NFL Player News

Otton (undisclosed) returned to practice Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Otton missed about a week of action for the Bucs, and it's unclear if he'll play in Friday's preseason finale against Jacksonville. Last season, Otton matched his career high with 59 catches across 16 regular-season games, turning them into 572 yards and one touchdown. He's expected to be the third or fourth option in Tampa Bay's passing attack in 2026.

Warren (groin) may not practice this week as the team prepares to have him available for the season opener, Jake Arthur of Roundtable Sports reports.

"We're gonna be pretty smart with Tyler [Warren] this week," said coach Shane Steichen on Tuesday. Warren, who suffered a strained abductor last week in joint practice, is being brought along cautiously and may continue to miss practice with the intent of having him ready to go Week 1. Even if Warren is unable to practice this week or play in the preseason finale, there is still time for the promising second-year tight end to be ready to go without missing regular-season games.

Henderson has been diagnosed with a lower right ankle injury and will undergo further "precautionary" tests, Christopher Price of the Boston Globe reports.

Henderson is "walking and moving fine," according to Price, after the second-year running back was dinged up in Monday's practice when he slipped on the turf. Henderson was already expected to rest for the preseason finale. He may not practice the remainder of the week, but it sounds like Henderson has a good chance of suiting up for the Patriots' regular-season opener against Seahawks on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Pierce (ankle) will not practice Tuesday, but coach Shane Steichen said he's optimistic the wideout will practice this week, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Steichen added that there have been no conversations about keeping Pierce on the PUP list. The wideout continues to work his way back from a clean-up procedure on his ankle back in April. It sounds as though a return to practice is on the horizon, potentially even this week.

Wirfs (hamstring) practiced in full-team drills Tuesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Wirfs looks to be ready for the season after a hamstring injury early in camp kept him sidelined for a spell. He returned in limited fashion last week and is now progressing to full-team work and one-on-ones against starters.

Bell (lower body) participated in full-team drills Monday, Jon Scott of Channel 2 Buffalo reports.

The rookie out of UConn hasn't played in either of Buffalo's first two preseason games, but after practicing fully Monday, Bell appears on track to play in Thursday's exhibition finale versus the Steelers, per Alex Brasky of SI.com. Bell's injury during training camp may have pushed back his timeline for contributing on the field early this season, even if he gets a preseason game under his belt.

Johnson (lower leg) didn't practice Tuesday, but head coach Joe Brady said that the running back has resumed sprinting, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Though Johnson hasn't practiced in more than two weeks while nursing a lower-leg injury and looks unlikely to play in Thursday's preseason finale versus the Steelers, Brady noted that the running back is "in a good head space" and could still be available for Week 1 in Houston. If Johnson ends up being sidelined to begin the regular season, however, lead back James Cook could take on a heightened role on passing downs.

Sanders appears to be the frontrunner to open the season as the Jets' kicker after Cade York was waived Tuesday, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

The Jets brought in both Sanders and York on one-year deals to compete for the kicking job. Sanders' longer record of NFL success gave him an early edge, and he ended up pulling away after converting both of his point-after attempts as well as field-goal attempts from 39 and 47 yards in the first two preseason contests. Jets special teams coach Chris Banjo said Tuesday that Sanders "has won the job" at placekicker, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Washington (undisclosed) is taking part in Tuesday's joint practice with the Buccaneers, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Jaguars labeled Washington as day-to-day last week while he dealt with an undisclosed injury, but he took part in a walk-through session Sunday and is seemingly operating with no restrictions in the first of two joint practices with the Buccaneers. Washington made a big play early in Tuesday's session during red-zone drills, going high over cornerback Jacob Parrish to bring down a lob pass in the end zone.

McMillan (knee) isn't participating in Tuesday's practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

McMillan was able to return to practice last Tuesday, but the third-year wideout is apparently still dealing with some limitations as he works his way back from a knee injury that has kept him off the field for much of August. The Buccaneers haven't clarified whether McMillan's absence from practice Tuesday is the result of a setback, or if he's simply getting a maintenance day. He seems to be trending toward sitting out Friday's preseason finale versus the Jaguars.