NFL Rumors: Chiefs-CeeDee Lamb spark, Vikings late coup, Falcons QB trade

The NFL preseason has gotten underway with the first full week of exhibition action. But as we see this and also have training camps in full swing throughout the league's 32 teams, that means that potential moves to fill roster holes, work through contract negotiations, and much more are still on the table and the subject of many NFL rumors. And there are plenty of juicy ones floating around in the ether right now.

NFL Rumors: Falcons prefer to trade QB Taylor Heinicke

Don't forget about the third man in the Atlanta Falcons quarterback room during training camp. While Kirk Cousins and then Michael Penix Jr. made a multitude of headlines by landing with the Dirty Birds this offseason, veteran backup Taylor Heinicke who played a hefty role with the club as a spot starter last season, remains signed as well.

Having said that, it's all but certain that Heinicke, given the money paid to Cousins in free agency and the Top 8 draft capital used on Penix, will be QB3 on the depth chart. That is unless the Falcons are inclined to not keep three quarterbacks on the roster and, instead, look to trade Heinicke. That's something that Josh Kendall of The Athletic ($) floated as a possible preference of the staff in Atlanta:

"The Falcons kept three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster last season so they could take advantage of the emergency quarterback spot on game days, but this staff is behaving like it would prefer to get some trade value for Taylor Heinicke and then stash a young quarterback on the practice squad."

The investment that the Falcons made in the position this offseason would lend itself to trading Heinicke being the best option. They would recoup some draft capital and there should be no shortage of interested parties as well. That's a win in return for a player who is only seeing the field in a break-in-case-of-emergency situation.

It's not a formality, at least not yet, but don't expect the Falcons to be done making splashes at QB this offseason just yet.

NFL Rumors: Vikings eyeing late coup with Stephon Gilmore visit

Most of the discussion around the Minnesota Vikings this offseason has rightfully been focused on quarterbacks Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy, the latter being the organization's rookie first-round pick. And again, that's warranted given that the signal-caller will be stepping into an offense under Kevin O'Connell's capable watch with Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, Jordan Addison and (eventually) T.J. Hockenson all in the fold.

But for the Vikings to elevate from last season's disappointment regardless of quarterback play, Brian Flores' defense will have to tick up. Specifically, this was one of the poorest secondaries in the NFL a season ago, something the club has actively been looking to improve. Just recently, Minnesota traded Andrew Booth to the Cowboys for Nahshon Wright to shake things up. The Vikes might have another big move in mind, though.

According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Vikings are bringing in former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore for a free agent visit as, by design, the cornerback remains unsigned as preseason play gets underway.

As mentioned, the visit won't happen until Monday, so there will be time before we see any news. However, this could be a game-changer for the Vikings defense. Gilmore has maintained a high-end level of play over the past two seasons in, incidentally given the recent trade, Dallas. He provides a veteran presence for a largely young group and much needed top-line depth as well.

Minnesota signing Gilmore isn't inevitable, however, with the veteran waiting late to pick his destination, the fact that the Vikings are on the schedule for him now could indicate things transpiring a bit rapidly.

NFL Rumors: Chiefs-CeeDee Lamb trade gets spark thanks to social media

It doesn't look like the ongoing contract drama between the Dallas Cowboys and star receiver CeeDee Lamb is going anywhere soon as the two sides remain in negotiations. But in the past week, things have started to take one uglier turn after another -- and the latest pivot should have Kansas City Chiefs fans at least dreaming about a possible trade.

Lamb not only removed a Cowboys reference from his bio on X/Twitter but he then changed his banner on the social media platform to a picture of himself and Marquise Brown. Brown and Lamb were college teammates for a stint with the Oklahoma Sooners but, more pressingly in their current roles, the man they call "Hollywood" signed with the Chiefs in free agency this offseason. Only fanning the flames of any speculation about a trade was Brown also changing his X/Twitter banner to a picture of the pair together at OU.

Is social media activity the surest way to monitor a trade? God, no. In fact, it's the opposite in most cases with fans and analysts alike reading way too much into who players are following, what their profiles look like and so on.

At the same time, with the oft-reported conflict brewing between Lamb and the Cowboys, this is at least worth an eyebrow raise. While the Chiefs have seemingly started training camp feeling much more confident in the receiver room than they did earlier in the offseason, a viable chance to pursue a player like Lamb, one of the best receivers in the league, would be hard to pass up. And this might be a spark to at least get those conversations going -- or perhaps an indication that those conversations are already being had, though we have no reason beyond social media activity to believe that.