NFL Player News

Nabers (knee) is expected to avoid opening the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

All eyes will be on Nabers and his participation level when training camp opens for the Giants, as he's continuing to work his way back from a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. The injury occurred in Week 4 of last season, and Nabers had surgery in late October before needing a clean-up procedure this spring. There's a chance he begins camp on the active/PUP list, but it sounds like the star wideout could be ready for the Week 1 opener against Dallas.

Reichard is set to reprise his role as Minnesota's kicker in 2026, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

Reichard cemented his spot as the Vikings' placekicker with an impressive sophomore season in the NFL, as he missed only twice on 35 field-goal attempts during the 2025 regular season. Minnesota doesn't have any competition for the 2024 sixth-round pick on the roster heading into training camp.

Butker is set to work as Kansas City's kicker again in 2026, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Butker is entering his 10th consecutive season as the kicker for the Chiefs. He converted 33 of 38 field-goal attempts while playing in all 17 games in 2025. Kansas City doesn't have another kicker on the roster entering training camp, so the team has full faith in the 31-year-old Butker.

McMillan (ankle) participated in Thursday's training camp practice, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

McMillan was in and out of practice during the spring due to ankle soreness, but he's ready to roll for the start of training camp now that pads are on and the season is inching closer. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, McMillan is expected to see more opportunities out of the slot this season after the Panthers used a third-round pick on outside weapon Chris Brazzell. McMillan added "eight or nine pounds of muscle" over the offseason, per Wolfe. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, McMillan will look to build on his 70-1,014-7 regular season from last year.

Scourton was carted off the field with a right knee injury during Thursday's practice, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Coach Dave Canales confirmed after practice that Scourton will undergo further testing on the injured right knee, per Joe Person of The Athletic. A second-round pick last year, Scourton appeared in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, making eight starts, and piled up 47 tackles (20 solo), including 5.0 sacks, on 68 percent of the defensive snaps. He's expected to play a more prominent role in his second season and is a defender Carolina can't afford to lose to a serious injury off the edge.

Washington is likely to remain the Jaguars' primary punt returner in 2026, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Washington excelled on offense down the stretch in 2025, catching 19 of 29 targets for 347 yards and two touchdowns across Jacksonville's last three regular-season games before adding seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown in the team's playoff loss to the Bills. Marquee offensive players rarely maintain prominent roles on special teams, but Jacksonville's coaching staff has praised Washington's punt-returning prowess throughout the team's offseason program, so Washington seems poised to continue filling that role on special teams while contributing on offense as part of a wide receiver room that also includes Brian Thomas and Jakobi Meyers. Head coach Liam Coen also recently praised Washington's work ethic, per Shipley.

Davis will battle Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah in training camp for the top backup job at running back behind starter Javonte Williams, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Dallas added Blue and Mafah in the fifth and seventh rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft last spring, but Davis was able to hold off both players for the No. 2 role once Miles Sanders (knee) went down with a season-ending injury in late September. While handling limited reps behind Williams, Davis averaged 4.8 yards on 52 carries, but he lacks standout traits as a runner and offers little utility as a pass catcher. Though Davis' ability to contribute on special teams should put him in good position to win a roster spot, Archer suggests that the 27-year-old is a "forgotten man" in the backup running back competition, with Blue bringing a more explosive skill set to the table and coming off an excellent offseason program in which the coaching staff touted his dramatic improvement compared to a year ago. The 6-foot-1, 232-pound Mafah, meanwhile, could represent a more ideal candidate than the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Davis to handle reps on early downs if Williams were to miss time at any point.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said Wednesday in an appearance on "The Schrager Hour" podcast that he's "definitely expecting Tuten to have a big year" after the running back had "a really good spring."

Coen's comments only add to the buzz surrounding Tuten heading into training camp, as the second-year back had already been expected to see an enhanced profile in the Jacksonville offense in 2026 after the team let Travis Etienne walk in free agency. As a rookie, Tuten produced seven touchdowns on 93 touches while mainly serving as a short-yardage complement to Etienne, but the 23-year-old ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process and put that explosiveness on display in the Jaguars' playoff loss to the Bills, reeling off three runs for 10-plus yards. The extent to which Tuten's role will evolve in Year 2 is still difficult to project. Jacksonville brought in bruiser Chris Rodriguez (foot) on a two-year deal this offseason, and while he could end up taking most of the snaps on early downs and in short-yardage situations, it might clear the way for Tuten to absorb some of the functions that Etienne had handled in 2025. The usage of Tuten, Rodriguez and to a lesser extent, LeQuint Allen, will all bear monitoring during the preseason to get a sense of how Coen plans to deploy his backs once the regular season gets underway.

Freeling will start the 2026 regular season at right tackle, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Freeling played left tackle primarily at Georgia before the Panthers selected him 19th overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but he will switch to the opposite end of the offensive line to begin his NFL career. The 6-foot-7, 315 pound athlete certainly has the size to hold his own in the league, and he will get a shot to fill in for Taylor Moton (illness) at right tackle while Moton recovers from a blood clot. With Ikem Ekwonu (knee) still recovering from offseason surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, Carolina is expected to be without both of their starting offensive tackles to begin 2026.

Ekwonu (knee) was placed on the active/PUP list Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official website reports.

Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee in the Panthers' 34-31 loss to the Rams in the wild-card round in January, so his placement on the PUP list comes as no surprise. General manager Dan Morgan said that the offensive lineman is "attacking" his rehab and that he's "really proud of him (Ekwonu) and where he's at right now." Ekwonu is fighting an uphill battle to play during the 2026 campaign, but Morgan expressed that there is some "optimism" that the 25-year-old will be able to return during the season.