NFL Player News

Opeta (knee) was cleared to start practicing Wednesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Almost a year removed from tearing his ACL last preseason, Opeta is finally back on the practice field. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $1.17 million contract in March to return to Tampa Bay. Before getting hurt last season, Opeta had a chance to compete for a starting guard spot, but with the Buccaneers returning the entire offensive line, he will likely be considered a depth piece.

Gesicki (undisclosed) won't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor is playing his starters Thursday, but he mentioned Gesicki as an exception due to injury. James Rapien of SI.com reported Saturday that Gesicki appeared to injure his hamstring or upper leg on a long reception during an intrasquad scrimmage. The tight end came out of the scrimmage after the big play and seems to have been absent from team drills ever since, potentially giving recent signee Noah Fant a chance to get up to speed more quickly with the first-team offense. Taylor said Tuesday that Gesicki would be listed as questionable if Thursday's exhibition were a regular-season game.

Chase and other Bengals starters are scheduled to play a couple of drives in Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.

Coach Zac Taylor said he's going to play his starters more than ever before in the preseason. Chase may be an exception who only takes a few snaps, but even the possibility of playing at all puts him on the board as an option for preseason DFS contests. There's been no report of injury trouble this offseason, with Chase apparently staying active in practice since he signed a four-year, $161 million extension in March. He remains a popular No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts this summer.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Tuesday that Burrow and other starters will play "a couple" or "several" drives in Thursday's preseason game against Philadelphia, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.

Taylor mentioned two weeks ago that he planned to play his starters in the preseason more than he ever had before. TE Mike Gesicki (undisclosed) and a few defensive starters may not be available, but it sounds like Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the other standouts on offense are scheduled for multiple drives Thursday evening.

Bridgewater is visiting Tampa Bay on Tuesday and is expected to sign a contract with the team, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bridgewater retired prior to the 2024 season but returned to sign a one-year deal with the Lions in late December. He didn't ultimately log any regular-season stats last season, while mostly working as the emergency option behind Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker, but Bridgewater assumed the No. 2 role during Detroit's loss to Washington in the NFC divisional round and played three snaps. If he indeed inks a deal with the Buccaneers, Bridgewater will compete with Kyle Trask for the No. 2 gig behind Baker Mayfield.

Hall (undisclosed) returned to Tuesday's practice a few minutes after leaving the field to talk with trainers, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports.

He apparently avoided a significant injury and will jump back in with the first-team offense ahead of Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. There's been chatter this summer about Allen in particular taking more work away from Hall, but we may have to wait until Week 1 to have a good idea about how that plays out.

Jaguars coach Liam Coen said Monday on The Rich Eisen Show that he thinks it's possible for Hunter to win both Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards.

Coen also said that Hunter as a two-way player is "absolutely happening" and "everybody on the building is on board" with a plan to get the most out of the rookie. That doesn't mean the No. 2 overall pick will be a full-time player on both sides of the ball right away, but Coen did say that Hunter has made strides on offense and even mentioned an 80 percent snap share as a hypothetical number for Hunter at wide receiver. That's essentially a typical starter's workload, and something close to a best-case scenario for fantasy purposes, potentially allowing Hunter to quickly become Trevor Lawrence's second-favorite target after Brian Thomas.

Otton (hamstring) is not practicing Tuesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Otton has been sidelined for just over one week due to what head coach Todd Bowles indicated is a mild hamstring strain, so it's likely the Buccaneers are simply being cautious with the the fourth-year pro. The starting tight end could continue to sit out practices leading up to Tampa Bay's preseason opener against Tennessee on Aug. 9, but at this stage there still appear to be no concerns about his availability for Week 1. In the meantime, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft and Year 2 breakout candidate Devin Culp will benefit from increased chances for first-team reps.

Mayfield (hand) is participating in Tuesday's practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Mayfield missed two training camp sessions after suffering a hand contusion Thursday, but he's back on the field to begin the new week of practice. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Buccaneers are expected to sign veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to provide Kyle Trask with strong competition for the No. 2 gig, but Mayfield's spot atop the depth chart is in no question.

Hall left Tuesday's practice early with a trainer, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Hall walked off the practice field Tuesday morning, leaving Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis to handle first-team backfield reps. There's been some chatter this summer about the new coaching staff dividing RB work more evenly, with Allen in particular said to be making a good impression, but Hall still figures to be the starter and lead runner heading into Week 1, assuming Tuesday's issue is nothing serious.