NFL Player News

The Saints signed Mellott to their practice squad Tuesday, Matthew Paras of NOLA.com reports.

A college quarterback, Mellott was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 Draft by the Raiders and announced as a wide receiver. He failed to make Las Vegas' 53-man roster this summer and will now head to New Orleans, where Taysom Hill made a similar position switch with success. Mellott can continue to work on his development on the practice squad.

Royals (knee) did not practice Tuesday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Coach Andy Reid already said last week that he didn't expect Royals to be available to play in Friday's Week 1 opener against the Chargers. The rookie wideout is dealing with knee tendinitis. With Rashee Rice also out due to suspension, Kansas City's top wideouts against Los Angeles are expected to be Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said Tuesday that Brown (ankle) has been a full practice participant this week and will be available for Friday's season opener versus the Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

Brown didn't play in any preseason contests after tweaking his right ankle early in training camp, but he's been able to practice for about two weeks and said that he's feeling "really good" heading into Friday's contest, per Matt McMullen of the team's official site. With Rashee Rice (suspension) set to miss the first six contests of the season, a healthy Brown could see added involvement in the passing game early on. After requiring shoulder surgery last September, the veteran was limited to just two regular-season and three postseason contests in 2024 and struggled to forge a connection with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, reeling in just 14 of 28 targets for 141 yards and no touchdowns over 159 total snaps.

Dike will be the Titans' punt returner this season, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Dike will also return kickoffs, along with Bryce Oliver. While Dike's offensive role remains to be seen behind Calvin Ridley (soreness), Tyler Lockett and fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor, it does sound like he'll at least be counted on to handle plenty of returns for Tennessee.

Davis (knee) agreed to sign with the Bills' practice squad Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 26-year-old wideout will reunite with the Bills, with whom he began his career in 2020. Davis recorded at least 500 receiving yards and six touchdowns in each of his four seasons in Buffalo, but after receiving a three-year, $39 million deal from the Jaguars in free agency last offseason, he struggled to a 20-239-2 receiving line over 10 games before undergoing season-ending surgery last November to address a torn meniscus. Davis drew interest from a number of teams after being cut by Jacksonville in May but ultimately chose to continue his career in a familiar locale. He's still working his way back into playing shape following knee surgery and won't be a candidate for elevation from the practice squad right away, but once he's deemed fully healthy, he could emerge as a downfield threat in the Buffalo aerial attack.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he expects Austin (abdomen) to be available for Sunday's season opener versus the Jets, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Austin didn't play in any preseason games while tending to an abdominal injury, but he's apparently made good progress in his recovery over the past few weeks and should be ready to suit up Sunday. Before he's officially cleared for Week 1, he'll likely need to put in a full practice by Friday. Per Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com, the 2022 fourth-round pick is listed as a starter at receiver alongside DK Metcalf in the latest unofficial depth chart. In addition to potentially being limited by the injury and getting pushed for playing time by second-year wideout Roman Wilson, Austin's snap and target counts could be suppressed if the Steelers lean heavily on two-tight end sets featuring Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith (knee).

Head coach Mike Vrabel said that, as of Tuesday, Diggs (knee) will "be out there" for the Patriots' season opener Sunday versus the Raiders, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Though Diggs didn't suit up for any preseason games, he doesn't appear to have hit any snags in his recovery from the torn ACL he sustained Oct. 27, 2024 while playing with the Texans. After signing with New England in March, the veteran wideout avoided placement on the PUP list ahead of training camp and didn't experience any apparent restrictions in practices. The Patriots' first injury report Wednesday will clarify whether Diggs was a full participant in practice. If he opens the week without limitations, he should be ready to serve as New England's No. 1 receiver Sunday.

Smith (groin) doesn't appear on the Eagles' injury report in advance of Thursday's game against the Cowboys.

That's also the case with A.J. Brown (hamstring), so the Eagles will indeed have both wideouts available for Week 1 action. As the coming season approaches, Smith and Brown remain the team's clear-cut top two options at their position, with Jahan Dotson, John Metchie and Darius Cooper rounding out Philadelphia's WR corps.

Brown (hamstring) doesn't appear on the Eagles' injury report ahead of Thursday's game against the Cowboys.

The same applies to DeVonta Smith (groin), which paves the way for the Eagles' top two wideouts to be available for Week 1 action. Brown is coming off a 2024 regular season in which he recorded a 67-1,079-7 line on 97 targets in 13 contests and is in line to continue in his key role in a Philadelphia passing offense that runs largely through him, Smith and TE Dallas Goedert.

Mims (groin) is participating in Monday's practice, Luca Evans of The Denver Post reports.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said after Mims was forced to depart last Wednesday's practice early that he was expected to retake the field Monday, so it's encouraging to see the 2023 second-rounder following that timetable without any setbacks. By all indications, Mims is only dealing with a minor groin injury and remains on track for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Titans.