NFL Player News

Evans (ankle) participated in the Panthers' training camp activities Monday, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Evans suffered a low-ankle sprain last Tuesday and was carted off the practice field. The tight end missed a few days of practice but appears to be back in uniform and pads. Evans will continue to compete with Ja'Tavion Sanders for the No. 2 tight end role behind Tommy Tremble.

Kitselman (leg) is set to be "out for a while," Richard Silva of The Detroit News reports.

Kitselman exited Sunday's practice early with a leg injury. The undrafted free agent out of Tennessee appears set to miss some time, further dampening his chances of garnering a roster spot this summer. It's possible Kitselman is eventually placed on season-ending injured reserve or is waived with an injury settlement.

Gardner-Johnson (calf) suffered a lower calf strain Saturday, Chris Brown of the Bills Radio Network reports.

Gardner-Johnson was carted off the field during Saturday's practice with what many feared was a season-ending Achilles tear. The news is significantly more uplifting, though there is still no timetable revealed for the starting safety's return. Damar Hamlin and Geno Stone have been receiving a majority of the reps across Cole Bishop in Gardner-Johnson's absence, with rookie fifth-round pick Jalon Kilgore not yet earning a significant share of snaps with the starting secondary.

Thomas has followed up his impressive spring with a good start to training camp, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.

That's an assessment shared by Jamal St. Cyr of News4JAX, who noted that Thomas continues to stack good days and came up with the catch of training camp during Monday morning's session. After seeing a dip in production in 2025 following his 87-1,282-10 line as a rookie the year prior, the third-year pro profiles as a bounce-back candidate this coming season, while working alongside fellow WRs Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Travis Hunter, provided he continues to build positive momentum as the summer rolls along.

The Panthers activated Brown (undisclosed) from the active/non-football injury list Monday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Brown began training camp dealing with an undisclosed issue, enabling rookie Lee Hunter to get more reps with the first-team interior defensive line. Now that Brown has returned, he should reclaim his spot as the Panthers' top nose tackle.

Oliver was participating in the Vikings' training camp activities Saturday.

Oliver ended the 2025 season dealing with an ankle injury he suffered in the Vikings' Week 18 victory over the Packers. The tight end has been on the field without restrictions during the early days of training camp and appears set to resume his role as the No. 2 option at tight end behind T.J. Hockenson.

Coach Mike LaFleur said Monday that Benson is dealing with discomfort in his left knee, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Benson wasn't able to play after Week 4 last season due to a knee injury, finishing with 29 carries for 160 yards, 13 catches (on 16 targets) for 64 yards and no touchdowns in four contests. LaFleur noted that the team doesn't expect the current issue to be a long-term concern, and there's a chance Benson will play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Panthers, per Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic. With James Conner (foot) still not operating at 100 percent in training camp, Bam Knight, Corey Kiner and Evan Hull are the reserve RBs behind the top duo of rookie first-round pick Jeremiyah Love and offseason signing Tyler Allgeier.

Rodriguez (foot) worked in team drills for a second consecutive day during Monday's padded practice, John Oehser and John Shipley of the Jaguars' official site report.

Rodriguez, who is bouncing back from an offseason left foot procedure, had worked only in individual drills during training camp's first three practices, but he's been able to upgrade his participation level since then, and in the process he had several long runs during Monday's session. As the summer progresses, Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten are in line to compete for the Jaguars' RB1 job following Travis Etienne's free-agent departure. While Tuten had the advantage of getting a head start due to Rodriguez's injury, the team's backfield pecking order has yet to be solidified ahead of Week 1, with a committee approach featuring Tuten and Rodriguez a likely outcome, and LeQuint Allen also a candidate to mix in.

Concepcion (shoulder), who was shaken up during Monday's practice, is believed to have avoided a serious injury, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

Per the report, the Browns expect Concepcion, who appeared to sustain a right shoulder injury after a hard fall while trying to make a catch during the session, to be fine. With that in mind, consider the 2026 first-rounder, who has had a strong start to training camp, day-to-day as the team's Aug. 15 preseason opener against the Bears approaches.

Kirk (calf) worked out on the side at Monday's practice, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

With Ricky Pearsall (knee, IR) out for the season, the 49ers also were without Mike Evans (quadriceps) and rookie second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring) on Monday, though both Stribling and Kirk appeared to be operating at at least three-quarters speed. Kirk now has missed a week of practice, but his activity level to begin this week indicates he's likely to mix back into drills in the near future.