NFL Player News

Slayton played only five snaps in Thursday's preseason opener against New England because he "tightened up" in the first quarter, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

Slayton mostly played with the second- and third-teams during camp, but he logged all of his time with the starters Thursday. However, that time was limited to just five snaps because, in the words of head coach Brian Daboll, the receiver "tightened up." Daboll indicated that Slayton impressed in recent practices to earn time with the starters in the exhibition opener, and the decision to pull him appears to be precautionary rather than the result of an identifiable injury. Slayton is on the cusp of making the 53-man roster, so it will be important for him to stay on the field throughout the preseason.

Samuel isn't on pace to play in Friday's preseason game against the Packers, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The same goes for fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle and running back Elijah Mitchell, meaning second-year quarterback Trey Lance will be operating without most of the 49ers' top skill-position talent. Without Samuel and Aiyuk in the lineup, the team's available wide receivers are Jauan Jennings, Danny Gray and Ray-Ray McCloud, among others.

Smith (groin) isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason contest against the Jets, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

Smith picked up a groin injury late last week and hasn't practiced in the interim. On Wednesday, coach Nick Sirianni termed Smith day-to-day, but the wide receiver hasn't made enough progress to be cleared for game action. With Smith on the sidelines, the Eagles' top options at wide receiver are A.J. Brown and Quez Watkins, with the likes of Zach Pascal and Jalen Reagor also on hand.

Though London was forced out of Friday's preseason game against the Lions with a knee injury, NFL Network's Bridget Condon noted that the rookie wideout was subsequently spotted walking around on the sideline.

Per Condon, "whatever the issues is, it doesn't appear to be too serious." Though that's an encouraging initial report, London's status is nonetheless worth monitoring in the coming days. Prior to his first-quarter exit from the contest, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft caught his lone target for 24 yards.

London was forced out of Friday's preseason game against the Lions after hurting his knee on the Falcons' first drive, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

The report adds that the rookie wideout won't return to the game. The severity of London's knee issue remains to be seen, so until further information is available, consider him day-to-day.

Woods (hamstring) is not expected to suit up for Friday's game against Jacksonville, per the Browns' official site.

Woods is anticipated to miss extended time this preseason after aggravating a pre-existing hamstring injury during practice last week. In the rookie sixth-round pick's absence, wideouts Ja'Marcus Bradley, Javon Wims and Mike Harley figure to see increased snaps against the Jaguars.

Kirk (ankle) isn't expected to play in Friday's preseason game against the Browns, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

After not suiting up for the Hall of Fame Game, Kirk was spotted working on the side at Wednesday's practice due to an ankle issue, which will keep him in street clothes for the Jaguars' second exhibition. He'll have two more chances to get some work with quarterback Trevor Lawrence before the regular season, the first of them Saturday, Aug. 20 versus the Steelers. Along with Kirk, Laviska Shenault (hamstring) and Jamal Agnew won't be available Friday, leaving Marvin Jones, Zay Jones and Laquon Treadwell, among others, as the team's active wide receivers.

The Browns have announced that Cooper is among the team's players not expected to play in Friday's preseason opener against the Jaguars.

The same applies to top running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, with the team electing to rest a number of key players Friday. With Cooper -- the team's clear-cut No. 1 wideout -- not in the mix Friday, the Browns' coaching staff will presumably focus on evaluating some of the WRs who are competing for slotting behind him on the team's depth chart.

Davis (hamstring) agreed to an injury settlement Friday and was waived off the Texans' injured reserve list, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Davis reverted to Houston's injured reserve list after clearing waivers at the beginning of August. Once healthy, the 25-year-old can look to land a deal with a new team. The wideout appeared in two games last year, catching one of three targets for 17 yards across 20 offensive snaps.

In the wake of James White's retirement, based on how things have gone in training camp, Montgomery could have the inside track to fill the Patriots' vacated receiving back role, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

One bit of context supporting that notion is that Montgomery was among the Patriots (a group that included the team's key skill players) who sat out Thursday night's preseason opener. The report notes that rookie Pierre Strong is also candidate to help fill the void created by the absence of White, but the 2022 fourth-rounder is going to need to establish that he can be counted on in pass protection and thus may be eased into the mix if Montgomery indeed claims a notable change-of-pace role out of the gate this season behind top early-down options Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson.