NFL Player News

Thomas-Oliver (undisclosed) passed his physical Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Thomas-Oliver was placed on the active/non-football injury list July 17, but he's now been cleared to return to practice. That's important for the Florida International product, as he's on the roster bubble and will likely need to impress to nab a spot on the team.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that the Packers "absolutely" believe they can get Kraft more involved in the downfield passing game this season, Mark Oldacres of USA Today reports.

Among 45 qualified tight ends last season, Kraft's average depth of target (4.7 yards) was 42nd at the position. He did most of his work on underneath looks at or close to the line of scrimmage. As a result, Kraft led all NFL tight ends in yards after catch per reception (8.8 yards) and was 14th in yards per route (1.55) over 17 regular-season games. The Packers have a ton of mouths to feed in the passing offense, so getting Kraft more involved down the field may be easier said than done. Kraft is being selected as a borderline TE1 in early fantasy football drafts this summer.

The Steelers placed Seumalo (undisclosed) on the active/non-football injury list Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Seumalo will open training camp on the NFI list, though he'll be eligible to participate in practices and training camp once he progresses in his recovery. His absence opens the door for Spencer Anderson, Max Scharping, Nick Broeker and Steven Jones to see more reps at guard during training camp.

Tate (undisclosed) reverted to injured reserve Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Tate was waived/injured Wednesday, and after clearing waivers, he's now been moved to IR. Consequently, the 22-year-old will miss the entire 2025 season unless he works out an injury settlement with Philadelphia.

Lawrence (shoulder) said Wednesday that he's 100 percent healthy entering training camp, John Oehser of the Jaguars' official website reports.

"I feel really good," Lawrence said "It's the best I felt in a long time physically." Lawrence played in just 10 regular-season games last season due to a concussion and left (non-throwing) shoulder injury, the latter which required surgery. Lawrence was taking it slow during the offseason program, but he's back to full health and rejuvenated in new coach Liam Coen's offense. The Jaguars return Brian Thomas as the alpha WR1 and used the No. 2 overall pick on Travis Hunter. Lawrence is an intriguing mid-round fantasy quarterback who could greatly outproduce his average draft position if he's able to spike his touchdown rate in an offense flush with playmakers.

GM Andrew Berry acknowledged Thursday that the Browns may not see Judkins on the field at training camp for a while, the Associated Press reports.

Judkins, whom the Browns took in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, remains unsigned after he was arrested July 12 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on a charge of battery and domestic violence. In reference to the rookie running back's status as training camp proceeds, Berry noted Thursday, "In terms of those decisions, signing, being at camp and everything like that, it's honestly probably too early to make any type of determination. So as we gather information, we'll have a better view on that," while adding "sometimes the information comes a little bit more slowly, but we're still in probably the information-gathering stage with him."

The Buccaneers waived Dzansi (knee) with a failed physical designation Thursday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Dzansi is still recovering from a knee injury that he suffered in August of 2024. He was initially placed on the active/PUP list Tuesday, but the Bucs opted to waive the 27-year-old offensive lineman. Dzansi has yet to play in a regular-season game since being signed by Tampa Bay in May of 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech.

Russell was transported to a local hospital after injuring his neck and head during Thursday's practice.

Russell suffered the injury after a hard collision with Kitan Crawford during team drills. Russell was eventually carted off the field but was alert and had movement in his extremities. He'll undergo further testing to determine the severity of his injury, but he appears to be in jeopardy of being sidelined for an extended period of time.

The Falcons placed Bryant (undisclosed) on the active/non-football illness list Thursday, Terrin Waack of the team's official site reports.

The nature and severity of Bryant's illness is unclear, but he will be eligible to participate in practices and preseason games once he's fully recovered. The Kansas product signed with the Falcons in May as an undrafted free agent. Bryant recorded 37 tackles (26 solo), including 0.5 sacks, seven pass defenses (four interceptions) and one forced fumble across 12 games during his final season with the Jayhawks.

Atlanta placed Verdon (undisclosed) on the active/non-football injury list Thursday, Terrin Waack of the team's official site reports.

The severity of Verdon's injury isn't known, but he'll be eligible to participate in practices and preseason games once he's fully recovered. He signed with the Falcons in May as an undrafted free agent following his final season at Iowa State, where he recorded 75 tackles (34 solo), including 1.0 sacks, five pass defenses (one interception) and one fumble recovery across 12 games.