NFL Player News

Burks (shoulder/knee) exited Saturday's practice after making a diving one-handed catch, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com reports.

Burks has been practicing for a couple days now after his 2024 campaign was cut short due to a torn ACL. He beat a cornerback deep during Saturday's practice and made a phenomenal catch but came up holding his shoulder before heading to the locker room. Burks is vying for a starting wide receiver job during training camp, so any missed time will be detrimental.

Rakestraw (chest) returned to practice Saturday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

Rakestraw suffered a chest injury last Sunday, and just as head coach Dan Campbell predicted, he missed only a few days. The 2024 second-round pick played only 46 defensive snaps across eight regular-season games last season before finishing the year on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Amik Robertson is expected to start at slot cornerback again this season unless Rakestraw can steal the job in training camp.

Williams (leg/personal) practiced with the Lions on Saturday, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.

Williams returned to practice Thursday before being absent Friday, which was due to personal reasons, according to head coach Dan Campbell. The rookie first-round pick struggled with a leg injury during OTAs, but that looks like it's behind him with training camp underway. Williams is vying for a starting role at defensive tackle next to DJ Reader because Alim McNeill (knee) is expected to miss a few months to start the year.

Anzalone (hamstring) returned to practice Saturday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

In addition to his hamstring injury, Anzalone wants a contract extension as he heads into the final season of his three-year, $18.75 million contract. The 30-year-old linebacker looks ready to play regardless, and he's set to start at outside linebacker in 2025. Last season, Anzalone posted 63 tackles (43 solo), five pass breakups and 1.0 sacks over 10 regular-season games.

Tillman (lower leg) returned to practice Saturday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Tillman left practice early Friday but was quickly cleared of a serious injury, and his return to the practice field confirms this was only a scare. The 2023 third-round pick is in line for the No. 2 wideout role in Cleveland behind Jerry Jeudy. Last season, Tillman recorded 29 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns across 11 games.

Campbell (shoulder) was officially considered a limited participant in Saturday's practice, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

However, Campbell worked with the first-team defense and appears ready for padded practice Tuesday, per Andrew DiCecco of InsideTheBirds.com. Thus, the rookie first-round pick is on track to shake his injury tag within the next week barring a setback. With Nakobe Dean (knee) on the PUP list to start training camp, Campbell should continue to start next to Zack Baun at inside linebacker, and the former could win the job outright with a strong preseason performance.

Brown (knee) practiced Saturday and stated he felt back to 100 percent, Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340 reports.

Brown played just one game last season before undergoing season-ending meniscus surgery in September. In his last full season in 2023, Brown recorded 103 tackles (57 solo), six pass breakups and 2.0 sacks through 17 games. He's locked into a starting role on Carolina's defensive line heading into 2025.

Pickens hasn't quite been on the same page as quarterback Dak Prescott on deeper routes during the early part of training camp, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The duo has looked good on short or intermediate routes, but the timing hasn't quite been there further downfield. "I think that's all to come," Prescott said after Thursday's practice. "I don't think that's necessarily something we've got to grow into... For [Pickens], it's just about continuing to master the offense, the routes and the adjustments on certain routes. When he does that, the rest of it is going to come." With CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson as established targets for Prescott nearer the line of scrimmage, Pickens' best chance to make a big impact in the Dallas offense will come as a deep threat, something he's shown he can provide in the past -- the 24-year-old wideout led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 for a Steelers team that featured the uninspiring trio of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky under center.

Liufau is looking faster than he did as a rookie last season during the early part of training camp, Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com reports. "That was a big thing that I wanted to work on this offseason, and also my conditioning," Liufau said this week. "Knowing [new defensive coordinator Matt] Eberflus' system, we're gonna be running a lot, and it emphasizes running through the ball, and so we got to be in the best shape to be able to dominate and play the kind of defense that we want."

A third-round pick in 2024, Liufau began last season bouncing between a depth role on defense and special teams, but by the final month of the campaign the Notre Dame product was not only starting, he was wearing the green dot for coordinator Mike Zimmer. Liufau recorded 24 tackles (12 solo) with two forced fumbles and a pass defended over his final four games of 2024, but in Eberflus' linebacker-friendly scheme, his production could skyrocket, especially with DeMarvion Overshown (knee) not expected to be ready until midseason.

Kohou exited Saturday's practice after suffering a leg injury during 1-on-1 drills, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Kohou went down while he was covering Tyreek Hill during Saturday morning's practice. The Dolphins' secondary lacks experience, so a serious injury for Kohou -- who has 38 starts through three seasons -- would be a problem. The Dolphins don't practice again until Monday.