NFL Player News

Howard suffered a concussion during Thursday's 28-27 preseason loss to the Bills, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Howard is now in the NFL's five-step concussion protocol and will need to be consistently evaluated by an independent neurologist to progress back to full contact practice. The quarterback is currently an emergency option on the initial 53-man roster behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.

Head coach Mike LaFleur said Monday that Johnson is working through a lower-body injury, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

It's unclear when Johnson picked up the injury, though LaFleur relayed that the second-year pro is "progressing well" in his recovery. It doesn't seem like Johnson is in real jeopardy of missing the Cardinals' Week 1 clash against the Chargers. However, his status for the regular-season opener will be more clear once Arizona releases practice participation reports.

Mims (foot) was not spotted at the Broncos' practice Monday, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.

Mims suffered a bruised foot in the team's preseason finale against the Vikings on Friday, and he doesn't appear to be ready to return to practice quite yet. The Broncos are two weeks away from their regular-season opener against the Chiefs on Monday, Sept. 14, and the wide receiver will have a few more chances to return to practice this week.

The Dolphins claimed Joly off waivers from the Broncos on Monday.

Joly was a fifth-round selection of the Broncos in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he did not crack Denver's 53-man roster for the upcoming regular season. He'll get a fresh start in Miami, and if Will Kacmarek (undisclosed) misses time, then Joly would slot in as the team's TE3 behind Greg Dulcich and Seydou Traore.

Smith was waived by the Bears on Sunday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Smith missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign while injured reserve with Chicago after he suffered a knee injury in the preseason. The cornerback made a full recovery, and he participated in the preseason this year. If Smith clears waivers, there's a chance he returns to the Bears as a member of the team's practice squad.

The Dolphins claimed Cook off waivers from the Jets on Monday.

Both Cook and Bailey Zappe lost out to rookie fourth-rounder Cade Klubnik for the Jets' backup quarterback job behind Geno Smith. Cook will get a new opportunity in Miami, where he is expected to slot in as the Dolphins' QB3 behind starter Malik Willis and backup Kyle McCord. Cook appeared in five regular-season games (four starts) for the Jets in 2025, completing 57.5 percent of his passes for 739 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions while turning 13 carries into 49 yards.

Nabers (knee) was non-committal Monday when asked about his chances of playing in the Giants' Sept. 13 season opener versus the Cowboys, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. "I feel pretty good," Nabers said. "Like I said, you're going to feel good, but there's still some things that you're going to have to check off the box for you to participate. So I'm still going through that, still listening to the trainer, still listening to doctors and sharing everything with them."

Nabers has been practicing in some fashion throughout training camp and even ditched his red non-contact jersey last week, but the star wide receiver admitted he still has checkpoints to hit before getting the green light to play in a game. With the Giants' season opener just under two weeks away, Nabers has time to clear the necessary hurdles before he's formally cleared to play. The Giants will release their first Week 1 practice report Sept. 9, and if Nabers is listed as a full participant in that session or off the report entirely, it would be a strong sign that he's on track to play against Dallas.

Head coach Aaron Glenn said Monday that Ponds (calf) is on track to play against the Titans in Week 1, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

The rookie second-rounder missed all of training camp and did not play in any of the Jets' three preseason games due to a calf injury he sustained in late July. He is progressing in his recovery, and it appears Pond is trending toward making his NFL debut in Tennessee on Sunday, Sept. 13. The Indiana product will provide depth in the secondary behind Jarvis Brownlee, Brandon Stephens and Nahshon Wright (hip).

Sills (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve by the Buccaneers on Sunday with a designation to return, Scott Smith of the team's official website reports.

Sills appears to have picked up an undisclosed injury at some point during the preseason. The wide receiver played in one of the team's preseason contests, reeling in one of two targets for minus-1 yard. Sills will now be forced to miss at least four contests while on IR, and the earliest he can return to action is Week 5 against the Cowboys on Oct. 8.

Head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters Monday that Ossai is week-to-week due to a plantar fascia injury, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Ossai injured his foot during the Jets' preseason finale against the Giants on Saturday. The severity of the injury puts him in jeopardy of missing the Jets' regular-season opener against the Titans on Sunday, Sept. 13, and Ossai could be a candidate for injured reserve. Braiden McGregor and David Bailey will be the Jets' rotational defensive ends behind starters Will McDonald and Kingsley Enagbare for as long as Ossai is sidelined.