NFL Player News

Odunze made a strong impression Thursday, hauling in a 14-yard gain over the middle to start the end-of-half drill. He also adjusted to a pass behind him, ripping it away from a defender to move the chains, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Odunze is trying to build on a 2024 rookie season where he posted 734 receiving yards, showing the contested-catch skills that helped him stand out at times last year. His growing chemistry with Caleb Williams suggests a path to steady production, particularly with his ability to win tough catches in traffic. That skill set makes him a viable mid-round fantasy target with upside if the Bears' passing game progresses.

Burton (undisclosed) returned to practice Friday, Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati reports.

It's his first practice since recording one catch, one punt return and two kickoff returns in the preseason opener against the Eagles. A quick return to practice suggests the undisclosed injury isn't serious, but that doesn't mean Burton will play in Monday's preseason game against Washington. It's also not clear if the 2024 third-round pick will have a role in Cincinnati's offense to begin the regular season, as he still seems to be behind Andrei Iosivas (and possibly Charlie Jones) on the depth chart.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that Nailor is dealing with a hand injury, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Nailor will have his hand issue evaluated, but his status for Saturday's preseason contest against the Patriots now is cloudy. With top wideout Justin Jefferson managing a hamstring injury and Jordan Addison (suspension) out the first three games of the regular season, however, it wouldn't surprise us to see the Vikings err on the side of caution with Nailor.

Bond announced Thursday that he plans to sign with the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The news that Bond intends to sign with Cleveland arrives on the same day that it was announced that the wide receiver has been no-billed and faces no further criminal charges stemming from his April arrest, ESPN.com reports. After catching 34 passes for 540 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games with Texas last season, Bond went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Assuming a deal is finalized, with 4.39 speed, the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder could push for a depth role in a Browns WR corps that currently is led by Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman.

The Bills waived Virgil (hamstring) with an injury designation Thursday.

Virgil spent an extended amount of time with trainers during Wednesday's training camp practice due to a hamstring injury, per Chris Brown of the Bills Radio Network. The 27-year-old wideout will go on waivers, but if he's not claimed by another team, then he would revert to the Bills' injured reserve, forcing him to miss the entire 2025 season unless an injury settlement is reached. Virgil played 119 snaps (36 on offense, 83 on special teams) across seven regular-season games with Buffalo in 2024 but did not appear on the box score otherwise.

Pierce (groin) didn't practice Thursday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Previous reports suggested that Pierce was day-to-day, but given the wideout's continued absence from practice, it seems safe to say he won't see any action in Saturday's preseason contest against the Packers. Meanwhile, fellow WR Josh Downs left Thursday's session with a hamstring injury, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Thursday that Evans will not join the rest of the starting offense in suiting up for Saturday's preseason game against the Steelers, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Evans remains healthy, by all accounts, but Tampa Bay will opt to rest the veteran wideout for a second consecutive preseason contest. It remains to be seen whether Evans will be in consideration to suit up for the Buccaneers' preseason finale against Buffalo on Saturday, Aug. 23, a game that will occur just days after his 32nd birthday. Chris Godwin (ankle) remains on the active/PUP list, but Baker Mayfield will have the benefit of calling upon both rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka and second-year pro Jalen McMillan versus Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Fitzpatrick (undisclosed) was waived by the Chargers with an injury designation Thursday.

Fitzpatrick spent most of the 2024 season on the Chargers' practice squad and he'll revert to the team's injured reserve if he goes unclaimed on waivers. The 27-year-old wide receiver has appeared in seven regular-season games.

Downs left Thursday's practice with a hamstring injury, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Downs walked off under his own power, but the wideout's status for Saturday's preseason contest against the Packers nonetheless is worth monitoring. Consider Downs day-to-day for now.

Virgil was waived by the Bills on Thursday.

Virgil appeared in seven regular-season games for the Bills in 2024 and contributed two tackles on special teams but didn't log a target on offense. He'll be free to sign with any team if he passes through waivers unclaimed.