NFL Player News

The Lions waived Johnson (undisclosed) with an injury settlement Tuesday.

The extent of the injury is unclear, but Johnson will be allowed to sign with a new team once healthy. The 5-foot-11 wideout signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa, where he caught 83 passes for 1,114 yards and six touchdowns across 13 appearances last year.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes indicated last week that Hardman has been filling "that spot that Tyreek did on those deep routes" during training camp, NFL.com reports.

While the Chiefs acquired several new free-agent toys at wide receiver this offseason, Hardman is one of the few holdovers from last year and has a history with Mahomes. He hasn't lived up to the second-round billing outside of a serviceable rookie campaign, but perhaps 2022 will finally be the campaign Hardman breaks out after playing in Hill's shadow early in his career.

Waddle was present for practice Tuesday but didn't participate, Adam H. Beasley of Pro Football Network reports.

That usually suggests a minor injury, although the team hasn't announced anything. Waddle was held out of the preseason opener against Tampa Bay along with other starters, and it's unclear if he will be in the lineup for the Dolphins' second exhibition Saturday against Las Vegas. Coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday that he didn't want to reveal his plan, at least not yet.

Claypool said Tuesday that he's fully healthy after dealing with two shoulder injuries earlier in training camp, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

He got hurt after two practices and missed a week and a half, then suffered another shoulder injury two days after returning to practice. His second absence was shorter -- though it did include Pittsburgh's preseason opener -- with Claypool getting back on the field at practice Monday morning. He now says he's healthy, which means he could play in Saturday's exhibition at Jacksonville. With the Steelers' receiving corps hit hard by injuries, Claypool and rookie George Pickens should get most of the first-team snaps this weekend, assuming both play and the Steelers don't rest their starters.

The Colts released Ford on Tuesday, per independent NFL reporter Dov Kleiman.

Ford spent four years in Miami before signing a one-year deal with the Colts this offseason. However, the 2017 seventh-round pick is among the first wave of cuts ahead of Tuesday's 85-man roster deadline. Ford has totaled 63 receptions for 681 yards and two touchdowns across 22 career appearances.

Austin has a walking boot on his injured left foot, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

With Anthony Miller (shoulder) out for the season and a number of other wide receivers banged up, Pittsburgh enters Week 2 of the preseason looking awfully thin at the position. Austin doesn't seem likely to play this Sunday against Jacksonville, though it isn't yet clear how serious his foot injury might be. The rookie fourth-round pick should be in the mix for the fourth or fifth WR spot behind Diontae Johnson (hip), Chase Claypool (shoulder) and fellow rookie George Pickens.

Godwin (knee) is handling 7-on-7 work in Tuesday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Godwin is participating in 7-on-7 work for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair his right ACL, a notable step forward from individual drills. The Buccaneers will doubtless continue to take a cautious approach with Godwin's recovery, but his progress is good news for the team, especially with Mike Evans (hamstring) and Russell Gage (leg) not practicing this week.

Gage (leg) will not practice this week, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Coach Todd Bowles said Gage and fellow wideout Mike Evans (hamstring) will sit out this week's joint practices with Tennessee. The severity of Gage's leg injury remains undisclosed, but it's obvious the Buccaneers are prioritizing his health for Week 1, and not Saturday's upcoming preseason game against the Titans.

Coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday that Evans (hamstring) will not practice this week, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Evans and teammate Russell Gage (leg) will both refrain from participating in joint practices with the Titans this week. The Buccaneers' top priority will be to let Evans rest up and get healthy for Week 1, but with Chris Godwin (knee) also working his way back from an ACL injury, it's notable that the team remains without most of its top pass catchers in practice.

Toney (leg) is participating in individual drills during Tuesday's practice, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Toney is also participating in some positional drills Tuesday. The second-year wideout isn't expected to fully practice this week after having sat out the Giants' first preseason contest, but it's encouraging to see him participating in some capacity. New York appears likely to take a cautious approach with Toney's health, so he may not suit up for Sunday's preseason game against the Bengals.