NFL Player News

Brown (knee) was a limited participant in Sunday's practice, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Brown is dealing with persistent knee soreness but has been able to practice through the pain. The defensive end will need to recover before the regular season, with the season-ending blow to Nic Scourton (knee) already weakening the Panthers' defensive line.

Ridgeway suffered a back injury during Sunday's practice session, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Ridgeway was able to finish out the session, but the extent to which his back is injured is unclear. The defensive tackle missed most of the 2025 season with a shoulder injury, only participating in four regular-season games. If the back issue is of a similar severity, undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan Michael Heldman may see an increased snap share throughout the preseason and into the regular season.

Werner suffered a groin injury during Sunday's practice, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

The linebacker was able to finish the session, but the extent to which the groin issue will plague him is unclear. Werner has played through persistent issues before, such as the hand injury he suffered in 2025, so the 27-year-old might practice with the injury, pending medical clearance.

Burden is expected to "miss a little bit of time" due to a groin injury that he sustained during Saturday's training camp practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Burden picked up the injury after colliding with Tyrque Stevenson during a 1-on-1 drill in Saturday's training camp practice. It would not be surprising if Burden were held out of Saturday's preseason opener against the Browns, with an aim to return for the Bears' second exhibition contest against the Bengals on Saturday, Aug. 22. Kalif Raymond, rookie third-rounder Zavion Thomas, Jahdae Walker and Scotty Miller are poised to see more reps in team drills alongside Rome Odunze for as long as Burden is sidelined.

Jordan (hamstring) did not participate in Sunday's practice, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Jordan suffered a hamstring issue during Thursday's session, and the extent of the issue is still being evaluated. The 37-year-old veteran defensive end will likely have extra precautions in place for the injury. If Jordan misses a prolonged period of time, Michael Heldman and Vernon Broughton could see additional first-team snaps and preseason reps.

Watson took every starting rep in team drills during Saturday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Shedeur Sanders was scheduled to work with the first-team offense Saturday, but he ended up splitting second-team reps with Dillon Gabriel while Watson ran with the starters. Watson made the most of the opportunity with a productive practice, when he made nice connections with Isaiah Bond and Denzel Boston during team drills. Head coach Todd Monken will use Sunday's scheduled off day to deliberate whether Watson or Sanders will start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears.

Cook did not participate in Sunday's practice due to an undisclosed injury, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Cook exited Friday's session early after consulting with Bengals' trainers. The unknown issue clearly has some staying power, and it is unclear when the free safety will return to the field. The 26-year-old signed with the team in early March, looking set to be the starting free safety over PJ Jules.

The Packers activated Hargrave (knee) off the active/PUP list Sunday, Weston Hodkiewicz of the team's official site reports.

Hargrave returned to practice Sunday after missing training camp with a knee issue. The nose tackle's return means rookie Warren Brinson will likely see fewer snaps. Hargrave's return is a huge boost to the Packers' defensive interior, and the veteran has returned just in time to get some preseason reps.

Blackmon (knee) was a participant in Sunday's practice, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.

Blackmon exited Saturday's practice session early due to a knee issue but is already back in action for Sunday's session. The safety underwent further testing, with the determination evidently being that the issue was minor. The free safety's health means he can continue to compete with Jonas Sanker for the starting job.

Head coach Shane Steichen said Sunday that Downs (groin) could potentially be available for Tuesday's joint practice with the Patriots, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

Downs was held out of Saturday's practice due to a groin injury, but the positive news is that he is considered day-to-day. Participating in Tuesday's joint practice would be a step in the right direction for the fourth-year wideout, though he may be held out of Thursday's preseason opener against New England.