Here’s what you need to know out of the owners meeting about the AFC South
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NFL Owners Meeting took place last week, and I had the privilege of attending to hear what the head coaches and general managers said. With that in mind, here are some relevant quotes about players who matter to you.
We’re breaking this down by division, and here is the AFC South, which is a division filled with quarterback questions, aside from C.J. Stroud. The Titans will likely draft Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, and Brian Callahan said he likes how Ward improved during his college career. Liam Coen is expecting a “hungry” and healthy Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. And the Colts are headed for a quarterback battle with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, according to Shane Steichen.
As for the Texans, while Stroud is locked in as the starter, he needs weapons with Stefon Diggs now in New England, along with Tank Dell (knee) hurt. DeMeco Ryans talked about Dell’s health and the addition of new receiver Christian Kirk.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get updates on every player. But here are some notes that could help you prepare for your Fantasy leagues this season.
Titans: Brian Callahan excited about Cam Ward
The Titans have yet to commit to drafting Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, but that’s the direction Tennessee appears to be leaning. Callahan was impressed with how Ward improved in college, including stops at Washington State and Miami.
“You saw the flashes at Washington State,” Callahan said. “Maybe it’s a talent disparity, (but) I don’t think there is just a crazy swing in talent. But you saw the flashes, and then, all of a sudden, he gets to Miami, and then you saw it consistently. And I think that just comes from playing. … So you see that progression. You see his decision-making become more consistent, you see the accuracy become more consistent, over the course of his career. It’s been really fun. I think I’ve watched almost every snap he’s played, so it’s been cool to see that real progression to where he is now to where he came from. He’s made a lot of really impressive improvements over his career so far.”
In two seasons at Washington State from 2022-23, Ward averaged 3,484 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing at least 64.4 percent of his passes each year. He also combined for 227 carries for 202 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
At Miami in 2024, Ward passed for 4,313 yards, 39 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while completing 67.2 percent. He also added 60 carries for 204 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Ward will be drafted as a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues with a late-round pick, but he could be a surprise starter as the season goes on. He should easily supplant Will Levis as the starter in Tennessee if in fact the Titans draft Ward at No. 1 overall.
Jaguars: Liam Coen expecting motivated, healthy Trevor Lawrence this year
Lawrence ended the 2024 campaign on injured reserve with a left shoulder injury, but Coen expects Lawrence to be fine. Coen said that Lawrence is throwing a “little bit,” and the Jaguars anticipate he will be able to workout in the offseason program prior to training camp. As Coen said, Lawrence is “getting better every day.”
Coen, the former offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, took the job in Jacksonville in part because of Lawrence. Coen is excited to work with Lawrence this season and help get his career back on track.
“You feel a sense of urgency from him without it sounding like panic,” Coen said. “He knows, he’s confident, he loves to play. He doesn’t want to be hurt, he doesn’t want to be not in the game. That means a lot to him. When you start there, and that’s the floor of the conversations, you feel so good about where it’s going to go. Because it’s honest, you can feel it from him.
“He’s hungry, though. I would say that for sure. He’s putting in time right now on his own without any sort of – he’s doing it on his own maybe twice a day right now, doing stuff that’ll help him get better. I think the fans should know that’s this guy’s work ethic. That’s the way he does things.”
Lawrence was a bust in 2024 as a Fantasy quarterback when he averaged just 15.7 points per game. He lost key weapons in Christian Kirk and Evan Engram this offseason, but hopefully, Jacksonville will add another receiver in the NFL Draft to join emerging star Brian Thomas Jr.
Most Fantasy managers are done drafting Lawrence as a starting option, and he’s just a late-round flier at best in deeper leagues. There’s still plenty of potential, and hopefully, Coen can turn Lawrence into the star many projected for him when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2021.
Colts: Shane Steichen said Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones will split reps in camp
The Colts signed Jones as a free agent this offseason to compete with Richardson, and both quarterbacks will get an equal amount of reps in training camp to earn the starting job. Steichen said the most consistent player will be the starter.
Steichen also said that even though Richardson is the incumbent, he still has plenty to prove.
“He’s going to have to take advantage of the reps that he gets,” Steichen said.
This will be Richardson’s third season in the NFL, and he’s been a disappointment thus far in Fantasy and reality. He struggled with injuries in the first two years of his career, and he was briefly benched in 2024 in favor of Joe Flacco.
When healthy and on his game, Richardson is a potential Fantasy star. He scored at least 22 Fantasy points in three of his final five outings in 2024, and he scored at least 22 Fantasy points in two of four games as a rookie in 2023.
But his accuracy remains an issue, and he completed just 47.7 percent of his passes last season, Steichen knows that has to improve, and Richardson is working out with quarterback coach Chris Hess, who helped Buffalo’s Josh Allen early in his career as well.
“Anthony’s shown some signs,” Steichen said. “Some really good things.”
If Richardson is the starter in Indianapolis in Week 1 then he’s worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues. He has the potential to be a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, and he’s the type of difference-maker to take a chance on with a late-round flier.
Texans: DeMeco Ryans excited about Christian Kirk, updates on Tank Dell
The Texans lost Diggs as a free agent to New England, and Dell is likely going to miss much of the 2025 campaign after he injured his knee in Week 16 at Kansas City. Ryans said Dell is doing well “mentally” in the early phases of his recovery.
“He’s doing really well,” Ryans said. “He’s around the building every day with a huge smile on his face. He’s working as hard as anyone that I’ve seen to try and get himself back and ready to go. We’ll see how that process continues to go. The main thing is he’s doing well mentally. The physical part, the rehab process, he’s putting the work in, and whenever he can come back then he’ll be back.”
Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect much from Dell in 2025. While Nico Collins is locked into the No. 1 receiver role in Houston, the new No. 2 receiver is Kirk, who was traded to the Texans from the Jaguars for a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Ryans expects Kirk to make plenty of plays for Houston and Stroud this season in the slot.
“I love Christian,” Ryans said. “Just his speed. That’s the one thing that jumps out about him. He’s a fast player. He made a lot of nice plays in the slot, running the deep routes in the slot or the option routes and winning on third downs. I’m excited to see what he brings on third down. I think he can really open up a lot of options for us on third down, especially from the inside position. I think he’ll be a friendly target for C.J.”
Kirk had a down season in 2024 when he averaged a career-low 8.4 PPR points per game. He was also limited to eight games due to a fractured collarbone suffered in Week 8.
When healthy, Kirk has mostly been a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. He averaged a career-best 13.8 PPR points per game in his first year in Jacksonville in 2022, but he was at 11.9 PPR points in 2023 and 11.7 PPR points in his final season in Arizona in 2021.
There are plenty of vacated targets in Houston with Diggs gone and Dell hurt — the duo combined for 145 targets — so this was a great landing spot for Kirk after leaving the Jaguars. I plan to target Kirk as early as Round 7, depending on what the Texans do in the NFL Draft to potentially enhance their receiving corps.
