NFL Player News

Brown (ankle) participated in Houston's minicamp practice Tuesday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brown has recovered from the ankle injury that forced him to miss the Texans' AFC divisional-round loss to the Patriots back in January. The 33-year-old was working with the first-team offense Tuesday, but he's expected to serve as the backup right tackle behind Braden Smith during the regular season.

The Jaguars signed Colon (wrist) on Thursday.

Colon spent last season with the Lions before being placed on injured reserve in January due to a wrist issue. The 28-year-old is now healthy and will look to earn a spot on Jacksonville's 53-man roster.

The Colts placed Lowery (undisclosed) on the reserve/retired list Tuesday.

Lowery's NFL career has come to an end after just one season. The 23-year-old spent time with both the Ravens and Colts and amassed five tackles (one solo) across three games while playing on both defense and special teams.

The Rams signed Fox on Tuesday.

Fox has spent the last four seasons with the Giants but is now headed to Los Angeles. The 28-year-old has totaled 45 tackles (27 solo), including 2.0 sacks, during his career and will look to earn a depth role on the Rams' 53-man roster.

Hennessy underwent neck surgery, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Hennessy is expected to start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and there's no timeline for his return. The 28-year-old had signed with the Cowboys back in March and is in line to serve as the team's backup center once healthy.

Bitonio announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.

Bitonio's NFL career has come to an end after 12 seasons, all of which were spent with the Browns. With Bitonio no longer on the team, Zion Johnson will likely take over as Cleveland's starting left guard.

Coach Shane Steichen acknowledged Tuesday that Pierce, who is bouncing back from an offseason ankle procedure, isn't a lock to be ready for the start of training camp, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

With regard to the wideout's training camp availability, Steichen noted that it could be "a couple weeks in" before Pierce is ready to practice. That said, there's nothing to suggest his Week 1 status will be affected, and the 26-year-old will reprise a key role in Indy's offense after landing a four-year, $116 million deal to remain with the team, on the heels of a 2025 campaign in which he recorded a 47-1,003-6 line on 84 targets in 15 regular-season games.

Gonzalez reported to New England's mandatory minicamp Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN reports.

Gonzalez is back with the team after skipping most of the voluntary offseason program while holding out for a contract extension. The Patriots picked up the 23-year-old's fifth-year option in April, but Gonzalez continues to negotiate a long-term extension with the team.

Sanders and Deshaun Watson are slated to continue splitting first-team QB reps during the Browns' mandatory minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Sanders took first-team reps Tuesday, while Watson will get them Wednesday. The two are then in line to split those reps Thursday. Coach Todd Monken had hoped to have established a pecking order by now, but he acknowledged Tuesday that he's unlikely to name a starter by the end of the minicamp. Watson appeared to have the advantage early this offseason, but Sanders seems to have closed the gap. Per Monken, "they both played well enough to earn out the right to compete to start," and as a result this is a job battle that figures to carry over into training camp.

Ward (neck) did not participate in full team drills during the Browns' minicamp session Tuesday, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

After missing voluntary OTAs, Ward is at least back in Cleveland's facility for mandatory minicamp. It's not clear at this point if his limitations are due to the neck injury he suffered during last year's season finale or if they're related to a contract dispute, but it's possible a new deal could be in Ward's near future regardless.