NFL Player News

Coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that the Steelers will move Metcalf around the formation more in 2026, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.

Metcalf played just over 14 percent of his offensive snaps out of the slot last regular season, so perhaps the new coaching staff in Pittsburgh has a plan to get him more looks inside, which would translate to easier "layup" style catches and allow Metcalf to make plays with the ball in his hands. "We need him going," McCarthy said. "DK can change games." In his first season with Pittsburgh in 2025, Metcalf recorded a career-low 850 receiving yards on 59 catches across 15 regular-season contests. Headed into his second season with Aaron Rodgers, both players will aim for improved chemistry.

Smith-Njigba said he wants to show "different levels" and become an "upgraded version" of himself in 2026 after leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards last regular season, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Smith-Njigba enters camp as Seattle's clear offensive centerpiece after an Offensive Player of the Year season and Super Bowl run, but his surroundings have shifted. With former OC Klint Kubiak gone and first-time play caller Brian Fleury taking over, the offense could look notably different despite the return of quarterback Sam Darnold. Smith-Njigba is coming off a season that proves his elite fantasy ceiling beyond a doubt, but it remains to be seen whether Fleury can effectively move him around the formation and create mismatches the way Kubiak did.

Brady was waived by the Raiders on Monday.

The wide receiver signed with Las Vegas in May as an undrafted free agent after serving as a punt-return specialist for Indiana during its national championship campaign a year ago. Now, he'll have to find another NFL opportunity.

Wysong (undisclosed) was waived with a non-football injury designation by the Vikings on Monday, Craig Peters of the team's official site reports.

The wide receiver will revert to Minnesota's reserve/non-football injury list if he's not claimed by another team. At that point, he would need to reach an injury settlement with the Vikings to have a chance to play in 2026. Wysong signed with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in April after spending his final collegiate season with Arizona last year.

The Jaguars hosted Jones on a visit Monday, Paul Bretl of USA Today reports.

Jones is bouncing back from an Achilles' tear that he suffered in Week 10 while with the Cardinals last year, but the wideout's visit with Jacksonville suggests that his recovery is progressing well. The Jaguars' WR corps currently features Brian Thomas, Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and Travis Hunter, so if Jones does catch on with the team he played for in 2022 and 2023, it would be in a depth role behind that quartet.

The Colts placed Pierce (ankle) on the active/PUP list Monday, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

It's not an unexpected move after Pierce underwent ankle surgery in March. His recovery is expected to linger into training camp, and it's unclear if the wideout will be ready for the regular-season opener against the Ravens in 48 days. Without Pierce and with Michael Pittman now in Pittsburgh, the Colts look extremely thin at the position. Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is an unimposing top three.

Boutte is off to a good start early on in training camp, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

Per Callahan, Boutte, who sat out parts of OTAs but reported for the Patriots' mandatory minicamp last month, has made the two best catches of training camp thus far. Following the team's offseason additions of A.J. Brown in a trade and Romeo Doubs via free agency, there's been speculation that New England may look to deal Boutte, but he remains in the mix for now, and as long as that remains the case, he'll have an opportunity to secure the role as the team's No. 3 WR ahead of Week 1. Also vying for snaps at the position that don't go to Brown and Doubs are Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism.

Douglas is working with the first-team offense to begin training camp, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

The "most common grouping" Monday, according to Callahan, involved A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs out wide with Douglas in the slot. Kayshon Boutte mixed in at X receiver, and Brown moved around the formation. Right now, it sounds like the Patriots like Brown as the X, Doubs at the Z spot and Douglas working the middle of the field out of the slot. That leaves Mack Hollins, Efton Chism and Kyle Williams competing for sub-package snaps and rotational roles. Douglas played just 26.3 percent of the offensive snaps last regular season, but with Stefon Diggs out of the picture and Brown more of an outside prototype, Douglas could see his playing time come back up in 2026.

Kirk sustained a calf injury during Sunday's practice and is not practicing Monday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kirk walked off the field with trainers Sunday. Soft-tissue injuries are common during training camp, as players are ramping up to full speed and in pads after a long offseason. The severity of Kirk's calf strain isn't known, but consider him day-to-day. Kirk signed with the Niners in March and is expected to operate as the primary slot receiver alongside Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall this season.

Hollins said Monday he'd be willing to play some tight end this season, Karen Guregian of MassLive.com reports.

The Patriots signed Julian Hill earlier in the offseason as experienced depth behind Hunter Henry, but Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury during the spring. New England used a third-round pick on Eli Raridon, but it remains to be seen if he'll develop enough to contribute right away. Hollins is 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds and known as one of the most willing blocking wideouts in the league, so it wouldn't be foreign for Hollins to play closer to the line of scrimmage to get his hands on opposing edge defenders and linebackers.