NFL Player News

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.

Perine is listed as the No. 2 RB behind Chase Brown on the Bengals' unofficial depth chart.

In Cincinnati's preseason opener versus the Lions on Aug. 13, Perine was involved on the two drives in which Joe Burrow was leading the offense, and the running back had a seven-yard carry and gathered in both targets for 12 yards. While spelling Brown out of the backfield in 2025, Perine recorded 469 yards from scrimmage and three rushing TDs on 101 touches in 15 regular-season games. A similar workload can be expected from Perine in the coming campaign.

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.

New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has worked with Ward to hone in his decision making ahead of the 2026 season, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

The first overall pick in the 2025 Draft, Ward started all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, completing 323 of 540 passes (59.8 percent) for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions while turning 39 carries into 159 yards and two more TDs. He also fumbled 11 times, losing seven of them. The Titans added WR Carnell Tate in the first round of this year's draft and also signed WR Wan'Dale Robinson to a four-year, $70 million deal in the offseason, so Ward does have a bit more support as he enters his second pro campaign. Whether or not that helps Ward cut down on mistakes remains to be seen.

Otton is listed as the No. 1 TE on the Buccaneers' unofficial depth chart.

Aside from adding sixth-round rookie Bauer Sharp to the TE room this offseason, it's status quo for the position group in 2026, with all of Otton, Payne Durham and Ko Kieft back. Otton himself re-signed with Tampa Bay on a three-year, $30 million contract in March to retain his standing as the team's top tight end. Over the last two regular seasons, he's recorded exactly 59 catches on both occasions, totaling 1,172 yards and five touchdowns on 168 targets across 30 contests.

Mayfield logged just one appearance during the Buccaneers' three-game preseason schedule.

Mayfield took the field for preseason Week 2 against the Chiefs on Aug. 22, leading two drives and finishing 2-for-4 passing for 10 yards. Both possessions ended in Riley Dixon punts, but Mayfield wasn't working with any of his top wide receivers or tight ends. WRs Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee) are dealing with injuries as Week 1 draws closer, so how both fare in practice next week will be key for Mayfield's prospects at Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Jacobs' next court date has been moved up from Nov. 17 to Sept. 10, Michael Gross of Fox 11 Green Bay reports. Jacobs is expected to be represented by his attorney and won't personally appear at the hearing.

The move of the court date is going to lead to speculation about if and when he'll receive discipline from the NFL, especially if a plea deal is announced. But that has not been divulged so far. At the very least, there may soon be more clarification about what the next step in the process is for Jacobs, who remains on the Commissioner's Exempt List.

Dart said Tuesday that he feels "so much better" now than he did during the offseason program in new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy's scheme, which has the quarterback playing more under center, Darryl Slater of NJ.com reports.

As a rookie in 2025, Dart completed 63.7 percent (216 of 339) of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 86 carries for 487 yards and nine more TDs. But not many of his snaps occurred under center as then coach Brian Daboll attempted to cater to Dart's style of play. Perhaps the change in schemes will help Dart stay out of harm's way more often after he had five concussion checks last season. In any case, it remains to be seen if he'll have top WR Malik Nabers available Week 1 as he closes in on his recovery from last year's torn ACL.

Coach Sean McVay said all Rams players, including Donald, are expected to travel with the team to Australia for next Thursday's Week 1 game against the 49ers, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

According to Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network, it remains to be seen if Donald will suit up for the regular-season opener, but as Cameron DaSilva of USA Today points out, it would seem like the defensive lineman has a good chance to play if the team is putting him on a 16-hour flight. Donald just officially rejoined the Rams last weekend, but he's been working out at the facility this summer and getting into game shape. He could be part of the defensive-line rotation against San Francisco, as Los Angeles will likely be trying to make a statement against a division rival.