NFL Player News

McMillan (leg) has been participating in team drills at training camp this week, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

McMillan missed some time at minicamp after colliding with a defender, but he seems to be past the minor issue and is all systems go for the start of training camp. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 Draft back in April, McMillan should immediately slot in as the Panthers' starting X receiver on the outside. His average draft position has been dipping in recent weeks, and the rookie looks like a potential bargain in the sixth and seventh rounds of early-summer fantasy drafts.

Shaheed reported to training camp this week at 190 pounds, Erin Summers of the Saints' official website reports.

Shaheed was listed at 180 pounds last season but said Thursday that he put on weight in order to hold up better against contact. Shaheed insists he didn't lose any of his speed despite the additional 10 pounds. New Orleans' quarterback situation is a tough one, but Shaheed is locked into two-WR sets alongside Chris Olave and has the ability to take any catch to the end zone. He's an exciting target in best ball fantasy drafts and was fantasy's WR27 in half-PPR points per game before going down with a knee injury in Week 6 last season.

Pearsall (hamstring) is considered healthy and just needs to build endurance before getting clearance for training camp, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports.

There may nonetheless be some concern about the offseason hamstring injury lingering until Pearsall makes it through a few practices without any setbacks. Prior reports suggested he'd likely be ready for practice this weekend, at which point he can continue making his case for steady snaps and targets in 2025. Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is also on the PUP list but may remain there much longer than Pearsall, while Demarcus Robinson is practicing but could be suspended before Week 1. That leaves Pearsall and Jauan Jennings as the safest bets for WR snaps early in the season, although Pearsall's hamstring and Jennings' contract-related frustration have raised some questions there as well. Jennings is practicing, however, with Pearsall apparently set to join him soon enough.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield told the New Heights podcast that Egbuka is "the real deal" and can "plug and play at any of the three receiver spots right now."

Mayfield was effusive in his praise, also saying Egbuka has "YAC potential out the wazoo" and is "an absolute stud." It's a good sign for the rookie first-round pick's early involvement in the Tampa Bay offense, although there's still a lot that could happen this summer to impact his playing time, including Chris Godwin (ankle) rejoining the mix or Jalen McMillan building on his strong work from the end of last season.

Harrison reported to training camp Wednesday at 220 pounds, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official website reports.

Harrison entered the NFL at 209 pounds but spent the offseason bulking up and focusing on his diet. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 Draft, Harrison had a fine rookie season, posting a 62-885-8 receiving line on 116 targets, but his efficiency clearly was lacking some. He caught just 54.4 percent of his targets, ranking 102nd out of 112 qualifying wide receivers in catch percentage. His average depth of target of 14.2 yards was 14th-highest, which helps explain some of that lack of efficiency. The Cardinals hope to do a better job of getting Harrison easier catches at all levels of the field in 2025.

Woods did not participate in Thursday's practice due to a hand injury, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

The severity of the injury isn't clear, but Woods will likely be limited to rehab and individual drills until he's progressed enough in his recovery. The 2022 sixth-rounder is competing for a depth spot in the team's wide receiver corps, so he'll look to be available for the Browns' first preseason game against the Panthers on Aug. 8.

Jefferson sat out the end of Thursday's practice after experiencing some mild tightness in his legs, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

That said, Seifert indicates that there are no concerns for Jefferson, even in the short term, but on just the second day of training camp the wideout elected to not push things, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. As the coming season approaches, Jefferson is poised to maintain his high-volume role in a Minnesota passing offense that's now directed by 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy.

The 49ers signed Cephus to a one-year contract Thursday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

With Jacob Cowing sidelined due to a hamstring injury, the 49ers bolstered their wide receiver corps by adding Cephus and waiving running back Israel Abanikanda. Cephus spent most of the 2024 season on the Rams' practice squad, but he was let go in late June despite signing a reserve/future contract in January. Cephus hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2022 as a member of the Lions, and he faces an uphill battle to make the 49ers' practice squad -- let alone the 53-man roster -- at the end of training camp.

Coach John Harbaugh noted that Hopkins (knee) was held out of Thursday's practice "out of an abundance of caution," Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The report adds that Hopkins fell on his knee during Wednesday's session, but Harbaugh indicated that the veteran wideout will be okay. Once Hopkins returns to practice, he'll continue to build chemistry with star QB Lamar Jackson while working in a Baltimore wideout corps that also features Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.

Wilson opened training camp with the starting offense Thursday, Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live reports.

Wilson and DK Metcalf took the first reps in both 11 and 12 personnel, with Calvin Austin as the third receiver for three-wide sets (the same role he had last year). It's a sign the Steelers still have high hopes for Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, after he was either injured or a healthy scratch for nearly all of his rookie season. In addition to Wilson and Austin, the competition for WR snaps behind Metcalf includes Robert Woods, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek.