NFL Player News

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Sunday that Nacua (core) is expected to play Thursday against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

According to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, McVay noted earlier in the weekend that Nacua was "making good progress" in his recovery from psoas soreness, and the coach's latest update offers further reassurance that the star wideout will be ready to go for the season opener. Additionally, Nacua's status had been muddled by the NFL actively reviewing his case for a potential violation of the league's personal conduct policy. While Nacua isn't necessarily in the clear of discipline from the league, the NFL typically announces suspensions for players prior to the Aug. 30 roster cutdown deadline. Nacua's recovery from the core injury thus appears to be his chief concern at this juncture rather than any suspension, and if the Rams list him as a full practice participant when they release their first injury report of the season Monday, it would be a firm indication that he'll suit up Thursday.

Nacua (groin), per head coach Sean McVay, is "making good progress" in his recovery, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Nacua worked with trainers on the side at practice throughout the week, but McVay indicated things are moving in the right direction for Nacua and that he has been "hitting some high speed yards at a really good clip." Nacua's status for Thursday's season opener against the 49ers remains up in the air, but a better estimate at his availability will presumably be able to be made when the Rams release their first official injury report in advance of Week 1.

Martin is the fourth and final wide receiver on the Lions' 53-man active roster for the regular season, Tim Twentyman of the team's official site reports.

Martin is slotted behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa on the wide receiver depth chart, with Kendrick Law (knee) on season-ending injured reserve. The Lions could elevate Tom Kennedy or Lucky Jackson from the practice squad to the active roster for game day. However, for now, Martin is in line to operate in an elevated role in Detroit's offense, especially if one of Brown, Williams or TeSlaa were to miss time.

The Bears released McCloud (undisclosed) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Friday, Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports.

McCloud was placed on injured reserve when the Bears trimmed their roster down to 53 players Sunday. The veteran wideout would have missed the entire 2026 season while on IR, but the settlement allows the Clemson product to sign and play with a team once he's fully healthy.

The Raiders waived Roberts (undisclosed) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Friday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

The settlement allows Roberts to sign and play with a team once he's fully recovered from his unspecified injury. The BYU product signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in late April and appeared in two preseason games for Las Vegas, catching one pass (on two targets) for 12 yards while adding two tackles (one solo) on special teams.

Olave didn't suit up for the Saints' three-game preseason slate.

Olave missed time at the end of the offseason program due to a blood clot, and while he opened training camp as a full participant and agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $132 million on July 30, he exited three different practices for various reasons in August. Nevertheless, he appears to be entering the season in good health and ready to build upon a career-best 2025 regular season in which he posted a 100-1,163-9 line on 155 targets in 16 games.

Boutte said Wednesday that he's been developing chemistry with QB C.J. Stroud since his trade from the Patriots to the Texans on Aug. 24, Cole Thompson of USA Today reports.

Boutte ended up being the odd man out last month in a New England receiving corps that added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs in the offseason. Prior to their respective arrivals, Boutte was a regular in the Patriots' passing game the last two seasons, combining for a 76-1,140-9 line on 114 targets in 29 regular-season contests during that span. He joined Houston in the wake of Jayden Higgins' torn ACL, so Boutte will be in the mix for looks from Stroud behind Nico Collins and alongside Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel (hamstring) and Jared Wayne to begin the campaign.

Smith didn't make an appearance during the Eagles' three-game preseason slate.

Smith picked up a hamstring injury early on in training camp that kept him sidelined for the Eagles' first two exhibitions. After logging a full practice Aug. 24, he had put the issue behind him, but he still rested with the rest of the starters in the team's exhibition finale. With A.J. Brown getting traded to the Patriots this offseason, Smith is positioned as Philadelphia's No. 1 WR, while Dontayvion Wicks, rookie first-rounder Makai Lemon and Hollywood Brown are the next players up at the position.

Boston is listed as a starting wide receiver along with veteran Jerry Jeudy and 2026 first-round pick KC Concepcion on the Browns' unofficial depth chart.

The 39th overall pick in the 2026 Draft, Boston combined for one catch (on two targets) for 15 yards on 37 offensive snaps between his two appearances during the preseason. The output was nothing to write home about, but he appears set to be one of starting QB Deshaun Watson's key pass catchers to begin the campaign.

Washington is listed as a starting wide receiver on the Dolphins' unofficial depth chart.

Miami almost entirely retooled its receiving corps this offseason, releasing Tyreek Hill in February, trading Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos in March, signing Jalen Tolbert in free agency and then drafting three WRs (Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman) in the 2026 Draft. Washington is the only holdover from 2025, a season in which he hauled in 46 of 65 targets for 317 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing 17 times for 110 yards and one more TD. In addition to an expected increase in snaps while working with new QB Malik Willis, Washington again will serve as the team's primary kick returner and perhaps on punt returns as well.