NFL Player News

Cleveland has suffered cartilage damage in his neck and likely will sit out for the remainder of the preseason as a result, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Cleveland will not require surgery after he was struck in the throat by a helmet during practice, and the Broncos hope he will be ready to return for the season opener Sept. 12 Klis. The 2020 seventh-round pick figures to see a larger role this coming regular season after fellow wideout Tim Patrick suffered a season-ending torn ACL in training camp. With Cleveland sidelined for the remainder of the offseason, wideouts Seth Williams and Travis Fulgham should see increased reps during Denver's upcoming slate of preseason games.

Johnson has agreed to a two-year extension with the Steelers that is reportedly worth up to $39.5 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Per the report, Johnson's new deal with Pittsburgh includes $27 million guaranteed. With that, the 2019 third-rounder, who racked up 107 catches (on 169 targets) for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games last season, presumably is set to resume practicing fully with his teammates in short order. This coming season, the 26-year-old will maintain his standing as the Steelers' top option in a wideout corps that also includes fellow returnee Chase Claypool as well as rookies George Pickens and Calvin Austin. While the team's Week 1 starting QB has yet to be named, regardless of who gets the assignment, Johnson figures to continue to see a steady flow of targets in 2022.

Philips has been getting work on the first-team offense, with WRs coach Rob Moore noting Thursday that the rookie has "made some plays" and "immersed himself in the playbook,", Buck Reising of 104.5 The Zone reports.

Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reported Tuesday that Philips was beginning to get some slot work with the first unit. He's off to a great start at training camp, by all accounts, but it's hard to see the fantasy upside for a rookie fifth-round pick slot specialist in a run-first offense with a mid-range starting quarterback. A lot would need to go wrong for the Titans for Philips to see more than 3-4 targets per game.

Woods (knee) hasn't been a full participant in practice, but he's making progress and his workload has included some 7-on-7 drills, ESPN.com reports.

Coming back from a mid-November ACL tear, Woods got in some work at the offseason program and then avoided the PUP list for the start of training camp. He's already said his goal is to be ready for Week 1, and he's on track to make that happen with five and a half weeks to go before Tennessee's season opener. Woods is the favorite to lead his new team in targets, though rookie first-round pick Treylon Burks is also a viable candidate.

Pierce has mostly worked with the first-team offense in training camp, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

Pierce and Parris Campbell are getting most of the reps alongside No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman, while Ashton Dulin reportedly has a solid lead for the No. 4 job. Keefer notes that Pierce has made a strong impression with his speed and contested catches, but the second-round pick also has shown his youth with frequent mistakes, which is probably to be expected in a complicated offense where the coach wants his wide receivers to know the routes and alignments for each of the three receiver spots. Given the current grouping, Pierce likely will take most of the Z receiver snaps, with Pittman the X and Campbell getting most of the slot work. Dulin is the potential spoiler, or at least a well-versed injury replacement.

Shepherd signed a contract with the Broncos on Thursday, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Shepherd's signing comes a day after the Broncos placed Tim Patrick (knee) on IR. The former last saw NFL action in 2020 with the Packers, making five catches on eight targets for 46 yards in eight contests. Last season, he bounced around between the Steelers, Vikings, Cardinals and Chiefs' practice squads, then spent the summer playing with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.

Pascal returned to practice Thursday after missing the first week of training camp with food poisoning, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

A late start to camp shouldn't be the end of the world for a 27-year-old with 44 career starts, especially given that his new head coach was his offensive coordinator for three seasons in Indianapolis. On the other hand, Pascal has never done a ton with is playing time, and last year in particular he was one of the NFL's least productive starting WRs on a per-snap, per-route or per-target basis (384 yards, 5.6 YPT, 872 snaps). He's unlikely to get that much playing time in Philadelphia, where A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are stone-cold locks to be the lead duo at wide receiver, while Quez Watkins, Jalen Reagor and Greg Ward are all legitimate candidates for the third and fourth spots. Pascal at least is in good shape to make the roster, in part because his one-year, $1.5 million contract is fully guaranteed, per overthecap.com.

Smith will be held out of Thursday's practice with a groin injury, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the injury doesn't appear serious, as Smith joined his teammates on the field for pre-practice stretching. It's the first report of any injury issue for Smith this year, following a rookie campaign in which he played all 17 games and barely missed any practice time during the regular season. He did suffer an MCL sprain last August and a few minor injuries in college, but he's missed just two games total his last five seasons between Alabama and the NFL. The 23-year-old wideout has been surprisingly durable for someone unusually thin (6-0, 170) for his position, and he should continue growing as a player after a 916-yard rookie season. Target volume is a potential issue, however, as the Eagles had success with a run-heavy approach late last season and then traded for WR A.J. Brown in the offseason.

Anderson has done well improving his grasp of the Panthers offense during training camp, according to coach Matt Rhule, Augusta Stone of the team's official site reports.

Anderson has been acclimating to new quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is competing with Sam Darnold for Carolina's starting job, as well as new coordinator Ben McAdoo. Along with flashing speed for Mayfield downfield, the wideout's growing knowledge of McAdoo's scheme has drawn praise early on. Coming off a down season of just 53 catches on 110 targets for 519 yards and five scores in 17 games, Anderson will hope to bounce back this season with the help of some new faces around him.

Denver placed Patrick (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

As a result of the transaction, Patrick -- who suffered a torn ACL during Tuesday's practice -- isn't eligible to play during the 2022 season. In Patrick's absence, KJ Hamler, who is returning from a knee injury of his own, should have an opportunity to see an increased profile in the Broncos' offense behind the team's top wideout options, Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.