NFL Player News

Williams will be without Luther Burden (groin) for the entirety of the preseason, but the Bears believe that the second-year wide receiver will be available for Week 1 at Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 13, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Williams is entering his second season under head coach Ben Johnson and his third NFL campaign overall, and his No. 2 option at wide receiver Luther Burden just suffered a groin injury Saturday that will sideline him for the entirety of the preseason. The quarterback completed 53 passes to Burden for 718 yards and two touchdowns over 15 regular-season contests and two postseason games this past season. Williams has substantial rapport with WR1 Rome Odunze, but he will now have to lean on offseason addition Kalif Raymond, third-round pick Zavion Thomas (knee) and second-year pro Jahdae Walker at practice in Burden's absence.

The Commanders tried out Cowart (ankle) on Monday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Cowart spent the start of the 2025 season on the Jets' injured-reserve list with an ankle injury before they waived him back in December, but he's now apparently back in football shape. The veteran is eligible to suit up immediately for any team willing to sign him ahead of the 2026 campaign.

The Dolphins signed McCloud to a contract Monday.

McCloud served as a reserve defensive back for the Packers in 2025, recording 27 total tackles (18 solo) and two passes defensed over 15 regular-season games. The Dolphins are currently extremely low on secondary depth due to injuries to Storm Duck (knee), Darrell Baker (undisclosed), Lonnie Johnson (leg), Omar Brown (undisclosed) and JuJu Brents (undisclosed). McCloud has a strong opportunity to compete for a 53-man roster spot throughout the preseason.

Michael Schmitz (concussion) did not participate at the Giants' training camp practice Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Michael Schmitz left practice with a head injury Friday, and coach John Harbaugh confirmed Monday that he is recovering from a concussion. With veteran Lucas Patrick nursing a knee injury, Bryan Hudson could be in line to get some first-team reps at center.

Herbert has been sharp and on target with his receivers in training camp, seemingly growing more comfortable in Mike McDaniel's offense, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

One of the priorities that Herbert took during the offseason was to improve his footwork, which has seemingly paid off through the first two weeks of training camp. Entering his seventh NFL season, Herbert has looked comfortable with his timing in McDaniel's scheme, connecting on receivers early and in space. It's unclear whether Herbert will play in Thursday's exhibition contest against the Texans, but the Oregon product should see some reps in preseason games to flesh out the details before the Chargers' regular-season opener against the Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 13.

The Buccaneers placed Hall (undisclosed) on injured reserve Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Hall will now spend the entirety of the 2026 season on injured reserve unless he is waived with an injury settlement. The cornerback played in four games for the Titans in 2025, logging 136 total snaps, and will be a free agent come the 2027 offseason.

The Falcons waived/injured Nelson (undisclosed) on Monday, Will McFadden and Tori McElhaney of the team's official site report.

Nelson will be subject to waivers and revert to the Falcons' injured-reserve list if he goes unclaimed. The offensive tackle will then spend the entirety of the 2026 season on IR unless he is waived once more with an injury settlement.

The Falcons activated Taylor (elbow) off the active/PUP list Monday, Will McFadden and Tori McElhaney of the team's official site report.

Taylor has spent training camp on the active/PUP list due to an elbow injury he suffered on Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys while with the Chiefs. Taylor is back as a full participant in practice and is expected to start at right tackle for the Falcons in 2026.

Darnold and the Seahawks offense are adjusting to the scheme of new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

Darnold enjoyed a productive 2025 season with Klint Kubiak as the offensive coordinator, with the duo playing a key part in the Seahawks' Super Bowl LX win. After Kubiak left for Las Vegas to be the head coach, Seattle brought in Fleury to take over as the offensive coordinator after four years as San Francisco's tight ends coach. Fleury has no experience calling plays, so he and Darnold have used the offseason to work toward full alignment on how to approach each game and series. The Seahawks also lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs in the offseason, but Darnold still has Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and tight end AJ Barner. Darnold and the offense will look to iron out the details in training camp and preseason games before starting their title defense in a Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Willis has cleared concussion protocol and was a full participant in Monday's practice, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

Willis suffered a concussion last Wednesday, but has quickly progressed through the NFL's five-step protocol and was cleared by an independent neurologist Monday. The offensive lineman is all set to continue practicing to fulfill a depth role for the 49ers in 2026.