NFL Player News
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Tez Johnson WR | TB
Buccaneers' Tez Johnson: Returns to practice
Johnson (leg) participated in Monday's training camp practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Johnson has been held out of practice and missed the Buccaneers' preseason win over the Titans on Saturday due to a leg injury. His return to practice is timely, as the rookie seventh-rounder is competing for a spot on the Bucs' 53-man roster as a depth wide receiver and return option on kickoffs and punts.
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D.J. Montgomery WR | IND
Colts' D.J. Montgomery: Misses practice Monday
Montgomery missed Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury, the Indianapolis Star reports.
Montgomery was not targeted and did not have a carry in Thursday's preseason loss at Baltimore. He was seen being assisted to the medical tent. He's likely dealing with some kind of injury as a result.
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Jordan Watkins WR | SF
49ers' Jordan Watkins: Has high-ankle sprain
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Watkins is nursing a high-ankle sprain and will be out roughly one month, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.
Watkins suffered the injury during the 49ers' 30-9 preseason loss to the Broncos on Saturday, per David Lombardi of SFStandard.com, in which he corralled three of six targets for 56 yards. The timing of the rookie fourth-round pick's injury is discouraging, as he appeared to be putting together real momentum early in training camp and injuries elsewhere in San Francisco's wide receiver corps had opened up real opportunities. His status now looks uncertain for Week 1 against the Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 7.
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Brandon Aiyuk WR | SF
49ers' Brandon Aiyuk: Could be ready for Week 6
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Week 6 could be a realistic target for Aiyuk (ACL) to take the field, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.
Shanahan preempted the estimate by saying he hadn't given the date much thought, but Week 6 nonetheless seems like a fairly realistic target for Aiyuk, who is recovering from right knee surgery that he underwent last November to address ACL and MCL tears, to make his 2025 debut. In that scenario, Aiyuk would figure to begin the season on the reserve/PUP list, then begin ramping his activity level up before hopefully taking the field Sunday, Oct. 12 on the road against Tampa Bay. Even then, it's conceivable Aiyuk could get off to a slow start and ramp his way up to a full starting share of snaps, meaning it would incentivize fantasy managers to plan ahead and roster alternative options at WR. With Jauan Jennings (calf) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring) still not practicing, and Jordan Watkins (ankle) out about a month, Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson currently are operating as the 49ers' clear top two wide receivers.
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Stefon Diggs WR | NE
Patriots' Stefon Diggs: DNP was coach's decision
On Monday, coach Mike Vrabel didn't offer any specifics on why Diggs (knee) sat out Friday's preseason opener against the Commanders, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.
In a game in which the Patriots played the bulk of their healthy starters, Diggs was present on the sideline but didn't suit up during warmups or on the bench. When asked if Diggs' inactivity Friday was health-related, Vrabel limited his response to "coach's decision." The veteran wideout, who is bouncing back from a torn ACL that he suffered last October, has been a full practice participant for most of the summer, though he did miss the first half of Wednesday's joint practice with Washington for unspecified reasons. On the topic of Diggs' recovery, wide receivers coach Todd Downing noted Monday, "I think where he's at in his process right now is where we want him to be," while adding, "I think he'll stay on the trajectory we expect him to be on." Though the signs continue to point toward Diggs being able to contribute early on this season, until he takes game reps, or the Patriots otherwise confirm his Week 1 status, nothing can be taken for granted.
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Malik Heath WR | ATL
Packers' Malik Heath: Competing for roster spot
Heath was targeted four times and caught one pass for four yards in Saturday's 30-10 exhibition loss to the Jets.
Heath played more snaps than any other Packers skill player, but he dropped a couple passes and fell on another pass thrown his direction, so he did not capitalize on the opportunity. Heath spent the last two seasons in Green Bay, but the team selected a couple wideouts in the draft and brought in veteran Mecole Hardman, so he is not assured of a roster spot.
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Marquise Brown WR | KC
Chiefs' Hollywood Brown: Making progress toward return
Coach Andy Reid noted Monday that Brown (ankle/foot) is making "great progress" and has resumed running, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.
Per Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com, Reid indicated that Brown is not dealing with a high-ankle sprain, but even with the wideout's ankle/foot issue improving, there's still not a timetable for his return to action. Brown thus remains iffy for Friday's preseason contest against the Seahawks.
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Mecole Hardman WR | BUF
Packers' Mecole Hardman: Starts on wrong foot
Hardman was targeted once and did not catch a pass in Saturday's 30-10 exhibition loss to the Jets. He also lost a fumble in the contest.
Hardman suited up for the first time since joining Green Bay over the offseason, and although he finished second among Packers wideouts in snaps, he did not make a mark on offense and both muffed a punt -- which led to the turnover -- and fair-caught a punt at the five-yard line in his returner role. Hardman has the most experience in a youthful wide receiver room, but he is competing for a roster spot, and Saturday's showing did not boost his chances of securing one.
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Alec Pierce WR | IND
Colts' Alec Pierce: Day-to-day
Pierce (groin) is considered day-to-day, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Pierce suffered a groin injury during Sunday's practice, but Fowler notes that the wideout's issue doesn't appear serious. That said, Pierce's status for Saturday's preseason contest against the Packers now is uncertain.
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Nick Westbrook-Ikhine WR | MIA
Dolphins' Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: Makes most of only target
Westbrook-Ikhine secured his only target for 35 yards during Sunday's 24-24 preseason tie against the Bears.
Westbrook-Ikhine, Malik Washington and Dee Eskridge started at wide receiver for the only drive Tua Tagovailoa and the starting offense played Sunday, with Tyreek Hill (oblique) and Jaylen Waddle (undisclosed) both sidelined. It was Washington who most benefited from increased opportunities, though, as he touched the ball on five of his eight offensive snaps on the opening drive, while Westbrook-Ikhine's only catch -- an impressive gain -- came late in the first quarter after Zach Wilson had taken over under center. It appears Washington has an early lead over Westbrook-Ikhine as both wideouts compete for the No. 3 role behind Hill and Waddle.