NFL Player News

Samuel (hamstring) will be limited at practice Friday, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Samuel continues to manage a hamstring issue, but his participation in Friday's session is step in the right direction for the wideout, who is competing for targets in a Buffalo WR corps that's led by Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman and also includes Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore. Samuel seems more likely to get snaps in the Bills' Aug. 23 preseason finale than Sunday's contest against the Bears.

Odunze made a strong impression Thursday, hauling in a 14-yard gain over the middle to start the end-of-half drill. He also adjusted to a pass behind him, ripping it away from a defender to move the chains, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Odunze is trying to build on a 2024 rookie season where he posted 734 receiving yards, showing the contested-catch skills that helped him stand out at times last year. His growing chemistry with Caleb Williams suggests a path to steady production, particularly with his ability to win tough catches in traffic. That skill set makes him a viable mid-round fantasy target with upside if the Bears' passing game progresses.

Burton (undisclosed) returned to practice Friday, Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati reports.

It's his first practice since recording one catch, one punt return and two kickoff returns in the preseason opener against the Eagles. A quick return to practice suggests the undisclosed injury isn't serious, but that doesn't mean Burton will play in Monday's preseason game against Washington. It's also not clear if the 2024 third-round pick will have a role in Cincinnati's offense to begin the regular season, as he still seems to be behind Andrei Iosivas (and possibly Charlie Jones) on the depth chart.

Booker is expected to start Saturday's preseason game against the Ravens, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The 12th overall pick in the 2025 Draft was somewhat surprisingly held out of the Cowboys' preseason opener against the Rams, but Booker should see his first game action in a Dallas uniform Saturday, even if only for a couple series. The Alabama product is set to start at right guard in Week 1, getting the unenviable task of replacing future Hall of Famer Zack Martin along the Cowboys offensive line.

Milton will likely play the majority of Saturday's preseason game against the Ravens, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The Cowboys are still trying to get Milton ready to be Dak Prescott's top backup, whereas No. 3 QB Will Grier is more of a known quantity. Prior to leaving the preseason opener against the Rams with a minor elbow issue, Milton completed 17 of 29 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while adding 22 rushing yards on five carries.

Blue is no longer using a walking boot, but he has yet to participate in practice since suffering a bone bruise in his heel last week, Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com reports.

Without practice reps, it's unlikely the rookie running back with suit up for Saturday's preseason game with the Ravens, although the Cowboys won't make a determination on his status until doing pregame testing on his foot. Blue was making a good impression early in training camp, but until he gets back on the field it will be difficult for him to present a serious challenge to Javonte Williams' spot at the top of the depth chart.

Keene's injury that landed him on season-ending injured reserve is to his leg, per a league source, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.

It's a dangerous time to be a tight end for Houston, which has placed two members of the room on injured reserve this week. Keene follows Brevin Jordan, who will miss the season due to a knee injury, his second in as many seasons. The Texans signed free agent Tre' McKitty in the wake of those injuries.

Smith (hand) returned to practice Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.

Smith, who missed two days of practice this week, got healthy just in time for Saturday's preseason tilt against Carolina. It's a good time for him to be healthy, as the Texans lost a pair of tight ends this week to season-ending injuries -- Brevin Jordan (knee) and Dalton Keene (leg).

Fannin was cited as a riser at this week's joint practices with Philadelphia, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic.

Fannin dropped a potential touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco early in Thursday's session, but the rookie tight end responded by catching the next one thrown his way and later scored on a deep corner route. While head coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't directly said it, Jackson believes Fannin is ahead of schedule. He could line up all over the formation and will be involved in the offense, per Jackson, as the second tight end behind David Njoku.

Huntley could be the starting quarterback in Saturday's preseason game against the Eagles, Noah Monroe of the Browns' official site reports.

The Browns are dealing with several injuries in the quarterback room, with only Huntley and Joe Flacco deemed 100 percent. "We'll work through all (the injuries). Obviously, (Huntley) knows exactly what to do, how to do it, so is ready to roll," Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday. Flacco, the presumptive Week 1 starter, was ruled out from playing by the coach. Shedeur Sanders (oblique) didn't practice this week and is not expected to play. That leaves Dillon Gabriel (hamstring) and Kenny Pickett (hamstring), both of whom practiced this week, albeit in limited fashion.