NFL Player News

Cooper is among the Browns' key players not in line to see action in Thursday's preseason opener against the Jets, according to Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Per Easterling, the same applies to fellow WR Elijah Moore as well as TEs David Njoku and, quite possibly, Harrison Bryant. With that in mind, look for the likes of David Bell, Daylen Baldwin, Cedric Tillman, Austin Watkins and potentially Mike Harley (concussion) to catch passes from QBs Kellen Mond and Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Thursday. As long as Cooper can stay healthy, he'll remain entrenched as the Browns' top wideout heading into the coming season.

Chark and QB Bryce Young have developed timing quickly, especially on deep passes, Joseph Person of The Athletic reports.

The Panthers signed Chark and Adam Thielen this offseason to give Young a pair of experienced starters at wide receiver, where 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall and rookie second-rounder Jonathan Mingo also are competing for playing time. Chark is the tallest of that group at 6-3, and he might also be the fastest even if he's lost a half step since running a 4.34 40-yard dash at the 2018 Combine. Consistency is another matter, as he's missed 22 games since his 1,000-yard breakout in 2019 and has averaged a modest 3.2 catches for 48.6 yards in the 28 games he's played. Chark did improve his per-target efficiency after moving from Jacksonville to Detroit last offseason, producing 9.7 YPT in 11 games for the Lions despite playing through an ankle injury most of the year. He had surgery on the ankle in the offseason and now seems to be back at full strength without any setbacks through the first week-plus of training camp.

Thompson (concussion) will not practice Thursday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Thomspon is trying to make the team after joining Buffalo as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State. He will now need to pass through the league's concussion protocols before he can take the field.

Coulter (knee) is not practicing Thursday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

It's not clear when Coulter suffered the injury or the severity of it. However, he'll remain sidelined until he's recovered, which could impact his ability to earn a roster spot. He'll now work to get healthy so he can continue to try and makes the Bills' 53-man roster.

Thornton (undisclosed) remained limited at practice Thursday, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

Thornton, who was also limited Wednesday, is off to a slow start in training camp, and the 2022 second-rounder will have some catching up to do once he resumes practicing fully. When healthy, the Baylor product has the speed to provide the Patriots offense with a deep threat, but steady volume may be hard to come by for Thornton out of the gate this season, with JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne also in the team's wideout mix.

Gage (leg) is participating in 11-on-11s, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Smith adds that Gage caught a 20-yard pass from the slot during Thursday's practice while taking a first-team rep in 11 personnel. That will likely be his role once the season begins, working as the third receiver behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, though it remains to be seen how they typically align under new offensive coordinator Dave Canales. There's already discussion of Evans moving around more in the new offense, and both Gage and Godwin arguably are at their best when operating from the slot. Versatility is a good thing, of course, but Gage might have a rather low rate of targets per route if he spends a good chunk of his time on the perimeter and shares the field with a healthy Evans and healthy Godwin. In any case, Gage seems to have moved past the leg injury that limited his participation in spring practices and the first week of training camp.

Ross, who has had a strong training camp, continues to push for a roster spot as the Chiefs' preseason opener approaches, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

The report notes that Ross, who has moved past a foot injury that kept him on injured reserve all of last season, has seen some first-team reps during training camp and has looked good in doing so. At this point, Kadarius Toney (who has been sidelined of late with a knee issue), Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and rookie Rashee Rice profile as the Chiefs' top WR options, but if Ross continues to excel as the summer progresses, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder could secure a depth role in the team's passing offense to start the coming season.

Cooks has shown a strong rapport with Dak Prescott through minicamp and the early part of training camp, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The veteran wideout's ability to quickly grasp an offense and form a connection with a quarterback is a big part of the reason why he's been able to post 1,000-yard seasons for all four teams he's suited up with over his nine-year NFL career, and Cooks appears well on his way to making it five-for-five in his first campaign with Dallas in 2023. With CeeDee Lamb already drawing plenty of attention from secondaries, Cooks' ability to stretch the field figures to cause a lot of problems for defenses.

Benson suffered a leg injury in practice Wednesday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Benson needed to be carted off the field after suffering the injury. However, after evaluation, head coach Dan Campbell suggested it was just a sprain. The 26-year-old came into camp fully recovered from a knee injury that cut his 2022 campaign short, but now he'll have to deal with another setback. He'll work to get healthy as he tries to earn a spot on the team's 53-man roster.

Marshall has "really surged over the last four practices" and was one of Carolina's standouts at the team's in-stadium practice Wednesday night, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The 2021 second-round pick previously earned praise from coaches and beat writers during the offseason program and seems to have continued the momentum into training camp. Despite catching only 45 passes for 628 yards and one TD through 27 career games, Marshall comes with some third-year-breakout potential in an offense that has a new playcaller (head coach Frank Reich) and a new quarterback (first overall pick Bryce Young). It helps that Marshall is one of the youngest players from his draft class, having turned 23 in June, though he'll still have to battle for snaps after the Panthers signed Adam Thielen and DJ Chark in March and drafted Jonathan Mingo in April. Chark's presence, in particular, could be a significant obstacle for Marshall, considering both are tall, fast receivers who primarily run routes downfield from outside alignments.