NFL Player News

Bateman is in full uniform for Thursday's practice.

Bateman didn't take part in either of the Ravens' last two practices, but the team didn't disclose whether his absences were injury-related or part of a planned maintenance plan. Either way, Bateman will be back on the field Thursday, but it's unclear if the Ravens intend to have him suit up in Saturday's preseason opener versus the Eagles. While Bateman projects to head into Week 1 as a starter alongside No. 1 wideout Zay Flowers, rookie third-round pick Ja'Kobi Lane has generated considerable buzz during camp and could be a threat to poach reps in two-receiver sets as the season unfolds.

Sanders could have to battle for a roster spot for the remainder of the preseason with the Panthers slated to sign veteran tight end Darren Waller to a one-year deal, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Even before the Panthers brought Waller aboard, Sanders already looked to be third on the depth chart at tight end, as he played in the team's preseason opener versus the Cardinals last week while Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans were rested. A fourth-round draft pick in 2024, Sanders had still been viewed as the Panthers' top pass-catching option at the position, but he no longer holds that distinction following the addition of the 33-year-old Waller, who ended a one-year retirement last season and delivered an impressive 24-283-6 receiving line in just six games with the Dolphins. With Carolina also holding Feleipe Franks in high regard for his special-teams contributions, the team may prefer to enter the season with him as their No. 4 tight end over Sanders, who could be viewed as redundant now that Waller is in the fold.

The Jaguars envision Thomas serving as the 'X' receiver in their offense during the upcoming season, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

After an outstanding rookie campaign in which he put up a 87-1,282-10 receiving line on 133 targets over 17 contests, Thomas saw his production crater in Year 2 (48-707-2 line in 14 games). Though the Jacksonville offense took a step forward as a whole under first-year head coach Liam Coen, Thomas ended up sacrificing heavy target volume to Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington, who emerged as trusted weapons underneath and in the intermediate area for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Wolfe notes that while the Jaguars value Thomas "a ton" and have no desire to trade him, the coaching staff learned last season that the wideout's strengths lie in using his blazing speed to run deep routes on the perimeter rather than taking contact on routes in the middle and shorter areas of the field. While that sort of role typically doesn't lend itself to consistently heavy target counts week to week, it's not one that's completely bereft of fantasy value. Wolfe cites Brandin Cooks -- whose tenure with the Rams overlapped with Coen's time as an assistant for the team -- as a player in a similar mold as Thomas who was able to turn in productive seasons on modest target volume while primarily serving as a vertical threat.

Lemon (hamstring) won't take part in Thursday's practice, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.

The rookie first-round pick will be sidelined for his seventh practice of training camp, but he was spotted in a helmet catching passes from a JUGS machine off to the side, per Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal. While his presence on a side field is seemingly a good sign, Lemon appears unlikely to be available for Saturday's preseason opener versus the Ravens. With DeVonta Smith also having been slowed by a hamstring injury in camp, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown have been seeing added reps with the first-team offense.

Smith (hamstring) won't participate in Thursday's practice, but he was spotted working out off to the side, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Smith will sit out his seventh practice of training camp, though his ability to run routes and take part in rehab work on a side field is a sign that he could soon be ready to take part in team drills. While the wideout will almost certainly sit out Saturday's preseason opener versus the Ravens, that might have been the case even if he was fully healthy.

Tremble could face competition atop the depth chart at tight end with Carolina slated to sign Darren Waller to a one-year contract, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Regarded as a strong blocker, Tremble projects to enter his sixth season in Carolina as the team's starter, but he could end up ceding more work on obvious passing downs to Waller, who ended a one-year retirement in 2025 and delivered an impressive 24-283-6 receiving line on 34 targets over just six games with the Dolphins. Waller's receiving output was on par with Tremble's over his full 17-game slate with Carolina, as the latter contributed 27 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns on 37 targets. The modest catch and yardage totals were all career highs for Tremble, who now appears likely to take a step back statistically in 2026 if Waller emerges as Carolina's top pass-catching tight end.

Coach Dave Canales highlighted Legette on Wednesday for having a strong training camp, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

"Really good to see him back out there playing like himself," Canales said. "Playing fast, just knowing where to be. He's doing a phenomenal job; he's the guy that we're counting on. He looks explosive. And then what I've seen him do is just make great plays on the boundary, back of the end zone, just some of those spatial plays where he can go attack the ball, find a way to get his feet down, and he's really attacked that part of his game, and that's something that I've seen him really improve on." Legette acknowledged he wasn't very good in 2025 and took a "step back" this offseason to refocus on getting better. He worked out with Bryce Young multiple times away from the team during the spring and now has a good chance to claim the WR3 role in Carolina after rookie Chris Brazzell was lost for the season due to a knee injury early in camp.

Pickens has impressed throughout the Cowboys' training camp, Dan Rogers of SB Nation reports.

Pickens had a spectacular season in 2025, reeling in 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, all of which were career highs, over 17 regular-season contests in his first year with Dallas. The wide receiver did tail off as the season came to a close, though, averaging 57.4 receiving yards and 4.0 catches over the team's final five games after averaging 95.2 yards and 6.1 receptions over the team's previous 12 contests. Pickens will look to put together a more complete campaign this year, and he has already been connecting on all cylinders with quarterback Dak Prescott, using his advanced ball-tracking ability to make acrobatic plays throughout training camp. The Cowboys have as good of a receiving duo as any team in the league, as the talented Pickens will be paired with No. 1 option CeeDee Lamb again in 2026.

Brown remained the Patriots' No. 1 option in the passing game during Tuesday's joint practice with the Colts, Ethan Hurwitz of SI.com reports.

Brown started his day off by beating Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner in a 1-on-1 situation, and once full-squad reps began, the wide receiver was heavily targeted. The 29-year-old is entering his first season in Josh McDaniels' offense, working with emerging star Drake Maye at quarterback. Brown and Maye connected five times at practice Tuesday, including a 10-yard score on an in-breaking route where Brown split two defenders to reach paydirt. The wide receiver and the Eagles had grown tired of each other after a four-season marriage in Philadelphia from 2022-2025, and Brown will now provide the Patriots with a clear No. 1 option in their passing game after being traded June 1. He has recorded four straight 1,000-plus yard campaigns and has finished with seven or more receiving touchdowns in six of his seven NFL seasons leading into 2026.

Beckham will play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

It's not a surprise considering Beckham is in a fight for a roster spot after he was listed as a third-string wide receiver on the Giants' initial unofficial depth chart. The 33-year-old is competing with a handful of other veteran wideouts for a couple spots. Beckham has largely been out of the league, injured or ineffective for much of the past two seasons.