NFL Player News

Mitchell (undisclosed) returned to practice Monday, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

After six straight missed practices, Mitchell's return is a positive step for his Week 1 outlook against the Cardinals. When healthy, Mitchell is expected to serve in a sort-of lightning role to Omarion Hampton's thunder out of the backfield. Mitchell may not be immediately usable in fantasy leagues as a starter, but he's one of the higher-upside bench stashes to see what his role is under new OC Mike McDaniel, who personally campaigned for Mitchell's signing in Los Angeles.

Coach Todd Monken said Monday that Green could be active and have a package of plays in Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

It's unclear if Green would be active as the QB2 over Shedeur Sanders, or if Cleveland would make three quarterbacks active, but the idea is out there to get Green some plays after he showed off his elite athleticism with 66 yards on eight carries in the preseason finale. Green is big and athletic and set positional records at the combine back in February when he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash with a 43.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-2 broad jump. There's an outside chance Green sees playing time as a rookie for a Browns team that is likely looking at another rebuild at the quarterback position.

Coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Pierce (ankle) "should be good to go" for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Pierce returned to a full practice last week and is nearing 100 percent following ankle surgery earlier in the offseason. While Pierce is expected to play against Baltimore, it's unclear if he'll play his normal allotment of snaps, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. Pierce could be on some sort of snap count, and Ashton Dulin would be in line for additional reps on offense. Pierce is shaping up as a boom-or-bust fantasy bet for Week 1.

Odunze (leg) is not practicing Monday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

After Odunze exited Thursday's practice with an apparent right leg injury, the wide receiver is opening the Week 1 practice week with an absence. The Bears will release an official practice report Wednesday, and it will be a situation to monitor heading into the weekend for Sunday's season opener against the Panthers. If Odunze can't go against Carolina, Luther Burden (groin) and Colston Loveland would likely see expanded target shares, while Kalif Raymond and rookie Zavion Thomas would be in line for elevated snaps.

Monangai (knee) returned to practice Monday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

It marked Monangai's first practice action since he hyperextended his knee Aug. 16. It's unclear if Monangai will be able to play in Sunday's regular-season opener against the Panthers, but he's obviously nearing 100 percent. D'Andre Swift (abdomen) was also back at practice Monday after dealing with cramps last week.

Swift (abdomen) returned to practice Monday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Swift left practice last Thursday with abdominal cramps, but his ability to mix into drills after a weekend off generally is a good sign ahead of Sunday's season opener against the Panthers. In addition to Swift, Kyle Monangai (knee) returned to practice Monday for the first time since hyperextending his knee Aug. 16. Swift is a locked-in fantasy RB2 to open the 2026 campaign, while Monangai makes for an ideal bench stash in Chicago's elite offense. Roschon Johnson will bring up the rear of the depth chart as the Bears' RB3.

Bond cleared concussion protocol and resumed practicing Monday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Bond suffered the brain injury in Cleveland's second preseason game but has since cleared all five steps of the protocol, putting him on track to be ready to go for Sunday's season opener in Jacksonville. He's expected to fill the No. 4 receiver role for the Browns behind KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston and veteran Jerry Jeudy. As an undrafted rookie last season, Bond caught just 18 of 44 targets for 338 yards and zero touchdowns in 16 games.

Waller said Monday that he's practicing as if he's going to play in Sunday's game against the Bears, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Waller signed with Carolina less than a month ago and has slowly been working his way into game-ready shape. He ran with the first-team offense in practice last week and appears ready to go for the Week 1 opener. The Panthers have a host of quality tight ends, but Waller has the most fantasy appeal of the bunch as a weapon in the red zone and on third downs. He's likely a better best-ball pick than reliable weekly play in redraft fantasy formats.

Coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Tucker (undisclosed) will likely be a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Tucker did not practice Monday, and the exact nature of his injury isn't known, though the Bucs will be required to provide more clarity with Wednesday's first official injury report of the season. If Tucker is unable to go against Cincinnati, Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell should handle most, if not all, of the backfield snaps.

McMillan (knee) was on the field running routes at Monday's practice, PewterReport.com reports.

Both McMillan and Emeka Egbuka (toe) were participating in Monday's session, putting both in good position to play Sunday against the Bengals. McMillan missed most of training camp, but his injury never sounded serious. He's expected to compete with rookie Ted Hurst for WR3 duties behind Egbuka and Chris Godwin this season. McMillan is the favorite to open the campaign in three-wide sets.