NFL Player News

Smith is making a good impression on Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle reports. "[Smith]'s a guy who has improved mentally, physically, just all-around," Watson said. "He's been doing a great job. He's handled every challenge."

Smith caught on with Houston as an undrafted rookie last season, handling a top-three role for Week 17 and the playoffs after Demaryius Thomas suffered a torn Achilles. The team should have better injury luck with its wide receivers in 2019, but Smith will at least be in the mix for the fourth spot on the depth chart, competing against DeAndre Carter and a slew of other young, undrafted players. Houston might still consider adding a veteran, given that Will Fuller (knee) and Keke Coutee combined for just 13 appearances last season.

Gibson's undisclosed injury is not believed to be serious, Dave Zangaro of NBC Philadelphia reports.

Gibson was able to watch practices from the sideline during the Eagles' recent minicamp according to Zangaro, who believes the 24-year-old will be healthy and ready by the time training camp rolls around. He'll need every edge he can get then, as he faces steep competition for a roster spot where either he or Mack Hollins is at best fifth on Philadelphia's wide-receiver depth chart. Gibson, the West Virginia product, has an advantage over his competition though, that being special-teams ability, which allowed him to log time on the field in all but one game last season.

Sims had a fantastic spring, according to JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.

Sims made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie last season, only to land on injured reserve after he suffered a high-ankle sprain Week 1. He's reportedly been healthy since October and already has built a strong case to keep his spot for another year. Given the shaky depth chart ahead of him, Sim might even push for regular snaps alongside Paul Richardson (shoulder) and Trey Quinn. The competition includes Josh Doctson, rookie third-round pick Terry McLaurin and rookie sixth-rounder Kelvin Harmon.

Shepard (wrist) was dominant at June minicamp, NJ.com's Matt Lombardo reports.

Signed to a four-year, $41 million extension this offseason, Shepard is preparing to take more snaps outside in an effort to accommodate Golden Tate. The 25-year-old receiver reportedly looked quite comfortable at minicamp, repeatedly connecting with Eli Manning on downfield passes. Shepard appears to have moved past the minor wrist injury that held him out of a practice at the beginning of the month.

A meeting Wednesday with NFL investigators went well for Hill, who is expected to receive a suspension from the league as soon as next month, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Taylor has an unnamed source from the Chiefs who predicts the suspension will be no longer than four games. Hill may still need to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who ultimately can determine the length of any suspension for a violation of the league's personal conduct policy. The criminal investigation involving Hill has been dropped, but his family's case with the Kansas Department for Children and Families is ongoing. The Chiefs currently have Hill suspended indefinitely from all team activities -- a ban that likely will be lifted once the NFL makes it ruling. At that point, Hill would be eligible to practice with the team again.

Pascal took snaps with the starting offense in spring practices, Kevin Bowen of ESPN 1070 The Fan reports.

The Colts were missing T.Y. Hilton (ankle) and easing second-round rookie Parris Campbell into the offense. Despite making some noise late last season, Pascal is unlikely to land any higher than fourth or fifth on the depth chart, presumably serving as outside depth behind Hilton and Devin Funchess. The 24-year-old Pascal may even need to battle for his roster spot, with competition from Daurice Fountain, Marcus Johnson, Deon Cain (knee) and a slew of undrafted players.

Erickson received added work with the first-team offense in spring workouts due to injuries to A.J. Green (toe) and John Ross (undisclosed), Michael LaPlaca of the Bengals' official site reports.

Already valued for his prowess on kick and punt returns, Erickson seems to be making a case for an expanded role on offense. Whether the Wisconsin product actually improves upon the career-high 362 offensive reps he logged in 2018 is no sure thing, but his chances of doing so are aided by the fact that the receivers above him on the depth chart (Green, Tyler Boyd and Ross) have missed 37 combined games over the past three seasons. Meanwhile, Erickson has been a picture of health since entering the league in 2016, having never missed a contest in three seasons. Erickson caught 20 of 29 targets for 167 yards and no touchdowns in 2018, with his best performance coming in Week 17 against the Steelers (six receptions for 63 yards on six targets).

Sutton said he will enter training camp with a good grasp of the Broncos' new scheme under offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, Kyle Frederickson of The Denver Post reports.

The Broncos are counting on development from their trio of second-year wideouts -- Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton and Tim Patrick -- after passing on any draft picks or free-agent signings to bolster the position. The team traded for 34-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco, and later used its first two draft picks on tight end Noah Fant and signal-caller Drew Lock. With Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles) absent from spring practices and looking uncertain for the beginning of the season, Sutton has a chance to establish himself as the No. 1 receiver. The 23-year-old said he was impressed with Flacco during the offseason program, noting that the veteran's deep ball lives up to its reputation. Flacco fell shy of 7.0 yards per attempt each of his final four seasons in Baltimore, throwing 64 touchdowns and 46 interceptions in 51 games during that stretch.

Grant (Achilles) said Tuesday that he's "over the mental hump" in his rehab process, Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Grant hasn't commented on the exact nature of his injury, merely denying that it was an Achilles tear. Whatever the case, he was a limited participant in Miami's offseason program and may be eased into practices during training camp. Despite the injury limiting him to 10 games, Grant enjoyed his best season to date in 2018, catching 21 of 34 targets for 268 yards and two scores while adding a kick-return touchdown and a punt-return score. His ability to handle both return jobs while also serving as a third or fourth receiver could inspire the Dolphins to offer him an extension as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

Head coach Bruce Arians recently reiterated an earlier statement that Godwin could log triple-digit receptions in the coming season, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Arians originally set the lofty bar via a comment in March, and he doubled down on his public expectations in the midst of OTAs at the end of May. While a 100-catch haul for a No. 2 receiver in a Mike Evans-helmed wideout corps may ultimately be a bit ambitious, Godwin would certainly generate an impressive line in the coming season were he to mirror the same degree of year-over-year improvement he demonstrated between his rookie campaign and his sophomore season. Godwin upped his catches from 34 to 59, boosted his receiving yards from 525 to 842, and saw his touchdowns surge from one to seven in 2018. Despite being tasked with learning a new offense this offseason, the Penn State product embraces and echoes his new head coach's confidence in his ability. "I always think I can be a red-zone threat," said Godwin. "I think I can be a threat from wherever on the field. That's my goal, is to keep progressing as a receiver and be one of the top guys in the league. I've got a lot of work to do but I'm looking forward to putting that work in."