NFL Player News

Hopkins, who will serve a six-game suspension to begin the 2022 season, is expected to be healthy for training camp, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports. "He's been moving around well, and I think he's right on schedule," coach Kliff Kingsbury said after Monday's OTA session.

Hopkins had a down year for his standards in 2021, tending to multiple injuries that capped him to 10 appearances and a 42-572-8 line on 64 targets. In particular, he didn't play after Week 14 due to an MCL sprain that required surgery Dec. 17. In early May, Hopkins suffered another setback, albeit not on the health front, when the NFL handed down a suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. While he won't be eligible to play until a Week 7 matchup with the Saints, he can take part in training camp practices and preseason games, if the Cards deems it valuable for him to do so. In any case, the 30-year-old wideout will yield reps on the outside to newcomer Marquise Brown, A.J. Green and Antoine Wesley while Rondale Moore mans the slot from Weeks 1-6.

Jeudy (groin) exited Monday's practice early, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

DiLalla adds that coach Nathaniel Hackett noted that the wideout experienced a little tweak and that the team elected to pull Jeudy from practice as a precaution. The 2020 first-rounder will continue to be evaluated, but the hope is that he'll be able to participate in next week's mandatory minicamp.

Harry is slated to attend the Patriots' mandatory minicamp this week, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reports.

The 2019 first-rounder, who caught just 12 passes (on 22 targets) for 184 yards in 12 games last season, wasn't present for the voluntary portion of the team's offseason workout program, but he's in line to take the field in the coming days. Given the Patriots' depth at wideout, ESPN's Mike Reiss suggests that Harry is no lock to make the team's final roster ahead of Week 1, barring a rash of injuries.

Kirkwood landed a contract with the Panthers on Monday, according to the team's official site.

The 27-year-old wideout from Temple will spend his third straight season in Carolina. Over the last two years, he's recorded four receptions for 30 yards on nine targets. He'll likely need to catch a break to make the 53-man roster after the Panthers signed Rashard Higgins, who's been more productive, and Andre Roberts, who provides more utility on special teams, in free agency.

Bell has impressed with his hands and routes at Browns OTAs, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Jackson notes the rookie third-round pick made several impressive catches at Wednesday's session, including the first downfield grab of the day on a pass from Deshaun Watson. Bell saw his draft stock drop due to sub-par testing numbers, but his solid 6-foot-1, 212-pound frame and early body of work offer reason for optimism, and Jackson also notes Bell is getting plenty of quality on-field coaching from veteran wideout Amari Cooper.

Washington, who sported a walking boot last week, did some resistance cord work off to the side Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

While the specifics of Washington's injury are unclear, the wideout did at least shed his walking boot Thursday, which suggests that the issue he's dealing with is not a long-term concern. Once Washington is able to practice fully, he's in line to compete with third-round pick Jalen Tolbert for snaps behind CeeDee Lamb, which will be a situation to monitor, given that fellow wideout Michael Gallup is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered Week 17 of last season.

Burks believes that he is improving every day and is focused on developing all aspects of his game, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Burks has had an uneven start to his pro career, with the most concerning aspect being his struggle to consistently remain on the field due to breathing and conditioning concerns. However, he continues to build his workload and is focused on absorbing all the coaching he receives to improve his game. Burks will be counted on to immediately produce as a rookie, though veteran Robert Woods (knee) appears to be on schedule to return in time for the beginning of the regular season and should command plenty of targets.

Metchie (knee) has beat the normal timetables for a player recovering from a torn ligament, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Metchie remains on the sidelines while his teammates participate in OTAs, but the doctor who performed the knee surgery is confident the wide receiver will be ready this summer. "I think he's able to hit all the milestones that the medical staff in Houston wants him to meet in terms of being ready to do things for the team this summer," Dr. Lyle Cain said. The Texans aren't pushing Metchie, who remains confident he'll be ready to play by training camp.

Shepard started jogging again last week for the first time since suffering a torn Achilles in December, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports.

Shepard's recovery from the injury, which he suffered in Week 15 last year, seems to be on track as Giants general manager Joe Schoen previously indicated that he hoped the wideout would be back by August. With that in mind, Shepard mentioned to Anderson that there's no pressure when it comes to his exact return date and that he's been limited to taking mental reps and catching balls from the jugs machine while working at the Giants' facility this offseason. The 29-year-old, who finished fourth on the team in receiving yards during his injury-riddled 2021 campaign -- hauling in 36 catches for 366 yards and one touchdown over seven games -- has appeared in 29 total games across the past three seasons.

Thielen, who is bouncing back from season-ending ankle surgery, was a participant in Minnesota's organized team activities last week, Coral Smith of NFL.com reports.

Thielen indicated that he's now past his injury woes, noting that his ankle "is great" at this stage. The wideout first suffered his ankle injury early in the Vikings' Week 13 matchup against the Lions last year, an issue that forced him to miss four of the team's final five games. Heading into the coming campaign, Thielen, who turns 32 in August, is set to reprise his starting role alongside Justin Jefferson. Though he hasn't topped 1,000 receiving yards since 2018, Thielen has managed to collect 24 receiving touchdowns (in 28 games) over the last two seasons.