NFL Player News

Brooks will start Saturday's preseason game against the Bills, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Carolina's original plan was for Brooks to mix in alongside Chuba Hubbard, but head coach Dave Canales revealed Thursday that Hubbard is considered week-to-week due to a hamstring injury, per Mike Kaye of ESPN.com. While Hubbard is expected to be ready for Week 1 action, per Canales via Joe Person of The Athletic, his current absence opens the door for Brooks to make a case for the top spot on a running back depth chart that also includes Trevor Etienne and AJ Dillon.

Hubbard (hamstring) is considered week-to-week, head coach Dave Canales revealed Thursday, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Hubbard had been practicing without limitations but evidently sustained a hamstring injury in the lead-up to Carolina's second preseason game against the Bills on Saturday. The 27-year-old running back is unlikely to suit up during the preseason based on this timetable, and Hubbard's availability for the Sept. 13 regular-season opener will need to be monitored ahead of Week 1. Jonathon Brooks had been gaining momentum in Carolina's backfield competition even prior to Hubbard's injury. The Panthers also have Trevor Etienne, AJ Dillon, Anthony Tyus and Miles Davis in the backfield.

McCarthy told reporters Wednesday that he wants to remain in Minnesota despite losing the Vikings' quarterback competition to Kyler Murray, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

"This is the place I want to be," McCarthy said. "And I love every single person in this building. I love the state. I love the fanbase. And I'm going to continue to just do whatever I can for this team and this organization." Murray was named the team's Week 1 starter Tuesday and veteran backup Carson Wentz remains on the roster, leading to speculation that the Vikings could try to trade McCarthy. Minnesota's 2024 first-round draft pick missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury, and McCarthy then threw for 1,632 yards with an 11:12 TD:INT across 10 starts during the 2025 regular season, prompting Minnesota to bring in an alternative option in Murray.

Pearsall announced Thursday in a post on his personal Instagram account that he underwent season-ending surgery to repair the PCL in his right knee, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

The procedure typically carries a wide-ranging recovery timeline of 6-to-12 months, so while Pearsall will be ruled out for the season, it's not clear if he'll be available for the start of the 49ers' offseason program next spring or the start of training camp next summer. The wideout will wind up having played in just 20 of a possible 51 regular-season contests and one of two playoff games through his first three NFL campaigns, missing time as a rookie while recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest before being hampered by the PCL injury off and on in 2025. He'll turn 27 in September and will be entering the final season of his rookie contract in 2027.

Head coach Joe Brady said Thursday that Allen and the rest of Buffalo's healthy starters will play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Panthers, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Brady added that he wants Allen to be competitive but mindful Saturday, per Glab. Allen is expected to start Saturday's preseason game but probably won't play more than a few series before giving way to backups Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele.

Bateman is in full uniform for Thursday's practice.

Bateman didn't take part in either of the Ravens' last two practices, but the team didn't disclose whether his absences were injury-related or part of a planned maintenance plan. Either way, Bateman will be back on the field Thursday, but it's unclear if the Ravens intend to have him suit up in Saturday's preseason opener versus the Eagles. While Bateman projects to head into Week 1 as a starter alongside No. 1 wideout Zay Flowers, rookie third-round pick Ja'Kobi Lane has generated considerable buzz during camp and could be a threat to poach reps in two-receiver sets as the season unfolds.

Sanders could have to battle for a roster spot for the remainder of the preseason with the Panthers slated to sign veteran tight end Darren Waller to a one-year deal, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Even before the Panthers brought Waller aboard, Sanders already looked to be third on the depth chart at tight end, as he played in the team's preseason opener versus the Cardinals last week while Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans were rested. A fourth-round draft pick in 2024, Sanders had still been viewed as the Panthers' top pass-catching option at the position, but he no longer holds that distinction following the addition of the 33-year-old Waller, who ended a one-year retirement last season and delivered an impressive 24-283-6 receiving line in just six games with the Dolphins. With Carolina also holding Feleipe Franks in high regard for his special-teams contributions, the team may prefer to enter the season with him as their No. 4 tight end over Sanders, who could be viewed as redundant now that Waller is in the fold.

The Jaguars envision Thomas serving as the 'X' receiver in their offense during the upcoming season, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

After an outstanding rookie campaign in which he put up a 87-1,282-10 receiving line on 133 targets over 17 contests, Thomas saw his production crater in Year 2 (48-707-2 line in 14 games). Though the Jacksonville offense took a step forward as a whole under first-year head coach Liam Coen, Thomas ended up sacrificing heavy target volume to Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington, who emerged as trusted weapons underneath and in the intermediate area for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Wolfe notes that while the Jaguars value Thomas "a ton" and have no desire to trade him, the coaching staff learned last season that the wideout's strengths lie in using his blazing speed to run deep routes on the perimeter rather than taking contact on routes in the middle and shorter areas of the field. While that sort of role typically doesn't lend itself to consistently heavy target counts week to week, it's not one that's completely bereft of fantasy value. Wolfe cites Brandin Cooks -- whose tenure with the Rams overlapped with Coen's time as an assistant for the team -- as a player in a similar mold as Thomas who was able to turn in productive seasons on modest target volume while primarily serving as a vertical threat.

Lemon (hamstring) won't take part in Thursday's practice, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.

The rookie first-round pick will be sidelined for his seventh practice of training camp, but he was spotted in a helmet catching passes from a JUGS machine off to the side, per Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal. While his presence on a side field is seemingly a good sign, Lemon appears unlikely to be available for Saturday's preseason opener versus the Ravens. With DeVonta Smith also having been slowed by a hamstring injury in camp, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown have been seeing added reps with the first-team offense.

Smith (hamstring) won't participate in Thursday's practice, but he was spotted working out off to the side, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Smith will sit out his seventh practice of training camp, though his ability to run routes and take part in rehab work on a side field is a sign that he could soon be ready to take part in team drills. While the wideout will almost certainly sit out Saturday's preseason opener versus the Ravens, that might have been the case even if he was fully healthy.