NFL Player News

St. Brown is the top option in a wide receiver room that Lions' head coach Dan Campbell described as the "best it's ever been" in camp since Campbell's arrival in 2021, Dharya Sharma of Athlon Sports reports.

St. Brown is entering his sixth season in Detroit, and he just notched his fourth straight campaign with over 1,100 receiving yards. The 26-year-old caught 117 of a career-high 172 targets for 1,401 yards and 11 touchdowns over 17 regular-season contests in 2025. Jameson Williams has come into his own has a prolific big-play threat, opening the field up for St. Brown in the middle of the field. Additionally, Detroit has high hopes for second-year wideout Isaac TeSlaa and free-agent addition Greg Dortch this season. Having an impressive group of wide receivers around St. Brown could prove to benefit the 26-year-old, allowing him to see higher quality targets in Year 1 under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

Smith-Njigba is always willing to be coached up in an attempt to be a better player, Anthony Moeglin of Roundtable Sports reports.

Smith-Njigba is coming off of a 2025 campaign during which he caught 119 on 162 targets for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns over 17 regular-season games, ultimately being named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year. That hasn't stopped him from challenging himself, though. "He's the only No. 1 wideout I've been around where you can challenge him, and he's not taking it personally... he wants to be coached, he wants to be challenged," said Seahawks wide receiver coach Frisman Jackson. It's hard to imagine that Smith-Njigba has another level to his game, but with Seattle's former top running back Kenneth Walker leaving for Kansas City in free agency, the team may have to lean on the passing game at times in 2026, potentially leading to even more opportunities for Sam Darnold to connect with his star wide receiver in the passing game.

Hasty and the Patriots agreed on a one-year contract Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Hasty will return to the Patriots after spending the 2025 campaign on the Dolphins' practice squad following his release by New England last August. The running back appeared in 15 regular-season contests with the Patriots in 2024, compiling 69 yards on 20 carries while also reeling in 10 of 12 targets for 59 yards and a score. Hasty was also utilized on special teams, registering 238 kickoff-return yards and his best path towards making New England's initial 53-man roster in 2026 is as a special-teams asset.

Roberts and the Steelers agreed on a one-year contract Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Roberts will return to the Steelers after spending the 2023 and 2024 campaigns with the team before recording 90 total tackles (42 solo), a fumble recovery and a pass defensed over 17 regular-season contests with Las Vegas last season. The 32-year-old will provide Pittsburgh with another veteran reserve option behind Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen at inside linebacker in 2026.

Pollard found paydirt at the Titans' joint practice with the 49ers on Tuesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official website reports.

Pollard was able to reel in a touchdown through the air from Cam Ward during the team's red-zone period against San Francisco. The running back is set to face some added competition in the backfield this season after Tennessee selected Nicholas Singleton in the fifth round of this year's draft, while Tyjae Spears (undisclosed) is looking to put together his first healthy campaign since his rookie year in 2023. Pollard has been a bit of an iron man in his NFL career, missing just a handful of regular-season contests over the last five years, but the 29-year-old has seen his receiving production drop in each of the last three campaigns, and he could find himself on the sidelines more often in passing situations this season.

Hubbard appears likely to operate in a committee with third-year pro Jonathon Brooks in the Panthers' backfield this season, Ben Cooper of Roundtable Sports reports.

Hubbard slotted in behind Rico Dowdle at running back with Carolina in 2025, notching just 511 rushing yards and one touchdown, the latter of which was a career low, over 134 carries in 15 regular-season contests. With Dowdle heading to Pittsburgh via free agency this offseason, Hubbard seemed likely to return to being the Panthers' RB1 in 2026, but he may not run away with the job. Jonathon Brooks is entering his third season in the league, but he has missed all but three contests during his first two campaigns while recovering from a pair of ACL injuries. Brooks was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Hubbard is expected to split reps with the 23-year-old this season, likely ceding the majority of snaps to the youngster in clear passing situations. Hubbard has the more proven track record, but he'll have to prove that his disappointing 2025 campaign was just an anomaly, or he'll likely have a limited ceiling from a fantasy perspective again this season.

Settle (calf) did not participate at the Commanders' training camp practice Wednesday, Ben Standig of Big 100 Washington D.C. reports.

Settle suffered a calf strain at practice this week and, as a result, his availability for Friday's preseason opener against the Dolphins now appears to be in doubt. If Settle isn't able to play versus Miami, Jer'Zhan Newton and Charles Omenihu are top candidates to see an increase in workload.

Verdon (undisclosed) reverted to injured reserve with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Verdon was waived with an injury designation by Atlanta on Tuesday after suffering an undisclosed injury. After passing through waivers unclaimed, he's now on track to miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign while on IR.

Henry (undisclosed) was waived/injured by the 49ers on Wednesday.

Henry signed with the 49ers in July but suffered an undisclosed injury at training camp. The defensive lineman will be placed on waivers and, if he goes unclaimed, he'll revert to injured reserve with San Francisco.

Deiter suffered a quadriceps injury that will require surgery and end his season, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Deiter signed with Denver in January and he was expected to serve as veteran depth piece on the offensive line. The 29-year-old will now shift his focus to 2027 and he'll likely be placed on injured reserve in the near future.