NFL Player News

Brown remained the Patriots' No. 1 option in the passing game during Tuesday's joint practice with the Colts, Ethan Hurwitz of SI.com reports.

Brown started his day off by beating Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner in a 1-on-1 situation, and once full-squad reps began, the wide receiver was heavily targeted. The 29-year-old is entering his first season in Josh McDaniels' offense, working with emerging star Drake Maye at quarterback. Brown and Maye connected five times at practice Tuesday, including a 10-yard score on an in-breaking route where Brown split two defenders to reach paydirt. The wide receiver and the Eagles had grown tired of each other after a four-season marriage in Philadelphia from 2022-2025, and Brown will now provide the Patriots with a clear No. 1 option in their passing game after being traded June 1. He has recorded four straight 1,000-plus yard campaigns and has finished with seven or more receiving touchdowns in six of his seven NFL seasons leading into 2026.

Beckham will play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

It's not a surprise considering Beckham is in a fight for a roster spot after he was listed as a third-string wide receiver on the Giants' initial unofficial depth chart. The 33-year-old is competing with a handful of other veteran wideouts for a couple spots. Beckham has largely been out of the league, injured or ineffective for much of the past two seasons.

Collins has been in top form at practice ahead of the 2026 campaign, John Harris of the Texans' official website reports.

Collins took a bit of a step back in 2025, catching 71 of a career-high 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six scores over 15 regular-season contests. On the surface, it certainly appears to have been another impressive campaign, which it was, but his 4.7 receptions per game, 74.5 yards per contest and six scores were the wide receiver's lowest figures since 2022. Quarterback C.J. Stroud had a down year in 2025, and if he can get back on track this season, Collins could reap the benefits most substantially. The wideout made a series of impressive plays at practice Tuesday, connecting with Stroud on a handful of occasions. Collins is still considered to be a fantasy WR1 option in 2026, and he appears to be on track to hit the ground running Week 1 against Buffalo.

Jefferson and newly named starting quarterback Kyler Murray have been starting to click at practice, Will Ragatz of Bring Me The Sports reports.

Jefferson will be working with a new starting quarterback for the fourth season in a row after Minnesota named offseason addition Kyler Murray as their starter Tuesday. The two players connected on a handful of big plays at practice Wednesday, including a gain of roughly 35 yards on a deep post. Jefferson is coming off a down year during which he caught 84 of 141 targets for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were career lows, over 17 regular-season contests while working with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer at quarterback. Now with the expectation of more stability with Murray under center, the 27-year-old superstar wide receiver is looking to get back on track. Murray also seems to understand the most important aspect of quarterbacking the Vikings: get Jefferson the ball as often as possible.

St. Brown is the top option in a wide receiver room that Lions' head coach Dan Campbell described as the "best it's ever been" in camp since Campbell's arrival in 2021, Dharya Sharma of Athlon Sports reports.

St. Brown is entering his sixth season in Detroit, and he just notched his fourth straight campaign with over 1,100 receiving yards. The 26-year-old caught 117 of a career-high 172 targets for 1,401 yards and 11 touchdowns over 17 regular-season contests in 2025. Jameson Williams has come into his own has a prolific big-play threat, opening the field up for St. Brown in the middle of the field. Additionally, Detroit has high hopes for second-year wideout Isaac TeSlaa and free-agent addition Greg Dortch this season. Having an impressive group of wide receivers around St. Brown could prove to benefit the 26-year-old, allowing him to see higher quality targets in Year 1 under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

Smith-Njigba is always willing to be coached up in an attempt to be a better player, Anthony Moeglin of Roundtable Sports reports.

Smith-Njigba is coming off of a 2025 campaign during which he caught 119 on 162 targets for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns over 17 regular-season games, ultimately being named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year. That hasn't stopped him from challenging himself, though. "He's the only No. 1 wideout I've been around where you can challenge him, and he's not taking it personally... he wants to be coached, he wants to be challenged," said Seahawks wide receiver coach Frisman Jackson. It's hard to imagine that Smith-Njigba has another level to his game, but with Seattle's former top running back Kenneth Walker leaving for Kansas City in free agency, the team may have to lean on the passing game at times in 2026, potentially leading to even more opportunities for Sam Darnold to connect with his star wide receiver in the passing game.

Brockington (undisclosed) reverted to injured reserve with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Brockington suffered an undisclosed injury before he was waived/injured by Atlanta on Tuesday, but now that he has cleared waivers, he'll be placed on injured reserve with the Falcons. The wide receiver will be now be forced to miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign while on IR unless he reaches an injury settlement with the team.

Carolina waived Meiga (undisclosed) from its injured reserve list with an injury settlement Wednesday, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Meiga was on track to spend the entire 2026 season on IR, but he'll now hit free agency instead if he clears waivers. The rookie undrafted free agent out of Coastal Carolina will be eligible to suit up for any team willing to sign him once he's back in football shape.

San Francisco waived Bergen on Wednesday.

Bergen signed a reserve/future contract with the 49ers back in January, but the team is now parting ways with him. He's on track to become a free agent unless he's claimed by another club during the current waiver period.

Houston waived Washington on Wednesday.

The Texans are letting Washington go just a little more than a week after signing him. Unless he's claimed by another team during the current waiver period, he's now on track to become a free agent again.