NFL Player News

Fitzgerald is in line to start the 2025 regular season as the Panthers' kicker, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Fitzgerald was in a battle with Matthew Wright for the placekicking job in Carolina, and after Wright was released Monday, it now belongs to Fitzgerald. Over his last two seasons at Florida State, Fitzgerald made 32 of 34 field-goal tries and all 72 extra-point attempts.

Milroe will have a special set of plays installed in Seattle's offense for regular-season games, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Coach Mike Macdonald said that Milroe will work with the first-team offense in practice, not necessarily that he will get snaps in games. Macdonald also noted that he wants teams to have to game plan for Milroe's mobility, and specifically cited the tush push the rookie quarterback ran in Seattle's second preseason game as an example. Sam Darnold is the undoubted starter heading into Week 1, but Macdonald's comments also set up an interesting decision as to whether Milroe or Drew Lock will serve as Darnold's backup.

The Steelers waived Sauls on Monday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

With Chris Boswell sitting out while seeking a contract extension, Sauls handled the kicking duties in all three of the Steelers' preseason games, going 5-for-6 on field-goal attempts while making all six of his extra-point tries. Boswell will remain on the Steelers' roster as the team's starting kicker, but Saul should get an opportunity to compete on another team whose kicking situation is less solidified.

San Francisco placed Prince (knee) on its injured reserve list Monday.

Prince injured his knee during the 49ers' final preseason game versus the Chargers on Saturday, and now he's headed for their injured reserve list. Because of the timing of the transaction, he won't be eligible to play in 2025 unless he negotiates an injury settlement with San Francisco.

McCutcheon was waived by the Steelers on Monday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

McCutcheon signed a futures deal with the Steelers in January and entered training camp with an outside chance of making the 53-man roster. He showed some flashes during training camp, and across three preseason games he logged five catches (on eight targets) for 66 yards and a touchdown. McCutcheon was unable to survive the Steelers' roster cuts, but assuming he clears waivers, he could remain in Pittsburgh as a member of the practice squad.

Tampa Bay released Opeta (knee) on Monday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Opeta just returned to action earlier in August after tearing his ACL during training camp last year, but he won't make the Buccaneers' final 53-man roster for 2025. Now that he's healthy though, he'll be free to sign with another club and suit up right away.

White was released by the Bills on Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

White appears to have lost his battle with Mitchell Trubisky for the backup role behind Josh Allen in 2025. White appeared in two of the Bills' preseason contests, completing 12 of 24 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. The 30-year-old has appeared in 15 regular-season games between the Jets, Dolphins and Bills over the the last four years, so he likely won't have to wait long for his next opportunity.

The Steelers waived Hurleman on Monday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Hurleman had a nice showing in the Steelers' preseason opener against the Jaguars on Aug. 9, finishing with two catches (on four targets) for 29 yards and a touchdown. He wasn't able to replicate that performance across the Steelers' final two exhibition games and didn't show enough in training camp to crack the 53-man roster. Assuming he clears waivers, the undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame will look to join a team in need of depth at wide receiver, though he could be invited back by the Steelers to join the team's practice squad.

Dallas waived Matthew (groin) with an injury designation Monday, Joe Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Matthew suffered a groin injury during the Cowboys' second preseason game versus the Ravens, and now he's going to waivers. If he's not claimed by another team, he'll revert to Dallas' injured-reserve list and be required to stay there for the entire 2025 season unless he reaches an injury settlement with the team.

Wright was released by the Panthers on Monday, Darin Gantt of the team's official website reports.

Wright signed with the Panthers in February and competed with rookie Ryan Fitzgerald for the team's starting kicker role at training camp, ultimately losing the battle. Wright missed his lone field-goal attempt, while also adding a PAT over two preseason games with Carolina. The kicker has appeared in at least one regular-season contest in five consecutive seasons, so he'll likely find another opportunity elsewhere in 2025.