NFL Player News

Waddle (undisclosed) was held out of Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders as a precaution, Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Per Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald, coach Mike McDaniel indicated that the team plans to get Waddle "involved a little bit" in the coming days, albeit with a degree of caution, with the wideout possibly managing an unspecified injury. In any case, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post relays via McDaniel that there's no concern regarding Waddle's Week 1 availability.

Watkins caught both of his targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 21-20 preseason win over the Browns.

Watkins went for gains of 12 and seven yards on his respective grabs, which both came from quarterback Gardner Minshew, who started with Jalen Hurts sitting out. His stat line was similar to those of Jalen Reagor (two catches for 17 yards) and Zach Pascal (one catch for 15 yards), who represent Watkins' top competition for looks behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith this season.

Reagor caught two of four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 21-20 preseason win over the Browns.

Reagor made both of his catches in the first half while playing with quarterback Gardner Minshew, who started with Jalen Hurts sitting out. Heading into his third season, the much-maligned Reagor is expected to compete most with Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal for targets behind starters A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Schwartz caught two of three targets for 20 yards and rushed once for four yards in Sunday's 21-20 preseason loss to the Eagles.

Schwartz got open for a couple of out routes, but rookie David Bell outperformed him with three catches for 46 yards in his preseason debut. Each wideout had a drop, but they may be more an issue for Schwartz, who dropped a couple in the preseason opener. With Amari Cooper cemented as the Browns' top wideout, Schwartz figures to compete with Bell and Donovan Peoples-Jones for complementary targets during the upcoming campaign.

Bell caught three of four targets for 46 yards in Sunday's 21-20 preseason loss to the Eagles.

Bell made his preseason debut after missing Cleveland's opener with a foot injury. The rookie third-rounder ultimately led the Browns in receiving yards, helped by a long gain of 22 yards. However, Bell's only unsuccessful target proved costly, as he dropped a third-down pass that limited his team to a field goal during the second quarter. As Bell pushes for a starting role early in his career, he'll aim to eliminate similar mistakes going into next Sunday's exhibition finale versus the Bears.

Higgins (shoulder) is among the Bengals starters not in line to play in Sunday's preseason game against the Giants, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Higgins, who is bouncing back from an offseason procedure to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, has seen some action in 11-on-11 drills of late. Per Goldsmith, Higgins was among the Bengals going through some pregame conditioning Sunday, a group that also included fellow key wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd.

Miller, who secured one of three targets for 15 yards in the Buccaneers' 13-3 preseason loss to the Titans on Saturday night, may be in danger of losing his roster spot, Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The speedy Bowling Green product was shut out in the exhibition opener and then not only did little Saturday night, but he also squandered a key opportunity. Knight notes Miller didn't hang on to what may have been Kyle Trask's best throw of the night, a deep pass down the right sideline late in the second quarter. The fourth-year pro's one grab did come on a third-and-6 situation, but with undrafted free agent Deven Thompkins putting together another solid effort Saturday and also capable of filling a return role, Miller's chances of making the final 53-man roster may be dwindling.

Thompkins secured both of his targets for 38 yards in the Buccaneers' 13-3 preseason loss to the Titans on Saturday night.

The diminutive wideout paced the Buccaneers in receiving yardage on a lackluster night for the air attack, and his 34-yard grab on the opening drive of the third quarter showed off his impressive catch radius and speed. Thompkins now has two catches in each of Tampa Bay's first two preseason contests, and Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times listed the Utah State product as one of the players that certainly helped their case for a roster spot Saturday.

Goodwin (hamstring) returned to practice Sunday, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Now that he's back on the field, Goodwin -- who logged a 20-313-1 receiving line in 14 games with the Bears in 2021 -- can resume his push to compete with Freddie Swain and Dee Eskridge for the Seahawks' No. 3 WR spot behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Smith was released by the Buccaneers on Sunday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Smith signed a reserve/future deal with the team in January after he received a workout. The 26-year-old has spent the last three seasons with the Jets, appearing in a total of 22 contests. Most notable was his 2019 season, where he played 13 games, recording 17 catches on 31 targets for 225 yards. Smith will now work to earn an opportunity elsewhere.