NFL Player News

Flowers has made a strong case for a starting job during training camp while fellow wide receiver Rashod Bateman (foot) has remained absent from practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Bateman has been on the active/PUP list for over a week now, and while that doesn't necessarily mean he won't be ready for the start of the regular season, it at least creates some concern that he won't be at his best early on. That wouldn't be at all atypical for a wideout coming back from a season-ending Lisfranc injury, though the Ravens were optimistic about the 2021 first-round pick earlier this offseason. With some of that optimism perhaps waning, the team's 2023 first-round selection (Flowers) has stepped up alongside Odell Beckham to form a solid duo for Lamar Jackson in practice. The Ravens have two other wideouts with considerable NFL starting experience, Nelson Agholor and Devin Duvernay, but in terms of likely fantasy contributors with potential for considerable target volume, it's probably a three-way race between Flowers, Beckham and Bateman. So far, Beckham and Flowers are winning that race, both delivering strong showings in training camp while Bateman lingers on the PUP list.

Boutte had a strong practice Wednesday, including his first catch from quarterback Mac Jones in full-team drills, Mark Daniels of The Springfield Republican reports.

The rookie sixth-round pick reportedly did well in 1-on-1 drills and then got his first action of the summer with the first-team offense. Fellow rookie Demario Douglas, also a sixth-round pick, has made more of a splash this summer, but there may be room for both to get looks on the first unit with 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton first struggling and now possibly tending to an injury. While the top two spots on the depth chart seem safely in the hands of JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker, everything else appears up for grabs in New England's wideout room, giving the rookies an opportunity to usurp not only Thornton but also Kendrick Bourne.

Montgomery (leg) remained sidelined during Wednesday's practice, Dakota Randall of NESN.com reports.

Montgomery hasn't practiced since suffering a leg injury last week, but the versatile running back has been spotted on the team's rehab field, an indication that he's progressing toward a return. With Montgomery banged up and with the Patriots managing Rhamondre Stevenson's workload in training camp, Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong and J.J. Taylor have handled added practice reps.

Watkins is having a solid training camp and still seems to be the favorite to win the Eagles' No. 3 receiver role, according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The Eagles don't need their third wideout to take on much target volume, but they want a player who can stretch defenses without making too many mistakes. The latter area proved problematic for Watkins last season, with his most memorable moments arguably being a lost fumble in the team's first loss of the season and then a dropped pass during the Super Bowl. The 25-year-old now faces a challenge from Olamide Zaccheaus, who is also a fast, small wideout and had a better 2022 in Atlanta (40-533-3 receiving line on 61 targets) than Watkins had in Philadelphia (34-354-3 on 51 targets). Watkins may be the incumbent and now the early leader at training camp, but Zaccheaus still has time this summer to make his push for the No. 3 spot.

The Jaguars relayed that the toe issue that bothered Ridley earlier Wednesday was caused by the cleats the wideout had been wearing, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

DiRocco notes that Ridley eventually switched cleats, which is expected to resolve the issue. Though the wideout had been in for limited work at Wednesday's practice, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union relays that Ridley was able to join team drills. Ridley, who didn't play last season while serving a suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy, has been "one of the top players of camp thus far" for the Jaguars, according to Harvey.

The Broncos placed Patrick (Achilles) on injured reserve Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

Patrick is set to miss a second consecutive season after he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in Monday's practice. With Denver also waiving KJ Hamler with a non-football illness designation Monday, 2023 second-round draft pick Marvin Mims should handle an expanded role in the team's passing offense alongside top wideouts Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.

Thornton (undisclosed) was spotted heading to the conditioning field during Wednesday's practice, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

The Patriots haven't revealed what prompted Thornton's visit to the tent, but Cox notes that "it's been a quiet camp" thus far for the second-year wideout, who hasn't yet logged any catches from quarterback Mac Jones in full-team drills. Thornton still has time to pick up the pace, which is what he'll need to do in order to carve out a steady role in a New England wideout corps that also includes JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne.

Brownlee has been a standout performer for the Jets in camp, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Brownlee went undrafted out of Southern Miss, but the Jets gave him $246,000 guaranteed to sign, which is similar money to a fifth-round pick and suggests Brownlee had a robust post-draft market. Since coming to New York, Brownlee has drawn rave reviews for his performance in OTAs, and he has carried that momentum into training camp. If he can sustain his early camp success in preseason, Brownlee will likely earn himself a spot on the Jets' 53-man roster.

Ridley will be limited at Wednesday's practice due to a toe injury that isn't considered serious, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports. "He'll be fine," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said. "We were sort of cautionary with [Ridley on Tuesday]. He'll be back out there and we'll just monitor him and limit the amount of running that he'll do."

Ridley missed portions of Tuesday's practice and could be on a similar schedule Wednesday. The wideout has drawn positive reviews early on in training camp after he missed the entire 2022 season while serving a gambling-related suspension.

Kupp underwent an MRI on his hamstring after exiting Tuesday's practice and could be back for scrimmages "in a few weeks," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Rams are expected to be cautious with their top wideout for the rest of training camp and the preseason, but Schefter's report suggests Kupp will have a chance at being ready to go in advance of Week 1. While Kupp is sidelined, the likes of Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek (back), Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson are all likely to see added opportunities in practice.