NFL Player News

With Jonathan Taylor being rested, Giddens took more first-team reps at Friday's practice, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Giddens is no threat to Taylor's status as the Colts' top back, but the 2025 fifth-rounder is competing with Seth McGowan for the No. 2 role. With that in mind, Boyd noted that Giddens has struggled a bit to catch the ball out of the backfield in team drills, but it's early on in training camp, and the Kansas State product has some time to clean that aspect of his game up. Whoever ends up being Taylor's top backup will hold minimal fantasy lineup appeal as long as he's healthy, but would be a must-add should Taylor miss time for any reason.

Sinnott has run a wider variety of routes in training camp compared to previous years, though that is also the case for Washington's other tight ends, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

New offensive coordinator David Blough is emphasizing versatility in his tight end room, which includes Sinnott, Chig Okonkwo and John Bates, among others. Okonkwo is expected to get most of the pass-catching opportunities at the position. Sinnott hasn't shown much in that department, as the 2024 second-round pick has just 16 catches through 33 regular-season games.

Smack is the only kicker left in camp with the Packers, as the team waived Lenny Krieg on Friday.

The Packers evidently feel comfortable handing kicking duties over to Smack. The rookie sixth-round pick impressed in college at Florida but will need to prove he's capable of handling the pressure of kicking in the NFL, as well as the cold and windy conditions that arise at Lambeau Field.

Larison is battling rookies Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery for the third spot on the Patriots' running back depth chart, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Larison looks like the early favorite for the third spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, but Miller and Montgomery will have opportunities to strengthen their cases for roster spots throughout training camp and the preseason. Lazar notes that Larison, Miller and Montgomery have all gotten opportunities on kickoff returns early in training camp. Special-teams ability could be the deciding factor for which running back earns a roster spot since Stevenson and Henderson are expected to monopolize opportunities on offense if healthy.

Gainwell has been utilized primarily as a receiver out of the backfield in training camp while Bucky Irving has handled most of the rushing workload, Adam Silvon of Pewterreport.com reports.

Irving is likely to get the majority of rushing opportunities in the regular season, and the Buccaneers also have Sean Tucker, who was used prominently in the red zone in 2025. Gainwell's niche is expected to come in passing situations, so it's good to see him building an early rapport with quarterback Baker Mayfield. Gainwell led the Steelers with 73 catches in the 2025 regular season, while Tampa Bay's running backs combined for 78 receptions last season.

Olave took part in the first session of 11-on-11 team drills during Friday's training camp practice, Ross Jackson of LouisianaSports.net reports.

Olave inked a four-year extension worth up to $132 million with the Saints on Thursday, providing sufficient motivation for the 2022 first-rounder to get in his first full-team reps of training camp. Treatment related to a blood clot kept Olave from taking part in team drills during spring activities, but barring the fact that he's now being ramped up, the star wideout seems to be fully healthy in advance of the 2026 regular season. Olave will look to build on the career year he logged in 2025 as he now heads into Year 2 with quarterback Tyler Shough under center.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Atlanta's starters will likely see action in the team's first and third preseason games, but it remains to be seen whether Penix (knee) will be ready to take the field by then, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Penix has progressed to taking part in 7-on-7 drills, though he has yet to be cleared for full-team drills. While the 2024 first-round pick recovers from November surgery to repair a torn ACL, Tua Tagovailoa has had a chance to get a leg up in Atlanta's quarterback competition by working with the starters. Atlanta's QB room also includes Jack Strand and Cooper Rush.

Maye was sharp at Friday's practice, which he started off with a long touchdown pass to A.J. Brown on the first play of the 11-on-11 period, Paul Perillo of the Patriots' official site reports.

Maye enjoyed a breakout sophomore season while facing a historically easy regular-season schedule, but the 2024 first-round pick came crashing back down to earth in the playoffs, as the Patriots made the Super Bowl despite Maye posting the worst playoff performance of all time by expected points added, which finally caught up to New England in a 29-13 Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks. Maye will get a chance to try to avenge that loss to Seattle in the first game of the 2026 regular season Sept. 9, and he'll have a new top target for that rematch in Brown, with whom Maye has started to build a rapport with as training camp progresses.

After the connection between Brown and QB Drake Maye got off to a slow start in training camp, Paul Perillo of the Patriots' official site notes that "there have been some serious signs of life since the pads came on Thursday morning."

With that in mind, Maye said Friday,"I feel the connectivity building now," adding "that's the biggest thing. You are just seeing it get better every day." As the two players' chemistry continues to grow while Brown acclimates to his new team's offense, the wideout is firmly on track to yield fantasy utility as New England's top option at his position alongside fellow newcomer Romeo Doubs, with Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism battling for targets that don't go to the aforementioned duo.

San Francisco assistant head coach Chris Foerster said Friday that the team is "continuing to evaluate" Pearsall (knee) after the wide receiver aggravated the PCL issue in his right knee during early training camp practices, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Pearsall's injury has reportedly caused "concern" for the 49ers, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN, and the team is "exploring all options." As Barrows reports, surgery is being weighed among those options, though undergoing a procedure now could cost Pearsall the entire 2026 season. In the wake of Pearsall's ongoing evaluation, San Francisco signed veteran wideout Deebo Samuel to a one-year contract on Tuesday. Christian Kirk (calf) is also managing an injury that has hampered his ability to practice during the early stages of camp.