NFL Player News

Coach Dan Campbell said Monday that neither Vaki nor Jacob Saylors is viewed as the Lions' strict RB2, and Detroit will use a committee approach behind Jahmyr Gibbs, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.

Isiah Pacheco was signed over the offseason to serve as the Lions' RB2 behind Gibbs, but he injured his back and is opening the regular season on injured reserve. Pacheco remains without a firm timetable for return, so it's Vaki and Saylors who will see elevated roles on game days. The inexperienced duo has combined for nine career regular-season carries. Gibbs is expected to have a heavy 2026 workload due to David Montgomery being out of town and now with the Texans.

Higgins (heel) is in uniform for Monday's practice, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Coach Zac Taylor relayed last Tuesday that Higgins was tending to a bruised heel, which sidelined the wide receiver since then, so his ability to suit up Monday generally is a step in the right direction. Cincinnati will be posting its first injury report of the season Wednesday, after which Higgins' activity level will become clearer as the team preps for Sunday's Week 1 matchup with the Buccaneers.

Chase (knee) is in uniform for Monday's practice, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Chase limped off the practice field Aug. 25 and was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee. Prior to Monday, he hasn't logged any visible on-field work in the meantime, so his ability to suit up indicates he'll at least be able to get involved in individual drills. The Bengals will be posting their first Week 1 injury report Wednesday, at which point his activity level will became known as the team prepares for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

Egbuka (toe) is "participating in warmups and running routes" at Monday's practice, according to Pewter Report.

Egbuka was limited to work on the side last week, and although it's not yet clear how much he will do Monday, it appears he has taken a step forward in his recovery from a toe issue. There has been hope that Egbuka will be available for Week 1, and there remains reason to believe he will be available for Tampa Bay's opener.

Henderson (ankle) was not spotted at the portion of Monday's practice open to the media, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.com.

Henderson was listed as a non-participant on Sunday's injury report, and it appears likely he will receive the same designation a day later. Henderson has not been ruled out for Wednesday's season opener just yet, but his chances of suiting up are seemingly growing slimmer.

Brooks (general soreness) was spotted working out of to the side during Monday's practice, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Kaye notes that Brooks was spotted doing some running, so he wasn't completely limited to rehab work. According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Panthers head coach Dave Canales expressed optimism last week that Brooks would be ready to play in Sunday's season opener versus the Bears, and the running back's lack of involvement in Monday's practice isn't believed to have changed the Panthers' stance. Brooks missed the entire 2025 campaign after tearing the ACL in his right knee for the second time in his career in December 2024, but he was fully cleared in the spring and saw action in two preseason games.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Rush will serve as the top backup to starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the Falcons' Week 1 game against the Steelers, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Though the decision on the Falcons' Week 1 starter came down to Michael Penix (knee) and Tagovailoa, Penix will ultimately be inactive for the season opener rather than serving as the No. 2 quarterback. Penix took part in just six 11-on-11 practices during training camp while completing his recovery from the ACL surgery he underwent last November, so the Falcons will wait for him to get more reps in before making him available for his 2026 debut, either as a replacement in the starting lineup for Tagovailoa or as Tagovailoa's top backup. With Penix out of the mix for at least the first game, Atlanta will go with the more seasoned Rush over undrafted rookie Jack Strand as the No. 2 option behind Tagovailoa.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Penix (knee) will be inactive for Sunday's season opener in Pittsburgh, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

While addressing the media shortly after the Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their Week 1 starter Monday, Stefanski noted that Penix had taken part in only six 11-on-11 practices during training camp, so the third-year quarterback will need some more time to get back to full speed following last November's ACL tear before making his 2026 debut, per Raimondi. The Falcons were pleased enough with Penix's progress to wait until less than a week before the opener to name a starter, which suggests that he'll likely get a chance to supplant Tagovailoa atop the depth chart at some point this season. While Penix is in street clothes for Week 1, Cooper Rush will step in as Tagovailoa's backup, and undrafted rookie Jack Strand will serve as the No. 3 quarterback.

Penix (knee) won't start the season opener Sunday in Pittsburgh, after the Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their top quarterback heading into Week 1, Will McFadden and Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Though Penix is expected to receive the opportunity to start at some point in 2026, he'll have to wait at least one more week before getting his chance while he continues to work his way back from the torn ACL he sustained last November. Penix didn't play in the preseason and wasn't cleared to take part in 11-on-11 drills until Aug. 22, so he'll need to get some full practices under his belt before the Falcons consider moving him into the starting role over Tagovailoa, who completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 117 yards in two exhibition contests but fumbled twice and generally struggled to push the ball downfield during the preseason and training camp. The Falcons kept four quarterbacks on their roster following cut-down day, so Cooper Rush and Jack Strand will be available as backup options if Penix isn't ready to serve as Tagovailoa's understudy in the season opener.

Evans (adductor) was spotted on the field in full uniform during the open portion of Monday's practice in Melbourne, Australia, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Wagoner notes that linebacker Nick Bosa (knee) and running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) were the only 49ers players who didn't appear to be mixing into team drills during the open portion of practice, so Evans appears likely to have been at least a limited participant in Monday's session. The 49ers will release their first injury report of the season later Monday, when the extent of Evans' practice participation will be revealed. Evans had his practice activity managed for much of training camp while he contended with a minor quadriceps strain and, more recently, an adductor injury.