NFL Player News

The Texans waived Walthall on Thursday.

Less than a month after Houston signed Walthall as an undrafted free agent, he's now on his way out. Unless he's claimed by another club during the current waiver period, he'll soon become a free agent again.

The Vikings signed Rudolph on Thursday, Rob Kleifield of the team's official site reports.

A little over a week after he was waived by Seattle, Rudolph is now getting another shot with a new club. The undrafted rookie is not physically imposing, but he did demonstrate some ability as a kick returner at Toledo, which could help him get more opportunities early on.

Minnesota signed Briscoe (undisclosed) on Thursday, Rob Kleifield of the Vikings' official site reports.

There were questions about Briscoe's health when he was waived by Seattle in May, but he's presumably in good shape now. The undrafted rookie boasts good size, and he caught 43 passes for 779 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season at Cal Poly in 2025.

The Jets signed Scott on Thursday, Amanda Vogt of the team's official site reports.

Per Connor Hughes of SNY.tv, Scott has cut some weight and recently worked out with the club as a wide receiver before being signed. He's served as a tight end in the past as well. He'll probably need to make a great early impression with the coaching staff to have any chance at a spot on the final 53-man roster for 2026.

Branch is making an impression with his speed and explosiveness at OTAs, according to Will McFadden of atlantafalcons.com.

New Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa said Thursday that Branch "kind of reminds me of [Jaylen] Waddle." High praise, though the Falcons would settle for less after taking Branch in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 79th overall. He joins a WR room where nothing is certain beyond Drake London, leaving Branch to compete for playing time with Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus and others. Branch ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the 2026 Scouting Combine, but he's on the small side (5-foot-9, 177 pounds) even for a slot receiver. If nothing else, the Falcons figure to use Branch as a gadget player and return specialist. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reports that Georgia prosecutors recently dropped misdemeanor charges against Branch, who was arrested April 19 after failing "to comply with multiple verbal lawful commands" to not block a sidewalk outside of a crowded bar. It doesn't sound like anything that would warrant NFL discipline.

Evans is making a strong impression at voluntary OTAs and feels rejuvenated after an injury-plagued 2025, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

"I pinch myself every day," said teammate George Kittle, who then told reporters that Evans caught "three to five" TDs in a red-zone period. Dominance in unpadded practices doesn't mean much, especially for a player who already has such a strong track record, but it's a good sign that Evans is fitting in with the 49ers and earning praise from fellow future Hall of Famers like Kittle and LT Trent Williams. The 32-year-old wideout seems to have been a full participant throughout the voluntary offseason program, acclimating quickly to Kyle Shanahan's offense.

Pickens hasn't been present for voluntary OTAs, but he remains in communication with the Cowboys and is expected to show up for mandatory minicamp June 16-18, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Pickens signed his franchise tag for $27.3 million in late April after the Cowboys made it public knowledge that they wouldn't sign him to a long-term deal (and also didn't want to trade him). Cowboys GM Jerry Jones, EVP Stephen Jones and HC Brian Schottenheimer have all hinted that they expect Pickens to play out 2026 under the tag without issue, while Pickens himself hasn't said much, letting his actions (signing the tag) do most of the talking. His absence from voluntary practices may just be a matter of reducing injury risk ahead of another contract year.

Watson and the Packers have reached agreement on a four-year contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per Schefter, Watson's new deal is a four-year, $110.5 million pact that includes a $31 million signing bonus. The 2022 second-rounder is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he recorded 35 catches (on 55 targets) for 611 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games. As the coming campaign approaches, Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden are in line to pace a Green Bay WR corps that also includes Savion Williams, Bo Melton and Skyy Moore following the offseason departures of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Looking ahead, Watson's per-route production makes him a fantasy breakout candidate in 2026, provided he can stay on the field.

Coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that Law tore his ACL at practice Tuesday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

The Lions took Law in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 168th overall, and the Kentucky product was projected to provide the team with wideout depth behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa. Given the timing of his injury, Law is likely to be placed on IR and then set his sights on returning to the field as the 2027 season approaches. For now, Greg Dortch, Cedrick Wilson, Tom Kennedy and Dominic Lovett are candidates to compete for snaps behind Detroit's top WR trio.

Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said Thursday that Douglas "tweaked something" during Wednesday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Hafley doesn't expect the injury to be a long-term concern. Taken with the 75th overall pick this year, Douglas joins a WR room that's widely viewed as the weakest in the league. He'll thus have a chance to compete for immediate playing time if he's back to full strength before training camp. With 4.39 speed, at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds, Douglas could have some value to Miami's offense even if he's just running clear-out routes.