NFL Player News

Smith (hamstring) and Makai Lemon (hamstring) aren't practicing Wednesday, EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Neither wideout practiced Tuesday, with reports suggesting that both picked up minor hamstring injuries recently. Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports that Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Britain Covey were the first-team WRs at the start of Tuesday's practice in the absence of Smith and Lemon.

Walker has been diagnosed with an ACL tear, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

As suspected, Walker will need surgery and is set to miss the entire season. Coming off a 5.5-sack rookie campaign, Walker was expected to start at outside linebacker for the Falcons this year. With fellow pass rusher and 2025 draft pick James Pearce facing serious legal issues, Atlanta's pass rush looks to be in poor shape with the season just five weeks away.

Johnson sustained a strained groin during practice Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Johnson had to leave practice early Tuesday after picking up the injury. It's unclear at this point how severe the strain is or how long it will keep the second-year wideout sidelined. Any missed time in practice or preseason games could be a big deal for Johnson, as he's jockeying for pecking-order position with the likes of Jalen McMillan (knee) and Ted Hurst in the Bucs' wideout room.

McMillan didn't practice Monday or Tuesday after banging a knee "a couple days ago," Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

McMillan was wearing a sleeve on his left calf during practice Tuesday, but it sounds like the issue that's kept him out of practice is related to one of his knees. Head coach Todd Bowles suggested the Bucs are just being careful with McMillan, so it doesn't appear he's dealing with a long-term issue.

Sanders and Deshaun Watson are each expected to start one of Cleveland's first two preseason games, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Sanders and Watson are jockeying for the Browns' No. 1 QB role for the upcoming campaign, and the pair has been rotating first-team reps so far in camp. With neither signal-caller having separated himself to this point, how each performs during preseason games will likely be the determining factor in who gets the Week 1 start. Head coach Todd Monken is planning to start the leader of the competition in the team's third preseason game, per Wolfe, so fantasy managers may know at that point which quarterback is the more desirable option, though neither Sanders nor Watson is looking like a particularly appealing asset in leagues that deploy one starting QB.

Watson and Shedeur Sanders are each expected to start one of Cleveland's first two preseason contests, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Watson and Sanders are vying for the Browns' No. 1 QB role for the upcoming season, and the pair has been rotating first-team reps so far in camp. With neither signal-caller having separated himself in the competition to this point, how each performs during preseason contests will likely be the determining factor in who gets the Week 1 start. In fact, head coach Todd Monken is planning to start the leader of the competition in the team's third preseason game, per Wolfe, so fantasy managers may know at that point which quarterback is the more desirable option, though neither Watson nor Sanders is looking like a particularly appealing asset in leagues that deploy one starting QB.

McMillan (calf) isn't practicing Tuesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Per Laine, McMillan is wearing a compression sleeve on his left calf and was dealing with some soreness Monday, when he was also kept out of practice. It doesn't sound like the issue is a major concern, especially at this point in camp, but the Bucs are likely to play it safe with the wideout until he's able to shake the soreness. McMillan missed most of last year due to a neck injury, though he has a chance to move up to a bigger role in 2026 following the departure of Mike Evans to San Francisco.

The Colts hosted McPhearson (undisclosed) for a workout Tuesday, Nathan Brown of The Indianapolis Star reports.

McPhearson was with the Jaguars in training camp last year but was released from injured reserve in mid-August. The Texas Tech product last saw NFL regular-season action in 2022 with the Eagles, when he logged 14 tackles (12 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and one pass defense across 17 games.

Kamara has been getting most of the third-downs snaps with the starters at training camp, according to Jeff Duncan of Nola.com.

With Travis Etienne signed to be the team's lead runner, Kamara is left with passing downs as his obvious path to playing time, though he could also sub in for carries on early downs if he proves he still has gas in the tank. Last year, Kamara made 11 appearances and finished with career lows for both rushing yards per game (42.8) and receiving yards per game (16.9). The second number was barely more than half of his previous career low (16.9), but early signs suggest that coach Kellen Moore still thinks Kamara can contribute as a pass catcher. The 31-year-old reached an agreement with the Saints in July to alter his contract, with the result being a one-year, $6 million deal that includes $3.5 million guaranteed.

Etienne has taken most of the early down reps at training camp, with Alvin Kamara is getting more of the third-down snaps, according to Jeff Duncan of Nola.com.

The workload split isn't surprising given Kamara's track record as a receiving weapon. We'll likely see a similar arrangement come Week 1, though it isn't yet clear if Kamara will also get some carries on early downs in relief of Etienne. The Saints signed Etienne to a four-year, $52 million contract in March, while Kamara's recent renegotiation leaves him with what's essentially a one-year, $6 million contract ($3.5 million guaranteed), per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com.