NFL Player News

Olave returned to Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys after making a brief exit during the session, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

After making a contested catch down the left sideline and falling to the turf, Olave left the field and appeared to be headed to the medical tent, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Not long afterward, though, Olave was back on the practice field and had rejoined team drills. New Orleans' receiving corps is banged up at the moment, with rookie first-round pick Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) expected to miss the next two months and rookie fourth-rounder Bryce Lance (undisclosed) and Mason Tipton (leg, active/PUP) also tending to injuries. That might make Olave the most irreplaceable player in the offense, other than starting quarterback Tyler Shough.

Thomas (knee) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Thomas had been dealing with some knee soreness. The wide receiver is back in action after just about a week's absence. Thomas is competing to be a first-team option at wide receiver, with Kalif Raymond and Jahdae Walker as the primary competition. The 22-year-old's prompt return to the field means he can continue to display his special teams and offensive versatility throughout the preseason. The rookie third-rounder's next opportunity to prove himself should come in Saturday's preseason showdown with the Bengals.

Olave went to the medical tent during Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Prior to his exit, Olave had been cooking Dallas' secondary on a consistent basis. He left the practice field with Saints trainers after falling to the turf making a grab down the left sideline. It's unclear if he's dealing with any sort of injury, though, as Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reported that Olave quickly returned to the field and was waiting for the session to resume.

The Browns signed Patterson to a contract Tuesday.

The undrafted free agent out of Texas-Permian Basin was waived by the Jaguars in early August. Patterson is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound wide receiver whose physical traits could make an impact throughout the preseason. The wide receiver was likely signed due to the injuries to Cedric Tillman (undisclosed) and Jamari Thrash (undisclosed). The Browns waived offensive guard Jack Conley in a corresponding move.

Vele (undisclosed) isn't practicing Tuesday, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

The reason for Vele's absence is unclear, but the wideout already had a rest day recently. With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) expected to miss substantial time to begin the season, Vele, Bryce Lance (undisclosed) and Barion Brown are candidates to see added work behind Chris Olave for however long the 2026 first-round pick is sidelined.

Claypool has a tryout with the Saints on Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Claypool last saw NFL action in January 2024 as a member of the Dolphins during the team's 26-7 wild-card loss at Kansas City. Since then, he spent the 2024 offseason with the Bills before being released in August and later had a tryout with the Packers in May of this year. Joining Claypool on a tryout basis Tuesday was Josh Reynolds, as the Saints currently boast a banged-up receiving corps headlined by rookie first-round pick Jordyn Tyson, who is expected to miss two months due to a hamstring injury.

Johnston (lower body) is "totally fine" and may not even miss additional practice time after making an early exit Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With a preseason game coming up Thursday against the 49ers, the Chargers won't practice again until the weekend. It sounds like Johnston should be ready by then, even if he gets held out of the exhibition contest as a precaution.

Kyle Shanahan said after Tuesday's joint practice with the Chargers that Evans experienced some quadriceps tightness, and the coach doesn't believe the issue is a serious one, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Evans initially left Tuesday's session and had his left foot/ankle wrapped and iced, but he eventually moved that wrapping to his left quad. He previously missed early training-camp practices due to a quadriceps issue, so it appears to be a slight aggravation of the previous concern. Shanahan's comments indicate the 49ers aren't concerned about Evans' health, but the team likely will exercise caution with the veteran wide receiver with two preseason games remaining before Week 1.

Evans exited Tuesday's joint practice with the Chargers due to an injury to his left foot or ankle, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Evans made an early departure Tuesday to have his left foot wrapped and iced, but he later removed the tape job while watching the remainder of the session from the sideline, per Wagoner. Evans previously dealt with a quadriceps injury early on in training camp, so his transition from Tampa Bay to San Francisco hasn't exactly gone swimmingly. However, he remains on track to begin the regular season at the top of a revamped wide receiver depth chart that also includes a repatriated Deebo Samuel, veteran slot option Christian Kirk (calf) and 2026 second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling.

Johnston sustained an apparent lower-body injury during Tuesday's joint practice with the 49ers, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

After attempting to make a contested catch, Johnston exhibited a limp, and team trainers immediately started working on the 2023 first-round pick. He hasn't exactly met expectations through three years in the NFL, including his 51-735-8 line on 84 targets in 14 regular-season games last season. If Johnston requires any time on the sideline, 2025 second-round pick Tre' Harris, rookie fourth-rounder Brenen Thompson and 2025 fifth-rounder KeAndre Lambert-Smith could get additional looks alongside No. 1 WR Ladd McConkey.