NFL Player News

Wright (knee) played in the Panthers' preseason game against the Lions on Friday, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The wide receiver saw some run with the first team due to injuries to Laviska Shenault, DJ Chark and Terrace Marshall, and he recorded one target and no catches before sitting out the second half. Wright missed the last preseason contest against the Giants on Aug. 18 after suffering the knee injury in the Aug. 12 game versus the Jets. The second-year player spent most of 2022 on the practice squad and is fighting for a depth role as cutdown day approaches.

Godwin will have first in-game opportunity to work with newly named starting quarterback Baker Mayfield in Saturday's preseason finale against the Ravens, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Mayfield was named the starting quarterback Tuesday after winning a tightly contested job battle with Kyle Trask. The Buccaneers then announced the 2018 first overall pick would play the first half versus Baltimore along with Godwin and Mike Evans, giving the trio their first in-game opportunity to work together. Godwin and the rest of his offensive teammates have been learning new coordinator Dave Canales' system since OTAs, and the versatile Penn State product should see plenty of action in the short and intermediate areas of the field that the scheme is expected to focus on.

Evans will have his first in-game opportunity to play with newly named starting quarterback Baker Mayfield in Saturday's preseason finale against the Ravens, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Mayfield was named the starting quarterback Tuesday after winning a tightly contested job battle with Kyle Trask. The Buccaneers then announced the 2018 first overall pick would play the first half versus Baltimore along with Evans and Chris Godwin, giving the trio their first in-game opportunity to work together. Evans and the rest of his offensive teammates have been learning new coordinator Dave Canales' system since OTAs, and the veteran wideout should be a constant presence on the heavy dose of short and intermediate throws the scheme calls for.

Brown is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason finale, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

The speedy wideout did see action in last week's preseason performance, but that appears to be the extent of his exhibition workload. Brown is expected to be a critical target for a pass-catching corps that is incredibly young after the release of DeAndre Hopkins.

Darden (leg) is not expected to play Saturday against the Chiefs, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Darden had been cleared to participate in seven-on-seven drills earlier this week, but that's evidently not enough for him to see action on the field Saturday. The 2021 fourth-round pick of the Buccaneers is likely on the roster fringes for the Browns and will need to get healthy quickly if he's to have a shot at making the opening 53-man roster.

Saunders was waived by the Panthers on Saturday, Darin Gantt of the team's official website reports.

Saunders was competing against a crowded wide receiver room in Carolina for the chance to make it on its final 53-man roster. He ultimately came up short, which means he will need to look for a new opportunity elsewhere unless the team offers him a spot on its practice squad. The 26-year-old has been with the Panthers' organization since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021.

The Panthers waived Jennings on Saturday, Darin Gantt of the team's official website reports.

Jennings was considered a long shot in terms of landing a spot on the Panthers' final 53-man roster, so no surprise here. The wide receiver was competing against a plethora of pass catchers and was ultimately on the outside looking in. The team could still opt to pick him up for its practice squad, but he will need to look for a chance somewhere else if the team does not.

Moore caught his only target for 13 yards in Friday's 23-7 preseason win over the Patriots.

With Tennessee's top wideout DeAndre Hopkins being held out of the contest and both Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips dealing with knee injuries that have their Week 1 status in question, Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine could see added early season opportunities in the event that Burks and/or Philips are unavailable or limited out of the gate. Moore thus represents a potential streaming option at that juncture, pending the status of his injured WR teammates.

Moore is expected to play in the team's preseason finale Saturday, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Moore managed to be cleared of a ribs injury Tuesday, one that had kept him out for two weeks of training camp, and he now appears poised to see work in Saturday's preseason contest against the Chiefs. An offseason acquisition from the Jets, Moore gaining more chemistry with starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is also expected to play, will be a key point to follow before the team's regular-season opener in September.

Cooper is in line to play to play Saturday against the Chiefs, James Palmer of NFL Networkreports.

The Browns' passing attack is expected to get some work in the preseason finale with Deshaun Watson and Elijah Moore also likely to play. It's unclear how long Cooper will end up playing.