NFL Player News
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Tutu Atwell WR | LAR
Rams' Tutu Atwell: Competing with Whittington to start
Atwell and Jordan Whittington are competing for the No. 3 WR job, Cameron DaSilva of The Rams Wire reports.
It's a role that could entail large snap counts in coach Sean McVay's three-wide-heavy offense, although target volume would be tougher to come by unless Puka Nacua or Davante Adams were to miss time. Atwell's one-year, $10 million contract might be taken as a sign that he's the favorite for the No. 3 role, but Whittington reportedly is making a real push and impressing at training camp for the second straight summer. They're drastically different players, with Atwell being one of the smallest players in the league -- listed at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds -- while Whittington (6-1, 202) is noted for his physicality. Atwell had some brief stretches of production early in the 2023 and 2024 campaigns when other Rams WRs were injured, but he never topped 562 receiving yards or three TDs in a single regular season over the course of his rookie contract.
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Jordan Whittington WR | LAR
Rams' Jordan Whittington: Battling for No. 3 role
Whittington has made a strong impression at camp so far and will continue battling Tutu Atwell for the No. 3 spot at wide receiver, according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire.
Whittington was also said to be a standout of training camp last year -- after the Rams drafted him in the sixth round -- and as a rookie he had 62 or more receiving yards in each of the three games in which he took 30-plus snaps. He barely played once Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson and Atwell all were healthy, but Whittington could play more in 2025 after the Rams swapped out Kupp and Robinson for Davante Adams. Any upside in terms of target volume, rather than just snaps, might require Adams or Nacua missing time.
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DeVonta Smith WR | PHI
Eagles' DeVonta Smith: Dealing with back tightness
Smith will miss Monday's practice with back tightness, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
It's the first report of any health/availability issue for Smith this year. Including playoffs, he's played 72 of Philadelphia's 77 games since the team drafted him in 2021, with a pair of Week 18 rest absences and three games missed due to injuries (all last season). Smith likely will be back at practice before long.
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Luther Burden III WR | CHI
Bears' Luther Burden: Suited up for practice
Burden (hamstring) is dressed for practice Monday, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports.
It appears Burden will participate, at least in a limited capacity, after missing the first four practices of training camp. He hurt his hamstring not long after being drafted this spring, subsequently missing Chicago's OTA and minicamp practices. Burden may take most of his reps with backups for now, but there's plenty of time to ramp up and eventually challenge Olamide Zaccheaus for the No. 3 WR role.
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Calvin Ridley WR | TEN
Titans' Calvin Ridley: Showing rapport with Ward
Ridley caught several deep passes from Cameron Ward during Saturday's practice, Nick Suss of The Tennessean reports.
Ward aired out several deep pass attempts during the practice session, hitting Ridley on a 40-yard shot as he was covered by Roger McCreary. Ridley also made a diving catch later on another deep route, displaying rapport early on in camp with his rookie quarterback. Given the projected improved offensive line and quarterback play around him in 2025, Ridley should be in a good position to post his third consecutive 1,000 receiving-yard season.
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Tez Johnson WR | TB
Buccaneers' Tez Johnson: Impressing early in camp
Johnson, whom the Buccaneers selected out of Oregon in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, has been impressing early in camp with his shiftiness and ability to make defenders miss, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.
The rookie wideout is renowned for his ability to gain yards after the catch, and his dynamic skill set enabled him to post the top two single-season reception tallies in Oregon school history. Johnson is starting his NFL career deep down a talented wide receiver depth chart, but he also has experience as a returner and is making a very positive early impression with his ability to start and stop quickly and what is termed as "explosive" burst when running vertically.
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Parris Campbell WR | DAL
Cowboys' Parris Campbell: Avoids major injury
Campbell (lower body) did not suffer a significant injury at practice Sunday, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Campbell exited practice early with the assistance of the training staff due to a lower-body injury. The wide receiver is expected to miss a few days, but it doesn't appear that he'll be sidelined for long.
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Elijah Moore WR | DEN
Bills' Elijah Moore: Minor leg issue
Moore sat out Sunday's practice due to general leg soreness, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.
Moore, one of the Bills' bigger free-agency pickups this past offseason, will be competing for slotting once he's healthy. He appears most likely to land a spot with the team in the No. 3 or No. 4 spot, though second-year player Keon Coleman could be overtaken if Moore or fellow free-agent add Joshua Palmer has a strong preseason. Khalil Shakir is the team's clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver.
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Laviska Shenault Jr. WR | BUF
Bills' Laviska Shenault: Activated off NFI list
The Bills activated Shenault (lower leg) off the active/non-football injury list Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Shenault is healthy again after having been sidelined for the start of training camp due to a lower leg strain. The 26-year-old is expected to serve as one of the team's primary kick returners during the upcoming campaign and could contribute as a depth receiver as well.
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Bryce Ford-Wheaton WR | NYG
Giants' Bryce Ford-Wheaton: Tears Achilles in practice Sunday
Ford-Wheaton suffered a torn Achilles during the Giants' practice Sunday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.
The leg injury that led to Ford-Wheaton being carted off the field has now been diagnosed as a torn Achilles. The 25-year-old will likely be forced to miss the entirety of upcoming season and will shift his focus to getting healthy for the 2026 campaign.