NFL Player News

Thornton is locked in as a top-three wide receiver for the Chiefs alongside Rashee Rice (knee) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder), Joshua Brisco of SI.com reports.

Thornton was one of five receivers to play at least 33 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 2025, joining Rice, Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown. The last two of those receivers are no longer on the roster, leaving unproven options such as Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen competing for depth roles behind Rice, Worthy and Thornton.

Pierce will likely be limited for some or all of training camp by his ankle injury, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

Pierce underwent surgery in late March to address an ankle injury, and his recovery period is expected to linger into training camp. He still has time to heal up before the Colts kick off regular-season play Sept. 13 against the Ravens, but Pierce's recovery progress will be worth tracking throughout training camp. Josh Downs is likely to function as the Colts' top wide receiver in practice if Pierce sits out, with Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and rookie seventh-round pick Deion Burks among the players jostling for playing time in Indianapolis' wide receiver room.

Nabers (knee) is expected to avoid opening the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

All eyes will be on Nabers and his participation level when training camp opens for the Giants, as he's continuing to work his way back from a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. The injury occurred in Week 4 of last season, and Nabers had surgery in late October before needing a clean-up procedure this spring. There's a chance he begins camp on the active/PUP list, but it sounds like the star wideout could be ready for the Week 1 opener against Dallas.

McMillan (ankle) participated in Thursday's training camp practice, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

McMillan was in and out of practice during the spring due to ankle soreness, but he's ready to roll for the start of training camp now that pads are on and the season is inching closer. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, McMillan is expected to see more opportunities out of the slot this season after the Panthers used a third-round pick on outside weapon Chris Brazzell. McMillan added "eight or nine pounds of muscle" over the offseason, per Wolfe. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, McMillan will look to build on his 70-1,014-7 regular season from last year.

Washington is likely to remain the Jaguars' primary punt returner in 2026, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Washington excelled on offense down the stretch in 2025, catching 19 of 29 targets for 347 yards and two touchdowns across Jacksonville's last three regular-season games before adding seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in the team's playoff loss to the Bills. Marquee offensive players rarely maintain prominent roles on special teams, but Jacksonville's coaching staff has praised Washington's punt-returning prowess throughout the team's offseason program, so Washington seems poised to continue filling that role on special teams while contributing on offense as part of a wide receiver room that also includes Brian Thomas and Jakobi Meyers. Head coach Liam Coen also recently praised Washington's work ethic, per Shipley.

Brazzell is slated to compete with Xavier Legette for wide receiver reps during training camp, Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today reports.

Brazzell, a rookie third-rounder, will compete with a 2024 first-round pick in Legette for No. 3 wide receiver opportunities behind Tetairoa McMillan (ankle) and Jalen Coker. Per Rizzuti, Brazzell impressed during spring and summer workouts with Carolina, and if he's able to keep up that momentum during training camp it wouldn't be out of the question for him to jump up the depth chart and surpass Legette, who has failed to live up to expectations through his first three seasons. Brazzell totaled a 62-1,017-9 line across 12 games in 2025 at Tennessee, where he earned All-American Third-Team and All-SEC First-Team honors.

As the coming season approaches, Doubs is the Patriots' projected top inside receiver in a re-tooled WR corps now led by A.J. Brown, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

With last season's top wide receiver Stefon Diggs -- who led the team in targets (102), receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,013) -- no longer in the mix, Brown and Doubs now sit atop the Patriots' depth chart, thus boosting QB Drake Maye's supporting cast ahead of the 2026 campaign. With Green Bay in 2025, Doubs put up a 55/724/6 receiving line (on 85 targets) in 16 games, but in his new locale, the 26-year-old has an opportunity to see an uptick in production while profiling more like a high-volume "big" slot in New England's offense, per Lazar.

Zaccheaus enters training camp in a battle against Jahan Dotson and rookie third-rounder Zachariah Branch for the Falcons' No. 2 wide receiver job behind Drake London (undisclosed), Tim Weaver of USA Today reports.

After stints in Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago, Zaccheaus opted to sign a one-year contract in March to rejoin the Falcons, with whom he previously played from 2019-22. The Virginia product has eclipsed 500 receiving yards just once in his NFL career, but given Atlanta's lack of reliable pass catchers behind London and tight end Kyle Pitts, Zaccheaus could establish himself as a consistent target for whoever is under center between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix (knee). Dotson brings four years of NFL experience to the table and little more production than Zaccheaus, but the journeyman's biggest competition figures to come from the rookie Branch, who made a strong impression on coaches with his speed, explosiveness and playmaking ability during college and in OTAs.

Whittington will enter training camp competing for the Rams' No. 3 wide reciever role behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

A sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Whittington saw his snap count on offense increase in his sophomore campaign, but that didn't result in increased production as he finished the 2025 regular season with 18 catches on 25 targets for 171 yards across 17 games. His proficiency on special teams and as a blocker will keep him on the field, but he'll be competing in training camp with Xavier Smith, Konata Mumpfield, CJ Daniels and Tyler Scott for the top spot behind the dynamic duo of Nacua and Adams.

The Dolphins placed Bell (ACL) on the active/non-football injury list Tuesday.

Bell is rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered during his final collegiate season at Louisville, and for which he underwent surgery last December. Though the rookie third-round pick has previously stated that he expects to be ready for training camp, it looks like Bell may need a bit more time before being cleared to take the practice field. Miami has yet to provide an official timetable for his return. Once cleared to practice, Bell will have an opportunity to compete for a significant role in an unsettled Dolphins receiver corps that also houses Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and fellow rookies Caleb Douglas and Kevin Coleman.