Update: The Jets have signed wide receiver Laveranues Coles to a one-year contract, making it Coles’ third tour with the team after two previous stints in New York from 2000 to 2002 and from 2005 to 2008.

Fantasy Impact: Bringing back Coles is a good move for the Jets. The two sides parted ways on good terms last offseason and Coles is familiar with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s playbook. The big adjustment is that this will be Coles’ first time wearing green in the Rex Ryan/Mark Sanchez era. It shouldn’t be too difficult for all parties to get on the same page however, as a young quarterback like Sanchez will welcome throwing to a good veteran route-runner like Coles who doesn’t shy away from the tough catches over the middle or being a physical blocker in the running game. Ryan, of course has built his brand on bringing in players with the win-at-all-costs reckless abandonment that Coles has been known for playing with on Sundays. I still am not sure about when to draft Coles, if at all, but Sanchez’s stock just rose slightly in my book.

Update: The Associated Press is reporting that the Redskins have reached an agreement with this year’s fourth overall pick Trent Williams on a six-year, $60 million deal.

Fantasy Impact: With all the line problems the Redskins dealt with last year, with a new head coach and somewhat older starting quarterback coming in, getting Williams signed and in camp couldn’t have come fast enough. Trading for Jammal Brown helps, but if the Redskins offense is going to compete with the elite attacks around the league, Williams needs to bring the immaculate protection skills and run-blocking prowess that he did as an Oklahoma Sooner. You should feel better about drafting Donovan McNabb after this news, but I still don’t trust the other skill-position players currently on the roster.

Update: The Buccaneers have signed left tackle Donald Penn to a six-year extension Saturday. Penn’s contract is worth $43 million, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Fantasy Impact: This is huge for anyone considering drafting Josh Freeman, especially in keeper leagues. Blame the Bucs recent offensive struggles on the other four line positions, mediocre running backs, an average receiving corps, and Freeman’s inexperience to go with the sub-par performances that quarterbacks Byron Leftwich and Josh Johnson gave them through the first seven weeks of last season. But Donald Penn is about as good as it gets when it comes to blindside protectors, and I believe that Josh Freeman does have the tools to take advantage of the great opportunity he’s been given here. This move will pay big dividends for the Bucs in the short and long-term.

Update: NFL.com is reporting that Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant could miss the rest of the team’s training camp after suffering a high right ankle sprain near the end of practice Friday. The Cowboys have said he will be out four to six weeks.

Fantasy Impact: This certainly isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s not the end of the world for Dez Bryant or the Dallas Cowboys. If six weeks is the maximum amount of time he will be out for then he will be active for the Week 1 matchup in Washington. Bryant can use this additional time to study film, get more familiar with his playbook, and learn from the example that Dallas’ veteran receivers set. Remember also that Michael Crabtree wasn’t even in camp until October last year and was able to produce at a high level, in spite of less production from the quarterback position and lesser complementary receivers than Dez Bryant has now. My original take on Bryant was to not take him until three wideouts had already been selected, but to not be afraid to make him a no.4. This injury hasn’t changed that.

Update: NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfora reported Friday that though the Chargers are opposed to trading wide receiver Vincent Jackson, the Redskins and Seahawks remain interested. Jackson has not yet signed his one-year restricted free agent tender and does not intend to do so soon, threatening a holdout that could last into the regular season. The Redskins would seem to be the ideal trading partner for San Diego, as Jackson has worked out extensively with Donovan McNabb this month in Arizona, running routes and catching passes. Additionally, Washington does not have a proven wideout outside of Santana Moss, who is less dynamic and consistent than he was earlier in his career. Jackson is prepared to sit out for an entire season rather than play for a tender under $600,000, deeming the risk of serious injury not worth such a small tender. Furthermore, after watching Dez Bryant miss almost his entire junior season at Oklahoma State and still wind up a first-round pick this past April, Jackson is confident that there will be a market for his services even if he does sit.

Fantasy Impact: The fact that the Chargers were so willing to give Antonio Gates a long-term extension recently and have progressed in their talks with Marcus McNeill recently, but have been so stagnant in getting a deal done with Jackson, means that Philip Rivers’ second favorite target (next to Gates) likely will be in a different uniform come Week 1. I see Seattle as a good fit, as a receiver like Jackson, who averaged over 17 yards per catch last season, would complement possession receiver T.J. Houzhmandzadeh well, particularly while catching passes from Matt Hasselbeck, who is healthy and should receive better protection while playing behind this year’s sixth overall pick Russell Okung; plus Pete Carroll demonstrated at USC his ability to make use of big targets with jump-ball ability (Dwayne Jarrett, Patrick Turner, Damian Williams, etc.). Washington would be the ideal fit, however, as Jackson and Moss could create a Randy Moss/Wes Welker-like dynamic where Jackson could run deep all day and Moss, at this point in his career, is better suited as a short-route specialist who is still very good after the catch. The strength at the tight end position will open up one-on-one opportunities as well. If Jackson gets traded prior to your draft, make him no less than a low-end no. 1 or a no.2. If he’s still with San Diego and persisting with his holdout, lay off him until the end of the draft nears, if he’s still on the board.

Update: The Jets handed out a couple of long-term deals Friday in hopes of keeping structure at the top for years to come, as they agreed to a two-year extension with head coach Rex Ryan and a five-year deal with general manager Mike Tannenbaum, ensuring that both will be with the franchise through 2014.

Fantasy Impact: Some people find it presumptuous to give Ryan an extension after one year in which he barely made it to the playoffs, but the guy is a defensive mastermind who knows how to get his players to play hard and will only get better with experience when it comes to in-game management and being a complete head coach. Tannenbaum is a no-brainer. The guy has molded this championship contending squad with savvy draft picks, blockbuster trades, and bold, fearless signings in free agency after taking over a team that had gone 4-12 the year before his hiring. This upcoming season has not particularly been altered by these signings, since Ryan and Tannenbaum were not in danger of losing their jobs prior to the season anyway, but in keeper leagues, you should feel a lot better about drafting the Jets defense high and drafting young players like Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene, because Tannenbaum will be there to continue to deliver them formidable supporting casts.

Update: Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman told the San Diego Union-Tribune Thursday that he won’t report to training camp until the organization makes it clear as to what their plans for him are. Said Merriman: “It’s not about me wanting more money. I will show what I deserve. I don’t have to ask for it. I feel like I’ve proved what I’m worth, and I will still prove it. To me, it really comes down to, ‘Am I on the trading block this week? The third week of the season, am I on the block?’ Where is that comfortability for me?…I’m only coming back to be the guy on the defense. I’m not coming back to be a guy. I want to be on a team where someone is going to be building a defense around me.”

Fantasy Impact: Merriman’s initial request about finding assurance from the organization about what their long-term plans are, including any potential trade involving him is reasonable. However, general manager A.J. Smith is notorious for not acquiescing his player’s demands, even when it’s likely in the best interest of all parties involved. The last part about wanting a defense to be built around him completely loses what credibility he had in his stance. After racking up 39 1/2 sacks through his first three years in the league, Merriman has accumulated just four over the past two seasons. Additionally, a pattern of bold and demanding statements like these and a reputation for being overly enamored with the southern California social scene would lead many coaches, coordinators, and executives to wonder if he has the leadership and maturity to be a defense’s leader and focal point. I believe Merriman has one foot out the door in San Diego and with this offseason’s losses of key veteran defenders like Jamal Williams and Antonio Cromartie, you can expect to see a decline in the performance of the Chargers defense.

Update: Trent Edwards has merged as the leading contender for the Bills’ starting quarterback job, as the team opened training camp Thursday. Edwards received a majority of practice time, and opened each of the individual drills by taking the first snap.

Fantasy Impact: Trent Edwards is a good quarterback. He was impressive throughout much of the 2008 season, particularly in the first six games, in a year that was Edwards’ second in the league. He struggled in ’09 and eventually lost his job to Ryan Fitzpatrick, but this was after undergoing a preseason coordinator change, a midseason head coaching change, playing behind a sub-par offensive line, and throwing to a marginally talented receiving corps, including receivers past their prime (i.e. Terrell Owens). Even with all these hindrances, he still managed to make some very impressive plays. He has ideal size, cannon-like arm strength, and surprising accuracy on his deep throws to complement touch on his short throws. There is no doubt in my mind that he is better than Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm, and I am confident that a quarterback guru like Chan Gailey will draw the same conclusion. Gailey’s presence also marks the first season in Edwards’ young pro career in which he is playing for an offensive-minded head coach, after playing for Dick Jauron and Perry Fewell for three years. I look at Edwards similarly to a young Drew Brees. He struggles in his first few years while playing for a bad team, but I believe the former Stanford Cardinal will eventually find himself in the right situation, be it in western New York or elsewhere, and will thrive as a Pro Bowler. I say take him as a backup, particularly in a keeper league.

Update: Jason La Canfora of NFL.com reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers and tackle Flozell Adams have agreed on a multi-year deal. The Steelers are thin at tackle and they expect Adams to come in and start.

Fantasy Impact: Although Adams has lost a step, he is still strong in the running game. The Steelers were an average rushing team last year, ranking 19th overall. With RB Rashard Mendenhall having gained valuable experience last year and the addition of Adams, Pittsburgh will most likely be a better running team.

Update: Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth failed his conditioning test within the set time constraints Thursday, and so will not be allowed to practice. Haynesworth was instructed to complete three shuttle runs within a set time period, but time expired before he could do so. Haynesworth told teammates that he couldn’t have completed three shuttles during that time frame even during his All-Pro season of 2008 and he is, in fact, deemed to be in much better shape than he was at this point last year by several Redskins sources. Haynesworth and head coach Mike Shanahan briefly discussed the matter Tuesday, but the relationship between the two remains distant, at best.

Fantasy Impact: I’m thinking back on the day Albert Haynesworth was introduced to the Washington media in his introductory news conference, on the first day of the 2009 free agency season after signing his seven-year, $100 million contract and he said the words, “You’re not going to remember Albert Haynesworth as a bust.” It just goes to show how you have to take these players’ words with a grain of salt and how, for every Joe Namath guarantee that culminates in a Super Bowl victory, there’s a plethora of broken promises like the one Haynesworth uttered. I don’t see how Albert Haynesworth can possibly be a positive difference-maker on this team as long as Mike Shanahan is the coach and as long as the majority of players who were with the Skins in ’09 are still on the roster. I’m not going to completely write off the Redskins defense, because the 3-4 conversion might very well benefit most of the players on the defensive side of the ball, and they certainly have their share of playmakers but if their draft status depends, in your eyes, on Haynesworth making a significant impact then stock them in the back of the shelf.

Update: According to the AP, the defending champs New Orleans Saints have placed 4 players on the active/physically unable to perform list. S Darren Sharper, LB Clint Ingram, and WRs Marques Colston and Robert Meachem are eligible to come off the list at any time, and are expected to be off the list by the first preseason game on August 12th.

Fantasy Impact: All four players are expected to play a major role for the Saints this season. Colston and Meachem are two of QB Drew Brees' favorite targets, and Sharper was one of the league's best safeties last season.

Update: This year’s first overall pick, Sam Bradford, missed the first team workout of Rams training camp as the details of his contract continue to get hammered out between his agents and the organization. Veteran A.J. Feeley will be the starter in the interim and downplayed Bradford’s absence when asked about it: “It’s not the end of the world. You’d like to have him out here to work with these guys, but he’s been through the whole offseason program…Sam’s a smart guy, he’s bright. I don’t see him lagging, I don’t see him sitting at home on the couch not doing anything.”

Fantasy Impact: It was a good gesture on the part of A.J. Feeley to try to put out this fire, but the fact is that it is a big deal. The track records of quarterbacks who hold out as rookies and try to play catch-up is not good. Philip Rivers is one of the few exceptions, but Rivers also benefited greatly from having Drew Brees in front of him for his first two years and most sources affiliated with the Chargers in 2004 would have agreed that Rivers was not ready when he eventually did report to camp, and that if Rivers had been San Diego’s starter in 2004 instead of Brees, the Chargers would not have made it to the postseason. Other examples, like Matt Leinart and JaMarcus Russell, prove that missing so much as a few days of workouts will inevitably land you far behind the competition, especially for someone like Bradford who doesn’t have a background in a pro-style offense and who is taking over the NFL’s worst team from 2009. My experiences tell me that the top two picks in any April draft generally produce one boom and one bust and I see Ndamukong Suh as the boom. I have a bad feeling about the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma and if you want my take, I say lay off Bradford, even in keeper leagues.

Update: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports that the Dallas Cowboys have signed WR Teddy Williams. Williams, who hasn't played football in five years, was a sprinter at Texas-San Antonio. He reportedly ran a 9.90 100 meters and was clocked in at 4.31 at the 40-yard dash.

Fantasy Impact: It is unlikely that Williams makes the final roster, but his speed could be used in the return game. Track speed doesn't always translate well into football speed, but the Cowboys liked Williams enough to give him a shot.

Update: According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the Detroit Lions and DT Ndamukong Suh do not expect to have a deal in place prior to the start of training camp. Suh, the 2nd overall pick in April's draft, is not expected to sign until Sam Bradford, the 1st pick, does.

Fantasy Impact: It is critical for rookies to miss as little time as possible, so getting Suh into camp should be a priority. The Lions ranked dead last in total defense last season, and the strong and athletic Suh is expected to make an impact right away. With the addition of the super talented Suh and veteran Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Lions hope to be much more competitive defensively.

Update: Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Seattle Seahawks and G Chester Pitts have agreed on a contract. The deal is for 1-year and could be worth up to $2 million. Pitts has played his whole career with the Houston Texans and got injured last season, resulting in microfrature knee surgery.

Fantasy Impact: After signing G Ben Hamilton earlier this off-season, the Seahawks did not really need Pitts. But if he recovers from surgery he could provide insurance incase someone gets hurt.