NFL Player News

Stroud is not in line to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

With the Texans resting a number of starters Saturday, Davis Mills will start at QB in place of Stroud. The third-year signal-caller's next chance to see game action will arrive Aug. 16 against the Panthers.

Schultz isn't in line to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Schultz, who profiles as the Texans' top tight end, is among the Texans' key players on track to sit the contest out, so the soonest he might see preseason snaps is Aug. 16 against the Panthers. The 29-year-old put up a 53/532/2 receiving line in 17 regular-season games with Houston in 2024.

Longerbeam (undisclosed) did not practice Saturday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Longerbeam is working through an unspecified injury, which may explain why he didn't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Colts. The rookie sixth-rounder will aim to return to practice in the coming week and be available against the Cowboys on Saturday, Aug. 16.

Kwenkeu (undisclosed) did not participate in Saturday's training camp practice, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear what type of injury Kwenkeu is working through, but he may have picked it up during the Ravens' 24-16 preseason win over the Colts on Thursday, when he finished with one tackle while playing 19 snaps (nine on defense, 10 on special teams). Kwenkeu will look to return to practice and be available for the Ravens' next preseason bout against the Cowboys on Saturday, Aug. 16.

Tampa (undisclosed) did not participate in Saturday's training camp practice, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Tampa may have picked up the injury during the Ravens' 24-16 win over the Colts. He finished with six tackles (three solo) and played on all 80 of the Ravens' defensive snaps as he competes for a backup role at corner. The 2024 fourth-rounder will look to be available for Baltimore's next exhibition game against Dallas on Saturday, Aug. 16.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Saturday that James is in concussion protocol, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

James likely picked up the injury at some point during the Browns' 30-10 preseason win over the Panthers on Friday, when he finished with three tackles (two solo). He'll need to pass the league's five-step concussion protocols in order to play against the Eagles on Saturday, Aug. 16.

Jefferson (hamstring) is not slated to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Texans.

No surprise here, given that Jefferson is managing a mild left hamstring strain that he sustained July 24. It remains to be seen if the wideout is a candidate to play in the Vikings' Aug. 16 preseason contest against the Patriots, but there's little incentive for him to be rushed back into game action, with his Week 1 availability remaining the priority here.

Jones is not in line to play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Texans.

The same applies to star WR Justin Jefferson, who has been dealing with a hamstring issue. As far as Jones is concerned, there's no reported injury in play, so it appears as though the Vikings are simply playing it safe with their top back, a scenario that will give the team's reserve backfield options added opportunities Saturday.

Johnson (concussion) registered four tackles (two solo) during the Panthers' 30-10 preseason loss to the Browns on Friday.

Johnson is competing for a backup linebacker spot on the Panthers' final 53-man roster. He played 30 snaps Friday (23 on defense, seven on special teams), and his next chance to audition for a spot on the roster is Saturday, Aug. 16 against the Texans.

McCarthy is slated to start Saturday's preseason opener against the Texans, Steven Louis Goldstein of The Athletic reports.

This will mark McCarthy's first game action since he tore the meniscus in his right knee in his first NFL preseason contest last year. With Sam Darnold no longer in the mix, the 2024 first-rounder is on track to begin the coming campaign as the Vikings' starting QB. As for Saturday, it remains to be seen how many snaps McCarthy will see, but for context, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com notes that Darnold played the first series of the 2024 preseason opener, 12 snaps in total, before giving way to McCarthy.