NFL Player News

Crowder, Corey Davis and Keelan Cole handled most of the first-team reps at wide receiver Wednesday during the first practice of Jets training camp, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

The Jets have five players in the mix for top-three roles, with Crowder, Davis and Cole joined by 2020 second-round pick Denzel Mims and 2021 second-rounder Elijah Moore. The rookie is the biggest threat to Crowder's playing time in the slot, though Cole got plenty of work inside during his time with the Jaguars, particularly last year. While there were rumors Crowder would be released after the Jets drafted Moore, the 28-year-old slot man ended up renegotiating his contract to stick around. He's still scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, and the Jets might still try to trade him at some point in 2021.

The Packers are expected to finalize a trade with the Texans to acquire Cobb within the next few days, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Green Bay will need to clear out some cap space before the deal becomes official, making room for Cobb's guaranteed $8.25 million base salary. Once he joins the Packers, Cobb could renegotiate his contract as part of the deal. The trade will reunite Cobb with reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers, who was present for Wednesday's training camp session following an offseason standoff.

Reagor is dealing with lower-body tightness and was limited at Wednesday's practice, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

With the 2020 first-round pick being a limited participant on the first day of camp, the Eagles trotted out DeVonta Smith and Travis Fulgham as their starting wide receivers, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports. Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner and 10th overall pick in the draft, is a good bet to stay in the lineup for Week 1, while Fulgham may lose his spot as soon as Reagor is deemed healthy. Granted, it isn't a great sign that Reagor is already missing practice reps as he looks to rebound from a disappointing rookie season in which he missed five games.

The Dolphins placed Parker on the PUP list Wednesday due to an unspecified injury, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

No injury or surgery was reported this offseason, with Parker's main concern being target and snap competition after the Dolphins signed Will Fuller and drafted Jaylen Waddle. Quarterback play is also a major issue, though the improved group of pass catchers should help Tua Tagovailoa look more comfortable than he did last season. While the specifics of Parker's current injury haven't been revealed, he has a history of hamstring issues, including frequent appearances on practice reports in 2020. He managed to play 14 games, albeit with the hamstring issues limiting his workload in at least two of those.

Johnson returned to practice Tuesday after a false positive COVID-19 test result, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The second-year wideout and safety Antoine Winfield both produced what now appear to have been false positives on Sunday, leading to both missing Monday's session. Johnson was active Tuesday, however, with Vitali noting that he got "quite a bit of work" in and made a particularly impressive catch on a Tom Brady pass in one of the day's 11-on-11 periods. Having produced a 12-169-12 line over 265 offensive snaps as a rookie, Johnson could have a slightly clearer path to more playing time this season with fellow wideout Justin Watson (knee) out until at least late November.

Godwin (undisclosed) did not participate in Tuesday's practice, Jenna Laine of ESPN reports.

Laine adds that Godwin looked very good over the first two days of camp, so physical injury doesn't appear to be the explanation for Tuesday's absence. However, the fifth-year wideout isn't dealing with any COVID-related issues either, as Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times relayed that Godwin was present as an observer but without a helmet.

Darden has made a positive early impression over the first few days of training camp while getting some opportunities to work with the first-team offense, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "Yeah, he's going to keep flashing," said head coach Bruce Arians. "That's why he's out there with Tom and those guys. He's learning you don't just run - get the head around because that ball's already in the air. He knows how to get open and it's just letting him finish now."

The speedy fourth-round rookie has already managed to shake free against some of the Buccaneers' top defenders and is undoubtedly benefitting from an opportunity to already get some work in with Tom Brady. Darden has also proven quick to put any jitters behind him, as he's already displaying much more consistent hands following a drop-heavy first training camp session Sunday. That was particularly on display during Tuesday's practice, when Darden made a diving touchdown catch on a Brady pass during a red-zone drill. With fellow wideout Justin Watson (knee) sidelined until late November at minimum, Darden has one less obstacle on the depth chart to contend with for scrimmage snaps.

Evans has been particularly impressive over the first three days of training camp despite soaring temperatures, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "That's Mike," said head coach Bruce Arians on Tuesday. "He should be, he's All-Pro. If he wasn't I'd be really concerned. Some of these guys didn't train in this humidity. Mike's one of these guys, he gets there and I'm really pleased with where he's at."

The fact the multi-time Pro Bowler is standing out isn't completely newsworthy given his track record, but Evans made two especially impressive catches in Monday's two-minute drill and then was even more prolific throughout Tuesday's session. Evans appears to also have lost weight this offseason, and he's encouraged by the prospect of an offense that already appears to be reaping the benefits of having a year in Arians' system under its collective belt. "I felt that in mini-camp," said Evans. "In mini-camp, it seems like we didn't leave. It felt like we took a couple of weeks off and we're back it. I feel like we're going to be much better, especially offensively this year."

Samuel (groin) was placed on the PUP list Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Samuel was forced to sit out June minicamp due to a groin injury, and he isn't back to full health in time for the start of training camp. The Football Team may simply be taking a cautious approach to the health of their prized free-agency signing, but for the time being Samuel's health will need to be monitored. As long as he remains sidelined, depth options like Dyami Brown, Cam Sims, Steven Sims, Kelvin Harmon and Antonio Gandy-Golden could benefit from increased reps behind Terry McLaurin and Adam Humphries.

The Packers are working on a trade to acquire Cobb from the Texans, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Cobb turns 31 in August and has a guaranteed $8.25 million base salary this season, so any trade likely will involve a pay cut or some other form of contract renegotiation. If the Packers do in fact trade for Cobb, he'll presumably get most of the slot reps in three-wide formations, dampening the fantasy outlook for all of Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Amari Rodgers. Meanwhile, the Texans would be left with Keke Coutee and recent trade acquisition Anthony Miller competing for slot snaps.