NFL Player News

Driskell (appendix) did not participate in practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site of the Chiefs official team site reports.

Driskell will miss some time for Kansas City as he is working his way back from an appendectomy. The 25-year-old, who joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent last year, appeared in two games a season ago. If he's forced to miss extended time, it could impact his chances of making the roster as a rotational piece on the offensive line.

Nabers (toe/shoulder) isn't participating in the Giants' joint practice with the Jets on Wednesday, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.

The Giants have cleared a few players who sat out the team's first preseason game -- including fellow wideout Jalin Hyatt (undisclosed) -- to participate in Wednesday's practice, but Nabers isn't among them. The star receiver hasn't practiced since last Wednesday, and it's unclear at this point if the primary reason is the toe injury that has bothered him throughout the offseason or a shoulder issue that caused him to exit a practice early in late July. Nabers has stated that a limited workload during training camp is "part of the plan," per Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, but head coach Brian Daboll hasn't said much about the wideout's status. It's worth noting that Daboll doesn't typically provide much detail about injuries, so it's hazy at this point when -- or if -- Nabers will get into a preseason contest.

Brown (ankle/foot) won't play in Friday's preseason contest against the Seahawks, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Brown remained sidelined during Wednesday's practice, per Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site, and the wideout is now slated to sit out his second straight exhibition contest Friday. Brown's last chance to see preseason snaps will arrive Aug. 22 against the Bears.

Phillips (undisclosed) participated in practice Wednesday, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports.

Phillips started at cornerback in the Giants' first preseason game, but unfortunately exited in the first drive of the contest after attempting to tackle tight end Dalton Kincaid. The 23-year-old opened eyes last season as a rookie, where he started six of the 14 games he played, finishing with 71 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles. Now healthy, the second-year player is slated to start at slot cornerback this season.

Coach Andy Reid noted Wednesday that there's "a good chance" Mahomes won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Seahawks, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Apart from Mahomes, the Chiefs may sit some other starters Friday, with Reid suggesting that he wants the team's younger players to get as many reps as possible. Mahomes started the team's preseason opener this past Saturday against the Cardinals but logged just three snaps before giving way to fellow QBs Gardner Minshew, Bailey Zappe and Chris Oladokun.

Gesicki (hamstring) is present at Wednesday's practice but is rehabbing on a side field, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Gesicki has missed over a week of practice, as well as Cincinnati's preseason opener against the Eagles, due to a hamstring injury sustained during practice on Saturday, Aug. 2. It remains to be seen whether the athletic tight end will be cleared in time to retake the field for Monday's upcoming preseason matchup against the Commanders. Recent tight end arrival Noah Fant also sat out versus Philadelphia, as he wasn't up to speed with the playbook, but he figures to have benefited from increased first-team reps with Gesicki sidelined.

Vaughn worked with the first-team offense during practice Tuesday, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The undersized back showed his usual elusiveness, but Vaughn heads into his third NFL season having yet to make much of an impact with his rare touches in game action. He's getting opportunities with the first team while rookie Jaydon Blue (heel) is sidelined, but Vaughn faces an uphill battle to even have a spot on the 53-man roster with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders also ahead of him on the depth chart, and 2025 seventh-round pick Phil Mafah looking good in camp as well.

Pickens hauled in a deep sideline throw from Dak Prescott against tight coverage from DaRon Bland in practice Tuesday, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The former Steeler had trouble connecting with Prescott on routes down the field earlier in training camp, but the duo's chemistry has developed nicely since then. With CeeDee Lamb drawing plenty of defensive attention as Prescott's primary option, Pickens could see regular single coverage as secondaries are forced to pick their poison, and he has the physical tools to beat any cornerback trying to contain him. After posting career-best regular-season numbers in 2023 with 63 catches for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns while mainly working with Kenny Pickett as his QB then experiencing a drop in those numbers in 2024, Pickens could be primed for a career-best campaign in his first season with the Cowboys.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that Hunt (quadriceps) is dealing with a quad contusion and may not be available for Friday's preseason matchup against Seattle, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Hunt is an established veteran who boasts significant familiarity with Kansas City's rushing scheme, so it would make sense for the team to hold him out of exhibition action if he's anything less than 100 percent healthy. In limited action during the Chiefs' preseason opener against Arizona, Hunt rushed twice for 12 yards and secured one of two targets for five yards, entering the game after Isiah Pacheco. His primary competition for the No. 2 backfield gig is Elijah Mitchell.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that Waddle (undisclosed) will retake the field for joint practices against the Lions, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waddle continues to recover from a collision suffered during joint practices with the Bears last week, which forced him to miss Miami's preseason opener, so it's encouraging to see him back on the field for joint sessions against Detroit. McDaniel confirmed that Waddle and Tyreek Hill (oblique) both remain "day-to-day," however, so it seems like the pair of starting wideouts will be limited in some capacity while returning to practice. Saturday's road game against Detroit represents Waddle's next opportunity to get on the field for exhibition reps.