NFL Player News

Woods (hamstring) sat out Friday's practice due to a hamstring injury, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.

Woods joins the extensive list of banged-up Browns receivers. The severity of his injury has yet to be determined, but another update on Woods' status should surface before Cleveland's Aug. 12 preseason opener in Jacksonville.

Coach John Harbaugh said Friday that Duvernay (thigh) is closing in on a return to practice, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Duvernay has been tending to a bruised thigh since colliding with safety Chuck Clark in practice Saturday. Harbaugh noted Duvernay likely could have got back on the field by Friday, but the team instead exercised caution so as not to press the issue in advance of exhibition season. At the same time, Harbaugh relayed to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com that Rashod Bateman didn't practice Friday due to a minor undisclosed injury, meaning the Ravens' top two wide receivers are unavailable at the moment.

Bateman, who is dealing with undisclosed minor injury, didn't practice Friday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

That said, coach John Harbaugh downplayed Bateman's issue, noting that the wideout probably could have practiced Friday. It's possible the Bateman could also miss Saturday's session for precautionary reasons, so for now, consider Baltimore's No. 1 wide receiver day-to-day.

Evans is tending to a hamstring injury that he sustained at Friday's practice, per NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.

On the same day in which Chris Godwin made his first appearance at practice since suffering a torn ACL back on Dec. 19, Evans made an early exit with a leg issue. It since has been clarified to be to Evans' hamstring, but Schultz reports that it's "minor." Due to his long history of hamstring concerns, there's a good chance the Buccaneers will take the utmost caution with the ninth-year pro and allow him to return to 100 percent before clearing him for on-field work.

Marshall has a lower leg strain, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Person didn't speak to the severity of the injury, so Marshall can be viewed as day-to-day until an update emerges. Carolina's 2021 second-round selection has just over a week to heal up before the team's Aug. 13 preseason opener against Washington.

Osborn is drawing raves early in training camp and has become the clear leader for the No. 3 receiver role, the Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He's been really, really good," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "There's no other way to describe it early on in camp."

Osborn has been primarily used in the slot during practices, which feature more three-receiver sets under the new coaching staff. Osborn recorded a 50-655-7 stat line on 82 targets over 17 contests last season, but he could see his usage increase if the Vikings move away from a run-first offense. Albert Wilson, Bisi Johnson, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Dan Chisena and Jalen Nailor are also competing for the No. 3 role, but even the No. 4 role could have value this season for the Vikings in the new offense.

Aiyuk has excelled in training camp for the 49ers, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Aiyuk reportedly struggled in spring practices, but his play in training camp has earned rave reviews. The 2020 first-round pick was in the doghouse early last season but stepped up his play in the second half of 2021 and appears poised to pick up where he left off late last season.

Coach Todd Bowles said Evans may have "tweaked" a hamstring prior to his early departure from Friday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Evans left early on the same day Chris Godwin (ACL) made his first practice appearance since December. For someone who has missed only seven games across eight NFL seasons, Evans has a surprising lengthy history of hamstring injuries, including one in late 2019 that caused him to miss the final three weeks. Apart from that, he's usually recovered from his hamstring troubles in fairly short order, often putting up big numbers even if he's listed on the injury report. He missed Week 16 with a hamstring injury last year, then erupted for 372 yards and five TDs over the following four games, including playoffs. If this hamstring injury ends up being more serious, the Bucs have Russell Gage and Julio Jones on hand to fill the gap.

Evans left Friday's practice with an apparent leg injury, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Evans left early on the same day Chris Godwin (ACL) made his first practice appearance since December. Initial reports don't make it sound overly serious, but this is obviously something to keep an eye on with Evans going in the second or third round of most fantasy drafts. He's been TD-dependent since Tom Brady joined the Bucs, and while there was some thought his volume could skyrocket this year, Evans now has solid target competition with Godwin doing well in his rehab and Julio Jones signing up for the superteam. Even so, Evans has eight straight 1,000-yard season to start his career, and he remains an annual candidate to lead the league in TD catches (though he's never actually done it, despite four seasons with a dozen or more).

Godwin (knee) appeared limited to straight-line running and individual drills Friday in his return to practice, Greg Auman of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

This is to be expected in his first practice tearing an ACL on Dec. 19. Godwin presumably has done cutting/agility work as part of his rehab process, but the Bucs don't want him pushing it in the more competitive atmosphere of a team practice. The plan, it would seem, is to ramp him up over the next five weeks, with eyes toward Week 1 against Dallas. The team can't be accused of lacking insurance, as offseason signings Russell Gage and Julio Jones can join forces with Mike Evans to give Tampa an impressive WR group even if Godwin misses games or starts off in a limited role.