NFL Player News

Brents (undisclosed) is not participating during training camp practices this week, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

It seems like he'll probably be out for Friday's preseason game at Washington as well. Brents needed surgery to address a foot injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely, but it's not clear whether that's related to his current status. Until he's available again, 2025 fifth-rounder Jason Marshall may see an uptick in reps on the boundary.

Penix (knee) had some nice plays during 7-on-7 drills at Monday's practice, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

After suffering a partially torn ACL in his left knee Week 11 of last season, Penix required a full reconstruction to repair the damage. In the offseason, the Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to provide competition in the QB room. Penix has yet to progress beyond 7-on-7s, but among his throws Monday was a 25-yarder to TE Kyle Pitts down the right sideline that he fit into a tight window. Per Josh Kendall of The Athletic, coach Kevin Stefanski expects to announce by Wednesday who among Atlanta's quarterbacks -- also, Cooper Rush and Jack Strand -- will play in Friday's preseason game against the Broncos, but considering where Penix stands at the moment, he'll likely be in street clothes for that contest.

Jackson and rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane have quickly built chemistry throughout training camp, Clifton Brown of the Ravens' official site reports.

Lane has been one of the biggest standouts through the first two weeks of training camp, and he showcased his talents Sunday with several big plays in team drills. He was in constant communication with Jackson between plays, and it looks like the Ravens' franchise quarterback views the rookie wideout as an integral piece to the offense. Zay Flowers is considered day-to-day due to a quad contusion, so Jackson will be working more closely with Lane, Rashod Bateman and Devontez Walker over the next few practices until Flowers is cleared to return. Jackson struggled through multiple injuries last year and started in only 13 regular-season games, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions while turning 67 carries into 349 yards and two scores.

Vidal was listed a co-backup in the the Chargers' first unofficial depth chart Monday, Eric Smith of the team's official website reports.

Vidal and offseason addition Keaton Mitchell were listed as the top backup options behind starter Omarion Hampton ahead of the team's preseason opener Thursday in Houston. Vidal returned to Los Angeles on a one-year deal in the offseason after turning 155 carries into 643 yards and three scores across 13 regular-season contests in 2025, and he's expected to be utilized as a part of a backfield committee in 2026. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel outlined that he will use all three of Hampton, Vidal and Mitchell every game, leaning on the "hot hand," which he described as "bad news" for fantasy managers and good news for him.

Meiga (undisclosed) reverted to the Panthers' injured-reserve list Monday, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The Panthers waived/injured Meiga on Sunday, and the wide receiver went unclaimed throughout the waiver process. Meiga will now spend the entirety of the 2026 season on injured reserve unless he is waived with an injury settlement.

Bako-Bewele legally changed his name this offseason, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Formerly known as Zach Tom, the Packers' starting right tackle put pen to paper on the name change to honor two of his grandparents of Nigerian descent. The team's official site reflects the change on his player page, and it also was noted on the NFL's official transaction log from Aug. 2.

The Falcons signed Sermon on Monday, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Sermon spent the 2025 campaign bouncing between Pittsburgh's practice squad and active roster, but he's now getting another opportunity with a new team. He'll be competing with the likes of Nathan Carter and rookie undrafted free agent Cash Jones for a depth role in Atlanta's backfield in 2026.

Detroit released Firkser (leg) from its injured-reserve list with an injury settlement Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Firkser was going to have to spend the entire 2026 campaign on the Lions' injured-reserve list, but the move means he'll instead hit the open market. Over seven regular-season games with Detroit in 2025, he caught eight of 10 targets for 53 yards.

Allen has been building chemistry with new WR DJ Moore early on in training camp, Alec White, Mike Maynard and Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

During the Return of the Blue and Red practice Saturday, Allen connected with Moore in stride on a deep ball down the middle of the field for a 50-yard gain. Later, in a two-minute drill, Allen and Moore again hooked up twice to move the offense past midfield. Allen has fallen short of 4,000 passing yards in each of the last two seasons, which coincided with Stefon Diggs' exit from the team, but prior to that the quarterback racked up at least 4,283 yards through the air in four consecutive campaigns working with Diggs. By acquiring Moore this offseason, the Bills have increased the odds that Allen can get back to that threshold with more of an established wide receiver on the roster.

Chicago waived Hudson (undisclosed) with an injury designation Monday.

In a corresponding transaction, the Bears signed wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. Unless Hudson is claimed by another team during the current waiver period, he'll be in line to spend the entire 2026 season on Chicago's injured-reserve list.