NFL Player News

Samuel (groin) has had a healthy start to training camp after tweaking his groin at the end of OTAs.

Coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed the severity of the injury at the time, and his word held true with Samuel being a full participant during the first week of training camp. The 49ers' second-round pick is currently competing for a starting job as an outside wideout.

McCaffrey was waived by the 49ers on Saturday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

McCaffrey joined the 49ers' active roster for the season finale in December and played a handful of offensive snaps. The 25-year-old spent the rest of the season on the practice squad and seems destined for a similar role this season, assuming he latches on elsewhere.

Cooper didn't practice Saturday due to a bruised heel, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Cooper apparently suffered the injury Friday and was withheld from Saturday's session after going through some light workouts. According to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, the 25-year-old indicated it's not a serious issue, but the Cowboys are still likely to remain cautious so early in training camp.

Metcalf didn't participate in Saturday's scrimmage due to a minor oblique strain, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Metcalf suffered the injury on the last play of Friday's practice and was not in pads for Saturday's scrimmage. The rookie second-round pick could return to practice as early as Monday, but the Seahawks figure to remain cautious in advance of Thursday's preseason opener.

Campbell (hamstring) did not practice Saturday, George Bremer of The Anderson Herald Bulletin reports.

That's now three consecutive missed practices for Campbell, but the Colts don't appear to be overly worried about the status of their 2019 second-round pick. The team has given no indication Campbell will miss the opening preseason contest Thursday against the Bills.

Johnson (hip) did not practice Saturday, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Johnson evidently picked up a hip injury during the Steelers' Friday night practice. The 2019 third-round pick has done well in training camp so far and has benefited from the extra snaps created by Donte Moncrief's finger injury, though James Washington remains a threat to claim hold of the No. 2 role behind JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Grant (undisclosed) did not practice Saturday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Grant hasn't been able to practice since suffering a minor injury Wednesday, but considering the lack of information regarding the severity, it's perhaps safe to assume the speedy wideout will be just fine. Brice Butler and Isaiah Ford have been the main duo to benefit from Grant's absence, with the latter earning strong reviews following the team's scrimmage Saturday, but neither figures to threaten the 26-year-old's role as a gadget receiver extraordinaire.

Montgomery (ankle) returned to practice Saturday, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Montgomery has been one of the team's early standouts throughout training camp, quietly asserting himself as the No. 3 back ahead of Elijah McGuire and Trenton Cannon, even sharing time on the field with major free-agent addition Le'Veon Bell during scrimmages. It remains to be seen if the 26-year-old can realistically jump over Bilal Powell to earn the primary backup duties, but should Bell suffer an injury of any sort, it's entirely possible Powell and Montgomery could form a backfield by committee.

Hollins (hip) is practicing Saturday but is still listed on the Eagles' pre-practice injury report, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hollins missed time earlier this week with a hip injury but managed to participate in practice Saturday. The team evidently doesn't feel quite confident enough about his health, as Hollins is still listed as day-to-day according to the pre-practice injury report. The second-year receiver has put together a solid training camp to date, but it's unlikely Hollins will jump dramatically up the depth chart with Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor locked in as the top three receivers, and 2019 second-round pick J.J. Arcega-Whiteside also drawing rave reviews to start the preseason.

Taylor appears to be at full strength in camp and has been running routes faster due to an intense offseason training program, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Taylor is coming off of back surgery that caused him to play through pain in a down sophomore campaign last year (26 receptions for 215 yards and a touchdown through 14 games). The 25-year-old is not only back at full strength, but the combination of an isolated offseason program and the addition of slot specialist Wes Welker as a receiver coach has the third-year wideout looking stronger and faster heading into the preseason. Taylor saw his role fluctuate in 2018, but he has a real shot to win the 49ers' starting slot job this preseason. The return of Jimmy Garoppolo also bodes well for his prospects this year, as the wideout practically matched his entire 2018 production in the six games he played with Garoppolo in 2017 (19 receptions, 226 yards and a touchdown).