NFL Player News

Kirkwood (concussion) was released from the hospital Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Kirkwood was taken off the practice field via a stretcher Tuesday after a collision, and early signs about his recovery have been positive. Per Steve Reed of the Associated Press, Kirkwood has been diagnosed with a concussion and has returned to team facilities.

Johnson (foot/ankle) didn't practice Tuesday, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.

Johnson reportedly looked good early in training camp but then suffered a minor foot/ankle injury over the weekend. He's competing for the No. 3 receiver role with Jalen Guyton and rookie Josh Palmer.

Kirk (undisclosed) is expected to miss a few more practices beyond Tuesday, Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury didn't disclose the location of Kirk's injury but did say he expects the wide receiver to rejoin practice soon, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. The 24-year-old figures to play more slot in the fourth and final season of his rookie contract, after the Cardinals signed 33-year-old A.J. Green in March.

Pringle appears to have an early lead over Demarcus Robinson in their competition for the No. 3 receiver role, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Listed at 203 pounds, Pringle dropped to 196 this offseason in an effort to improve his speed, perhaps anticipating that he'll take over some of Robinson's deep routes from the past few seasons. Robinson has already shown that playing time doesn't necessarily lead to steady targets for him in an offense with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, but there is always upside from TDs and big plays when QB Patrick Mahomes is on the field. While the Chiefs are counting on Mecole Hardman to step up as a reliable No. 2 WR and No. 3 option in the passing game, there's an opportunity for Pringle to be that guy instead if Hardman is a bust.

Smith was forced out of Tuesday's practice early with an unspecified issue, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Smith was walking under his own power afterward, but the wideout's status will still need to be monitored in the coming days. Assuming Smith's injury isn't anything long-term, the 25-year-old appears poised to see an expanded role early on this season, with top option Michael Thomas recovering from an ankle injury and likely to miss time out of the gate.

The early signs on Kirkwood's condition are positive after the wideout was taken off the field on a stretcher Tuesday in the wake of a collision during practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

At this stage, it's uncertain how much time Kirkwood might miss, but coach Matt Rhule relayed afterward that the receiver had movement in his extremities and wasn't dealing with pain in his neck area. Kirkwood, who caught one of two targets for 13 yards during his lone regular-season appearance on 2020, is in the mix for a depth slot in the Panthers' WR corps.

Hill missed Tuesday's practice with knee tendinitis, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Hill put on pads for part of Tuesday's practice and lifted weights in a tent on the sideline. He's missed just six games through five NFL seasons, including two absences from meaningless Week 17 contests. It doesn't sound like the knee tendinitis is any major threat to his track record of durability.

Kirk is absent from practice for a second straight day Tuesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

It likely means Kirk is nursing an injury, though nothing has been reported so far. He has a lot to prove in the final year of his rookie contract, following a 2020 campaign with only 621 receiving yards in 14 games.

Coach Ron Rivera isn't worried about Samuel (groin) missing practice, noting that the wide receiver previously worked with Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner in 2018-19 for the Panthers, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Samuel may be comfortable with the concepts and playbook, but he could still probably benefit from the reps as he adjusts to a new team and new group of quarterbacks. He started training camp on the PUP list due to a groin injury from the offseason program, before being moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list July 29. Still, Rivera has said multiple times that he isn't worried, though he hasn't gone so far as to provide a return timeline or estimate. Samuel signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract in March, receiving $23 million guaranteed to work as the No. 2 receiver alongside up-and-coming star Terry McLaurin.

Montgomery is seeing more reps as a wide receiver in training camp, John DeShazier of the Saints' official site reports. "Ty's played running back and receiver for us. We want to focus a little bit more on his reps being at receiver," coach Sean Payton said Monday.

Payton said that the recent decision to sign Devonta Freeman started with the decision to switch things up with Montgomery, making it sound as if he isn't a consideration at running back anymore. Instead, the Saints seem to want the six-year veteran to return to the position he primarily played in college in an attempt to stabilize a wide receiver room that has Michael Thomas (ankle) under wraps and Deonte Harris potentially facing legal fallout from a DUI charge. Without Thomas and Harris, the Saints' top three receivers would be Tre'Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway and Chris Hogan -- and former running back Montgomery offers a different skill set than any of them.