NFL Player News

McCaffrey (undisclosed) said Sunday that he always planned to take a break during training camp and then "ramp back up," Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

McCaffrey returned to practice and participated in team drills Sunday after he had been sitting out with general "tightness" of late. The 30-year-old running back added Sunday that the media attention around his absence was a "firestorm" and that his plan all along was 8-to-10 practices to ramp up, a break and then another ramp up in advance of Week 1, according to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area. McCaffrey recorded a career-high 311 carries for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns across 17 regular-season games last year. San Francisco will open the 2026 campaign versus the Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Gabriel will start at quarterback in Thursday's preseason finale against the Patriots, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Gabriel has seen limited action during the preseason, but with fellow signal-callers DeShaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders -- per the same source -- set to sit out Thursday, Gabriel will get an extended look. One of the other quarterbacks is expected to be announced as Cleveland's starter Monday, and Gabriel will presumably open the regular season behind both.

Giants coach John Harbaugh said Sunday that Nabers (knee) could be out of his red non-contact jersey at some point this week, Evan Barnes of Newsday reports.

Harbaugh added that they will see how Nabers feels Monday and that it wasn't a necessity for him to shed the non-contact jersey this week since the regular-season opener is still three weeks away, per Barnes. The 23-year-old returned to team sessions last Monday, but he still sat out joint practices versus the Dolphins ahead of Saturday's 26-3 preseason win. Whether Nabers sheds the non-contact jersey will be a key checkpoint for his Week 1 readiness, but Harbaugh's comments suggest the Giants are still prioritizing his knee recovery timeline. New York will open its regular season versus the Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Sanders will learn Monday if he or Deshaun Watson will start at quarterback for the Browns, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

The two signal-callers have alternated starting reps so far this preseason, as Watson started the first half of Cleveland's preseason opener while Sanders started in Saturday's 31-7 preseason loss to Buffalo. The 24-year-old Sanders outplayed Watson during the second exhibition, going 9-for-11 passing for 74 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but neither quarterback has obviously pulled away in the competition this preseason. In any case, word on the team's Week 1 starter is on track to arrive Monday via coach Todd Monken, while both Sanders and Watson are not slated to play in Thursday's preseason finale. The Browns' regular-season opener will come versus the Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Watson will learn Monday if he or Shedeur Sanders will be named the starting quarterback for the Browns, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

The two quarterbacks have gone back and forth on reps during the preseason. Watson started the first half of Cleveland's preseason opener, but then he didn't play until after halftime when Sanders started in Saturday's 31-7 preseason loss to Buffalo. The 30-year-old has completed 16 of 27 passes for 162 yards and zero touchdowns to one interception through two exhibition game appearances. With neither quarterback obviously pulling away in the competition this preseason, it's possible that whoever is named the Week 1 starter could be on a short leash. Cleveland will open its 2026 campaign versus the Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Updating a previous report, McCaffrey (undisclosed) participated in team drills during Sunday's practice, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

McCaffrey returned to the practice field after sitting out with general "tightness" during training-camp practices and the 49ers' first two preseason exhibitions. The running back's participation during team drills is very encouraging for his availability. However, he initially sat out during the early portion of Sunday's team sessions, per Tafur, so San Francisco appears to still be monitoring his workload. Given his status, it's unlikely that McCaffrey will suit up for Thursday's preseason finale versus the Raiders. It will be worth monitoring his participation level in practice ahead of the 49ers' Week 1 matchup versus the Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Saturday that Slaughter will be the Chargers' starting center for the upcoming season, Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com reports.

Slaughter, a second-round selection of the Chargers in the 2026 NFL Draft, entered training camp competing for a starting spot at guard. However, with Tyler Biadasz (knee) on injured reserve, Slaughter will shift over and serve as the starting center for his rookie campaign. Slaughter will be flanked by Kayode Awosika and Rashawn Slater (undisclosed) on his left side, with Joe Alt and Cole Strange manning the right.

Harrison is unlikely to play in the Dolphins' preseason finale against the Falcons on Friday due to a hamstring injury, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Harrison likely picked up the injury during the Dolphins' 26-3 preseason loss to the Giants on Saturday. He's battling for a depth spot on the 53-man roster, and his hamstring injury puts him in jeopardy of being cut by the Dolphins at the end of training camp.

Woodaz is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday to repair a broken thumb, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Woodaz sustained the injury during the Texans' 22-20 preseason win over the Raiders on Thursday. His return timeline will be determined following Monday's procedure, but the rookie fourth-rounder is a candidate to open the 2026 regular season on injured reserve.

Lenoir (shoulder) participated in Sunday's training camp practice, Noah Furtado of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Lenoir was held out of Saturday's practice due to a shoulder injury, but the sixth-year cornerback was cleared to return for Sunday's session. He's projected to start opposite Renardo Green (hamstring), with Nate Hobbs (groin), Siran Neal and Jack Jones providing depth at the position. Lenoir finished the 2025 regular season with 61 tackles (39 solo) and five pass defenses (including two interceptions) across 17 games.