NFL Player News

Jones may be competing for a roster spot with Dante Pettis, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

After being selected in the third round of the 2022 draft, Jones was most valuable as a kick returner with 642 yards. However, he recorded just 107 yards as a receiver and 103 yards on nine rushing attempts. It's possible the final wide receiver roster spots come down to special-teams play, and if Jones can impress in that capacity, he could have an edge on Pettis.

Pettis may battle for a roster spot with Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Pettis recorded 245 yards and three touchdowns and also worked as a punt returner in his first year with the Bears. Since he's not the physical blocker that St. Brown is, it may be difficult for Pettis to surpass him on the depth chart. It seems likely he'll be in a direct battle with Jones. Of the two, Pettis has more experience, but Jones could show improvement in his second year and has a rare size-speed combination. This camp battle could last until the latter days of August.

St. Brown is valuable to the Bears due to his blocking and knowledge of the system, and could slot in as the team's No. 4 or 5 receiver, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

St. Brown recorded 323 yards and a touchdown in his first year with the Bears. Even though he wasn't a big statistical contributor, he was often used to block in the run game, where he was very effective. His main competition for a roster spot in a wideout corps that also includes DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool is expected to come from Dante Pettis and Velus Jones. Although St. Brown seems to have the early edge, this battle could go down to the last days of the preseason.

Hopkins is taking his time weighing offers from the Patriots and Titans, hoping to get more teams involved, Chris Mason of The Springfield Republican reports.

The two teams that have shown the most interest aren't especially likely to make deep playoff runs even if they add Hopkins to their currently undermanned WR rooms. The 31-year-old is perhaps hoping to drum up more interest this summer so he can sign with a better team and/or receive more money than he's currently being offered. Hopkins has about five weeks to decide before NFL teams open training camp and practice again, though he can get his hands on a new playbook sooner if he signs earlier in the summer.

St. Brown (knee) participated in Chicago's mandatory minicamp last week, Larry Mayer of the team's official site reports.

St. Brown injured his knee during the team's season finale against the Vikings, but he appears to be healthy once again. The 26-year-old should have an ample opportunity to compete for playing time heading into the start of the season while both Darnell Mooney (ankle) and Chase Claypool (undisclosed) remain sidelined due to injuries.

Benson (knee) was seen catching passes on a side field during a recent minicamp practice, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Benson finished last season on injured reserve thanks to an unspecified knee injury. It's not clear if he'll be available for training camp next month.

St. Brown said that he is aiming to become more of a deep threat, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Only seven players have caught more passes than St. Brown since he was drafted in 2021, but he hasn't topped six touchdowns in either of the past two years, and only once has he caught a pass longer than 40 yards. Ultimately, his reliance on red-zone targets for touchdowns is one of the only knocks left on St. Brown's fantasy game, and any progress he could make this offseason as a downfield receiver would surely help in this area. While he'll also need his coaches to give him the opportunity to catch those kinds of passes on Sundays, it helps that the player Detroit drafted in 2022 to be its top deep threat, Jameson Williams, is suspended for the first six games of the year.

Patrick (knee) participated in full team drills at OTAs and minicamp, The Athletic's Nick Kosmider reports.

Patrick tore his ACL early in training camp last year and missed the entirety of the 2022 season. He now seems to be at, or near, 100 percent and should continue to be full go ahead for camp next month. Patrick is expected to be a fixture in three-wide sets for the Broncos alongside Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. Patrick and Russell Wilson had developed a noticeable chemistry last offseason prior to the receiver's season-ending injury. It will be interesting to see how targets are distributed this year.

Miller (undisclosed) reverted to the Giants' injured reserve Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Miller was waived by New York with an injury designation Thursday, but he cleared waivers and has reverted to IR. He'll now be forced to miss the entire 2023 campaign unless he reaches an injury settlement. The 2022 UDFA had a similar situation last year and is still looking to make his NFL regular-season debut.

The Falcons waived Marshall on Friday, Scott Bair of the team's official site reports.

Marshall signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in May, but he's been let go following mandatory minicamp. The 23-year-old wideout transferred to Buffalo for his final collegiate campaign and caught 64 passes for 837 yards and nine touchdowns across 13 games.