NFL Player News

Ridley was unable to finish Wednesday's practice due to his right calf cramping up, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Ridley continued to demonstrate a strong rapport with rookie quarterback Cam Ward prior to his departure, which occurred near the end of practice. The No. 1 wideout held his calf after a play and left the field to be evaluated by Tennessee's medical staff, though wide receiver coach Tyke Tolbert confirmed Ridley was dealing only with cramps, per Nick Suss and Nick Gray of the Nashville Tennessean. While it's possible the Titans take precautions and give Ridley a rest day Thursday, the veteran wideout doesn't appear to be dealing with any actual injury. The 30-year-old is locked in as Ward's unquestioned top target this season, putting him in prime position to tally a third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign, with the hope of increased production due to improved O-line and QB play.

While working with the second-team offense, Sanders went up against the Browns' top defensive squad during Wednesday's practice, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

With Kenny Pickett sidelined indefinitely with a hamstring injury, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders have been handling the team's QB snaps in practice. For now, Flacco continues to see most of the first-team reps in Pickett's absence, while Gabriel has occasionally sprinkled in with the top unit. Sanders has yet to work with the starting offense thus far.

The Rams remain confident that Stafford (back) will be available Week 1, though he remains absent from practice Wednesday and the team has not provided an expected timetable for his return to the field, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

Head coach Sean McVay has referred to Stafford only as "week-to-week" while acknowledging that internally Los Angeles has "a plan in place," but he at least said Tuesday he feels "very confident" that the veteran quarterback will take the field Sept. 7 versus the Texans for the Rams' regular-season opener. "What I don't want to do is set a timetable with you guys and then for whatever reason as we're continuing to gain information, that changes," McVay said. In the meantime, Jimmy Garoppolo will continue to handle first-team quarterback reps. It remains to be seen whether Stafford will be back on the field in time to participate in joint practices ahead of Los Angeles' first two preseason games, which will be against the Cowboys on Aug. 8 and the Chargers on Aug. 16.

San Francisco offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Tuesday that Aiyuk (knee), who remains on the active/PUP list, has been "kind of a coach on the side" throughout the early stages of training camp, Nick Wagoner of ESPN reports.

Kubiak said "it's been awesome" having Aiyuk mentor his positional mates during individual drills and walkthroughs, rather than being "just isolated doing his rehab." A timetable for Aiyuk's return remains undisclosed, but although the 27-year-old wideout has reportedly thrived in his rehab activities, it would likely be unreasonable to expect him to be available Week 1 as he works his way back from right ACL and MCL tears suffered last October. Still, Aiyuk's active mental involvement lends credence to hopes that he'll be able to hit the ground running this season whenever he is cleared to play. Meanwhile, Ricky Pearsall overcame his hamstring injury and was activated from the PUP list Sunday, while Jauan Jennings (calf) is currently sidelined and has been vocal about his desire for a new contract.

Johnson (undisclosed) sustained an injury during training camp practices this week, John Sigler of USA Today reports.

Saints head coach Kellen Moore declined to confirm whether Johnson's undisclosed injury occurred Wednesday or Tuesday, when New Orleans held a walkthrough before a team outing, but he said an update on the veteran tight end's health will arrive Thursday after testing is complete. Johnson, who re-signed on a three-year, $30.75 million deal this offseason, has operated as the Saints' top tight end through the early portion of training camp, with Taysom Hill (knee) and Foster Moreau (knee) both on the PUP list.

Renfrow (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Per Gantt and Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, Renfrow's hamstring issue isn't anything long-term, with the veteran wideout having told coach Dave Canales that he'd be able to play this week if there was a game. When healthy, Renfrow -- who last saw regular-season action in 2023 -- will look to secure a slot role in a Panthers WR corps that also includes Tetairoa McMillan, Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

Shipley and AJ Dillon are the top candidates for backup roles in Philadelphia's backfield, according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The stylistic difference is drastic, with Dillon a 247-pound bruiser who has 597 career carries in the regular season. Shipley, a fourth-round pick last year, is listed at 209 pounds, and he took just 30 carries in 16 games during his initial NFL regular season. The report notes that Shipley should have a roster spot and a role on special teams even if Dillon earns the No. 2 RB role this summer. The two might ultimately be part of a committee in the event of a Saquon Barkley injury.

Brown (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Brown and Xavier Worthy (concussion) were among a handful players who left Tuesday's practice early, but McMullen indicated afterward that most (if not all) of their injuries don't appear to be long-term concerns. For now, Brown's status can continue to be viewed as day-to-day.

Worthy, who is in the NFL's concussion protocol, didn't practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Worthy banged his head during Tuesday's session and now will need to advance through concussion protocol before he rejoins practice. Also sidelined Wednesday were fellow wideouts Hollywood Brown (ankle) and Skyy Moore (hamstring).

The Colts' quarterback competition in training camp between Richardson and Daniel Jones remains tight, Stephen Holder of ESPN reports.

On that subject, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that coach Shane Steichen calls the ongoing job battle "neck and neck." After what Zak Keefer of The Athletic describes as "sloppy starts" in training camp from both signal callers, he notes that Richardson was sharper during the team's first two padded practices while displaying improved accuracy on his throws in that span. Ultimately, Steichen has indicated that a decision on who will draw the Week 1 start will come down to consistency, both in terms of preparation and performance, and it figures to be some time before that call is made.