NFL Player News

Thorson will be the Vikings' punter heading into the 2026 season, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.

Thorson spent four collegiate seasons at Georgia before signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in April 2026. After a quality preseason, he will serve as Minnesota's punter during the 2026 campaign after beating out veteran Johnny Hekker for the job.

Rouse was traded from the Vikings to the Patriots on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network reports.

Rouse operated in a reserve role with Minnesota for two seasons after being selected by the team in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He appeared in one game during his rookie season before he played 88 offensive snaps and 32 with the special-teams unit over eight contests in 2025. Rouse has spent time at both offensive tackle and offensive guard, and he'll likely operate as an extreme depth option with the Patriots this season.

The Vikings placed Batty (knee) on injured reserve Sunday, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.

Batty suffered a torn ACL during Friday's preseason loss to the Broncos and will now be forced to miss the upcoming season. He logged 12 tackles (nine solo) across 12 games with Minnesota last season and will now shift his focus to getting healthy for the 2027 campaign.

The Browns waived/injured Bell (eye) on Sunday, James Palmer of The Athletic reports.

Bell suffered an eye injury after the Browns' preseason opener and was unable to play for the remainder of the preseason. The defensive tackle will now be subject to waivers, and if he clears will revert to the Browns' injured reserve list. If Bell reverts to IR, he will spend the entirety of the 2026 regular season there unless he is waived with an injury settlement.

Schooler (undisclosed) will begin the 2026 regular season on the Patriots' reserve/non-football injury list, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.

It was reported last Thursday that Schooler was close to being activated off the NFI list prior to cutdown day. The free safety is evidently not quite ready to rejoin the team and will now need to miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season. Kevin Byard is set to open the Week 1 game against the Seahawks as the starting free safety for the Patriots.

Hekker was released by the Vikings on Sunday, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.

Hekker, who has been in the NFL since 2012, played for the Rams, Panthers and Titans throughout his career. The 36-year-old most recently signed a deal with the Vikings, though he couldn't win the starting job over rookie Brett Thorson. Hekker is a four-time Pro Bowler, so there is a chance he lands with a new team heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

The Chargers placed Taylor (undisclosed) on injured reserve Sunday with a designation to return, Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network reports.

Taylor will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the season before he's eligible to return due to an undisclosed injury. The rookie sixth-round pick should serve as a depth tackle once healthy.

Slayton is a member of the Giants' initial 53-man roster in 2026, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.

Slayton has made the cut ahead of his eighth campaign in New York. The wide receiver caught four of six targets for 58 yards while playing in all three preseason games this year. Slayton had a down year in 2025, recording 37 catches for 538 yards and one touchdown over 14 regular-season contests, all of which were his lowest totals since 2021. The 29-year-old appears to be on track to operate as one of New York's starting receivers on the outside, and he'll look to get back on track in 2026.

The Steelers activated Porter (back) from the active/PUP list Sunday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Porter opened training camp on the active/PUP list due to a back injury and missed the entirety of the 2026 preseason. The cornerback appears healthy and ready to play amidst trade rumors. Assuming Porter stays with the Steelers, he should be all set to start at outside cornerback across from Jamel Dean in the Week 1 game against the Falcons.

The Packers placed Williams (undisclosed) on injured reserve Sunday with a designation to return, Wes Hodkiewicz of the team's official site reports.

Williams wasn't necessarily hampered by a health concern during training camp and the preseason, but an unknown injury will conspire to sideline him for at least the first four games of the campaign. Behind Green Bay's big three wide receivers Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden, the initial position group on the active roster also includes Skyy Moore, Bo Melton and undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant. Williams' earliest possible time to make his season debut is Sunday, Oct. 11 versus the Bears.