NFL Player News

Rice (knee) is participating in 11-on-11 drills at Wednesday's practice, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Per Taylor, it's the first time in training camp that the wideout has done so, as he continues to work his way back from an offseason knee procedure. It remains to be seen how much, if any, preseason action Rice sees, but assuming he experiences no setbacks ahead of Week 1, he's slated to maintain his key role as a starter in a Chiefs' WR corps that also features Xavier Worthy (shoulder), with Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen (shin) also in the mix for targets that don't go to the top duo.

Love won't play in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday against Carolina, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Per usual, both teams are holding out most of their starters and many key backups for the first game of the NFL preseason. We should see Love later this preseason, at least briefly, but that won't offer much hint about what his Week 1 role looks like. Love and Tyler Allgeier reportedly have been sharing first-team snaps, while James Conner (foot) remains absent from team drills.

Dell (knee) is wearing pads at practice Wednesday for the first time this year, Jane Slater of NFL Network reports.

Dell won't be a full practice participant, and there's still been no report of him gaining clearance for contact, but this at least represents another step in the right direction. Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports that Dell went through individual drills at the beginning of practice.

Smith (hamstring) and Makai Lemon (hamstring) aren't practicing Wednesday, EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Neither wideout practiced Tuesday, with reports suggesting that both picked up minor hamstring injuries recently. Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports that Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Britain Covey were the first-team WRs at the start of Tuesday's practice in the absence of Smith and Lemon.

Walker has been diagnosed with an ACL tear, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

As suspected, Walker will need surgery and is set to miss the entire season. Coming off a 5.5-sack rookie campaign, Walker was expected to start at outside linebacker for the Falcons this year. With fellow pass rusher and 2025 draft pick James Pearce facing serious legal issues, Atlanta's pass rush looks to be in poor shape with the season just five weeks away.

Johnson sustained a strained groin during practice Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Johnson had to leave practice early Tuesday after picking up the injury. It's unclear at this point how severe the strain is or how long it will keep the second-year wideout sidelined. Any missed time in practice or preseason games could be a big deal for Johnson, as he's jockeying for pecking-order position with the likes of Jalen McMillan (knee) and Ted Hurst in the Bucs' wideout room.

McMillan didn't practice Monday or Tuesday after banging a knee "a couple days ago," Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

McMillan was wearing a sleeve on his left calf during practice Tuesday, but it sounds like the issue that's kept him out of practice is related to one of his knees. Head coach Todd Bowles suggested the Bucs are just being careful with McMillan, so it doesn't appear he's dealing with a long-term issue.

Sanders and Deshaun Watson are each expected to start one of Cleveland's first two preseason games, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Sanders and Watson are jockeying for the Browns' No. 1 QB role for the upcoming campaign, and the pair has been rotating first-team reps so far in camp. With neither signal-caller having separated himself to this point, how each performs during preseason games will likely be the determining factor in who gets the Week 1 start. Head coach Todd Monken is planning to start the leader of the competition in the team's third preseason game, per Wolfe, so fantasy managers may know at that point which quarterback is the more desirable option, though neither Sanders nor Watson is looking like a particularly appealing asset in leagues that deploy one starting QB.

Watson and Shedeur Sanders are each expected to start one of Cleveland's first two preseason contests, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Watson and Sanders are vying for the Browns' No. 1 QB role for the upcoming season, and the pair has been rotating first-team reps so far in camp. With neither signal-caller having separated himself in the competition to this point, how each performs during preseason contests will likely be the determining factor in who gets the Week 1 start. In fact, head coach Todd Monken is planning to start the leader of the competition in the team's third preseason game, per Wolfe, so fantasy managers may know at that point which quarterback is the more desirable option, though neither Watson nor Sanders is looking like a particularly appealing asset in leagues that deploy one starting QB.

McMillan (calf) isn't practicing Tuesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Per Laine, McMillan is wearing a compression sleeve on his left calf and was dealing with some soreness Monday, when he was also kept out of practice. It doesn't sound like the issue is a major concern, especially at this point in camp, but the Bucs are likely to play it safe with the wideout until he's able to shake the soreness. McMillan missed most of last year due to a neck injury, though he has a chance to move up to a bigger role in 2026 following the departure of Mike Evans to San Francisco.