NFL Player News

Richardson (back) participated in Wednesday's practice session during the Colts' ongoing voluntary organized team activities, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

A back issue sidelined Richardson for the final two games of the 2024 regular season, but the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has moved past the injury, which puts him in a position to compete with free agent addition Daniel Jones for the Colts' No. 1 QB job. Per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star, coach Shane Steichen previously noted that Richardson and Jones will split first-team reps in practices and into training camp, with Steichen indicating that "really, it's going to come down to who's the most consistent, who's the most productive," in terms of who will emerge as the team's starter.

Henry (foot) was on the field for Wednesday's practice during the Patriots' current voluntary organized team activities, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

A foot injury sidelined Henry for the final game of the 2024 regular season, but Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald relays that the tight end wasn't among the players limited at Wednesday's session. Henry, who recorded a receiving line of 66/674/2 on 97 targets in 16 games last season, is back for his fifth year with New England and is set to maintain his role as the top pass-catching option in a TE corps that also features fellow returnee Austin Hooper, who notched 45 catches in 2024.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday that Murphy-Bunting underwent surgery on his knee to address the injury that landed him on Arizona's NFI list, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

It's still not fully clear what happened, but the update sheds some light on the circumstances surrounding the unusual development for Murphy-Bunting. He'll now have to begin rehabbing from the procedure, and in the meantime, his absence will force Arizona to lean more heavily on 2025 second-rounder Will Johnson and 2024 second-rounder Max Melton.

Pitts (foot) is present for OTAs on Wednesday but is not participating in on-field activities due to an injury, Kyle Crabbs of AtoZ Sports reports.

Pitts' absence from the start of OTAs on Tuesday, as well as Wednesday's session, was speculated to be contract-related, but the 24-year-old tight end is simply dealing with a foot issue preventing him from taking part in on-field drills. The Falcons exercised the $10.88 million fifth-year option on Pitts' rookie contract last April, so he enters the 2025 season staring down a contract year. The Florida product has largely disappointed since racking up 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie in 2021, having battled injuries in 2022 then tallying receiving lines of just 53-667-3 in 2023 and 47-602-4 in 2024, though he has now suited up for all 17 games in back-to-back seasons. In three games with Michael Penix under center last year Pitts combined for just seven catches for 66 yards and one touchdown, so it seems crucial that he returns to full health sooner than later so that he can begin establishing a rapport with the second-year quarterback.

Kirk (collarbone) is participating in on-field positional drills at OTAs on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Kirk no longer looks hindered by the broken collarbone that ended his 2024 season in Jacksonville after just eight games. The Texans traded for Kirk in early March, then selected two rookies out of Iowa State -- Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round) -- in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even with Tank Dell (knee) nursing a serious enough injury that he could miss most, or all, of the upcoming season, Higgins and Noel represent notable competition for targets behind No. 1 wideout Nico Collins. At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds with 4.47 speed, Higgins is a physical clone of Collins capable of joining him on the boundary, while Noel's smaller frame and 4.39 speed seemingly positions him to begin as a deep threat. That leaves Kirk with a clear path to dominate slot reps, with the catch being that Noel could eventually compete for such snaps, and Houston's other wideouts could emerge as higher-priority targets for C.J. Stroud.

Buechele (neck) participated during OTAs on Tuesday.

After having to spend the entire 2024 season on Buffalo's injured reserve list due to a neck injury he suffered during the preseason, Buechele is back in shape for football activities during offseason workouts. He'll compete with Mitchell Trubisky and Mike White to be second in the Bills' quarterback pecking order behind Josh Allen in 2025.

Flowers (knee) is participating in on-field drills at OTAs on Wednesday.

Flowers missed both of Baltimore's playoff games last year due to a right knee sprain sustained during the team's regular-season finale against Cleveland, but he didn't require surgery to address the issue and now appears back to full health. He'll work to take another step forward as the leader of the Ravens' wide receiver corps entering Year 3, after having tallied a 74-1,059-4 receiving line (on 116 targets) across 17 regular-season appearances in 2024. Baltimore remains a run-heavy offense featuring QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry, leaving a smaller share of targets to be distributed between the 2023 first-round pick, Rashod Bateman and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, but Flowers' ability to create separation downfield and 4.42 speed make it possible for him to produce efficiently even without heavy volume.

Hardman (knee) participated during OTAs on Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Hardman finished the 2024 season on Kansas City's injured reserve list with a knee issue, but it doesn't seem to be hindering him anymore with offseason workouts now underway. Hardman will have to do everything he can to try to impress Green Bay's coaching staff, as he might not be a lock to make the final 53-man roster after the team added Matthew Golden and Savion Williams via the draft.

Phillips (knee) is participating in a limited capacity during OTAs, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Per David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that Phillips can drill in most sessions most days, but that the team will take a cautious approach at this point. The ACL tear that ended Phillips' 2024 season prematurely back in October was only partial, perhaps accelerating his recovery process somewhat. When he's healthy, he figures to have a significant role on the edge for Miami along with Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson.

Chubb (knee) is participating in a limited capacity during OTAs, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that Chubb has practiced in most sessions during offseason workouts so far. It's a promising development for him after he missed the entire 2024 season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 17 of the 2023 campaign. If available, he projects to play a major role on the edge for Miami in 2025.