NFL Player News

Polk (undisclosed) returned to practice Monday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Reiss previously noted that Polk missed some practice time due to minor muscle tightness, but the wideout is back in action, which sets the stage for the 2024 second-rounder to compete for slotting in a crowded Patriots wideout corps.

Palmer and Bills QB Josh Allen have connected a number of times during the first week of training camp, Alex Brasky of Bills Digestreports.

Signed to a three-year, $36 million contract this offseason, Palmer seems to not only be running with the starters but also seeing his fair share of passes, especially downfield. There have also been optimistic reports on Keon Coleman, to be fair, and slot man Khalil Shakir has the most secure role among Buffalo's wideouts. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic calls Palmer a "sneaky candidate" to play the most snaps among Buffalo's wide receivers, noting that he was a "magnet" for Allen the first few days of training camp.

Watkins is in the mix to be third or fourth on San Francisco's WR depth chart to start the season, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.

The fourth-round pick reportedly carried his momentum from a strong offseason program into the first week of training camp, although Watkins and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan both said the rookie has made his fair share of mistakes. There's an opportunity for first-team reps this summer, with Brandon Aiyuk (ACL), Jauan Jennings (calf) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring) all missing practice time. Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) also has missed practices, but he was activated from the active/PUP list Sunday.

Gallup (hamstring) is participating in training camp, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Gallup is healthy after missing June minicamp with a hamstring strain. He retired last summer on the eve of training camp with Las Vegas, but he's giving it another go one year later at age 29. Gallup will perhaps hope to compete with Noah Brown and others for the No. 3 WR role, although simply making the Week 1 roster would be a good outcome for him.

Brown (undisclosed) is practicing at training camp, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

Brown was eased into training camp after suffering an unspecified injury at June minicamp. He's likely competing with Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane and others for the No. 3 WR job, although there are additional first-team reps to go around while Terry McLaurin (ankle/contract) remains absent from practice.

Pierce missed Monday's practice due to a blister on his foot, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Per Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star, the issue shouldn't sideline Pierce for long. Consider the wideout day-to-day as the Colts continue their preparation ahead of the team's Aug. 7 preseason opener against the Ravens.

Robinson missed Monday's practice after getting kneed in the leg over the weekend, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

It doesn't sound like anything that will keep Robinson off the field for long. He's in the final year of his rookie contract, with a recent report suggesting that he wants more chances to run routes downfield. Last year, Robinson got a career-high 140 targets, but he was last among qualified WRs in yards per catch (7.5) and second to last in average target depth (4.9 yards).

Atwell and Jordan Whittington are competing for the No. 3 WR job, Cameron DaSilva of The Rams Wire reports.

It's a role that could entail large snap counts in coach Sean McVay's three-wide-heavy offense, although target volume would be tougher to come by unless Puka Nacua or Davante Adams were to miss time. Atwell's one-year, $10 million contract might be taken as a sign that he's the favorite for the No. 3 role, but Whittington reportedly is making a real push and impressing at training camp for the second straight summer. They're drastically different players, with Atwell being one of the smallest players in the league -- listed at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds -- while Whittington (6-1, 202) is noted for his physicality. Atwell had some brief stretches of production early in the 2023 and 2024 campaigns when other Rams WRs were injured, but he never topped 562 receiving yards or three TDs in a single regular season over the course of his rookie contract.

Whittington has made a strong impression at camp so far and will continue battling Tutu Atwell for the No. 3 spot at wide receiver, according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire.

Whittington was also said to be a standout of training camp last year -- after the Rams drafted him in the sixth round -- and as a rookie he had 62 or more receiving yards in each of the three games in which he took 30-plus snaps. He barely played once Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson and Atwell all were healthy, but Whittington could play more in 2025 after the Rams swapped out Kupp and Robinson for Davante Adams. Any upside in terms of target volume, rather than just snaps, might require Adams or Nacua missing time.

Smith will miss Monday's practice with back tightness, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's the first report of any health/availability issue for Smith this year. Including playoffs, he's played 72 of Philadelphia's 77 games since the team drafted him in 2021, with a pair of Week 18 rest absences and three games missed due to injuries (all last season). Smith likely will be back at practice before long.