NFL Player News

Hyatt is returning to practice Thursday after exiting early Wednesday due to heat exhaustion, John Fennelly of Giants Wire reports.

He's far from the first rookie to struggle with heat and resulting fatigue during his first NFL training camp. The third-round pick still has a wide range of playing-time outcomes for his debut campaign, as the Giants' WR room offers quantity more so than quality, with up to seven or eight players potentially in the mix for top-three roles. Hyatt will probably come off the bench Week 1 but still has plenty of time to make an impression before then.

Wicks (concussion) did not take part in Thursday's training camp practice, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

The 2023 fifth-round pick will continue to compete for playing time in a crowded yet young and unproven Green Bay wide receiver room. In his junior season at Virginia, Wicks caught 57 passes for 1,203 yards and nine touchdowns. Don't be surprised if the rookie makes a strong push for the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver role once he recovers.

Cooper (undisclosed) is in line to miss a few more days due to what Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer describes as a "minor tweak."

Cooper, who participated in a walkthrough on the first day of training camp Saturday before leaving the field Sunday, can thus be considered day-to-day as he manages an unspecified issue. Once he returns to the field, Cooper will step back into his role as the top option in a Cleveland wideout corps that also includes Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Cedric Tillman, among others.

In the wake of the knee injury Kadarius Toney sustained Sunday, Nate Taylor of the Athletic relays that Rice has seen increased work with the Chiefs' first-team offense.

Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Rice has "made incremental improvements" each day, with Taylor noting that the 2023 second-rounder has seen the most first-team reps of any Chiefs wide receiver since Toney injured his knee. Given that Toney's Week 1 availability is up in the air, Rice has multiple paths to significant paying time early in his rookie season. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the team's only returning starter from last year in the WR room, joined by Skyy Moore, Richie James, Justin Watson and Justyn Ross.

Schwartz, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, returned to practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Schwartz started training camp on the Browns' active/non-football injury list and was limited during OTAs. It's unclear whether he will be ready to go for the Browns' opening preseason game against the Jets on Aug. 3, but he is trending in the right direction. The 2021 third-round pick is buried in the Browns' wide receiver depth chart and will compete for a roster spot heading into 2023. Schwartz had four catches for 51 yards in 11 games last year while playing 87 snaps on special teams.

Shenault has been doing individual drills with running backs during training camp, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Shenault has earned several carries each season he's been in the league, but as Carolina looks for more ways to get the ball in his hands, the 24-year-old could see more designed looks from the running back position. Gantt speculates that Shenault is going to "touch the ball a good bit this year," and during camp on Wednesday, he was lining up in two-back looks.

Tolbert worked with the first-team offense Wednesday during the first day of training camp, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The South Alabama product is trying to put a rough rookie season behind him, and he looked good to begin camp while making a number of nice catches. Tolbert is hoping to establish himself as the Cowboys' No. 4 wideout this season, but even in a potent passing game his fantasy value in that role figures to be limited as long as CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup are all healthy.

Smith-Njigba has impressed head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith with his route-running and hands, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reports.

Smith-Njigba eased into the offseason program because he missed most of his junior season at Ohio State with a hamstring injury, but the rookie has been full go since mandatory minicamp in June. With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett locked into the top two roles, Smith-Njigba was battling for the No. 3 spot. The first-round pick has seemingly won the job already after showcasing his hands, route-running and confidence through the first few practices. He was ultimately expected to win this role after an ultra-productive college career, so the only question that remains is how many targets he can garner behind Metcalf and Lockett.

Wims signed with the Panthers on Wednesday, Steve Reed of The Associated Press reports.

Wims will fill the spot vacated by the release of Marquez Stevenson (undisclosed) with a failed physical. In 34 NFL appearances split between Chicago and Arizona, Wims has 28 catches for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

Kupp (ankle) was present at Wednesday's practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear if Kupp has progressed to the point in which he can handle a full workload, as he logged only individual drills at the tail end of the Rams' offseason program in mid-June. The delay in on-field work was due to his recovery from November tightrope surgery he underwent on the right high-ankle sprain that brought an early end to his 2022 season. Prior to suffering the injury, Kupp was on pace for another huge season, accumulating 75 catches (on 98 targets) for 812 yards and six touchdowns in nine games. As a result, he remains a top-end receiver talent, despite the current state of the Rams offense.