NFL Player News

The Raiders waived Smith on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Smith linked up with Las Vegas as an undrafted free agent in May, but he'll now need to seek work in a different organization. The 23-year-old spent his final two collegiate campaigns with SMU and recorded 33 catches for 527 yards with five touchdowns over 14 games last year.

The Raiders waived Franklin on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Franklin signed with Las Vegas as an undrafted free agent in early May, but his time with the organization has come to an end for now. The 24-year-old logged 55 catches for 652 yards and four touchdowns with Illinois in his final collegiate season last year.

Jewell (head) was released by the Panthers on Tuesday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Jewell has remained in concussion protocol since suffering a concussion in the Panthers' Week 15 overtime win over the Cardinals last season. The linebacker compiled 97 total tackles (51 solo), including a career-high 3.5 sacks, while also adding two fumble recoveries and an interception over 12 regular-season contests with Carolina in 2024. If Jewell can shake the concussion symptoms, it won't take long for him to find another opportunity elsewhere.

Hill (wrist) said Tuesday that he's fully healthy heading into training camp, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Hill added that he's been working out hard this offseason and has something to prove coming off a disappointing 2024 season. He's reportedly trimmed down to 183 pounds, and he claims he hasn't lost any of his trademark speed. Hill is entering his age-31 season and is coming off a year in which he failed to reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time since 2019, despite starting all 17 regular-season contests for the Dolphins. Having Tua Tagovailoa back healthy will certainly help, but Hill's yards per game dropped dramatically from 2023 (112.4) to 2024 (career-low 56.4). The plus is that there will be plenty of volume available in a concentrated Miami passing offense that lacks reliable targets beyond Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De'Von Achane and potentially Darren Waller.

Tampa Bay placed Wirfs (knee) on the active/PUP list Tuesday.

Wirfs underwent surgery on his right knee earlier this month and is expected to miss the beginning of the regular season, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. There's a chance Wirfs will open the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, which would cost him at least the first four games of the year, but coach Todd Bowles recently told JoeBucsFan.com that Wirfs will be "ready sooner than later."

The Bucs placed Walker (undisclosed) on the active/non-football injury list Tuesday.

Walker dealt with a knee injury at the end of the 2024 season, but it's possible he's nursing some other type of injury to begin camp. After tallying 68 tackles (34 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and two pass breakups, including one interception, across 14 regular-season contests with the Dolphins last year, Walker signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay back in March. He's expected to be a key contributor in the Bucs' linebacker group in 2025.

Tampa Bay placed Pratt (undisclosed) on the active/PUP list Tuesday.

Pratt spent most of last season on the Bucs' practice squad and was elevated to the active roster numerous times throughout the year. He's yet to appear in a regular-season game and is trying to push for a spot on the roster behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.

Carter informed the Titans of his decision to retire from the NFL on Tuesday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official website reports.

After spending the previous three seasons with the Falcons, Carter signed with the Titans earlier this offseason. He's instead opting to hang up his cleats after seven seasons in the NFL. Carter wraps up his career having appeared in 96 regular-season games (62 starts) and finishing with 278 tackles (170 solo), including 21.5 sacks, 18 pass breakups, including a pair of interceptions, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

The Dolphins placed Melifonwu (undisclosed) on the active/non-football injury list Tuesday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Melifonwu dealt with a hamstring injury at the end of last season, but his placement on the NFI would suggest he's dealing with some sort of injury he suffered while working out away from the team. After spending the first four years of his career in Detroit, Melifonwu inked a one-year deal with the Dolphins back in March.

Nabers (toe) didn't open training camp on the active/PUP or active/non-football injury list, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Nabers' workload was scaled back during the offseason program due to a toe injury that he dealt with in college and also during his stellar rookie campaign in 2024, when he tallied 109 catches (on 170 targets) for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 regular-season games. There's still a chance that he has some limitations during training camp, likely with the goal to have him as healthy as possible for Week 1. Nabers will be working with a completely new QB room during the upcoming campaign, including veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart.