NFL Player News

Reed (toe) is practicing with the team Saturday, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Reed was activated off the non-football injury list earlier this week after recovering from a minor toe injury suffered earlier in the summer. The second-year wideout joins the newly minted highest-paid player in the NFL, Jordan Love, who also made his triumphant return to practice Saturday after signing his massive extension Friday. Reed is primed to be one of the team's most explosive options in a wideout group brimming with potential.

Darby signed a contract with the 49ers on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With Brandon Aiyuk (contract) and Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) both not practicing early on in training camp, Darby will presumably be a high-upside camp body for a team suddenly devoid of pass catchers. A 2021 sixth-round pick by the Falcons, Darby played in just one game with Atlanta last year, primarily floating around on the practice squad.

Godwin has impressed over the first few practices of training camp and has caught the eye of fellow star wideout Mike Evans, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports. "He's going to have a great year," said Evans of Godwin. "Y'all saw him today - he looks like he's in midseason form. He's making plays, going deep, looks like the 2019 Chris Godwin."

Godwin has battled injuries and underutilization in the red zone over the last few seasons, but he's still turned three consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. However, the 2017 third-round pick has just 10 touchdowns on 285 receptions in that span, the fewest scoring grabs of any player with at least 200 catches during that period. Evans himself has called for the Buccaneers to give Godwin more red-zone and downfield opportunities, and with new offensive coordinator Liam Coen now at the helm, there may be a change in how the veteran wideout is deployed.

Davis (undisclosed) passed his physical Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Davis opened training camp on the active/non-football injury list due to an undisclosed issue, but he's since recovered and is now cleared to participate in practices and play in preseason games. The wideout signed with Philadelphia in January after spending last season on New Orleans' practice squad. He's a longshot to make the Eagles' 53-man roster out of camp.

The Panthers placed Sims (undisclosed) on the reserve/PUP list Friday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Sims had previously been placed on the active/PUP list, and in moving to the reserve/PUP list, he now won't count as part of the Panthers' 90-man roster. Carolina will have until cut-down day to determine if the wideout will be activated or remain on the reserve/PUP list, in which case he'd need to sit out the first four games of the campaign. Sims had been looking to vie for a roster spot in training camp after signing with Carolina on a reserve/future contract in January.

Carolina signed Carter as an undrafted free agent Friday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Word of Carter signing with the Panthers first surfaced back in April, and the wideout officially inked a deal with the club Friday. Carter played his first five college seasons with North Carolina State before transferring to West Virginia ahead of the 2023 campaign, and he finished his final season with 27 catches for 501 yards and two touchdowns. Carter will get a chance to show off his skill set in training camp, though he's a long shot to to make Carolina's 53-man roster.

Pearsall (hamstring) worked on the side at Friday's practice and has progressed to running routes at what has seemingly been full speed, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Pearsall remains on the active/non-football injury list, but it looks like he could be ready to be activated and resume practicing as early as next week. Once ready to retake the field, the rookie first-round pick might have an opportunity to take advantage of Brandon Aiyuk's current hold-in and get some extra first-team reps in.

Carolina waived Pinckney on Friday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

The Panthers made a series of free-agent signings Friday, and Pinckney became a casualty of their consequent need to free up space on the roster. He'll now search for another chance with a different team.

Cincinnati signed Butler on Friday.

Butler hasn't played a regular-season NFL snap since 2020, but he'll now get a chance to make an impression on the Bengals' coaching staff ahead of the 2024 campaign. However, he'll be a long shot to make the final 53-man roster.

Bengals WRs coach Troy Walters recently said Iosivas is "probably No. 3" on the depth chart at the moment, Paul Dehner of The Athletic reports.

With Ja'Marr Chase (contract) not practicing and Tee Higgins being eased in after missing the offseason program, a number of players are getting first-team WR reps early in training camp. Iosivas seems to be at the top of that list, including Wednesday when he exclusively worked from the slot. He doesn't fit the typical slot mold at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, but he'll need some level of comfort there in order to win the No. 3 job, even if Tyler Boyd's offseason departure leads to Chase playing inside more often. While Iosivas was limited to 15 catches and 266 snaps last season after the Bengals drafted him in the sixth round, there's no doubt he has sufficient raw physical tools to succeed in the NFL, having run a 4.43 40 at the 2023 Combine. Incoming third-round pick Jermaine Burton has similar speed (4.45 40) and faced SEC competition rather than Iosivas' Ivy League opponents at Princeton, but Burton isn't quite as big (6-foot, 196 pounds) and seems to be further down the depth chart at the start of training camp. Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones may also be candidates for the No. 3 job.