NFL Player News

Mitchell, Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt got first-team snaps Thursday, along with a "sprinkling" of rookie Brashard Smith, according to Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com.

It can perhaps be taken as a good sign for Mitchell that he's getting first-team reps, which might instead be cornered by Pacheco and Hunt. Mitchell has a one-year, $2.5 million contract that includes $1.35 million guaranteed, while Hunt has a one-year, $1.5 million deal with $850,000 guaranteed. Pacheco is presumably a lock to make the roster, but everything else is up for grabs in the Kansas City backfield between Hunt, Mitchell, Smith and UDFA Elijah Young. For Mitchell, the biggest challenge is staying healthy, as he played just 16 games over his final three seasons in San Francisco after running for 963 yards as a rookie in 2021. He's apparently made a full recovery from the torn hamstring that put him on injured reserve for all of last season, coming back healthy with a new team and a real shot to compete for touches.

Cameron Ward expressed optimism that Burks (knee) will be one of the Titans' top receivers in 2025, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Burks has had a difficult start to his NFL career due to a combination of poor performance and injury. He's recovering from a torn ACL heading into his fourth campaign but has been practicing at the start of training camp, which should be a positive indication of his availability come the regular season. The Titans drafted Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor and also signed Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett this offseason, giving Burks increased competition for targets.

Falcons QB Michael Penix said Thursday that he plans to throw a lot of passes to Pitts (foot) this year, Justin Felder of FOX 5 Sports Atlanta reports.

Earlier in the day, Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Pitts was medically cleared for training camp but might have "modifications" to his practice plan after missing spring practices with a foot injury. Pitts then went out and made a bunch of big plays during the first practice of camp, prompting Penix to tell reporters there's "gonna be a lot of that" this year. It's a good sign for their chemistry, perhaps, after Pitts got just 10 targets in Penix's three starts last season, thus closing out the year with six or fewer targets in each of Atlanta's last 10 games. William McFadden of the Falcons' official site notes that Pitts mostly worked with the wide receivers (rather than tight ends) during position drills Thursday.

Stafford (back) wasn't present at Wednesday's practice, instead working indoors with the training staff, Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The report suggests Stafford is still only expected to miss a handful of practices, aiming to return for the second week of training camp. He signed a two-year, $84 million extension in May, and there had been no report of any issue with his back until Rams coach Sean McVay revealed Tuesday that Stafford was out for the start of camp. McVay described the injury as "back soreness that kind of crept up" during the offseason, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press. Jimmy Garoppolo figures to take most of the first-team QB reps during the opening week of training camp.

Winston and Jaxson Dart split second-team reps Thursday in 11-on-11s, Patricia Traina of SI.com reports.

Reports from OTAs suggested Dart was typically the second QB through the rotation, behind starter Russell Wilson and ahead of Winston. It sounds like the second-team split was closer to 50/50 on Thursday, perhaps hinting at an even competition for the QB2 job. Winston signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Giants in late March, a few days before they signed Wilson and about five weeks before they drafted Dart. Winston's contract includes $5.25 million guaranteed, so the Giants might try to trade him if Dart looks ready to back up Wilson by Week 1.

Mooney left Thursday's practice with a trainer after attempting a diving catch, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

The possible injury happened toward the end of practice, without any update from the team afterward. Mooney was healthy for spring practices and then the start of training camp, after a shoulder injury cost him Week 18 of last season (his only absence of the year). His finished his first season in Atlanta with career highs for TDs (five), yards per catch (15.5) and yards per target (9.4), along with his second-highest totals for targets (106), catches (64) and receiving yards (992). The Falcons have shaky WR depth behind Mooney and Drake London, with Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge returning as the probable Nos. 3 and 4 receivers.

Coach Mike Vrabel reported no physical restrictions for Diggs (knee) during Wednesday's opening training camp practice, Paul Perillo of the Patriots' official site reports.

In reference to the fact that Diggs is bouncing back from an ACL tear he suffered Week 8 of last season, Vrabel noted, "I know that everybody heals differently, especially from that type of injury. But I would say that I think it's just a testament to how hard he worked," while adding that the wideout's progress will be monitored throughout training camp. Considering the timing and nature of his injury, Diggs' practice reps figure to be managed this summer, but the fact that he appears to be working without limitations at this stage bodes well for his chances of making an impact in the Patriots offense out of the gate this season.

Hill (knee) participated in the Bengals' team drills on Thursday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily Newsreports.

Hill missed the final 12 games of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL in Week 5. The team is taking a cautious approach as the 24-year-old was cleared to participate in individual drills Wednesday. The 2022 first-round pick and converted safety is poised to open the year as the team's starting slot corner with Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner positioned on the boundary.

Ward was signed by the Titans on Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

With the surprising retirement of Lorenzo Carter on Tuesday, the Titans have signed Ward to try and fill the void of his loss. The 31-year-old Ward will now join his seventh NFL franchise after coming off a year in Minnesota where he appeared in all 17 regular-season games, tallying 10 tackles.

Royals logged most of his repetitions during Wednesday's practice with the first-team offense, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor notes that Royals fared well Wednesday while running routes alongside fellow wideouts Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. The report adds that the rookie fourth-rounder was often on the field when Rashee Rice wasn't, which is worth noting given the possibility Rice may be suspended by the NFL before the start of the season.