NFL Player News

Fellow RB D'Andre Swift said Monangai (knee) "looked good" while running Wednesday, Adam Hoge of AllCHGO.com reports.

Since hyperextending his right knee in practice Aug. 16, Monangai has been described as "week-to-week" on multiple occasions by coach Ben Johnson, including as recently as Tuesday, according to Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com. Swift's view of Monangai one day later likely means the latter ran on the side versus in any drills, but it's at least the first positive sign that he's making progress in his recovery. If Monangai ends up being limited or even sidelined to begin the season, Swift likely would be a bellcow in the Bears offense, with Roschon Johnson on hand for any RB reps that linger.

Per Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.com, "there's currently optimism" that Shakir (undisclosed) will be available Week 1 against the Texans on Sunday, Sept. 13

Since making an appearance during preseason Week 1 on Aug. 15, Shakir has been sidelined due to an undisclosed injury, including no activity at Tuesday's practice. The Bills will post their first Week 1 injury report next Wednesday, and how he's listed then will provide a sense for his status ahead of the regular-season opener.

Taylor was rested for the Colts' 25-16 loss to the Lions in Saturday's preseason finale.

Prior to the game, head coach Shane Steichen said that he planned on having all of the team's offensive starters minus Taylor and quarterback Daniel Jones take the field for 8-to-12 snaps, per JJ Stankevicz of the Colts' official site. Taylor didn't play in the prior two preseason contests either, as the Colts didn't want to risk an injury to their lead back in advance of the regular season. After missing at least three games every season from 2022 through 2024, the 27-year-old played a full 17-game slate in 2025, playing north of 70 percent of the offensive snaps in all but one of those contests while accounting for 20 touchdowns, amassing 1,585 yards on the ground and setting career highs with 46 receptions and 378 receiving yards. He'll be primed for another hefty workload in 2026, and the Colts are hopeful that Jones' return from a torn ACL can help Taylor avoid the decline in efficiency that he experienced after the Colts' Week 11 bye last season (3.3 yards per carry in his final seven games).

Coach John Harbaugh said Nabers (knee) participated in individual and team drills at Wednesday's practice, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports.

Nabers has had a notable week, from telling Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com on Monday that he was unsure about his status for the season opener to not being seen at the open portion of Tuesday's practice. He ended up mixing into drills Tuesday after the session was closed to the media, and Harbaugh's comments Wednesday indicate Nabers was somewhere between a limited and full participant. The Giants are required to post their first Week 1 injury report next Wednesday, and how Nabers is listed there may be telling ahead of the Giants' Week 1 matchup with the Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Gesicki is slated to be the Bengals' top pass-catching tight end to begin the 2026 season.

In the wake of the NFL's cutdown day, Gesicki's main competition for offensive snaps is blocking TE Drew Sample, who has combined for 57 catches over his last 51 regular-season games. Meanwhile, 2024 fourth-round pick Erick All is finally back healthy after missing all of 2025 due to a torn ACL, while rookie seventh-rounder Jack Endries is the only other TE on the active roster. Gesicki posted a disappointing 28-307-2 line on 42 targets in 13 regular-season contests last year, but he's just two years removed from a 65-665-2 receiving line in his first campaign as a Bengal in 2024.

Evans (groin) returned to practice Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Evans has barely practiced this summer due to various nagging injuries, but his return to the field Wednesday gives him some time to get ready for next Thursday's season opener against the Rams in Australia. The Niners are flying out Wednesday of this week to get their body clocks acclimated to the time change. As long as Evans avoids setbacks over the next week, he should be available against Los Angeles, though it's fair to wonder how much chemistry he's built with Brock Purdy at this point.

Brown is looking forward to an elevated role in the Bengals offense in 2026, Landon Belote of SI.com reports.

In particular, Brown cited the scheme's efficiency while running the ball under center and also how much he's been lining up in the slot in the passing game during training camp. After earning just 58 touches as a fifth-round rookie in 2023, his usage increased to 283 touches in 2024 and 301 touches last season. In 17 regular-games in 2025, he matched or set career highs across the board, tallying 1,456 yards from scrimmage and 11 total TDs. Considering Brown was one of seven RBs with at least 50 receptions last year (69, to be exact), his stature in fantasy has never been higher.

Coach Dave Canales suggested Wednesday that McMillan will work out of the slot more this season, Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340 reports.

If preseason usage means anything, it would seem Canales was putting the plan into action this summer. After playing just 15.3 percent of his regular-season offensive snaps out of the slot as a rookie, McMillan was in the slot on nine of 22 snaps (40.9 percent) across two preseason games. Moving to the slot more would give the 6-foot-5 McMillan significant size and speed advantages inside and allow for more easy "layup" style catches to get the ball in his hands quicker. The 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year figures to be the center of Carolina's offense this season after posting 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven scores across 17 regular-season contests last season.

Pickens didn't suit up for any of the Cowboys' three preseason games.

After surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving threshold just one time in his first three seasons with the Steelers, Pickens broke out with a 93-1,429-9 line on 137 targets in 17 regular-season games in 2025 in his first campaign as a Cowboy. He was helped by the fact fellow WR CeeDee Lamb missed three contests due to injury, but Pickens still exhibited a tremendous rapport with QB Dak Prescott. Dallas extended the franchise tag to Pickens this offseason, and he signed it in April without reaching an extension before the deadline in mid-July, meaning he again will be in the midst of a contract year in 2026.

Jefferson connected on a couple highlight-reel grabs from quarterback Kyler Murray during the Vikings' final training camp practice Aug. 26, Andrew Krammer of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Though most of the Vikings' key starters ended up sitting out Friday's 34-6 loss to the Broncos in the preseason finale, Jefferson and Murray displayed a strong connection while sharing the field together for the last time in front of assembled media before the Sept. 13 season opener versus the Packers. During red-zone work, Murray made a strong anticipation throw over the middle to Jefferson that went for a touchdown, and on the very next play, the wideout hauled down a one-handed touchdown grab on a throw Murray made while facing heavy pressure. While it may be ambitious for Jefferson to return to the great heights he displayed over his first three years in the NFL when he averaged 108 catches, 1,608 yards and 8.3 touchdowns per season, the upgrade in quarterback play that Murray is expected to provide should help Jefferson handily outperform the 84-1,048-2 receiving line he posted over 17 games in 2025 with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer throwing passes to him.