NFL Player News

Jones (pec) has been officially activated from the active/PUP list Tuesday and is now practicing at training camp, Sam Cohn of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Jones sustained a pec injury during the 2026 offseason and was sidelined to begin training camp, but he's now back practicing for the first time this offseason. The 26-year-old signed a three-year, $40.5 million extension with Baltimore in the offseason after totaling 47 tackles, including 5.0 sacks, as well as a forced fumble and a recovery in 2025, all career bests. Jones is set up to continue his duties as the starting nose tackle for Baltimore alongside Trey Hendrickson, who should attract more attention from opposing offensive lines to take some of the attention away from the fifth-year defensive tackle.

Willis has shown increased comfort with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik's concepts during the first two weeks of training camp and has been stacking up positive performances during practices, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

After joining the Dolphins in March on a three-year, $67.5 million deal, the fifth-year quarterback is heading into his first season as a full-time NFL starter. Willis has limited his mistakes and has been able to build chemistry with a mostly unproven receiving corps during OTAs, minicamp and now training camp, but the 27-year-old will get his first real test this week. He's set to receive extended reps against the Commanders defense in a joint practice Wednesday, and he could be in line to play a few drives against them in the preseason opener two days later.

Coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Burden (groin) is going to "hopefully" be ready by the start of the season, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Burden is already expected to sit out all three of the Bears' preseason games, but the hope is that the wideout will be available for the team's Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Panthers. In any case, based on the wording of Johnson's comments Tuesday, Burden isn't necessarily a lock to be ready for Week 1 action.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Bosa has missed recent practices due to soreness/tendinitis in his right knee, and the pass rusher is considered week-to-week, Noah Furtado of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bosa avoided the active/PUP list at the start of training camp, but his recovery from the torn ACL that he suffered in Week 3 of last season is ongoing. He's made three or fewer appearances in two of his pro campaigns but played between 14 and 17 regular-season contests in the other five, racking up at least 9.0 sacks in each of them while topping out at 18.5 in 2022.

Bryant (knee) had surgery Friday and will be out for 4-to-6 months, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Chicago's prized offseason signing on defense now seems more likely than not to miss the entire regular season. The Bears reportedly have some hope that Bryant can return for Week 18 or the playoffs, but it's not something the team can count on as they prepare for the campaign ahead. With Bryant unavailable, Xavier Woods and Cam Lewis (leg) are the top candidates to step up at safety alongside first-round pick Dillon Thieneman.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday that Mayfield will be rested for the preseason opener Friday versus the Jets, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Bowles indicated that the Bucs had been planning for backup Jake Browning to direct the first-team offense Friday, but Browning's status is now in question after he appeared to suffer a back injury during Tuesday's session. Mayfield didn't see any action during the 2025 preseason, and a similar approach with the veteran signal-caller seems likely in 2026. The 31-year-old is heading into his fourth season with Tampa Bay on an expiring contract and will be aiming for a bounce-back campaign after noticing a steep decline in his passing efficiency and touchdown total between 2024 and 2025, in large part due to injuries that accumulated over the course of last season.

Ward and other starters are scheduled to play in Thursday's preseason opener against San Francisco, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

The combination of a young QB and a new coaching staff could lead to more playing time than usual this preseason. Still, there's no guarantee of Ward playing more than a series or two Thursday night.

Evans (quadriceps) took part primarily in individual drills at Tuesday's joint practice with the Titans, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

After a week away from the practice field due to a minor quad strain, Evans was back in action, albeit in a limited capacity. Easing him back in isn't a surprise considering the cautious approach the 49ers have taken with Evans' injury. Even if he doesn't suit up for Thursday's preseason contest against the Titans, he still has one month to get healthy for the team's Week 1 matchup with the Rams in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said Tuesday that Lawrence and the team's other established starters will sit out Saturday's preseason opener versus the Saints, Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Per John Shipley of SI.com, the Jaguars don't plan on having Lawrence see much action in their final two exhibition contests either, a departure from how he's been utilized in his prior five preseasons. The QB doesn't believe a lack of preseason reps will affect his preparation heading into Week 1, especially now that he has a year under his belt in Coen's offensive system. The 26-year-old had the best fantasy season of his career in 2025, setting personal bests in touchdown passes (29), rushing yards (359) and rushing touchdowns (nine).

Coach Sean McVay said Nacua left Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys early and that he doesn't have an update on the wide receiver's status, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Nacua exited with the Rams' training staff, indicating that he's dealing with some sort of health concern. The team doesn't seem to be treating the issue as a serious one, but it could still keep Nacua out of the lineup for Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City.