NFL Player News

Douglas secured one of two targets for 28 yards in the Dolphins' 20-7 preseason loss to the Commanders on Friday.

The rookie third-round pick opened the game with the starting offense and was targeted incomplete deep on Malik Willis' third pass attempt of the night. However, Willis went right back to Douglas on his next dropback, and the duo connected for a 28-yard gain on third down to put the ball in Commanders territory. Douglas brings impressive size and speed and has been running with the first-team offense in recent training camp practices, and Friday's cameo certainly continued to buttress his case for a sizable role right out of the gate in his NFL career.

Branch caught two of four targets for six yards and added a three-yard run in Friday's 27-7 preseason loss to the Broncos. He also had a six-yard punt return.

Branch didn't gain much yardage in his NFL debut, but the Falcons made a concerted effort to get the ball into his hands. The speedy Branch is expected to work as a return man on special teams for the Falcons in addition to contributing on offense, where he's battling Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus for depth-chart slotting at wide receiver behind Drake London. Branch will look to strengthen his case for regular-season playing time in Atlanta's second preseason game against the Colts on Aug. 22.

Bryant caught his only target for 15 yards in Friday's 27-7 preseason win over the Falcons.

Bryant's catch came on Denver's first play of the game. It's encouraging to see the 2025 third-round pick getting involved early, as Bryant will have his work cut out for him as he tries to earn playing time in his second NFL campaign. Jaylen Waddle (leg) and Courtland Sutton are locked in as starters at wide receiver, while Bryant will also face competition for targets from Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims (undisclosed) in Denver's WR room.

Franklin caught one of two targets for 23 yards in Friday's 27-7 preseason win over the Falcons.

Franklin's lone reception came on the final play of the first quarter on a pass from Jarrett Stidham, who started at QB while Bo Nix rested. Franklin is competing for the third spot on the wide-receiver depth chart with 2025 third-round pick Pat Bryant and 2023 second-round pick Marvin Mims (undisclosed). Jaylen Waddle (leg) and Courtland Sutton are locked in as starters. Franklin had 709 receiving yards in the 2025 regular season, which was second most on the team behind Sutton's 1,017.

Hurst brought in two of six targets for 19 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-16 preseason win over the Jets on Friday.

With Emeka Egbuka (toe), Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan (knee) all sitting out, Hurst worked as the Buccaneers' de facto No. 1 receiver on the night. The rookie third-round pick recorded his first catch for a seven-yard gain on the Buccaneers' second drive, and he added a 12-yard grab on Tampa Bay's third possession. Hurst was also targeted by Connor Bazelak on a goal-line slant on the final ball thrown his way, but the pass was a bit behind him and broken up. Hurst enters his rookie season with elevated expectations after an impressive two-year tenure at the D1 level, and both Godwin and McMillan's recent injury history suggests Hurst could see plenty of opportunity in his first NFL season.

Cooper caught two of three targets for 31 yards in Friday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Buccaneers.

Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams got into the game before Cooper at wide receiver, though Cooper promptly made his first catch of the game on the first play of the Jets' second drive. Cooper is expected to work his way ahead of Williams at some point, but the rookie first-round pick out of Indiana will need to earn his starting spot. Cooper will likely remain involved during the Jets' second preseason game, next Friday against the Steelers.

Sutton caught all three of his targets for 60 yards in Friday's 27-7 preseason win over the Falcons.

Starting QB Bo Nix and WR Jaylen Waddle (leg) didn't dress Friday, but Sutton showed encouraging chemistry with backup QB Jarrett Stidham on Denver's first two drives. Sutton made a nice one-handed grab in addition to hauling in a 40-yard pass that got Denver down to the 1-yard line on the opening drive. The 30-year-old wideout looks like he's in midseason form already on the heels of back-to-back regular seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards.

Wilson caught two of three targets for 32 yards in Friday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Buccaneers.

Geno Smith (foot) was supposed to start this game along with the rest of the Jets' first-team offense but was held out due to foot soreness, so rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik got the nod under center. Wilson showed nice chemistry with Klubnik, as they linked up for gains of 21 and 11 yards on the opening drive. The Jets will likely try to get Smith and Wilson some game reps together during the preseason, with the next opportunity to do so coming next Friday against the Steelers.

Higgins did not play in Thursday's 27-7 preseason loss to the Chargers.

Higgins was joined by Nico Collins, Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell (knee) on the sidelines for Thursday's preseason game, while fourth-year wideout Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson and Jared Wayne served as the Texans' three starting wideouts. Higgins is coming off a solid rookie campaign, when he caught 41 passes (on 68 targets) for 525 yards and six touchdowns across 17 regular-season games. He's positioned as the clear WR2 for the Texans behind Collins while Hutchinson, Noel and Dell provide depth at the position.

McConkey did not play in the Chargers' 27-7 preseason win over the Texans on Thursday.

McConkey was joined by Tre' Harris and Quentin Johnston on the sidelines while JaQuae Jackson, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and rookie fourth-rounder Brenen Thompson saw the bulk of the wide receiver snaps during Thursday's exhibition game. McConkey saw his production dip from his rookie season to his 2025 sophomore campaign, but his output could rebound in 2026 due to the departure of veteran Keenan Allen and the addition of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.