NFL Player News

Evans is tending to a hamstring injury that he sustained at Friday's practice, per NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.

On the same day in which Chris Godwin made his first appearance at practice since suffering a torn ACL back on Dec. 19, Evans made an early exit with a leg issue. It since has been clarified to be to Evans' hamstring, but Schultz reports that it's "minor." Due to his long history of hamstring concerns, there's a good chance the Buccaneers will take the utmost caution with the ninth-year pro and allow him to return to 100 percent before clearing him for on-field work.

Marshall has a lower leg strain, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Person didn't speak to the severity of the injury, so Marshall can be viewed as day-to-day until an update emerges. Carolina's 2021 second-round selection has just over a week to heal up before the team's Aug. 13 preseason opener against Washington.

Osborn is drawing raves early in training camp and has become the clear leader for the No. 3 receiver role, the Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He's been really, really good," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "There's no other way to describe it early on in camp."

Osborn has been primarily used in the slot during practices, which feature more three-receiver sets under the new coaching staff. Osborn recorded a 50-655-7 stat line on 82 targets over 17 contests last season, but he could see his usage increase if the Vikings move away from a run-first offense. Albert Wilson, Bisi Johnson, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Dan Chisena and Jalen Nailor are also competing for the No. 3 role, but even the No. 4 role could have value this season for the Vikings in the new offense.

Aiyuk has excelled in training camp for the 49ers, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Aiyuk reportedly struggled in spring practices, but his play in training camp has earned rave reviews. The 2020 first-round pick was in the doghouse early last season but stepped up his play in the second half of 2021 and appears poised to pick up where he left off late last season.

Coach Todd Bowles said Evans may have "tweaked" a hamstring prior to his early departure from Friday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Evans left early on the same day Chris Godwin (ACL) made his first practice appearance since December. For someone who has missed only seven games across eight NFL seasons, Evans has a surprising lengthy history of hamstring injuries, including one in late 2019 that caused him to miss the final three weeks. Apart from that, he's usually recovered from his hamstring troubles in fairly short order, often putting up big numbers even if he's listed on the injury report. He missed Week 16 with a hamstring injury last year, then erupted for 372 yards and five TDs over the following four games, including playoffs. If this hamstring injury ends up being more serious, the Bucs have Russell Gage and Julio Jones on hand to fill the gap.

Evans left Friday's practice with an apparent leg injury, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Evans left early on the same day Chris Godwin (ACL) made his first practice appearance since December. Initial reports don't make it sound overly serious, but this is obviously something to keep an eye on with Evans going in the second or third round of most fantasy drafts. He's been TD-dependent since Tom Brady joined the Bucs, and while there was some thought his volume could skyrocket this year, Evans now has solid target competition with Godwin doing well in his rehab and Julio Jones signing up for the superteam. Even so, Evans has eight straight 1,000-yard season to start his career, and he remains an annual candidate to lead the league in TD catches (though he's never actually done it, despite four seasons with a dozen or more).

Godwin (knee) appeared limited to straight-line running and individual drills Friday in his return to practice, Greg Auman of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

This is to be expected in his first practice tearing an ACL on Dec. 19. Godwin presumably has done cutting/agility work as part of his rehab process, but the Bucs don't want him pushing it in the more competitive atmosphere of a team practice. The plan, it would seem, is to ramp him up over the next five weeks, with eyes toward Week 1 against Dallas. The team can't be accused of lacking insurance, as offseason signings Russell Gage and Julio Jones can join forces with Mike Evans to give Tampa an impressive WR group even if Godwin misses games or starts off in a limited role.

Lamb is the clear top option at wide receiver for the Cowboys this season, and quarterback Dak Prescott indicated Thursday he intends to look for the third-year player every chance he gets, Nick Eatman of the team's official website reports.

"CeeDee is a guy that wants the ball, expects the ball," Prescott said. "When one guy is on him he's not covered in his head. And I appreciate that and like that. So I think in that sense yeah, as Kellen said, we'll feature him. Some plays will be designed to get it to him but in a case where everybody is one on one across the board, yeah, he's our guy to go to." The offseason departure of Amari Cooper, along with injuries to Michael Gallup (knee) and James Washington (foot), have left Lamb as the only wideout on the Dallas roster with any sort of real NFL experience to begin the year. That's likely to lead to plenty of double coverage, but it should also result in a huge uptick in targets for the 23-year-old, who averaged 7.2 targets a game over his first two seasons. With little competition for looks, at least until Gallup returns to action, Lamb could push into elite territory in that metric -- only 11 receivers averaged 9.0 targets a game or more last season, a figure that seems well within reach for CeeDee in 2022.

Grant has benefited from injuries at wide receiver to get steady reps during drills, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports.

Grant's primary role with Cleveland will be as a returner, but he and Michael Woods have showcased skills with the opportunity. Grant is one of the quicker players on the field and can be dangerous in the open field. None of the sidelined wideouts are dealing with significant injuries, so Grant's reps will eventually dry up.

Godwin (knee) returned to practice Friday, sporting a knee brace in his first session since suffering an ACL tear last December, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

It's a big step forward and all but confirms that the Bucs hope to have Godwin ready for Week 1. The timing of his injury toward the end of last season has made that a question mark, but all reports suggests his rehab has gone well, with avoidance of the PUP list at the beginning of training camp being an especially good sign. He's now practicing, though perhaps on a limited basis, with more than five weeks to go before Tampa's season opener against Dallas.