NFL Player News

Spector (calf) was designated as waived/injured by the Bills on Wednesday.

Spector will revert to injured reserve if he clears waivers. While he's dealt with injuries ever since being drafted in 2022, the 26-year-old has made a decent impact when healthy, tallying 40 tackles over 11 regular-season games in 2024, but has never played more than 11 games in any of his three campaigns. His current calf injury goes all the way back to last season, which caused him to miss much of the remainder of the regular season and playoffs.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that Mariota is dealing with a mild lower leg strain, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Quinn said his level of concern is "low" regarding Mariota's injury, but with Jayden Daniels and his top backup both not set to play in Friday's preseason opener against the Patriots, Josh Johnson and Sam Hartman will get a chance to handle the bulk of reps. It sounds like Mariota's injury is minor enough that he could be available to suit up for preseason action versus the Bengals on Aug. 18.

Jeudy and Cedric Tillman won't play in Friday's preseason opener against the Panthers, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he wants to play some of his projected starters, but Jeudy, Tillman and QB Joe Flacco apparently will be kept on ice. There presumably will be others, including on the defensive side. All signs point to Flacco getting the Week 1 start at QB, which is promising for Jeudy's fantasy value relative to the alternatives.

Pearsall has impressed in recent practices and was a clear standout on offense Tuesday, connecting with quarterback Brock Purdy on five targets, Nick Wagoner of ESPN reports.

Pearsall has been nearly uncoverable in recent training camp sessions, per Wagoner, with rookie cornerback Upton Stout named as one of the few players who's managed to challenge the second-year wideout. It's encouraging to see Pearsall already building momentum given that a hamstring injury forced him to begin camp on the active/PUP list and had sidelined him during mandatory minicamp. With Jauan Jennings (calf) currently unable to practice and Brandon Aiyuk (ACL) without a clear timetable to return, Pearsall is currently operating as the 49ers' top wide receiver, with Demarcus Robinson and rookie fourth-round pick Jordan Watkins behind him.

Hill is absent from Wednesday's practice with an undisclosed injury, Alain Poupart of SI.com reports.

It's the first report of any health trouble since Hill declared himself fully recovered from offseason wrist surgery at the start of training camp. He's played 15 or more regular-season games in eight of his nine professional seasons, including either 16 or 17 appearances each of the past four years.

Tracy is listed as the No. 1 running back on New York's first unofficial depth chart, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Tracy is unsurprisingly listed as New York's starter, while Devin Singletary and rookie Cam Skattebo (hamstring) occupy the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com reports that Tracy has displayed improved decisiveness in camp entering Year 2, an encouraging development given that the 2024 fifth-round pick's impressive rookie season nonetheless left room for growth (especially in terms of ball security and work as a receiver). Improvements will be necessary for Tracy to retain an unquestioned grip on a full-time starting workload, though he remains the clear favorite to open Week 1 in such a role. Skattebo had begun gathering steam early in camp before picking up a soft-tissue injury, with coach Brian Daboll calling the rookie fourth-rounder day-to-day over the weekend.

Thomas will miss Wednesday's practice due to an illness and is considered day-to-day, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

The illness is likely a non-concern for the regular season but could impact Thomas' availability Saturday if the Jaguars decide to use key players in their preseason opener against Pittsburgh. This is the first report of Thomas missing any time during training camp.

Cook (contract) won't practice Wednesday, Matt Parrino of The Syracuse Post-Standard reports.

The hold-in extends to a third straight practice, with Cook showing up to the team facility but refraining from on-field activities for what he's called "business" reasons. He's entering the final year of his rookie contract and seeking an extension after finishing the 2024 regular season with 18 touchdowns in 16 games. Cook took part in June minicamp and the first week-plus of training camp, seemingly without limitations.

Garoppolo has impressed with the first-team offense while Matthew Stafford (back) has been sidelined, and head coach Sean McVay said Garoppolo "was awesome" during Tuesday's session, Stu Jackson and Wyatt Miller of the Rams' official site report.

Garoppolo appears in line to handle the bulk of first-team reps throughout training camp and the preseason, with McVay saying Wednesday that Stafford is week-to-week due to an aggravated disc in his back, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com. McVay downplayed the severity of Stafford's injury and said he expects the 37-year-old to be ready for Week 1, but in the meantime at least Garoppolo will see continued opportunities to build chemistry with top wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. However, given McVay's track record, it's likely Garoppolo and the rest of the first-team unit won't take the field during Saturday's preseason opener against the Cowboys.

Titans coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that Ward and other starters will play in every preseason game, including a series or two this Saturday against Tampa Bay, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Callahan also said Ward has shown growth throughout training camp, adding that he feels good about the offense's trajectory. The No. 1 overall pick has long been locked in as a Week 1 starter, with not much competition behind him ever since Will Levis underwent season-ending surgery in July.