NFL Player News

Grable is in concussion protocol after leaving practice early Wednesday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

A sixth-round pick in 2024, Grable was a depth option for the Bills last season when healthy. However, the 25-year-old right tackle struggled to stay healthy, sustaining an abdominal injury that landed him on injured reserve. The second-year player will be out for at least a week in concussion protocol and will miss the Bills' first preseason game Saturday night against the Giants.

Brewer (calf) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Brewer has missed the last four practices with a calf injury and now finds himself on injured reserve. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $1.17 million contract to return to Tennessee this offseason after appearing in one game with the team in 2024. He has seen action in 15 regular-season games over his four-year NFL career.

Cook (contract) isn't practicing Thursday, Alex Brasky of Bills Digest reports.

Cook is out for a fourth straight practice, after making it clear over the weekend that he was sitting out (or "holding in") for "business" reasons. Bills coach Sean McDermott said Thursday morning that he expected Cook to practice, but the running back wasn't with his teammates when they went out on the field for the start of the session. Ray Davis and Ty Johnson will continue taking most of the first-team snaps in Cook's absence.

Brooks has been getting some first-team snaps while fellow running backs Emanuel Wilson (knee) and MarShawn Lloyd (groin) recover from injuries, Wes Hodkiewicz of packers.com reports.

Some may have assumed that Lloyd, a 2024 third-round pick, would settle in as the No. 2 running back after an injury-plagued rookie season. It instead seems Wilson was putting up a good fight to keep the job, at least until he left practice early last Friday with a knee injury, four days after the groin issue forced Lloyd out of action. Neither has returned yet, leaving Brooks as the No. 2 RB in training camp after he handled the No. 3 role for most of last year. He'll presumably have a spot on the practice squad, if nothing else, with a chance to get involved on offense if Josh Jacobs misses time.

Love said Wednesday that he wants to scramble more this season, rather than settling for check-downs, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.

Love and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich both are on board with the QB scrambling more often, although Love noted that his lack of rushing last year was partially a product of an MCL sprain and groin injury limiting his mobility for the first half of the season. He ultimately scrambled 12 times on 451 dropbacks (2.7 percent), down from 22 scrambles on 631 dropbacks (3.5 percent) the year before, dropping from 14.5 rushing yards per game and four TDs in 2023 to just 5.5 yards per game and one TD in 2024. Love otherwise remained efficient on a per-play basis, but his fantasy value took a nosedive with the Packers becoming more reliant on their running game -- both in general and near the goal line. A healthier season from Love combined with a solid showing from rookie wideout Matthew Golden could inspire Packers coach Matt LaFleur to open things back up and throw the ball around some like he did in 2023.

Mayer has been a standout of the early portion of Las Vegas' training camp, Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports.

Mayer's room for growth and involvement in the Raiders offense are severely capped due to the presence of second-year standout Brock Bowers, who McFadden also notes has displayed one of the most dynamic connections with new quarterback Geno Smith of all Las Vegas' offensive personnel. That said, Mayer himself said earlier this offseason that he expects to have a significant role in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's system, per Michael Canelo of SI, and there's room for the team to increase its usage of two-TE sets. The Raiders were also reportedly shopping Mayer as a trade candidate early in the offseason, and if the 2023 second-round pick is able to flash during preseason action, beginning Thursday night at Seattle, he could reignite such conversations around the league.

Vele and Troy Franklin are listed as the second-string wideouts on Denver's initial preseason depth chart.

Third-round pick Pat Bryant, like all of Denver's other rookies, is listed at the end of the depth chart with fourth/fifth-stringers. Competition for playing time nonetheless appears open behind No. 1 receiver Courtland Sutton, with Marvin Mims (listed as a starter) arguably the favorite for the No. 2 role after his strong finish to last season. There's also been a lot of buzz about 2024 fourth-round pick Troy Franklin this summer, even though Vele outproduced him last season after being drafted three rounds later. Vele largely worked as a slot specialist last year, so he might be able to carve out a similar role even if he's not really in the mix for a large number of targets.

Mafah has gotten more reps in practice this week with Miles Sanders (knee) and Deuce Vaughn (hamstring) both sidelined, Garrett Podell of CBS Sports reports.

The 2025 seventh-round pick out of Clemson earned some plaudits from coach Brian Schottenheimer in the process. "Phil is a guy that when he moves, it's very smooth," Schottenheimer said Monday. "Very fluid. His vision is excellent and so he's a guy that I didn't really have much of a feel for in the spring because I didn't see him much." The Dallas backfield remains unsettled, but Javonte Williams hasn't done anything to lose his spot at the top of the depth chart, and Mafah still seems behind fellow rookie Jaydon Blue in the pecking order as well. Mafah's size and power could allow him to carve out a role as a short-yardage and goal-line specialist to begin his NFL career, but first he'll need to show enough in training camp and the preseason to claim a spot on the game-day roster.

Walker made some impressive catches with the second-string offense during Tuesday's joint practice with the Colts, Giana Han and Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner report.

After missing a few days with a soft-tissue injury, Walker is back in action and continuing his push for a depth role. Reports out of Baltimore camp suggest the 2024 fourth-round pick is having a nice summer, although he'll still have a hard time moving any higher than fourth on the depth chart before Week 1 -- behind Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Thursday that Shakir (ankle) should be ready for the start of the regular season, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Shakir is considered week-to-week due to a high-ankle sprain, an injury he picked up during practice last Friday. Optimism for Week 1 is encouraging, though at this stage it seems fairly possible he misses all three of Buffalo's preseason contests. In the meantime, Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer will lead the Bills' first-team wide receiver corps during Saturday's preseason opener against the Giants, in which Mitchell Trubisky will take the helm at quarterback while the starting unit plays roughly one quarter, per Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site.