NFL Player News

The Bills placed Shenault on the active/non-football injury list Wednesday due to a lower leg strain, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Shenault was withheld from participating in Wednesday's practice, and while he's eligible to practice and play in the preseason at any point, head coach Sean McDermott did not share a timetable for the veteran wideout's return, per Alec White of the Bills' official site. Shenault signed a one-year deal with the Bills in March after playing in 11 regular-season games for the Seahawks in 2024, finishing with five catches on as many targets for 36 yards while adding 459 kick return yards and a touchdown.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters Wednesday that Melton will mostly play at corner during training camp and the preseason, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Melton received reps at corner during minicamp in June. It appears the 2022 seventh-rounder will officially make the switch to defense, though he'll likely operate as a depth piece in the secondary behind Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs. Melton appeared in all 17 regular-season games for the Packers in 2024 and posted eight catches (on 17 targets) for 91 yards while adding eight carries for 54 yards.

Pittman (knee) participated in Wednesday's opening training camp practice, Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star reports.

Pittman experienced some knee soreness during the final day of Indianapolis' voluntary OTAs last month, but he's good to go for training camp and set to reprise his key role in wideout corps that also returns Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Adonai Mitchell. One major question that remains to be settled, however, is which QB they'll be catching passes from in Week 1, with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones currently competing for the starting job.

Pearsall (hamstring) trained on a side field Wednesday and is expected to practice Sunday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Reports continue to suggest that Pearsall's stint on the PUP list won't be a long one. It thus seems the 49ers have bigger issues at his position, with Brandon Aiyuk coming back from an ACL tear, Demarcus Robinson in danger of a DUI-related suspension, and Jacob Cowing injuring his hamstring Wednesday. They also have Jauan Jennings seeking an extension, although he's opting to practice in the meantime. There are a lot of moving parts here , but Pearsall's first-round pedigree and strong finish to his rookie season give him a solid breakout case heading into Year 2.

Polk (shoulder) didn't participate in Wednesday's opening training camp practice, Jay Pritchard of NESN.com reports.

Though Polk didn't land on either the PUP or non-football injury list, the 2024 second-rounder is bouncing back from an offseason shoulder procedure that limited him during spring workouts. Following a disappointing rookie season in which he caught just 12 passes in 15 games, the sooner Polk is able to practice, the better, given that the Washington product faces plenty of competition for slotting in a crowded WR corps.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday that Godwin (ankle) is "on track" but doesn't have a specific timeline to return to practice, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Godwin is coming back from an ankle dislocation suffered in Week 7 last season and hasn't resumed practicing. He's on the PUP list for the start of training camp, with Bowles' comments suggesting a return isn't imminent. The Bucs were confident enough in Godwin's recovery to give him $44 million guaranteed on a three-year, $66 million contract in March, but the rehab process does seem to be coming along more slowly than many expected (at least outside the organization).

Cowing pulled his hamstring Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

He was the subject of glowing reports during the offseason program, only to get injured during the first practice of training camp. A 2024 fourth-round pick, Cowing got just five touches on 106 offensive snaps last season, with his main role being on punt returns (28 for 245 yards). This could've been a good chance to get some reps with Brock Purdy, as the 49ers don't have Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) available for the start of camp.

GM Nick Caserio acknowledged Wednesday that there's no timetable for the return of Dell (knee), who is on the active/PUP list, Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle reports.

While Caserio hasn't completely ruled out the possibility that Dell could return at some point this season, it's clear that the wideout -- who suffered a significant knee injury last December -- still has a way to go in his recovery process. With that in mind, Caserio noted that Dell is "in the building every day. He's working really hard, but we're not going to put a timetable on anything," a notion echoed by coach DeMeco Ryans, who added that the 2023 third-rounder is "crushing the rehab." With Dell likely to miss a good portion of the coming season, the Texans' top healthy veteran wide receivers are Nico Collins and Christian Kirk, with 2025 draftees Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel also in the mix to carve out steady roles in the team's passing attack.

Boutte, Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas opened training camp Wednesday as New England's first-team wide receivers, Mike Kadlick of CLNSMedia.com reports.

Diggs is locked in for one starting job -- assuming his return from an ACL tear continues to go swimmingly -- and Douglas figures to be the slot man again. That leaves Boutte to compete with rookie third-round Kyle Williams and others for one starting job, with Boutte hoping to build on his strong finish to 2024. He had 240 yards and two TDs over the final three weeks of last season, after recording 336 yards and one TD across 10 previous starts. Bourne has a chance to defend his starting job, but there's also risk of dropping off the roster if he struggles this summer, as Diggs, Douglas and Williams are locks to make it, leaving only two or three spots up for grabs between Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, Mack Hollins (undisclosed), Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder), Javon Baker, Efton Chism and others.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday that Watson (knee) is "a freak" and "pressing to get out there" but still won't be rushed into practices this summer, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Watson suffered his ACL tear in Week 18 last season, giving him almost exactly nine months between the date of the injury and Week 1 of 2025. He's starting training camp on the PUP list, with Gutekunst's comments Wednesday suggesting Watson might remain out of practice for a while. Week 1 may still be a big ask, but it at least sounds like Watson is on schedule (or ahead of it) in his rehab process, with a chance to contribute in the first half of the season. The Packers open training camp with Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are their top wide receivers.