Las Vegas Raiders DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Las Vegas Raiders signed free-agent wide receiver Kyle Philips to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Philips, a former fifth-round selection by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 out of UCLA will head to the AFC West after spending all of the 2024 campaign on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2022 and 2023, he caught only 23 of 35 targets for 259 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games played (no starts). The 25-year-old pass-catcher also saw time on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner, which will probably be his best path to a roster spot with the Raiders. Philips will be reuniting with his old head coach at UCLA in Chip Kelly, who is now the Raiders' offensive coordinator under new head coach Pete Carroll. Philips's familiarity with Kelly won't guarantee him a roster spot out of training camp, though.

The Miami Dolphins informed former Pro Bowl running back Raheem Mostert of his release on Friday, according to his agent, Brett Tessler. Mostert led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns and had a career-high 1,012 rushing yards on 209 carries for the Dolphins in 2023 as a first-time Pro Bowler, but he predictably came back down to Earth last season and finished with 85 carries, 278 rushing yards and two touchdowns while adding 19 catches for 161 additional yards in 13 games (one start). With the release of the 32-year-old veteran, Miami will clear $2.97 million in salary cap space for the 2025 season. De'Von Achane will once again enter the upcoming season as the Dolphins' primary back, but now he'll have Jaylen Wright as his primary backup. Mostert isn't likely to have a strong free-agent market and will most likely be a short-yardage, No. 2 back wherever he ends up.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Seattle Seahawks are expected to bring back quarterback Geno Smith for the 2025 season. The team reportedly "believes in him." The 34-year-old will be entering the final year of his three-year contract. Last season, Smith threw for a career-high 4,320 yards with 21 passing scores and 15 interceptions. He averaged 254.1 passing yards per game and added two scores with his legs. This was a strong increase compared to the 3,624 passing yards and the 20:9 TD:INT ratio he posted across 15 games during the 2023 campaign. Despite just missing the playoffs, the team and the coaching staff still view Smith as the best option to lead their franchise. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status in the offseason. If he returns to Seattle, he should be viewed as a solid QB2 in Superflex formats.

The Las Vegas Raiders re-signed wide receiver Alex Bachman to a Reserve/Futures deal on Thursday. Bachman spent most of the 2024 season on the Raiders' practice squad, but he was active for six games (one start) and caught all three of his targets for 31 yards and no touchdowns -- all in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 28-year-old pass-catcher originally went undrafted out of Wake Forest but latched on with the New York Giants. He appeared in four games for the G-Men in 2020 and 2021 but was not targeted at all in the passing game while receiving one carry for a loss of three yards in 2021. Bachman will continue his development with the Black and Silver this offseason and through training camp this summer as he looks to make the active 53-man roster for Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.

When asked if he expects quarterback Geno Smith to return as the starting QB in 2025, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said on Seattle Sports radio, "Got no reason to say no, so I guess yeah." If Smith is still under contract with the team in mid-March, he'll earn an extra $2 million after hitting three escalators in the win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams in the Week 18 regular-season finale. While battling injury, Smith went 20-for-27 for 223 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on Sunday to close out his fifth year with the team. His 4,320 passing yards in 2024 were among the top five in the league, but the Seahawks offense never really hit its stride this year, and Smith finished as the QB12 in overall fantasy points. Seattle could save over $30 million by cutting him this offseason, so it's not a foregone conclusion that he'll be back in 2025.