NFL Player News

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Purdy has a "good chance" to play in Thursday's preseason matchup with the Chargers, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Any appearance likely will be brief after Purdy took part in joint practices this week. He was held out of San Francisco's first preseason game and doesn't figure to play more than a drive or two during the exhibition slate.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield said Tuesday that he's been "completely overwhelmed with the amount of talent" that Gainwell has, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Dramatic language and all, Gainwell apparently has a very important fan on his new team. While Bucky Irving remains the presumed lead runner, Gainwell should get a lot of the work on passing downs while also maintaining a small role in "pony" packages with two halfbacks on the field. New playcaller Zac Robinson used those double-RB looks on a league-high 95 plays (9.1 percent of total snaps) with the division-rival Falcons last year.

Ponds (calf) is nearing a return to the field according to head coach Aaron Glenn, Eric Allen of the Jets' official site reports.

Glenn indicated that Ponds is getting closer to a return and expects him to be available for New York's Week 1 matchup against Tennessee after straining his calf on July 29. The rookie defensive back is in line to see a significant role in New York's secondary after being selected in the second round back in April.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey (undisclosed) would've practiced Tuesday if the 49ers hadn't been in a joint session with the Chargers, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Shanahan also shut down speculation about McCaffrey's recent absences being contract-related. The star running back has been absent for a week due to what's only been described as "tightness". If Shanahan is to be believed, McCaffrey is making good progress and nearing a return to practice.

Bagent suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's preseason win over Cleveland, making him unlikely to practice or play this week, Mark Carman of CHGO Bears reports.

With Bagent unlikely to play in the Bears' second preseason game Saturday against the Bengals, Case Keenum and Miller Moss figure to take most of the QB snaps. Coach Ben Johnson hasn't yet said if Caleb Williams and other starters will play.

Kyle Shanahan said after Tuesday's joint practice with the Chargers that Evans experienced some quadriceps tightness, and the coach doesn't believe the issue is a serious one, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Evans initially left Tuesday's session and had his left foot/ankle wrapped and iced, but he eventually moved that wrapping to his left quad. He previously missed early training-camp practices due to a quadriceps issue, so it appears to be a slight aggravation of the previous concern. Shanahan's comments indicate the 49ers aren't concerned about Evans' health, but the team likely will exercise caution with the veteran wide receiver with two preseason games remaining before Week 1.

Evans exited Tuesday's joint practice with the Chargers due to an injury to his left foot or ankle, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Evans made an early departure Tuesday to have his left foot wrapped and iced, but he later removed the tape job while watching the remainder of the session from the sideline, per Wagoner. Evans previously dealt with a quadriceps injury early on in training camp, so his transition from Tampa Bay to San Francisco hasn't exactly gone swimmingly. However, he remains on track to begin the regular season at the top of a revamped wide receiver depth chart that also includes a repatriated Deebo Samuel, veteran slot option Christian Kirk (calf) and 2026 second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling.

Johnston sustained an apparent lower-body injury during Tuesday's joint practice with the 49ers, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

After attempting to make a contested catch, Johnston exhibited a limp, and team trainers immediately started working on the 2023 first-round pick. He hasn't exactly met expectations through three years in the NFL, including his 51-735-8 line on 84 targets in 14 regular-season games last season. If Johnston requires any time on the sideline, 2025 second-round pick Tre' Harris, rookie fourth-rounder Brenen Thompson and 2025 fifth-rounder KeAndre Lambert-Smith could get additional looks alongside No. 1 WR Ladd McConkey.

Biadasz was carted off the field during Tuesday's practice with an apparent leg injury, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Biadasz joined the Chargers this offseason after a two-year stint in Washington, signing a three-year, $30 million deal in the process. He was expected to handle center duties for a Justin Herbert-led offense, but after going down during team drills Tuesday, he wasn't able to put any weight on his leg. For as long as Biadasz is sidelined, rookie second-round pick Jake Slaughter could break away from battling for the starting left guard spot to cover center.

Dobbins (undisclosed) was in full pads for Tuesday's practice, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.

Dobbins left last Monday's session due to what eventually was termed a soft-tissue injury by coach Sean Payton, but he's stayed active since then and Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com noted that the running back looked sharp Tuesday during drills. Looking ahead, Dobbins is on track to reprise his role at the top of a Denver backfield that also includes 2025 second-rounder RJ Harvey and 2026 fourth-rounder Jonah Coleman. As long as he can stay healthy, which is far from guaranteed in his case, Dobbins should see enough of a workload to merit fantasy lineup attention, but the continued presence of Harvey, who will also see his share of touches, as well as Coleman possibly emerging as a factor, are variables that could hamper Dobbins' weekly ceiling.