NFL Player News

London is listed among Falcons starters not suiting up for Friday's preseason opener against the Dolphins, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Atlanta won't play key starters including London, fellow wideouts Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud, quarterback Kirk Cousins, running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, plus tight end Kyle Pitts in Friday's exhibition contest. The third-year pro's next opportunity to suit up for preseason action will come Aug. 17 on the road at Baltimore.

Aiyuk and the 49ers have re-opened negotiations on a potential long-term deal that would keep the star wideout in San Francisco for the foreseeable future, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Aiyuk reportedly had a recent meeting with coach Kyle Shanahan and others among the 49ers' top brass which went positively enough to lend some optimism to the idea that he could stick around in San Francisco, per Jordan Schultz of BleacherReport.com. The Patriots are reported to have exited trade talks due to Aiyuk's disinterest in playing in New England, despite the team offering a lucrative contract, while the Steelers and Browns continue to be mentioned as suitors for a potential trade. For the time being, Aiyuk's situation remains fluid and at risk of continuing to stretch out into the preseason, with the start of the regular season still roughly one month away, but Pelissero's report that the 49ers are making a push toward extending Aiyuk could also motivate other interested teams to negotiate with a greater sense of urgency.

Brown (shoulder) is expected to miss Friday's preseason game against the Steelers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Brown's strained shoulder will keep him out through Houston's preseason opener, although it was reported that he's close to returning to the field. The 6-foot-2 wide receiver will likely return to practice Monday, and he is looking to compete for the fourth wide receiver spot against Robert Woods, John Metchie and Ben Skowronek.

The Patriots have released Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster, who logged 11 snaps without a target in Thursday's preseason opener, will now have an opportunity to catch on elsewhere on the heels of a 2023 campaign in which he recorded a 29-260-1 line on 47 targets in 11 regular-season contests. By parting ways with the 27-year-old, the Patriots now have one less option to consider in what remains a crowded wideout corps.

Osborn logged four snaps in Thursday's 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

In his brief appearance in the Patriots' exhibition opener, Osborn wasn't targeted, but he did get his limited snaps in with the starting offense in a game which DeMario Douglas (hand) and Kendrick Bourne (knee, PUP) were unavailable for. As the coming season approaches, it's plausible that Osborn could secure a key role in the team's WR corps out of the gate, particularly if Bourne is out or limited come Week 1. While Douglas appears destined to have a steady role for the team, there's otherwise plenty left to be sorted out this preseason, with Osborn, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor all competing for depth chart slotting.

Thornton didn't catch his lone target in Thursday's 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers.

Thornton logged just seven snaps in the contest, but it's notable that the speedster opened up the contest with the Patriots' starters. In his third season as a pro, the 2022 second-rounder is competing for a role in a wide open New England WR corps, but as Evan Lazar of the team's official site notes, Thornton's start and subsequent quick exit Thursday could bode well for his roster standing.

Ford-Wheaton (knee) played 26 offensive snaps in Thursday's preseason win over the Lions, catching one of two targets for six yards.

Ford-Wheaton hyperextended his knee during practice last Friday, but he recovered from the injury quickly and was able to lead New York's wideouts with 26 snaps on offense against Detroit. His lone catch came in the third quarter on a short pass, though he did draw a defensive pass-interference penalty on another play. Ford-Wheaton is attempting to secure a spot as a depth receiver on the 53-man roster after missing all of last season due to a torn ACL.

Baker caught two of his four targets for 11 yards in Thursday's 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers.

Going forward in his first preseason as a pro, Baker -- who logged 38 snaps on offense in the contest -- will continue to compete for slotting in a crowded and unsettled New England wideout corps that also includes Kendrick Bourne (knee), DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and Jalen Reagor. Given that the Patriots took Baker in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, his roster standing appears solid, but it remains to be seen how steady a role the UCF product -- who has reportedly made some highlight-reel plays in practice this summer -- sees out of the gate this season.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Thursday that he doesn't have urgency to get Lamb's contract done, NFL.com's Grant Gordon reports.

QB Dak Prescott disagreed, telling reporters afterward, "I got urgency for it to happen." Lamb had an ever shorter response, simply posting 'lol' on his X account. Lamb remains on the reserve/did not report list, holding out for a new contract while scheduled to make $17.99 million in 2024 under the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. Recent contracts for other WRs suggest the Cowboys will need to offer more than $30 million per year to get Lamb to sign; the big question is whether he'll start practicing soon -- or at least ahead of Week 1 -- if there's no agreement.

Marshall failed to come up with either of his two targets in the Panthers' 17-3 preseason loss to the Patriots on Thursday.

Marshall came up empty after impressing in training camp practices, but the Panthers rolled out undrafted rookie Jack Plummer as the starting quarterback Thursday. Marshall got extra opportunity Thursday with Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette (foot) sitting out, and the fourth-year wideout will look to continue making his bid for a roster spot during Carolina's second preseason game against the Jets on Aug. 17.