if he wanted to? At the very least, the Rockland Boulders think he could play some baseball.

The Can-Am League team offered Beckham a contract after seeing a video of the talented receiver throwing a softball over 80 miles per hour, per the Journal News. Their general manager, Shawn Reilly, thinks he could.

It's apparent that Odell is a very gifted athlete regardless of his sport. We think that getting experience pitching to professional hitters will give him the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Deon [sic] Sanders and Bo Jackson. As we are the New York area's only defending professional championship team, he will have the opportunity to learn in a first-class environment while still in close proximity to MetLife Stadium

The publicity stunt certainly worked—I had never heard of the Rockland Boulders or the Can-Am League until this week. Odds are that's the last we'll hear from them, at least when it comes to Beckham.

This is the time of year when the supplemental draft is typically held. Outside wide receiver Josh Gordon—who generated plenty of buzz leading up to the draft—there is rarely anyone taken. Gordon was the last player taken back in 2012.

In fact, few players even get into the supplemental draft.

This year, there are four eligible players—West Georgia defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey and defensive end Darrius Caldwell, North Carolina Central receiver Adrian Wilkins and Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle, per NFL.com's Mike Huguenin.

Better yet, Battle has a shot of being taken in the draft, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

This week in weird NFL news, a story broke that ESPN personality Keith Olbermann may be asked to tone it down when it comes to criticizing the league and commissioner Roger Goodell.

This was according to a story by Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter. With plenty of scandals and botched investigations in recent years, Olbermann has had plenty of ammunition. Guthrie cited a source that said Olbermann's upcoming contract negotiations may hinge on his willingness to lay off the king of the NFL.

The response was swift from ESPN, as tweeted by the company's PR account: “Keith Olbermann has never been told any topic is off limits for his commentary nor has continuation of it been part of any conversation about his future at the company.”

Nothing to see here.

Another team, another failure for quarterback Terrelle Pryor. But what about wide receiver Terrelle Pryor?

Finally, after years of being a journeyman third-stringer and calls to change positions, Pryor decided to give up the ghost at quarterback. The Browns have themselves another wide receiver—a position that remains somewhat unsettled on the back end—heading into camp.

Wait. What's that? Pryor changed his mind?

Well, sort of—Pryor recently said he would like to be a "slash" player, according to Trib Live Media's Kevin Gorman. That runs a bit counter to his declaration that he would give the receiver position a shot. Sure, that probably means playing all over the field, but that implies he still wants to be at quarterback in some capacity.

The Browns claimed him as a receiver, after all.

All this comes after Pryor angered his former team when he posted images of Bengals OTAs to his social media account, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. They were deleted, but not before Bengals brass got irrationally angry about the whole thing.

The Oakland Raiders revamped their passing game this offseason, overhauling the receiver position and adding to the tight end corps. 

This is a good thing for second-year quarterback Derek Carr, who is already gushing about first-round pick Amari Cooper, per Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com:

He [Cooper] is ridiculous in and out of his breaks. His style of play is perfect for this league. He’s good at getting on toes and creating separation. He’s good at when the ball is in his hands making those fast-twitch movements to make a guy go one way so he can take it to the house. It’s just little things that honestly people don’t even notice.

His work ethic is second to none. I was throwing with him as soon as mini-camp was over so we can get more reps in, and our plan was to throw a couple more times, but he texted me that night. He said, ‘hey, let’s throw at least three more times. I need to get this one route right.’ Just him telling me that kind of stuff, it blew my mind.

A quick connection between those two could go a long way to improving the offense as a whole. The Raiders didn't take Cooper at the top of the draft for nothing, and it must be gratifying to see the young duo establishing a rapport so quickly.

Of course, this is the preseason—what, was Carr going to say Cooper is awful in practice? Still, this is a positive thing for a team that needs many positive things to happen.