NFL Player News

Davis (ankle) was on the field for Saturday's practice, John Harris of the Texans' official site reports.

Davis sustained a fractured left ankle late in 2021 and underwent surgery as a result. With second-round draft pick John Metchie's unfortunate diagnosis (acute promyelocytic leukemia), Davis and others moved up the depth chart. There's still a wealth of bodies in front of Davis, who is competing for the fifth WR spot along with Phillip Dorsett and Jalen Camp.

Collins is working on route running to make sure his body mechanics look the same regardless of the route he's running, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Texans hope Collins can take a big leap during his second season after finishing a distant second to Brandin Cooks in his rookie 2021 season. In addition to disguising his routes better, Collins worked extensively during the offseason with quarterback Davis Mills in an effort to develop chemistry. The duo hooked up on a couple of throws during the second practice of camp Saturday, indicating the time put in during the offseason is working. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver could become a significant red-zone target for Houston, which ranked 27th in the NFL last year, scoring a touchdown on just 51.3 percent of its red-zone trips.

Johnson, who's been a full participant in training camp after finishing last season's postseason run with a rib injury, has made a strong impression in his bid for the No. 5 receiver job, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports. "Tyler came in in great shape," head coach Todd Bowles said. "I think he's learned the offense a little more, so he's playing a lot freer than he was the last two years. This is a great camp for him. He'll get a lot of playing time, and we'll get to see what he's really doing."

Auman notes Johnson has particularly impressed with catches over the middle in 7-on-7 and full-squad drills. The third-year pro has acquitted himself relatively well in limited opportunity over his first two seasons, taking advantage of injuries in the Buccaneers' receiving corps at times on his way to generating a 48-529-2 line on 72 targets across 31 games. With Tampa Bay's top four wideouts set, Johnson is battling several candidates, including capable holdovers Breshad Perriman and Scotty Miller, for a spot on the back end of the positional depth chart this summer.

Gage enjoyed another productive day at training camp Saturday, recording at least five receptions, including two touchdowns, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.

Dix notes that Gage's success hasn't just been limited to Saturday, as he's been a go-to target for Tom Brady to varying degree in each session thus far. Gage has flashed in multiple ways, including making impressive catches on crossing patterns, near the sideline and in the end zone. The arrival of Julio Jones may keep Gage as the No. 3 wideout to start the season even while Chris Godwin (knee) is finishing his recovery from ACL surgery, but the veteran's quick chemistry with Brady still bodes very well for his chances of hitting the ground running in the Buccaneers' air attack.

Higgins (shoulder), who reportedly was supposed to be at full strength entering training camp, has not been participating in any team drills, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

This appears to be by design as Higgins has done work in individual receiving drills, but he hasn't been a factor in any 7-vs-7 or 11-vs-11 simulations. The big-bodied target had surgery back in April to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, which he suffered all the way back in Week 2 of the 2021 campaign, but the injury hardly impacted his play as Higgins went on to record or tie career highs in every major receiving category.

Claypool (shoulder) is a non-participant at Saturday's practice, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Claypool dinged up his shoulder at Friday's practice, but the general feeling as of now is that it is not anything serious. It would not be a surprise for the Steelers to be erring on the side of caution this early on training camp. Still, consider him day-to-day going forward.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Saturday that Rodgers is "in much better shape" heading into his second NFL season, Peter Bukowski of The Leap reports.

Rodgers, a 2021 third-round pick, only filled a depth role as a rookie (eight targets in 16 appearances), but he reportedly looks leaner and more explosive in the early days of training camp. At the least, Rodgers is facing increased opportunity. With Davante Adams no longer in the mix, Rodgers is competing for touches in a wide receiver corps headlined by Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb along with rookies Christian Watson (knee) and Romeo Doubs. If Rodgers can continue to live up to LaFleur's praise, it certainly wouldn't be out of the question for him to handle a larger role Year 2.

Edwards left Saturday's practice early to undergo additional testing after evidently injuring his right arm, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Arthur Smith downplayed the injury following practice, but the fact Edwards is expected to undergo additional testing is at least worth monitoring. The former Raiders wide receiver has been working with the starting unit opposite Drake London as the team's No. 2 wideout to begin training camp.

Pascal is not practicing Saturday due to an illness, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Pascal has been sidelined due to an illness since Wednesday, per EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but the Eagles' practice report indicates that the wideout is not dealing with COVID. The 27-year-old wideout is competing for a depth gig in Philadelphia's wide receiver corps, so it would benefit him to return to training camp as soon as possible.

Moore feels more comfortable heading into his second season and is ready to take a second-year leap, Jared Greenspan of the New York Post reports.

Moore was still getting used to the NFL level as a rookie, yet he still managed to lead the Jets in receiving yards despite playing just 11 games. He expects to be even better in his sophomore season and even feels comfortable enough to give rookie first-round pick Garrett Wilson tips, both on and off the field. "I had to go experience it," Moore said of playing at NFL speed last season. Now, he feels ready to excel: "I'm waiting, I'm ready for the game."