NFL Player News

Lazard (undisclosed) returned to practice Sunday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The Jets are still without Garrett Wilson (ankle), but they got Lazard and Randall Cobb (ankle) back Sunday. Lazard had been dealing with general muscle tightness, but as expected, it was a minor issue and didn't keep him sidelined long. The Iowa State product followed Aaron Rodgers to New York this offseason after posting career highs in receptions (60), targets (100) and receiving yards (788) with the Packers in 2022.

Cobb (ankle) was activated off the active/PUP list and returned to practice Sunday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The Jets are still without Garrett Wilson (ankle), but they did get Cobb and Allen Lazard (undisclosed) back at practice Sunday. The veteran Cobb was still recovering from offseason ankle surgery at the beginning of training camp, but as expected, he's back on the practice field ahead of preseason action and should be 100 percent by the start of the regular season. While Cobb has a long history with Aaron Rodgers, the wideout may have a difficult time seeing regular targets behind Wilson, Lazard, Corey Davis and Mecole Hardman, who all have higher cap hits than Cobb in 2023.

Wilson (ankle) won't practice Sunday, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Wilson turned his ankle during Thursday's practice and remains sidelined. Head coach Robert Saleh initially said the wideout should be okay and is considered day-to-day with a low-ankle sprain. Despite it presumably being a minor issue, it's not surprising to see the Jets take a cautious approach with the 2022 first-rounder, who caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns across 17 appearances as a rookie.

Gathings signed with the Chiefs on Sunday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Gathings was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in May before being let go last Sunday. In his final collegiate season at Middle Tennessee, Gathings caught 60 passes for 559 yards and two touchdowns. He'll compete for a depth spot in a tight end room led by Travis Kelce and Noah Gray.

Crowder (calf) will come off the active/non-football injury list Sunday according to head coach Brian Daboll, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Crowder started camp on the NFI list, but he'll now be able to practice with the team. After an injury-plagued 2022 season in Buffalo during which he was limited to four games, Crowder will work to earn a role in the Giants' receiving corps and put together a bounce-back campaign.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Shepard (knee) will be activated from the active/PUP list Sunday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Shepard will join the Giants for his first practice since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in a Sept. 26 loss to the Cowboys and later undergoing surgery. The wideout has been limited to just 10 regular-season appearances over the past two years, after a torn Achilles' tendon previously spelled an early end to his 2021 campaign. Due in no small part to his poor track record on the health front, Shepard settled for a one-year, $1.32 million contract with the Giants this offseason and may be forced to battle for a spot in a New York receiver group that lacks an obvious No. 1 option but has plenty of depth. Offseason pickup Parris Campbell likely represents Shepard's primary competition for reps in the slot while Wan'Dale Robinson (knee) recovers from an ACL tear of his own.

Williams (leg) is scheduled to take part in Sunday's practice, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Williams missed the Lions' first four sessions of training camp with a leg injury, but he'll be on the field Sunday for what's expected to be a light practice involving limited contact. Given that Williams missed most of his rookie season in 2022 while recovering from a torn ACL, the Lions may elect to proceed cautiously with easing him back to full practice. Even if he's not cleared to play in the Aug. 11 preseason opener versus the Giants, Williams should be back up to full speed at some point during the three-game exhibition slate, barring any setbacks. The 22-year-old will still have to sit out the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL's gambling policy, and he won't be eligible to take part in Lions practices from Weeks 1 through 3.

Gage (undisclosed) was on the field for practice Sunday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Gage had missed the Buccaneers' first three sessions of training camp due to a previously undisclosed issue, though Auman relays that the receiver had been tending to a leg injury. The 27-year-old was in full uniform Sunday and was spotted running routes without any obvious limitations, so he looks like he'll have a clean bill of health heading into the Buccaneers' Aug. 11 preseason opener versus the Steelers.

Jarrett, a rookie undrafted free agent out of Maryland, is making a strong early impression in training camp with his athletic ability, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "He is making a ton of plays," said quarterback Baker Mayfield. "In one-on-one situations, he has a really good ability to high-point the ball. He has good body control when he is in the air. I am truly impressed with how he has been so far throughout the offseason and early in camp."

One of Jarrett's highlight-reel moments came in Thursday's practice, when he made a leaping contested catch down the left sideline against fellow rookie Keenan Isaac. Jarrett saw a knee injury cut short his senior 2022 campaign with the Terrapins and potentially cost him a chance at being drafted; nevertheless, the talented wideout has already also caught the eye of head coach Todd Bowles, who noted Jarrett just needs to make sure he's as impressive in his knowledge of the playbook as he is with his standout on-field work thus far.

Evans has made several noteworthy plays in the first three days of training camp and particularly showed good chemistry with Baker Mayfield in Friday's practice, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.

The four-time Pro Bowler is going to see an appreciable quarterback downgrade this season whether it's Mayfield or Kyle Trask under center, considering whoever prevails in their summer job battle will be succeeding the legendary Tom Brady. However, Evans naturally enjoyed plenty of success in Tampa Bay prior to Brady's arrival in 2020, and Friday, Dix notes the emerging chemistry between him and the 2018 first-overall pick was on display in the form of a crossing pattern that resulted in a touchdown as well as on several sideline and over-the-middle grabs. Evans should once again see significant volume in the coming season as a co-No.1 receiver, at minimum, alongside Chris Godwin.