NFL Player News

Reed is one of six wide receivers on the Packers' initial 53-man roster, Wes Hodkiewicz of the team's official site reports.

Reed is joined by Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore and J. Michael Sturdivant in Green Bay's wide receiver room, while Savion Williams (ankle) is on IR with a designation to return, meaning the 2025 third-round pick will miss at least four weeks before possibly factoring into the equation as well. Reed has historically been productive when healthy despite frequently coming off the field in two-wide sets, with his 63.2 percent snap share during the 2024 regular season representing his single-season career high. Watson is locked in as a starter, but Reed could earn a larger share of playing time if he holds off the 2025 first-round pick Golden.

Lawrence will have a new backup in 2026, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Jaguars traded for Quinn Ewers from the Dolphins on Saturday.

Ewers was retained on the 53-man roster after final cuts, while Nick Mullens was released during cut-down day, though Mullens subsequently signed with the practice squad. Lawrence remains locked in as the team's starting QB on the heels of a 2025 regular season in which he threw for 4,007 yards and a career-high 29 passing touchdowns. The first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has exceeded 4,000 passing yards in three of his first five NFL seasons.

Collins is the clear No. 1 wide receiver for the Texans heading into the regular season, but the pecking order at the position behind him is uncertain, as Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel (hamstring), Kayshon Boutte and Jared Wayne are vying for roles, while Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports that Tank Dell (knee) will begin the season on IR with a designation to return.

Jayden Higgins had been set to start opposite Collins, but Higgins suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice, prompting the Texans to trade for Boutte from the Patriots. Dell has had the most success out of the options behind Collins, but the 2023 third-round pick hasn't suited up since the 2024 season and will miss at least the first four games of 2026. Collins has exceeded 1,000 regular-season receiving yards while scoring at least seven total touchdowns in each of the past three campaigns.

Flowers (lower body) is practicing Thursday, Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan Baltimore reports.

Flowers has been in and out of practice seemingly all summer, but he's always been eyeing Week 1 as his target date to be 100 percent, and his return to practice this week puts him on track for the opener in 10 days. The wide receiver inked a big extension with Baltimore during the offseason and is returning as Lamar Jackson's undisputed No. 1 pass-catching option.

Montgomery is one of three running backs on Houston's 53-man roster, along with Woody Marks and British Brooks, Jared Koch of SI.com reports.

Montgomery is ticketed for a prominent role after coming over from Detroit in an offseason trade, but it remains to be seen just how much Marks cuts into Montgomery's usage. The 230-pound Montgomery is much better suited for running inside and short-yardage work than the 208-pound Marks, but Montgomery recorded only 76 receptions across the past three regular seasons in Detroit, so the shifty Marks could siphon away opportunities in passing situations.

Stroud heads into the regular season with Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel (hamstring) and Kayshon Boutte as his top wide receivers, while Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports that Tank Dell (knee) will begin the season on IR with a designation to return.

The Texans traded for Boutte from New England after Jayden Higgins tore his ACL, knocking the 2025 second-round pick out for the season. Boutte's 551 receiving yards for the Patriots in the 2025 regular season would have ranked second among Houston's wideouts behind Collins. Hutchinson had a career-high 428 receiving yards during the 2025 regular season, Noel has some intriguing upside as a 2025 third-round pick, and Houston is hoping to get Dell back eventually from the knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. Stroud is looking to bounce back after a 2025 campaign in which he threw for career lows in both passing yards (3,041) and touchdown passes (19) during the regular season before coughing up seven turnovers in two playoff games.

Murray played six snaps during Minnesota's three-game preseason slate.

After completing two of his three pass attempts for 10 yards against the Giants in the preseason opener, Murray took a seat and parked it for the remainder of the exhibition season. Coach Kevin O'Connell settled on Murray as the Vikings' starter before training camp, and he's expected to have a long leash under center this season after J.J. McCarthy continued to look overmatched throughout the 2025 campaign. Murray has big upside in this quarterback-friendly scheme and has arguably the best supporting cast of his career. He's an ideal late-round fantasy target at quarterback.

Burrow said on teammate Ja'Marr Chase's (knee) podcast that the quarterback has high hopes for the Bengals in 2026 after the team's offseason personnel changes, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports Thursday.

"We're going to have a really good team that has a chance to win every game that we step foot on the field for," Burrow said. "We brought in a lot of the right guys, a lot of the right people with the right mindsets to go and chase this goal of winning a Super Bowl." Cincinnati's offseason additions focused primarily on fixing a defense that allowed 28.9 points per game during the 2025 regular season, which was third most in the NFL. Burrow and the offense are poised for another productive campaign if the star QB can stay healthy after being limited to eight appearances last season due to a toe injury. Starting wide receivers Chase and Tee Higgins (heel), as well as running back Chase Brown, are all reprising their roles alongside Burrow to provide continuity on offense.

Bigsby played 10 offensive snaps this preseason before being rested for the final two exhibition contests.

The fact he was rested for Weeks 2 and 3 of the preseason while Will Shipley played would suggest Bigsby has a firm grip on RB2 duties in Philadelphia behind Saquon Barkley. Barkley is entering his age-29 season with plenty of miles on his proverbial tires, and there's been talk out of Philly that the team wants to get Bigsby more involved to keep Barkley fresh. If something were to happen to him injury-wise, Bigsby would immediately enter the fantasy RB1 conversation in the Eagles' run-heavy offense that features one of the league's best offensive lines, making him the premier bench stash headed into the 2026 campaign.

Ridley is among the five wide receivers on the Titans' initial 53-man roster.

Tennessee heads into the season with Carnell Tate (undisclosed), Wan'Dale Robinson (head), Ridley, Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor at wide receiver. Of those five players, only Robinson and Ridley have more than one year of NFL experience. Ridley was the team's No. 1 receiver in the early part of last season but finished the year with just 303 receiving yards in seven games, as he missed time due to a hamstring injury and then fractured his fibula. Having recovered from those injuries, the 31-year-old Ridley is in contention for a starting role on the outside opposite Tate, with Robinson likely to work primarily out of the slot.