NFL Player News

Claypool says "things are getting easier" for him in the NFL, Teresa Varley of steelers.com reports.

Claypool opened his rookie season on the bench before scoring four touchdowns in his first NFL start Week 5 against Philadelphia. He had just one more 100-yard game the rest of the year, but he finished with nine receiving TDs and two rushing TDs, later adding two more scores in the playoff loss to Cleveland. The 23-year-old enters his second pro season listed as a starter on the Pittsburgh depth chart, alongside fellow wide receivers Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Each of the three is a viable candidate to lead the team in targets, with Claypool standing to benefit most if Ben Roethlisberger rediscovers his deep ball. Either way, the young wideout is confident he'll improve his route running and releases, making him a factor on short and intermediate routes in addition to the more valuable downfield and red-zone work.

Lazard will compete for snaps with fellow wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Amari Rodgers and Devin Funchess, Wes Hodkiewicz of packers.com reports.

Any contribution from Funchess would be a welcome surprise, but even the addition of just Rodgers -- a rookie third-round pick -- gives the Packers a little more depth than they had last year. Despite averaging fewer than five targets per week apiece, Lazard and Valdes-Scantling both played more than 70 percent of offensive snaps in their active games last season, as the Packers had little else behind target-hog Davante Adams. Lazard did have 254 yards and two TDs over the first three weeks of last season before his core muscle injury and subsequent surgery, so he should be right in the mix for the No. 2 job this summer.

Callaway's role is expected to increase in the absence of Michael Thomas (ankle), Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Tre'Quan Smith seems firmly established as the Saints' top receiver in the absence of Thomas, who is expected to be sidelined for at least the first month of the season. Meanwhile, Callaway and Deonte Harris appear like the clear favorites to fill the No. 2 and 3 jobs behind him. While it's too soon to tell which guy may be the more prominent fantasy contributor once the regular season rolls around, it seems like the Saints have confidence in both of them given how little the team did to make any significant investments at the position this offseason.

Valdes-Scantling will compete with Allen Lazard, Amari Rodgers and Devin Funchess for complementary roles in the Green Bay offense, Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com reports.

Last year, Valdes-Scantling tied for second on the team with 63 targets, less than half as many as Davante Adams. This year, the speedy wideout could see even fewer looks, as the Packers' improved depth at wide receiver will make it tough for Valdes-Scantling to match last year's snap count (793, 76.3 percent). On the other hand, MVS finished last season strong with a 4-115-1 receiving line in the playoff loss to Tampa, and his 4.37 speed sets him apart from Lazard, Rodgers and Funchess. Any hope for one of the bunch to emerge as a fantasy asset probably requires QB Aaron Rodgers staying in Green Bay.

Washington is listed with the second unit on Pittsburgh's camp-opening depth chart.

The starting wideouts, as expected, are Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster, while Washington is listed as Johnson's backup. There was some thought back in February/March that Washington could be promoted back to a starting role this year, but the Steelers ended up re-signing Smith-Schuster to a one-year, $8 million contract. As things stand, Washington is unlikely to start unless one of the three guys ahead of him misses time with an injury.

Campbell is healthy for the start of training camp, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

Limited to nine games through two pro seasons, the 2019 second-round pick is coming back from October 2020 surgery to address MCL and PCL injuries in his left knee. He was medically cleared in May and now should be a full participant in training camp, where he'll compete for first-team reps with T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman and Zach Pascal. The No. 3 receiver job could come down to a camp battle between Campbell and Pascal, with the former more explosive while the latter has proven more reliable.

Cowboys president Jerry Jones said Cooper (ankle) should return to practice in mid-August and make at least one brief appearance in the preseason, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Placed on the PUP list to start training camp, Cooper is expected to begin practicing at some point in August, with Jones specifically mentioning the week after an Aug. 13 preseason game against Arizona. The 27-year-old wideout had ankle surgery in January, and while a report in early June revealed that he still was dealing with irritation, Cooper apparently is doing better now that another month and a half has passed. The Cowboys otherwise have all their starters on offense healthy for training camp, including QB Dak Prescott, LT Tyron Smith, RG Zack Martin and RT La'el Collins -- a quartet that combined for 47 missed games last season.

Harris should have an opportunity to step up during the beginning of the upcoming season with Michael Thomas (ankle) expected to miss at least the first four games, Mike Triplett of ESPN reports.

Rather than mainly compete with Marquez Callaway for the No. 3 job behind Thomas and Tre'Quan Smith, Harris could spend training camp preparing for a starting role after flashing numerous times as a rotational player over the past two years. Should he succeed in that feat and subsequently perform well as a starter in the regular season, it's possible that Harris then may gain an edge over Callaway for playing time once Thomas returns to the field. After posting a 4.35-second 40 time at his pro day in 2019, Harris has the speed to thrive as a deep threat for a strong-armed quarterback like Jameis Winston, but his production might be less reliable if New Orleans rides with the dual-threat Taysom Hill as its starting QB.

Smith should step into a bigger role early on during the upcoming season with Michael Thomas (ankle) expected to miss at least the first four games, Mike Triplett of ESPN reports.

Despite an inconsistent beginning to his professional career, Smith reportedly is secure in his role as the No. 2 receiver behind Thomas, and the fact that Thomas is set to miss some time means that Smith will serve as the Saints' de facto No. 1 wideout in the short term. Even though Alvin Kamara will remain the focal point of the passing game overall, it's not a stretch to think that Smith could begin the season by at least doubling the average number of targets he saw per game (3.6) last season.

Newsome (collarbone) was placed on the preseason PUP list Sunday, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

The rookie sixth-round pick was ruled out for two months after suffering a broken collarbone in early June, so it's not much of a surprise he'll open camp on the PUP list. Assuming he avoids any setbacks, Newsome should be healthy sometime in early-to-mid August as he attempts to secure a spot on the season-opening roster.