NFL Player News

Ridley isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason contest against the Falcons, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

The same applies to Tyler Lockett, as the Titans elect to play it safe with a pair of their key veteran wideouts. Ridley's next opportunity to see game action will arrive next Friday in the team's preseason finale against the Vikings.

Burton (undisclosed) worked on a rehab field during Friday's practice, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Cincinnati beat writers spotted Burton at practice for the first time since the Bengals' preseason opener a week ago Thursday, but the wideout didn't actually take part in team drills, instead going to a side field with TE Mike Gesicki (hamstring) and other injured players. While the relatively quick return to physical activity suggests Burton's unspecified injury isn't serious, the missed time could hurt his chances of earning a Week 1 role off the bench. There hasn't been any recent buzz about Burton challenging Andrei Iosivas for the No. 3 receiver role.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Friday he doesn't plan to play the starters, including Waddle, during Saturday's preseason game against the Lions, Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Waddle sat out Miami's preseason opener due to a collision that occurred during joint practices with the Bears, but he returned to practice this week and has participated in team drills against Detroit. He'll need to wait until the Dolphins' preseason finale against the Jaguars on Sat., Aug. 23, however, for a chance to see exhibition reps. Meanwhile, Tyreek Hill (oblique) has not yet returned to practice.

Kirk was a standout at joint practices with the Panthers on Thursday and has locked up the No. 2 wide receiver role behind Nico Collins, Cole Thompson of USA Today reports.

Kirk has demonstrated chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud throughout training camp, and per Thompson, he's clearly been the Texans' most consistent wide receiver other than Collins. While it's possible Kirk that rookie wideouts Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round) are able to build steam down the stretch of the regular season and provide increased target competition, at minimum Kirk is positioned to open Week 1 in a valuable starting role as one of Stroud's top reads, and likely while dominating slot reps. Kirk is entering his age-29 campaign and is playing for a new contract.

Samuel (hamstring) will be limited at practice Friday, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Samuel continues to manage a hamstring issue, but his participation in Friday's session is step in the right direction for the wideout, who is competing for targets in a Buffalo WR corps that's led by Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman and also includes Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore. Samuel seems more likely to get snaps in the Bills' Aug. 23 preseason finale than Sunday's contest against the Bears.

Odunze made a strong impression Thursday, hauling in a 14-yard gain over the middle to start the end-of-half drill. He also adjusted to a pass behind him, ripping it away from a defender to move the chains, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Odunze is trying to build on a 2024 rookie season where he posted 734 receiving yards, showing the contested-catch skills that helped him stand out at times last year. His growing chemistry with Caleb Williams suggests a path to steady production, particularly with his ability to win tough catches in traffic. That skill set makes him a viable mid-round fantasy target with upside if the Bears' passing game progresses.

Burton (undisclosed) returned to practice Friday, Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati reports.

It's his first practice since recording one catch, one punt return and two kickoff returns in the preseason opener against the Eagles. A quick return to practice suggests the undisclosed injury isn't serious, but that doesn't mean Burton will play in Monday's preseason game against Washington. It's also not clear if the 2024 third-round pick will have a role in Cincinnati's offense to begin the regular season, as he still seems to be behind Andrei Iosivas (and possibly Charlie Jones) on the depth chart.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that Nailor is dealing with a hand injury, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Nailor will have his hand issue evaluated, but his status for Saturday's preseason contest against the Patriots now is cloudy. With top wideout Justin Jefferson managing a hamstring injury and Jordan Addison (suspension) out the first three games of the regular season, however, it wouldn't surprise us to see the Vikings err on the side of caution with Nailor.

Bond announced Thursday that he plans to sign with the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The news that Bond intends to sign with Cleveland arrives on the same day that it was announced that the wide receiver has been no-billed and faces no further criminal charges stemming from his April arrest, ESPN.com reports. After catching 34 passes for 540 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games with Texas last season, Bond went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Assuming a deal is finalized, with 4.39 speed, the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder could push for a depth role in a Browns WR corps that currently is led by Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman.

The Bills waived Virgil (hamstring) with an injury designation Thursday.

Virgil spent an extended amount of time with trainers during Wednesday's training camp practice due to a hamstring injury, per Chris Brown of the Bills Radio Network. The 27-year-old wideout will go on waivers, but if he's not claimed by another team, then he would revert to the Bills' injured reserve, forcing him to miss the entire 2025 season unless an injury settlement is reached. Virgil played 119 snaps (36 on offense, 83 on special teams) across seven regular-season games with Buffalo in 2024 but did not appear on the box score otherwise.