NFL Player News

Minnesota signed Briscoe (undisclosed) on Thursday, Rob Kleifield of the Vikings' official site reports.

There were questions about Briscoe's health when he was waived by Seattle in May, but he's presumably in good shape now. The undrafted rookie boasts good size, and he caught 43 passes for 779 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season at Cal Poly in 2025.

The Jets signed Scott on Thursday, Amanda Vogt of the team's official site reports.

Per Connor Hughes of SNY.tv, Scott has cut some weight and recently worked out with the club as a wide receiver before being signed. He's served as a tight end in the past as well. He'll probably need to make a great early impression with the coaching staff to have any chance at a spot on the final 53-man roster for 2026.

Coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that the Lions don't expect to know until training camp what their expectations for Joseph (knee) will be for 2026, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

Joseph sat out all of Detroit's last 13 games in 2025 due to a lingering knee injury, and he's apparently still not in shape for football activities with OTAs in progress. As long as he remains unavailable, veteran free agent acquisition Chuck Clark could see more opportunities to work with the first team.

Pittsburgh signed Tonyan to a one-year contract Thursday, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Coming off the heels of a season in which he suited up for 17 games with Kansas City, Tonyan is now joining his fifth different team in as many years. Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are returning at tight end for the Steelers, but they released veteran Jonnu Smith back in March, so there's room for Tonyan to potentially snag a spot on the 53-man roster for 2026.

Crosby (knee) told reporters during OTAs that he's "almost back" to being on the field, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

Crosby was in the process of being traded to Baltimore back in March, but the deal fell through after he failed a physical. Now that it appears he'll be staying with Las Vegas in 2026, he'll be focusing on simply recovering from the knee procedure he underwent in the offseason to address a torn meniscus. His next chances to practice will come during mandatory minicamp, which the Raiders are scheduled to hold beginning June 6.

Gardner (calf) is participating during the Colts' OTAs.

Gardner sat out four of Indianapolis' last five games in 2025 as he dealt with a calf strain, but it doesn't look like it's bothering him during offseason workouts. The Colts will be hoping they can get a healthy, productive season out of the two-time All-Pro in 2026.

Branch is making an impression with his speed and explosiveness at OTAs, according to Will McFadden of atlantafalcons.com.

New Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa said Thursday that Branch "kind of reminds me of [Jaylen] Waddle." High praise, though the Falcons would settle for less after taking Branch in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 79th overall. He joins a WR room where nothing is certain beyond Drake London, leaving Branch to compete for playing time with Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus and others. Branch ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the 2026 Scouting Combine, but he's on the small side (5-foot-9, 177 pounds) even for a slot receiver. If nothing else, the Falcons figure to use Branch as a gadget player and return specialist. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reports that Georgia prosecutors recently dropped misdemeanor charges against Branch, who was arrested April 19 after failing "to comply with multiple verbal lawful commands" to not block a sidewalk outside of a crowded bar. It doesn't sound like anything that would warrant NFL discipline.

Ryland is the only kicker on the Cardinals' roster after Joshua Karty was waived Thursday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Ryland was the Cardinals' kicker for all 17 games last season en route to making 25 of 33 field-goal attempts and all 36 of his extra-point tries. Karty was claimed off waivers from the Rams late last season, but he wasn't made active by Arizona down the stretch. In any case, Thursday's move eliminates what could have been a job battle this summer, with Ryland's fantasy upside in 2026 linked to how well the team's offense clicks with veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett at the helm.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said Thursday that Nix (ankle) has been throwing at OTAs and will resume practicing with teammates at June minicamp, Luca Evans of The Denver Post reports.

Coming back from a broken ankle suffered during the playoffs, Nix had a minor clean-up procedure in mid-to-late April but still seems to be on track in his recovery. Payton previously mentioned June minicamp as a target date to increase Nix's participation, with the Broncos hoping their starting QB will then be a full participant at the start of training camp in late July. For now, Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger are handling Denver's QB reps while battling for the No. 2 job behind Nix.

LaPorta (back) participated in Detroit's second open practice of OTAs on Thursday, Tim Twentyman of detroitlions.com reports.

LaPorta didn't participate last week during the first OTA practice that was open to reporters, but it's possible he's been practicing behind closed doors. Now that reporters have spotted LaPorta on the field, it's clear he has at least some level of clearance for football activities, coming back from mid-November surgery on a herniated disc. LaPorta said in January that he expected to have full clearance before the start of training camp in late July.