NFL Player News

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that Jeudy (undisclosed) isn't practicing but is in the building and "working through some things," Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Jeudy appears to be dealing with a minor injury, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, though details remain undisclosed. It doesn't sound like Jeudy is in any danger of being less than a full go for training camp in late July, but there's a possibility he won't get back on the field before then. After being traded to Cleveland in March, he quickly agreed to a three-year extension with the team. Jeudy is positioned to work as the No. 2 wideout behind Amari Cooper, who is holding out from mandatory minicamp.

Coach Dave Canales said Tuesday that Legette (hamstring), who isn't participating in practice, is expected to be 100 percent for training camp, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Legette has been dealing with a hamstring injury since May, but it doesn't seem the issue will prevent him from handling full reps during training camp. Canales downplayed the severity of Legette's injury, per Joe Person of The Athletic, stating that if the Panthers were currently preparing for a game week the wideout would be practicing. Once healthy, Legette should have a clear path to earning a starting role alongside veteran receivers Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson.

Jets coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday that Williams (knee) has a similar rehab timeline to what Breece Hall had last season, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

The Jets kept Hall out of spring practices last year and activated him from the PUP list Aug. 15. He took just 33 snaps over the first two weeks of the regular season but ended up playing all 17 games and finishing second among running backs in PPR scoring. While Williams doesn't have that kind of fantasy upside, it sounds like he's on a similar timeline while recovering from the same injury, an ACL tear, with the Jets likely to hold him out from the start of training camp even if they feel he's on track to be ready for Week 1. He hasn't participated in any offseason practices thus far and has been limited to side work as he rehabs the knee injury he suffered in Week 3 of last season with the Chargers.

Cooper isn't present Tuesday for the start of mandatory minicamp, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Cooper is in the final year of his contract and presumably wants an extension. The Browns can fine him while he's absent, and it's possible this stretches into training camp if the wideout doesn't have a new contract by late July. Cooper had career highs for receiving yards (1,250) and yards per catch (17.4) last season, buoyed by a 25-485-3 receiving line in the four games he played with Joe Flacco as Cleveland's starting QB. Cooper also did well with Deshaun Watson, reaching 90 yards in four of the six full games Watson played, whereas Cleveland's other main pass catchers -- namely TE David Njoku and WR Elijah Moore -- struggled to get anything going with the supposed franchise QB. The Browns added Jerry Jeudy this offseason, likely pushing Moore back to the No. 3 role and giving Cooper more competition for targets.

Higgins hasn't signed his franchise tag and isn't attending June minicamp, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Higgins would need to sign the tag before practicing and can't be fined while he's technically not under contract. He reportedly asked for a trade in March, but in April he told reporters that he expected to play for the Bengals this season. There's a July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term contracts.

Chase is present Tuesday for the start of mandatory minicamp, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Chase's presence for the first mandatory practice of the offseason confirms he's not holding out after skipping voluntary OTAs throughout May. The Bengals picked up his fifth-year option in March, keeping Chase under contract through 2025. Tee Higgins, on the other hand, still hasn't signed his franchise tag and thus technically isn't under contract, allowing him to miss minicamp without being fined. Both wide receivers want contract extensions, and Chase's talent may make him the priority even though Higgins can become a free agent sooner.

Coach Matt LaFleur recently praised Melton's speed, run-blocking, consistency and work ethic, Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal reports.

LaFleur referred to Melton's speed as an "elite trait" and said it was a "great story" to see the 2022 seventh-round pick go from Seattle's practice squad to Green Bay's practice squad to topping 100 yards in a crucial Week 17 win last season. Melton was back down to fifth on the depth chart for the playoffs with Green Bay's top four WRs all healthy, but it's telling that the team still gave him some snaps on offense (39 in two playoff games, including a 19-yard TD catch) when there was so much on the line and injuries didn't force things. His combination of 4.34 speed and toughness/discipline seems to have won LaFleur over, and Melton's popularity among Packers fans will only continue growing after his recent revelation that he can't stop eating cheese curds even though they make his stomach hurt.

Claypool has been the Bills' "most consistent" wide receiver at OTAs, according to Matt Parrino of The Syracuse Post-Standard.

It's perhaps not surprising that a 6-foot-4 wideout with 4.42 speed and ample NFL experience looks good in non-contact practices, but it's nonetheless interesting to hear the word 'consistent' used in conjunction with Claypool. He fell out of favor with the Steelers in 2022 and the Bears in 2023, and while Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel complimented him on multiple occasions, Claypool caught only four passes in nine games after a trade to Miami last October. He'll turn 26 in July and has an interesting opportunity ahead, competing for snaps in a high-upside offense where only Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel seem assured of significant playing time at wide receiver. Claypool could even join those two as a regular presence in three-wide sets if his impressive work this spring continues into summer, but he'll have to hold off competition from 33rd overall pick Keon Coleman as well as veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins.

White (knee) reverted to the Jaguars' injured reserve list Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The undrafted wide receiver out of East Carolina suffered a torn ACL during Monday's practice, and after going unclaimed on waivers, he's reverted back to Jacksonville's IR. Given the timing of his injury, White will presumably miss the entire 2024 campaign.

The Patriots signed Jackson on Thursday.

The Rutgers product has found a home in New England after he was dropped by the Falcons just two days ago. Jackson went undrafted this past April and will now compete for a depth role in the Patriots' wide receiver room as the offseason progresses.