NFL Player News

Kirkwood broke his clavicle at Sunday's practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

After undergoing surgery, Kirkwood "will be out several weeks," per Bill Voth of the team's official site. Like the Panthers' new starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, Kirkwood spent the last two seasons with the Saints. However, Kirkwood's lacking production -- all 13 of his career catches occurred in 2018 -- implies he only has a practice rapport with Bridgewater. Kirkwood's current injury also doesn't help his case for regular-season reps, but at least Week 1 is four weeks in the future, which may give him enough time to get healthy.

The Giants waived White on Sunday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.

White had an impressive final collegiate season with Michigan State, recording 66 catches for 922 yards and six touchdowns. The undrafted rookie wide receiver only spent a week with the Giants, and he has nearly a month to find a new team before season openers begin.

Smith is battling a core-muscle injury and will visit a specialist Monday, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

There's no report on the severity of Smith's injury, and the Jets likely will release more info after his doctor visit. He's expected to work as a depth receiver -- like he did last year -- with the Jets, and he should make most of his impact as the team's top kick returner if he's healthy.

Jeudy's route running was on display at Broncos' practice, Benjamin Allbright of KOA News Radio reports.

Jeudy, unsurprisingly as a rookie, has spent most of his practice time with the second-team offense, according to Allbright. His ability to accelerate in and out of brakes put his defensive teammates in a bind, and Jeudy seems like a safe bet to get time with the first-team offense soon. Once he makes it there, he'll likely alternate between outside and the slot. Early practices have had veteran Tim Patrick lined up outside opposite Courtland Sutton, leaving a slot role for the young technician. Jeudy could also supplant Patrick on the outside to free up a spot for second-round speedster KJ Hamler, who spent most of his time in the slot while at Penn State.

The Packers waived Stewart on Saturday.

Stewart signed with the Packers after going undrafted in April, but the 24-year-old wide receiver didn't stick around in training camp long. The Michigan State product had a decent final collegiate season with 49 receptions for 697 yards and four touchdowns, yet he'll likely need to contribute on special teams to make an active roster this fall.

Samuel (foot) is not expected to be available Week 1 according to coach Kyle Shanahan, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

This should surprise only the most optimistic of 49ers fans, as Samuel's surgery and ensuing 10-to-12 week recovery timeline already put him precariously close to the start of the regular season, without factoring in practice time to regain some conditioning and get reps within the offense. Both Shanahan and general manager John Lynch left open just a sliver of hope in their comments with the media about an opening-season debut, but based on other NFL players who have suffered the injury recently, a cautious approach has seemingly stymied the possible risk of aggravating the issue down the road.

Pringle was absent from Saturday's practice due to a hamstring issue, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

This is the first news regarding a hamstring issue for Pringle and the severity is not known at this time. When healthy, he is expected to primarily provide depth at wide receiver. The 26-year-old hauled in 19 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown in 2019.

Allen is expected to maintain his role as primary threat in the passing game, Hayley Elwood of the Chargers' official site reports.

Allen's role as the team's primary receiving threat was never in doubt, particularly after a third consecutive season with at least 90-plus receptions and 1,190 receiving yards. However, the change from franchise icon Philip Rivers to veteran backup Tyrod Taylor has caused some concern from outsiders, if for no other reason than lack of familiarity. At least when it comes to scheme, expect Allen to be used in exactly the same way, with the possibility of increased production down the road when No. 6 overall pick and verified strong-arm specialist Justin Herbert eventually makes his way into the starting lineup.

Watson has impressed coach Bruce Arians as a candidate for the third receiver job in the early stages of training camp, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

The third-year pro reportedly dropped 10 pounds during this offseason, and Arians noted it's already paying dividends on the practice field. Watson hit 21 mph when running routes in a recent practice and has consistently shown more speed during early throwing sessions. The Penn product faces stiff competition on his bid for the third receiver role with fleet second-year man Scotty Miller and rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Johnson, who's thought to have the talent befitting a much higher draft slotting, also vying for the job.

Kupp is entering the final season of his rookie contract and is looking to sign a long-term extension with the Rams, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN reports.

While there was a degree of inconsistency from Kupp at midseason last year, he finished the campaign with a touchdown in each of the past five games to boost his stat line to an impressive 94 receptions for 1,161 yards and 10 scores. Already a go-to option in the Los Angeles passing attack, the fourth-year receiver has the potential to be even more involved in the offense with Brandin Cooks now in Houston. Not only is the thorough chemistry between Kupp and quarterback Jared Goff an added bonus, Kupp has Goff's eye near the goal line with 55 red-zone targets the past three years. There's a lot to like about Kupp's fantasy stock heading into the 2020 season.