NFL Player News

Coach John Harbaugh suggested Tuesday Beckham could be eased into practices this summer even though he's considered fully healthy.

It sounds like the team plans to limit the overall quantity of Beckham's practice reps rather than restricting the 30-year-old wideout to certain activities. That's probably smart given his extensive injury history, though right now he's actually the healthiest of Baltimore's top wide receivers, as rookie first-round pick Zay Flowers missed some OTA practices with an unspecified injury while Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay are both coming back from major foot injuries. QB Lamar Jackson is expected to pass more under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who previously coached Beckham in the same role with the Browns in 2019. The combination of health, NFL experience and scheme familiarity could give Beckham a leg up on Baltimore's other wide receivers, though it's fair to wonder if the health part of that equation will hold up.

Bateman (foot) will be held out of June minicamp after getting a cortisone shot, but coach John Harbaugh still expects the wideout to be ready for training camp.

Bateman resumed running in April and managed some level of participation during OTAs in May, with Harbaugh using the phrases "right on schedule" and "chomping at the bit" to describe the wideout's progress. Bateman is about seven months removed from surgery on a Lisfranc injury, and it's unclear if the cortisone shot indicates a minor setback or is simply part of the rehab plan to get him back on the field by Week 1.

Diggs isn't present for mandatory minicamp, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Sean McDermott told reporters he's "very concerned" by Diggs' absence, though the Bills head coach didn't provide an explanation for why the star wideout isn't present. This isn't necessarily a contract dispute, considering Diggs signed a four-year extension last spring. The 29-year-old hasn't participated in voluntary team activities this year, though that's not exactly abnormal for a veteran player of his caliber.

Gage is being held out of Tuesday's practice with an unspecified injury, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Gage was forced out of Tampa Bay's wild-card loss to Dallas in January after a hard hit led to a concussion and possible neck injury, but this latest issue likely is unrelated given that he participated in the early portion of OTAs. He agreed to reduce his base salary from $10 million to $7 million this March, getting a full guarantee in exchange. Gage thus figures to operate as Tampa's No. 3 receiver again, though he mostly disappointed last season and is now set up to catch passes from either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask in 2023.

Raymond has been active at OTAs as both a wide receiver and return man, Mike O'Hara of the Lions' official site reports.

Raymond bounced around the league for a half-decade before settling in with Detroit the past two seasons and catching 95 passes for 1,192 yards and four touchdowns over 33 games (21 starts). He's never truly been viewed as a starter but has ended up playing a lot on offense due to injuries ahead of him, and he's also been one of the better punt returner during that time, averaging 11.2 yards on 21 returns in 2021 and 13.2 yards on 20 chances in 2022. Raymond turns 29 in August and seems unlikely to go much beyond his production from the last two years, but he does have another opportunity to earn regular snaps with Jameson Williams suspended for the first six weeks. With Amon-Ra St. Brown primarily manning the slot, Raymond's main competition for perimeter snaps in September should come from Marvin Jones and Josh Reynolds.

Sills (back/rib) participated in OTAs on Tuesday, John Schmeelk of the Giants' official site reports.

Sills returned to action after getting injured during a practice session in late May. The 27-year-old registered 11 catches for 106 yards in nine games last season, but he could find his roster spot in jeopardy, as New York's receiving room has become a lot more crowded throughout the offseason.

Schwartz participated in Cleveland's mandatory minicamp Tuesday after recovering from an undisclosed injury, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegramreports.

Last week's development for Schwartz comes after he worked on the side during OTAs. The 2021 third-round pick is buried on the Browns' wide receiver depth chart and likely will find himself competing for a roster post heading into the 2023 season.

Smith-Schuster (undisclosed) is not expected to practice Monday at the opener of New England's mandatory minicamp, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

Smith-Schuster has missed a substantial amount of offseason activities due to an undisclosed injury, per Zack Cox of NESN.com, meaning Mac Jones hasn't had ample opportunities to build chemistry with his projected top wide receiver ahead of the upcoming campaign. That's certainly not ideal for a passing attack already being revamped under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, but Smith-Schuster still has a bit of time left to get healthy and resume participating in offseason practices. DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne headline the Patriots' wideout room behind Smith-Schuster in addition to tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki.

Nacua has been earning praise for being a "fast-learner" and has been under the wing of Matthew Stafford while learning the offense, Stu Jackson of TheRams.com reports.

The fifth-round pick's position on the Rams' depth chart may have seemed tenuous in recent weeks, as the signing of veterans Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson seemed to cast doubt on the notion Nacua would have a meaningful role in his rookie campaign. The reports from OTAs seem reassuring for fantasy managers, however, as Nacua has been earning accolades from both Cooper Kupp (ankle) and head coach Sean McVay for his work ethic, his ability to adapt to the pro level and his conscientiousness. McVay added, "He's a guy that we're expecting him to come in, expecting him to be able to contribute and compete," giving credence to Nacua still being able to earn a role on offense within the tier of wideouts behind Kupp and Van Jefferson, which include Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, and the aforementioned Johnson and Robinson.

Renfrow, who left practice early Wednesday with an unspecified issue, participated in Thursday's minicamp session, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

With Renfrow past the concussion and oblique issues that caused him to miss seven games last season, the 27-year-old is in line to work in a Raiders wide receiver corps that also includes fellow returnee Davante Adams, free-agent addition Jakobi Meyers and rookie third-rounder Tre Tucker. There had been some speculation that the slot man might be traded this offseason, but Reed notes that nothing is imminent on that front. As long as Renfrow sticks around, he'll have a chance to bounce back from his subpar 2022 stat line (36/330/2 in 10 games) in an offense slated to be helmed by Jimmy Garoppolo, provided the veteran's recovery from a foot injury goes smoothly.