NFL Player News

Smith (hamstring) and Makai Lemon (hamstring) aren't practicing Wednesday, EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Neither wideout practiced Tuesday, with reports suggesting that both picked up minor hamstring injuries recently. Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports that Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Britain Covey were the first-team WRs at the start of Tuesday's practice in the absence of Smith and Lemon.

Johnson sustained a strained groin during practice Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Johnson had to leave practice early Tuesday after picking up the injury. It's unclear at this point how severe the strain is or how long it will keep the second-year wideout sidelined. Any missed time in practice or preseason games could be a big deal for Johnson, as he's jockeying for pecking-order position with the likes of Jalen McMillan (knee) and Ted Hurst in the Bucs' wideout room.

McMillan didn't practice Monday or Tuesday after banging a knee "a couple days ago," Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

McMillan was wearing a sleeve on his left calf during practice Tuesday, but it sounds like the issue that's kept him out of practice is related to one of his knees. Head coach Todd Bowles suggested the Bucs are just being careful with McMillan, so it doesn't appear he's dealing with a long-term issue.

McMillan (calf) isn't practicing Tuesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Per Laine, McMillan is wearing a compression sleeve on his left calf and was dealing with some soreness Monday, when he was also kept out of practice. It doesn't sound like the issue is a major concern, especially at this point in camp, but the Bucs are likely to play it safe with the wideout until he's able to shake the soreness. McMillan missed most of last year due to a neck injury, though he has a chance to move up to a bigger role in 2026 following the departure of Mike Evans to San Francisco.

The Patriots claimed Palmer off waivers from the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Palmer will call New England his new home two days after being waived by Arizona. He spent most of the 2025 season on the Cardinals' practice squad but did play in the team's regular-season finale against the Rams, when he logged six snaps (four offense, two special teams) without recording a stat otherwise. Palmer will have the opportunity to compete for a depth spot on the Patriots' 53-man roster at the end of training camp. Even if he doesn't make the cut, then a strong training camp could earn Palmer a spot on New England's practice squad.

Bryant has stood out in team drills during the first week of Denver's training camp, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Bryant was a third-round selection of the Broncos in the 2025 NFL Draft and saw his snap count and offensive output steadily increase over the course of his rookie season. Denver added to its wide receiver depth by trading for Jaylen Waddle to form a one-two punch with Courtland Sutton, but so far in training camp, Bryant has been making his case for slotting behind the top duo, along with fellow WRs Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims. If his strong training camp continues, Bryant would be in line for a larger share of offensive snaps in 2026 than he logged last year (48 percent).

The Lions waived Keys with an injury designation Tuesday.

The move comes after Keys left Monday's training camp practice due to a leg injury. If he goes through waivers unclaimed, then Keys would revert to the Lions' injured reserve and be forced to sit out for the entire 2026 season unless an injury settlement is reached with Detroit.

The Jets waived Scott (undisclosed) from injured reserve Tuesday with an injury settlement, per the NFL's transaction log.

Scott was set to miss the entire 2026 season after reverting to the Jets' injured reserve Saturday. With the settlement, he'll now have the chance to sign with a team once he's fully recovered from his unspecified injury.

The Browns waived Anderson (undisclosed) with an injury designation Tuesday.

Because Anderson was waived/injured, he would revert to the Browns' injured reserve if he were to clear waivers. That would force the LSU product to sit out for the entire 2026 season unless he reaches an injury settlement with the Browns.

Cooks signed a contract with the Panthers on Tuesday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Cooks was with the Saints on a reserve/future contract before being waived by the team in late April following the 2026 NFL Draft. He'll stay within the division in Carolina, and although he's considered a longshot to make the 53-man roster, a strong training camp could be enough for Cooks to stick around on the practice squad. He last saw NFL regular-season action in 2024 with the Jaguars, when he played two games and logged 14 snaps (10 offense, four special teams) without showing up on the box score otherwise.