NFL Player News

Love is scheduled to play in Thursday's preseason game at Pittsburgh, though Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that he reserves the right to change his mind, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

If Love does end up playing, history suggests it'll be his lone appearance of the preseason. He may be stuck with a mixed crew of starters and backups, given that RB Josh Jacobs (groin), TE Tucker Kraft (knee), WR Jayden Reed (ankle) and WR Matthew Golden (toe) have all missed time recently.

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Nix's deep accuracy has been "off the charts" at training camp, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Through two NFL seasons, Nix has mostly provided value via sack avoidance, scrambling and short-area accuracy. His 36.9 percent completion rate on passes 20-plus yards downfield last season ranked near the bottom of the league, but he also dealt with a number of drops on those throws from his receivers. The Broncos think he has another level to unlock, with new wideout Jaylen Waddle being a big part of that plan.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said that he doesn't expect Maye to play in Thursday's preseason opener versus the Colts, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

While Vrabel noted that his decision on Maye's status is "subject to change," like most teams during the first week of the preseason, the Patriots are expected to prioritize playing time for players who are still competing for roster spots. After a spectacular sophomore campaign in 2025 in which he finished as the runner-up in the MVP balloting and led the Patriots to the Super Bowl, Maye will have to contend with a tougher schedule in 2026 but will have an improved pass-catching group to work with after New England lost Stefon Diggs but added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.

Giants head coach John Harbaugh lauded Dart for sliding inbounds at the end of a third-down run during a drill in Monday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. "I clapped. I applauded. I applauded when he did that. It was great," Harbaugh said.

While Monday marked the first time that Dart had slid following a run throughout the Giants' first 11 practices of camp, the second-year quarterback at least appears to be more open to modifying his reckless running style. Though that approach helped him compile 487 rushing yards and nine scores in 14 games last season, it also played a part in him being checked for concussions on five different occasions. During a fan event back in May, Dart said that on third and fourth downs and near the red zone, he still expects to run through defenders in pursuit of first downs and touchdowns, but he expressed a willingness to slide in less critical situations. The 23-year-old will still carry plenty of health risk so long as running remains a key part of his skill set, but even a slight decline in his exposure to contact will help his odds of staying on the field.

Shough has looked noticeably more comfortable and in command of the offense entering his second season, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

After competing with Spencer Rattler for the starting job last summer as a rookie, Shough has the keys to the offense headed into the 2026 regular season after he completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards and a 10:6 TD:INT over the second half of last season once he took hold of the job from Rattler. The Saints have since added first-round WR Jordyn Tyson and free-agent pickup Travis Etienne to Shough's arsenal, putting the pieces around him to build on his impressive rookie season. Shough is an upside pick in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. He's got continuity with coach Kellen Moore and is playing in what should be one of the league's fastest-paced offenses.

Love said that working mostly with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden (toe) this summer has helped improve his timing with his wide receivers, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Love noted that due to the team's depth at the position last summer, the Packers rotated wide receivers more often, and it made it more difficult to build chemistry. With Romeo Doubs gone to New England as a free agent and Dontayvion Wicks traded to the Eagles, Green Bay now has a clear wideout trio atop the depth chart. Across 15 regular-season starts last season, Love completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,381 yards and a 23:6 TD:INT. Being healthy after last summer's thumb injury should also help Love heading into 2026.

Stafford and Davante Adams have been building a stronger rapport during training camp, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

After Stafford missed all of training camp last summer due to a lingering back injury, the two rarely practiced together before the start of the regular season. While Adams led the league with 14 receiving touchdowns, he managed just one 100-yard receiving game in 14 regular-season appearances. Some of that had to do with Puka Nacua dominating targets, but it could also be chalked up to he and Stafford not totally being comfortable with each other. That hasn't been the case this summer, as Adams has been a standout at Rams camp. "When you're as intentional as they are, repetition ends up being the mother of learning," coach Sean McVay said. "It's also the best way to be able to develop rapport with each other and that's so important whether you're a center playing with a guard, a guard playing with a tackle, or quarterbacks (with) receivers." Adams has massive touchdown upside, but it also wouldn't be a shock to see him flirt with 1,000 yards again after he posted just 60 catches for 789 yards during the 2025 regular season as a touchdown-or-bust type of fantasy player.

Purdy and rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling have been starting to connect more frequently at training camp, Marc Adams of 49ers Webzone reports.

Purdy will be operating without Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the entirety of the 2026 campaign, and veterans Mike Evans (quadriceps) and Christian Kirk (calf) have been sidelined at practice recently. As a result, the fifth-year QB has gotten to log some added reps with rookie second-rounder De'Zhaun Stribling, most notably connecting on a 50-yard touchdown up the right sideline Monday. Purdy also connected with Deebo Samuel for an explosive play Monday, as the two players look to rebuild their previous chemistry from three seasons together from 2022 to 2024 before Samuel took a one-year detour to Washington in 2025 and then returned to the 49ers as a free agent July 30.

Williams will be without Luther Burden (groin) for the entirety of the preseason, but the Bears believe that the second-year wide receiver will be available for Week 1 at Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 13, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Williams is entering his second season under head coach Ben Johnson and his third NFL campaign overall, and his No. 2 option at wide receiver Luther Burden just suffered a groin injury Saturday that will sideline him for the entirety of the preseason. The quarterback completed 53 passes to Burden for 718 yards and two touchdowns over 15 regular-season contests and two postseason games this past season. Williams has substantial rapport with WR1 Rome Odunze, but he will now have to lean on offseason addition Kalif Raymond, third-round pick Zavion Thomas (knee) and second-year pro Jahdae Walker at practice in Burden's absence.

Herbert has been sharp and on target with his receivers in training camp, seemingly growing more comfortable in Mike McDaniel's offense, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

One of the priorities that Herbert took during the offseason was to improve his footwork, which has seemingly paid off through the first two weeks of training camp. Entering his seventh NFL season, Herbert has looked comfortable with his timing in McDaniel's scheme, connecting on receivers early and in space. It's unclear whether Herbert will play in Thursday's exhibition contest against the Texans, but the Oregon product should see some reps in preseason games to flesh out the details before the Chargers' regular-season opener against the Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 13.