NFL Player News

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday that McMillan has a severe neck strain and "is going to miss some time", Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bowles added that McMillan's injury isn't expected to be career-threatening, per Stroud. That's welcome news after the wideout was undercut by a Steelers defender during Saturday's preseason game and landed hard on his neck and head. It remains to be seen whether the Buccaneers will place McMillan on IR when the 53-man roster is finalized, which would force him to sit out at least the first four weeks of the regular season. With Chris Godwin (ankle) still on the active/PUP list and also iffy for the start of the campaign, Mike Evans, rookie first-rounder Emeka Egbuka and tight end Cade Otton are likely to be Baker Mayfield's top downfield options in Week 1 against the Falcons, and possibly beyond.

Richardson was informed Tuesday that he'll open the regular season backing up Daniel Jones, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The former Giant didn't necessarily outplay Richardson over two preseason games, but Jones did remain healthy throughout spring practice and training camp, while the fourth overall pick in the 2023 Draft has dealt with shoulder and finger injuries. There's still a good chance Richardson eventually makes starts this season, given Jones' shaky track record with the Giants in terms of both durability and performance.

Jones has been named the starting quarterback for Week 1 against Miami, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Colts coach Shane Steichen reportedly informed Jones and Anthony Richardson of his decision Tuesday morning. There wasn't a decisive winner in the QB competition over two preseason games, but Jones seemingly made a better impression on the practice field this spring and summer. His poor track record with the Giants suggests Richardson is likely to make starts at some point this season, however.

McMillan (hamstring) is not practicing Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Panthers coach Dave Canales said McMillan is simply dealing with a tight hamstring after having handled a large preseason workload. The rookie first-rounder also sat out Monday's practice, but at this stage there are no concerns about his availability for Week 1. Canales has already announced that Carolina's starters will sit out Thursday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh.

Goedert (groin) was a limited participant at Tuesday's practice, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Goedert and DeVonta Smith (groin), who did not practice, are new additions to the injury report, while A.J. Brown (hamstring) also remained sidelined due to an injury he's dealt with for the majority of training camp. While Goedert practicing in a limited fashion suggests he's only dealing with a minor injury, that could be enough for him to be held out of Friday's preseason finale against the Jets, in the event that the rest of Philadelphia's starters do suit up.

Smith is not practicing Tuesday due to a groin injury, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Smith is present at Tuesday's practice in street clothes, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia, but he and fellow star wideout A.J. Brown (hamstring) are not practicing. While neither Smith nor Brown appear to be dealing with any sort of issue that could threaten their Week 1 availability, the WR tandem figures to be held out of Friday's preseason finale against the Jets if they're at anything less than 100 percent -- assuming any of Philadelphia's starters are given the green light to suit up versus New York.

Brown (hamstring) is not participating in Tuesday's practice, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

The star wideout is sitting out another practice, though offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said when the training staff "is ready to cut him loose, he'll be cut loose," which could occur next week. Brown managed to get in two limited practices to begin last week, and the Eagles simply seem to be taking a cautious approach to his recovery. There doesn't seem to be any concern about his availability for Week 1, but expect him to sit out Friday's preseason finale against the Jets.

Smith may be on the roster bubble for the Cowboys, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The 2023 first-round pick has failed to make any kind of impact in his first two NFL seasons, with his only redeeming quality being that he hasn't missed a game. Smith graded out 208th among 220 interior defensive linemen last year according to Pro Football Focus, and offseason turnover in the coaching staff means that the current brain trust of head coach Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus have little investment in keeping the 24-year-old Michigan product around. "We're still in the information gathering process," Schottenheimer said Monday. "We'll sit down after we play Friday and we'll make some decisions about the entire roster. There will probably be some surprises from some of the mock things that are out there in terms of, 'Hey, I thought for sure this guy was gonna make it.'" The coach did note that Smith "did some good things" in last Saturday's preseason game against the Ravens, but he also highlighted his lack of consistency. "Mazi wants to be a great player. Mazi can. But what he has to do is be more consistent. That great play I described where he's getting his second step in the dirt and fish-hooking the center and he's basically destroying the line of scrimmage, that's got to be the standard. Not the, 'Okay, I did that,' and for two plays I'm not holding the point as strong as I need to." Smith may get his last chance to prove he belongs on the 53-man roster in Friday's preseason finale against the Falcons.

Ojemudia signed with the Cowboys on Monday, the team's official website reports.

A third-round pick in 2020, Ojemudia's last NFL action came in 2022 with the Bears, when he was coached by current Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Ojemudia is coming off a strong UFL campaign this spring that saw him record 20 tackles and one interception over nine regular-season games for the eventual champions, the DC Defenders. Even in an injury-plagued Cowboys secondary though, the 27-year-old faces an uphill battle to win a roster spot.

McMillan (back/neck) is not participating in practice Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McMillan is present at Tuesday's practice, but he's watching from the sidelines while still wearing a neck brace, Mark Skol of Fox 13 News reports. The second-year pro is working his way back from an injury suffered due to a rough landing during last Saturday's preseason win over Pittsburgh, when he was undercut by a defender while making a leaping catch. He's likely to sit out Tampa Bay's preseason finale against Buffalo on Saturday, Aug. 23.