NFL Player News

The Patriots waived Lutz on Friday, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Lutz inked with New England in mid-August to provide the team some depth at wideout during the preseason, but he never had a realistic chance to make the 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie out of Delaware will likely need to hone in on practice squads around the league in order to find an opportunity in the NFL this season.

Croskey-Merritt's impressive summer contributed to Washington's decision to trade Brian Robinson to the 49ers on Friday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

A trade was rumored all week, with Robinson even held out of Monday's preseason loss to Cincinnati. RB Chris Rodriguez started that game and had a 40-yard run on the second snap, before Croskey-Merritt stepped up on the second drive with a 27-yard TD. Those two are the favorites to replace Robinson when a power runner is needed, but Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols are also candidates to take over some of the snaps Robinson handled last year. It'll be one of the key backfields to monitor Week 1, with no guarantee that Croskey-Merritt's rising ADP leads to a fantasy-friendly role in the opener. The usage in September won't necessarily be the same as that later in the season, of course, and positive reports on Croskey-Merritt throughout the summer suggest he has a shot to emerge as the lead runner.

New England waived Bernard on Friday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Bernard initially inked with the Titans after going undrafted out of Utah this offseason, and though he found a new opportunity with the Patriots early August, he won't make the team's initial 53-man roster. The rookie running back will work to find an opportunity on a practice squad this season.

Chism (foot/ankle) didn't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Giants.

Chism missed practice time this week, but provided his injury issue doesn't linger, the rookie UDFA out of Eastern Washington appears to be in a solid spot in terms of making the Patriots' initial 53-man roster. Added context on that front will arrive no later than next week, when roster cuts/moves occur league-wide.

Williams (undisclosed) didn't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Giants.

Williams missed practice time this week due to an undisclosed issue, but he likely wouldn't have played in any case Thursday as the Patriots rested key players with an eye toward giving those competing for depth slotting the bulk of the snaps versus New York. Assuming he resumes practicing in short order, Williams is destined to secure a role in the Patriots offense out of the gate this season, but it may take some time before the 2025 third-rounder sees steady volume in a wideout corps that also includes Stefon Diggs (knee), DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins.

Diggs (knee) didn't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Giants.

Diggs, who continues to bounce back from a torn ACL that he suffered last October, has been a regular practice participant since avoiding the active/PUP list to begin training camp, but the veteran wideout didn't see any action in either of the Patriots' three exhibition contests this month. While the signs continue to point toward Diggs being able to make a mark early on this season, until or unless the team confirms his Week 1 availability, his status will be worth monitoring ahead of New England's Sept. 7 opener against the Raiders.

The Patriots waived Fotheringham on Friday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Fotheringham went undrafted out of Utah back in 2022, spent his rookie year on Las Vegas' practice squad, then suited up for two regular-season games with the Raiders in 2023. Since then, he's logged stints with the Texans, Broncos and Patriots, but he didn't get a chance to suit up for regular-season action with any of those clubs and won't make New England's initial 53-man roster.

Guerendo may open the season as San Francisco's No. 2 running back even though the team is trading for Brian Robinson, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 49ers presumably wouldn't trade for Robinson, even at the cost of just a sixth-round pick, unless they thought he could become their No. 2 running back. That doesn't mean he'll simply be handed the gig, however, nor does it mean he'll be comfortable with the playbook in time for Week 1 at Seattle. Still, the trade takes a chunk out of Guerendo's fantasy value, adding another legitimate competitor for backup roles after the Niners drafted Jordan James (finger) in the fifth round this spring. Guerendo is the fastest and most athletic of the bunch, but his injury history dating back to college is concerning, to say the least.

New England waived Woolridge on Friday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Wooldridge inked with New England almost immediately after going undrafted in April and got the benefit of a full offseason to develop with the team, making him a strong candidate to return as a member of the practice squad this season. The rookie signal-caller completed 66.0 percent of his passes for 2,453 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions in his final season at Louisiana, while also rushing for 174 yards and five scores on the ground.

New England waived Bell on Friday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

The Patriots knew Bell was a developmental selection when nabbing him in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so he seems a likely candidate to resurface on the practice squad if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Across 15 regular-season appearances as a rookie, Bell totaled two catches for 20 yards on three targets, and his one game with double-digit offensive snaps came Week 18 against Buffalo.