NFL Player News

Brooks was a full participant in a training camp practice for the first time in his career Thursday and impressed Carolina's coaching staff with his performance, Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today Panthers Wire reports.

"He feels great, he feels strong, he looks fast," head coach Dave Canales said of Brooks, who has been limited to three NFL appearances through two seasons due to a pair of ACL tears. "He looks like the guy that I remember, and I'm really excited for that." Brooks and Trevor Etienne both mixed in with the first-team offense at Thursday's practice, along with Chuba Hubbard, per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. The Panthers selected Brooks out of Texas in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Thomas could emerge as a valuable gadget player on offense for the Bears during his rookie season, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas was selected in the third round of April's NFL Draft and comes equipped with 4.28 speed. While he may not have an immediate role as a receiver behind Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Kalif Raymond, the Bears are expected to get Thomas some easy touches to showcase his wheels and big-play ability. At the very least, Thomas appears lined up to handle returner duties for Chicago.

Beckham is competing for one of the final receiver spots on the Giants' depth chart this summer, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

All of Malik Nabers (knee), Darius Slayton (abdomen), Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin and rookie Malachi Fields are believed to be locks or near-locks to make the 53-man roster, leaving OBJ to compete with the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Isaiah Hodgins, Braxton Berrios and Jalin Hyatt for one or two other spots at the bottom of the depth chart. Beckham is 33 years old and hasn't been a legitimate NFL contributor since the 2023 season with the Ravens. Even if he makes the team, Beckham is not expected to be a fantasy factor in 2026.

Gay is set to compete with Kansei Matsuzawa for the Raiders' kicking role in training camp, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

The Raiders moved on from Daniel Carlson after the 2025 season and subsequently brought in the veteran Gay and the rookie Matsuzawa. Gay converted 81 of 101 field-goal attempts over the previous three seasons, split between the Colts, 49ers and Commanders. Matsuzawa is coming off a stellar season at Hawaii, where he made 27 of 29 field-goal attempts in 2025.

Thornton is locked in as a top-three wide receiver for the Chiefs alongside Rashee Rice (knee) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder), Joshua Brisco of SI.com reports.

Thornton was one of five receivers to play at least 33 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 2025, joining Rice, Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown. The last two of those receivers are no longer on the roster, leaving unproven options such as Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen competing for depth roles behind Rice, Worthy and Thornton.

Mixon (foot) has told people close to him that he believes his playing career is likely over, Cole Thompson of Texans Wire reports.

Mixon hasn't played in an NFL game since rushing 18 times for 88 yards and one touchdown in the Texans' divisional-round loss to the Chiefs during the 2024 postseason. He missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign due to a foot injury, and he recently required another operation while also dealing with blood flow issues to the extremity. Mixon will turn 30 years old Friday and was one of the top every-down workhorse backs in his heyday. He produced five 1,000-yard rushing seasons across his eight years in the league prior to being released by Houston earlier this offseason.

Sanders is set to battle Cade York (groin) for the Jets' kicker job in training camp, Jack Bell of the Jets' official site reports.

Sanders didn't play in 2025 due to a hip injury, but he converted 90.2 percent of field-goal attempts for the Dolphins during the 2024 regular season, missing only four times on 41 attempts. If Sanders regains pre-injury form, he would be the favorite to beat out York, who has a career 73.3-percent conversion rate (33-for-45) on field-goal attempts.

Mendoza signed his rookie contract with the Raiders on Thursday.

Mendoza's deal is for four years, with a fifth-year team option, as is standard for first-round picks. The 2026 first overall pick has $52.72 million of guaranteed money on his deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Veteran Kirk Cousins is reportedly the favorite to begin the regular season as the Raiders' starter under center, but those plans could change depending on how Mendoza looks during training camp and the preseason.

Smith is the clear top quarterback for the Jets, but a battle between Bailey Zappe, Cade Klubnik and Brady Cook is ongoing for the second spot on the depth chart, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Smith will likely dominate first-team reps leading up to the regular season, but the Jets will use training camp and preseason play to evaluate their backup options. Of the team's other quarterbacks, Klubnik probably has the best chance of seeing the field eventually in 2026, as the Jets could be motivated to evaluate their 2026 fourth-round pick in meaningful game situations if the team falls out of playoff contention again on the heels of a 3-14 season in 2025.

Pierce will likely be limited for some or all of training camp by his ankle injury, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

Pierce underwent surgery in late March to address an ankle injury, and his recovery period is expected to linger into training camp. He still has time to heal up before the Colts kick off regular-season play Sept. 13 against the Ravens, but Pierce's recovery progress will be worth tracking throughout training camp. Josh Downs is likely to function as the Colts' top wide receiver in practice if Pierce sits out, with Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and rookie seventh-round pick Deion Burks among the players jostling for playing time in Indianapolis' wide receiver room.