NFL Player News

Concepcion said Friday that his shoulder has felt fine since returning to practice earlier this week, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Concepcion was diagnosed with an AC joint sprain after a hard fall at Monday's practice, but it was apparently only a minor sprain, considering he returned to team drills Wednesday. The report notes that he made a leaping catch at Thursday's practice without any visible aggravation of the injury. Concepcion is competing for a top-three role at WR and looks on track to make at least one appearance during the NFL preseason.

McCarthy has taken around one-third of the first-team snaps at training camp so far, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

The Vikings have divided snaps, as promised, but with Kyler Murray getting significantly more work than McCarthy. That's no surprise given McCarthy's performance last year, but the team does still seem to have some interest in developing him. The report notes that McCarthy has spent much of the summer leading Minnesota's second-string offense against the first-string defense, with mixed results. Murray remains a strong favorite to start Week 1.

Austin looks to be the Giants' top slot receiver, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Duggan relays that Austin was a standout at the offseason program but hasn't carried his early momentum to the start of training camp. That might be expected for one of the smallest players in the league, but Austin nonetheless appears on track for a Week 1 role, regularly taking slot reps with the starters. The Giants will frequently use a fullback and/or multiple tight ends on early downs, so the No. 3 WR role might only amount to a few targets per week.

Worthy (shoulder) didn't practice Friday, Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star reports.

Meanwhile, fellow Chiefs wideout Cyrus Allen (shin) returned to practice Friday after missing the past few days. Worthy shouldn't be too far behind, as he's considered day-to-day with a shoulder sprain. That said, fantasy managers should keep an eye on the situation, given that Worthy had surgery on the same shoulder at the beginning of the offseason. The Chiefs don't seem worried, but it's still not the best sign.

Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley suggested Friday that Bell (knee) might have a chance to play this preseason, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

It doesn't seem likely, given that Bell remains on the Non-Football Injury list through the first week of August. He'll presumably ease into practice once he's activated, and there would still be some chance of opening the regular season on an injury list. Still, it's a good sign that Bell's head coach isn't ruling out the possibility of a preseason appearance. The rookie third-round pick should get playing time at some point this year, though perhaps not early on.

Coleman missed Friday's practice due to an undisclosed injury, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

The rookie sixth-round pick doesn't seem to have made much noise early on at training camp, while third-round pick Caleb Douglas reportedly was one of the standouts at Friday's session. There's still time for Coleman to make his case for a role this summer if the injury he's dealing with doesn't turn out to be serious.

Metchie is competing for a depth role in Carolina, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

With rookie third-round pick Chris Brazzell (knee) ruled out for the season, Metchie might have a chance to push Xavier Legette for the No. 3 job, though this report suggests Metchie is also on the roster bubble. Metchie and Legette offer contrasting styles, which could work in Metchie's favor on a team where the top two wide receivers (Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker) look a lot more like Legette. At 5-foot-11, 187 pounds, Metchie figures to take a lot of snaps in the slot if he ends up earning a role in the Carolina offense. He recorded three receptions on six targets for 38 yards and a 36-yard kick return Thursday night in the Hall of Fame Game against Arizona.

Fields has "made an early claim for the No. 2 receiver spot" in the Giants' offense, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

The rookie third-round pick isn't without competition, as the Giants also have veterans Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin competing for snaps behind No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers (knee). At 6-foot-4, 222 pounds, Fields offers a physical element the others can't match, and he's reportedly making a good impression so far at training camp. That doesn't mean he'll be a Week 1 starter, but he's at least throwing his hat in the ring.

Lemon (hamstring) isn't practicing Friday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Lemon and DeVonta Smith first missed practice Tuesday, both due to hamstring injuries. Neither has returned yet, and while reports don't suggest anything serious, Lemon previously dealt with a hamstring injury during the offseason program. In three seasons at USC, he missed just one game due to injury (a concussion in Sept. 2024).

Smith (hamstring) isn't practicing Friday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Fellow wideouts Makai Lemon and Britain Covey also are absent due to hamstring injuries, leaving Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown as the team's top healthy wideouts. Elijah Moore and Darius Cooper should also see more first-team snaps as a result. Reports suggest Smith's hamstring injury is minor; he's been absent from practice since Tuesday.