NFL Player News

Smith-Schuster said Wednesday that his knee is fully healed ahead of Sunday's game in Arizona, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com, the wideout dealt with some preseason knee soreness, but Smith-Schuster has moved past the issue and is on track to play Week 1. In that contest, Smith-Schuster is in line to be a key cog in a new-look wideout corps that no longer includes Tyreek Hill but added Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Skyy Moore to join Mecole Hardman.

Lazard (undisclosed) won't practice Wednesday, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Head coach Matt LaFleur didn't elaborate on the injury but noted that Lazard got stepped on in practice last week. The wideout has now missed a few practices and has two more chances to get out on the field before Sunday's opener against Minnesota. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com relays that Lazard has been "running hard" while rehabbing off to the side.

Waddle (lower body) is practicing Wednesday without a protective sleeve on his leg, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Mike McDaniel suggested that Waddle was limited in Wednesday's session, but it's encouraging to see the second-year wideout operating without a leg sleeve. Waddle will have two more chances to upgrade his activity level prior to Sunday's season opener against the Patriots. Barring any setbacks, he looks on track to take the field Week 1 with few restrictions, if any.

Montgomery (ankle) was present for Wednesday's practice, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Curran notes that Montgomery, who was carted off the field during the Patriots' preseason finale, looked "spry" Wednesday. The Patriots will release their first Week 1 injury report later in the day, when it will be revealed whether Montgomery is listed as a full participant. In any case, the change-of-pace back's presence at practice to begin the week bodes well for his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Dolphins.

Edwards is listed as a backup receiver on the Falcons' unofficial depth chart ahead of Sunday's season opener against the Saints, Scott Bair of the team's official site reports.

Edwards was the odd man out in Las Vegas after the team traded for Davante Adams, which resulted in the 2020 third-round pick being shipped to Atlanta this offseason. The Falcons had just selected Drake London in the first round before they traded for Edwards, seemingly giving them a new starting wideout duo. However, Edwards dealt with a shoulder injury during training camp, and though he's now healthy, he's listed as the No. 3 wideout on the Falcons' unofficial depth chart ahead of Week 1 behind London and top returning wideout Olamide Zaccheaus. Given that tight end Kyle Pitts is also expected to be a major factor in the passing attack, it's unclear how have much fantasy value Edwards will hold as the No. 4 option in a passing attack led by Marcus Mariota, at least initially.

London (knee) is listed as the No. 1 wideout on the Falcons' unofficial depth chart ahead of Sunday's game against the Saints, Scott Bair of the team's official site reports.

Notably, London was listed as a reserve on the Falcons' first unofficial depth chart at the start of training camp, but he's unsurprisingly moved to the top of the heap heading into Week 1. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft left the team's preseason opener with a knee injury after catching his lone target for 24 yards. He was sidelined for the remainder of the exhibition slate but returned to practice Monday. London's return to practice in addition to his being listed as a starter on the Week 1 depth chart is a great sign for his availability for the season opener, but his status won't be officially known until the end of the week.

The Steelers signed Roberson to the practice squad Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Roberson spent time with the Cowboys during the offseason. Now, the undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest will get a chance to prove himself as a developmental option in Pittsburgh.

Cleveland lists Peoples-Jones as a starting receiver on the unofficial depth chart the team released Tuesday, the Browns' official site reports.

Peoples-Jones lined up with the first team throughout training camp, and the only player that had a chance to usurp him for the No. 2 wideout job -- Anthony Schwartz -- didn't perform well enough in camp or preseason games to supplant him. The Browns are hoping Peoples-Jones experiences the growth in his third season that was expected to come in 2021 but never did. He had moments last season and led the team in receiving yards, but Peoples-Jones wasn't a steady source of production.

Slayton and the Giants agreed Wednesday to a pay cut for the 2022 season that will keep him on the roster heading into the team's Week 1 matchup with the Titans, Tom Rock of Newsday reports.

Slayton had been due $2.54 million in the final year of his rookie contract, but his salary will now drop to the league-minimum amount of $965,000 to save the Giants $1.6 million against the cap. According to Rock, Slayton's restructured deal will allow him to earn back some salary if he reaches certain playing-time incentives, but his outlook on that front isn't promising as the Giants' depth chart at receiver currently stands. Slayton looks to be behind all of Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard and Wan'Dale Robinson at receiver, and fellow depth options Richie James and David Sills offer the ability to contribute on special teams. With all that in mind, it wouldn't be surprising if Slayton found himself on the inactive list Sunday in Tennessee.

Shepard (Achilles) said Tuesday that he's "ready to go" for the season opener against Tennessee on Sunday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Shepard tore his Achilles in a game against Dallas on Dec. 19 last year, but he's been working his way back and was activated from the PUP list near the end of training camp. The veteran receiver didn't play in any preseason games, yet Raanan reports that he "did not appear to be limited at all" during practice Tuesday. Shepard's return should be a significant boost to the Giants' passing game, though he has struggled to remain healthy in recent seasons, playing in no more than 12 contests in any of the past three campaigns.