NFL Player News

Rice and other starters are scheduled to play the first half of Saturday's preseason game against Detroit, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

The Chiefs won't necessarily use all their starters for the entire first half, but they apparently plan to put the first unit out there for far more snaps than other teams tend to be comfortable with. Rice is locked in as a starter and top target for QB Patrick Mahomes, with the biggest question at this point being whether the wideout eventually gets suspended for his off-field problems this offseason. While avoiding a suspension entirely is highly unlikely, there's some chance league punishment doesn't come down until after the season.

Coach Dan Quinn suggested Thursday that Zaccheaus is competing for the Commanders' No. 2 receiver role, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson entered camp as a clear favorite for the role, but there have been some signs he's not exactly a lock, including his extended playing time in the preseason opener against New York. Quinn is now confirming there's a competition, with Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown presumably the main candidates to displace Dotson (and rookie third-round pick Luke McCaffrey possibly also in the mix for a top-three role). Zaccheaus only get a few snaps with the first-team offense in the preseason opener, but one of those was a 42-yard catch on the third play of the game.

Coach Dan Quinn suggested Wednesday that Dotson hasn't locked down the No. 2 receiver job, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Quinn said the Commanders are "in the middle of" a search for their No. 2 receiver, with John Keim of ESPN.com noting that Olamide Zaccheaus has been more consistent than Dotson in training camp. This may seem surprising given that Dotson was a first-round pick in 2022 and had a promising rookie season, but he was one of the least efficient starting WRs in the league last year in terms of both per-target and per-route production. He then played most of the first half in Washington's preseason opener against the Jets on Saturday, whereas sure-thing starters like QB Jayden Daniels and WR Terry McLaurin mostly were removed after the first drive. Dotson did get a lot of slot work against the Jets, suggesting he could settle in as the No. 3 receiver (and quite possibly draw more targets than Zaccheaus or whoever else is considered the No. 2).

Metcalf isn't likely to play in any games this preseason, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reports.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said joint practices with the Titans this week will be the best opportunity for Metcalf and other top players to solidify their knowledge of the new offense brought in by coordinator Ryan Grubb. The Seahawks opted for personnel continuity on offense this offseason, apart from some discount signings for the O-line, so they're counting on Grubb to improve a unit that finished middle of the pack in most efficiency stats last year. A faster-paced offense could help Metcalf and other key players score more fantasy points, after the Seahawks finished 32nd, 22nd and 32nd in overall play volume the past three seasons under former head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. There's certainly no lack of skill-position talent, with Metcalf joined by WRs Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, RBs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet and TE Noah Fant.

Johnson (groin) isn't practicing Thursday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Johnson initially was held out of practice Wednesday, with coach Dave Canales saying the wideout had a "mild groin strain." The Panthers apparently don't expect him to be out for long, but it's probably safe to assume Johnson will miss Saturday's preseason game against the Jets.

Kirk is dealing with a "mild" calf injury and won't practice this week, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Coach Doug Pederson termed the absence "precautionary" and said Kirk will be re-evaluated next week, per Mia O'Brien of 1010 XL 92.5 FM Jacksonville. The Jags plan to rest key players this upcoming Saturday against Tampa Bay, after giving most of the top guys (including Kirk) a single drive in a preseason-opening win over the Chiefs on Sunday. A mild calf injury -- with three and a half weeks to go before the regular-season opener -- isn't especially likely to threaten Kirk's availability for the games that actually matter.

Knue secured two of five targets for 29 yards, returned one kickoff for 30 yards and ran back two punts for 22 yards in the Buccaneers' 17-14 preseason win over the Bengals on Saturday night.

The undrafted free agent had a chance to show off his versatility while tying for the team lead in targets. Knue's usage as a returner was particularly noteworthy, considering he ran back all of one kickoff during his six-year college tenure at Eastern Michigan. Knue appears to almost certainly be a practice-squad candidate at best due to the Buccaneers' deep receiver corps, but the coaching staff is apparently intrigued by his talent given the amount of opportunity he saw in his first preseason game.

Means (undisclosed) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.

Means and Rashid Shaheed (hamstring) both shed their non-contact jerseys and practiced in full Wednesday. A rookie fifth-round pick, Means is competing for a depth role on New Orleans' final roster, so he'll work to make a splash during Sunday's preseason game against the 49ers.

Head coach John Harbaugh suggested Wednesday that Flowers and other key starters aren't likely to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Falcons, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Flowers was among the team's starters not to see action in this past Friday's exhibition opener against the Eagles, and he doesn't look on track to play any snaps this weekend, either. As the coming season approaches, Flowers is slated to start alongside fellow wideout Rashod Bateman, a role that should allow the second-year pro to see steady targets from quarterback Lamar Jackson. As a rookie, Flowers compiled a 77-858-5 receiving line across 16 games, numbers that he'll have a good chance to eclipse provided he can stay healthy in 2024.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that Lockett is dealing with a leg injury, but that the issue isn't considered serious, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Lockett's leg injury may affect his availability for Saturday's preseason game against the Titans, but the wideout still appears on track to be ready to go for Week 1. If Lockett's condition takes a turn for the worse or if he suffers a setback, however, second-year pro Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have a clear path to the No. 2 wide receiver role behind DK Metcalf.