NFL Player News

The 49ers signed Cephus to a one-year contract Thursday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

With Jacob Cowing sidelined due to a hamstring injury, the 49ers bolstered their wide receiver corps by adding Cephus and waiving running back Israel Abanikanda. Cephus spent most of the 2024 season on the Rams' practice squad, but he was let go in late June despite signing a reserve/future contract in January. Cephus hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2022 as a member of the Lions, and he faces an uphill battle to make the 49ers' practice squad -- let alone the 53-man roster -- at the end of training camp.

Coach John Harbaugh noted that Hopkins (knee) was held out of Thursday's practice "out of an abundance of caution," Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The report adds that Hopkins fell on his knee during Wednesday's session, but Harbaugh indicated that the veteran wideout will be okay. Once Hopkins returns to practice, he'll continue to build chemistry with star QB Lamar Jackson while working in a Baltimore wideout corps that also features Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.

Wilson opened training camp with the starting offense Thursday, Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live reports.

Wilson and DK Metcalf took the first reps in both 11 and 12 personnel, with Calvin Austin as the third receiver for three-wide sets (the same role he had last year). It's a sign the Steelers still have high hopes for Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, after he was either injured or a healthy scratch for nearly all of his rookie season. In addition to Wilson and Austin, the competition for WR snaps behind Metcalf includes Robert Woods, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek.

Lambert has been an early standout for the Chargers through the first week of training camp, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

The sudden retirement of Mike Williams coupled with a minor undisclosed injury for Jalen Reagor has opened the door for both Lambert-Smith and rookie second-round pick Tre Harris to compete for a boundary wide receiver role on the first-team offense. Lambert-Smith has the prototypical size (6-foot-1) and speed (4.37 40-yard dash at 2025 NFL Combine) to be a conventional field stretcher for an offense that has struggled to find that role for years, and he figures to be in the mix for consequential playing time regardless if he's officially listed as a starter come Week 1.

Harris has been playing behind veterans Jalen Reagor and Quentin Johnston to begin training camp, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Any bit of news regarding the Chargers' first-team wideout usage is noteworthy, but it's hard to read too much into the first week of camp given the rookie just signed his contract July 17. Perhaps more importantly with the sudden retirement of Mike Williams and reportedly minor training camp injury to Reagor (undisclosed), Harris has already had opportunities to compete for a boundary wide receiver role along with rookie fifth-round pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

Polk (undisclosed) wasn't present for the start of Thursday's practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Polk -- who had previously been dealing with a shoulder issue -- passed his initial training camp physical, then subsequently had what is considered minor muscle tightness. For now, consider the wideout day-to-day, but the sooner the 2024 second-rounder can practice again, the better, as Reiss notes that Polk is facing a battle for a roster spot

Cameron Ward expressed optimism that Burks (knee) will be one of the Titans' top receivers in 2025, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Burks has had a difficult start to his NFL career due to a combination of poor performance and injury. He's recovering from a torn ACL heading into his fourth campaign but has been practicing at the start of training camp, which should be a positive indication of his availability come the regular season. The Titans drafted Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor and also signed Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett this offseason, giving Burks increased competition for targets.

Mooney left Thursday's practice with a trainer after attempting a diving catch, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

The possible injury happened toward the end of practice, without any update from the team afterward. Mooney was healthy for spring practices and then the start of training camp, after a shoulder injury cost him Week 18 of last season (his only absence of the year). His finished his first season in Atlanta with career highs for TDs (five), yards per catch (15.5) and yards per target (9.4), along with his second-highest totals for targets (106), catches (64) and receiving yards (992). The Falcons have shaky WR depth behind Mooney and Drake London, with Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge returning as the probable Nos. 3 and 4 receivers.

Coach Mike Vrabel reported no physical restrictions for Diggs (knee) during Wednesday's opening training camp practice, Paul Perillo of the Patriots' official site reports.

In reference to the fact that Diggs is bouncing back from an ACL tear he suffered Week 8 of last season, Vrabel noted, "I know that everybody heals differently, especially from that type of injury. But I would say that I think it's just a testament to how hard he worked," while adding that the wideout's progress will be monitored throughout training camp. Considering the timing and nature of his injury, Diggs' practice reps figure to be managed this summer, but the fact that he appears to be working without limitations at this stage bodes well for his chances of making an impact in the Patriots offense out of the gate this season.

Royals logged most of his repetitions during Wednesday's practice with the first-team offense, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor notes that Royals fared well Wednesday while running routes alongside fellow wideouts Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. The report adds that the rookie fourth-rounder was often on the field when Rashee Rice wasn't, which is worth noting given the possibility Rice may be suspended by the NFL before the start of the season.