NFL Player News

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said Wednesday that Saunders has been diagnosed with a quadriceps strain and will be sidelined for three to four weeks, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Given the return timetable, Saunders likely won't be available for any of the Panthers' preseason contests, which will make it extremely difficult for him to land a spot on the initial 53-man roster. The former Ohio State wideout was elevated to the Panthers' active roster for Weeks 16 and 18 last year, catching both of his targets for 11 yards.

Gage exited Wednesday's practice scrimmage against the Dolphins with an apparent left foot or ankle issue, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Gage walked off the field under his own power, though he seemed to be in discomfort while doing so. The severity of Gage's injury will need to be monitored, given that he'll likely be primed for a key role in Tampa Bay's offense if healthy. The Buccaneers already have Mike Evans (hamstring) dealing with minor issue and Chris Godwin (knee) working his way back from a torn ACL.

Grant will miss the 2022 season after tests confirmed he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in Tuesday's practice, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

The 29-year-old depth receiver and return specialist reportedly was having a strong training camp before his season-ending injury. With Grant out, there's an opening for Demetric Felton or D'Ernest Johnson (among others) to return kicks and punts for Cleveland.

Fehoko has been one of the Cowboys' standout players in practice over the last few days, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The 2021 fifth-round pick didn't see a target as a rookie and was used only sparingly on special teams, but Fehoko seems a lot more comfortable heading into his second NFL season, and his athleticism has been showing up in camp. There are plenty of snaps and targets up for grabs at wide receiver in Dallas behind CeeDee Lamb and rookie Jalen Tolbert to begin the season, with Fehoko, Noah Brown, Dennis Houston, T.J. Vasher and KaVontae Turpin all jockeying for position on the depth chart. At the moment, Fehoko appears to be the one with the most momentum heading into Saturday's preseason opener against the Broncos.

Shakir (soreness) returned to practice Wednesday, Matt Parrino of The Syracuse Post-Standard reports.

Shakir missed only a few practices and may thus stand a chance to make his NFL debut in Saturday's exhibition against Indianapolis. The rookie fifth-round pick is competing for a backup receiver job and return work.

McKenzie (undisclosed) returned to practice Wednesday, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

McKenzie was held out for a few days with unspecified soreness. He's taken most of the first-team slot receiver reps in training camp, but veteran Jamison Crowder is also a strong candidate for the job now that he's back on the field after missing the first week of camp with an unspecified injury of his own.

Shenault won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Browns due to a hamstring injury, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Missing preseason action is the last thing the 2020 second-round pick needs to carve out meaningful snaps heading into Week 1 now that he's primarily running with the second-string offense. Based on reports out of camp, Shenault's main role this season might be backing up Christian Kirk in the slot.

Kirk is working off to the side at Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

The injury, while seemingly minor, will probably be reason enough to hold Kirk out of Friday's preseason game against Cleveland. The Jaguars are expected to play their other starters, and they're already a bit thin at wide receiver with depth options Laviska Shenault (ankle) and Jamal Agnew (hip) ruled out for Friday's game. Kirk, Marvin Jones and Zay Jones have been getting most of the first-team reps at training camp, with Kirk taking many snaps from the slot.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday that Smith (groin) is day-to-day, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

Smith remains sidelined due to a minor groin injury, but he's managed to resume handling rehab work off to the side. Sirianni also announced that the Eagles' starters will be on the field for one or two series during Friday's preseason opener against the Jets, but it remains to be seen if Smith will be cleared to suit up in time for that contest. When deemed healthy, Smith will rejoin A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert as Jalen Hurts' top receiving options.

Harley's path to a roster spot improved after Jakeem Grant suffered an Achilles injury during Tuesday's practice, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

In addition to Grant's injury, which is feared to be a torn Achilles, sixth-round draft pick Michael Woods will miss time due to a hamstring injury, creating reps and opportunities for receivers like Harley further down the depth chart. Harley is a undrafted free agent out Miami (Fla.) that gained kickoff return experience during his time in college. Since Grant was slated to serve as the club's primary return man on both kickoffs and punts, Harley should be among the many players the Browns audition for either role during the preseason.