Cesar Ruiz lauds Justin Reid as a high-character leader while the Saints add the former KC safety on a 3-year, $31.5M deal with $22.25M guaranteed. Reid’s 81 tackles and 2 interceptions last season bolster New Orleans’ secondary and bring playoff pedigree to the locker room, a welcome contrast to the field emphasis. Ruíz also champions Reid’s Super Bowl experience as a stabilizing force in big-game situations.

Ruiz, meanwhile, highlights his community work, including a Camden bike giveaway, underscoring football as a platform for positive impact beyond Sundays. The mix of on-field upgrade and off-field leadership frames a tighter Saints squad for 2025.

Patrick Mahomes lands at No.5 on NFL players’ Top 100 list, trailing Barkley, Jackson, Allen and Chase, while Montana’s QB ranking places him outside the top-3 behind Purdy, Allen, Burrow, Herbert and Hurts. Mahomes still steers a KC offense that posted a 15-1 mark with a decimated receiving corps, highlighted by four fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives last season. KC’s Brazil trip adds travel nuance, with a late-week opener vs Chargers on the horizon. The article also flags a possible upgrade at safety as Kansas City contemplates Justin Simmons, alongside notes on Gabe Davis’ Bills practice-squad move and Luke Goedeke’s hefty TB extension, illustrating a mood toward sharpening offensive and defensive depth ahead of 2025.

Josh Allen tops Jeff Howe’s Week 1 NFL quarterback stock, followed by Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, and Brock Purdy. Bryce Young sits at 21 after a rocky start but finished 2024 strong, with Carolina adding weapons to help him climb. Week 1’s Eagles-Cowboys highlight the stage, while the rest of the list hints at which offenses could spark early fantasy fireworks and which risks lurk in the opening slate.

The banner night in Philadelphia is a backdrop to a fresh start. With nearly half the 53-man roster new since the last title, the Eagles have shifted focus to 2025 and a new, zeroed slate; Nick Sirianni pushes it hard. A.J. Brown anchors the offense as the centerpiece, while others must prove themselves in Week 1 against Dallas. The opener ties to a league-wide Week 1 spotlight that also references Lions and Packers—an early test for a division clash with real fantasy implications.

Barkley, Uche, and Parsons surface as micro stories within the bigger banner moment: Barkley eyes a cool look but stays work-focused; Uche emphasizes the grind reset; Parsons’ absence signals defensive plans. For fantasy, Brown’s volume, plus the newcomers in PHI’s system, could shape early-season projections while DAL and DET/GB battles underscore a landscape-wide edge shift.