NFL Player News

Thomas’ first priority is a long-term deal. If he’s only seeing one-year offers from all three teams, including the Broncos, he wants to better evaluate his playing-time possibilities after rosters become more clear in early May.

It’s Week 2 and we legitimately have no idea what to believe about Brock Bowers’ health. We’ll be monitoring the practices, of course. Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders believe there’s a “realistic chance” that Bowers will only miss one game after a meniscus trim. We’ll see how it goes. Michael Mayer’s newfound fantasy value, as well as Ashton Jeanty’s pass-catching prowess, are likely tied to what the answer is as well as the Raiders prepare for the Chargers.

McCarthy said he expects Porter to play once his ramp-up period ends, as he works to return from a back injury that sidelined him for much of training camp. It’s been widely speculated that Porter’s absence has more to do with his contract situation rather than an injury, but McCarthy is talking like a coach who is working to get an injured player back on the field. Porter did practice in a limited capacity all of last week, so we’ll see if he can get upgraded to a full participant sometime this week and have a chance to see the field in Week 2 against the Patriots.

But, Rapoport added, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll play this week. “Generally, for a throwing position, it’s not usually one week,” Rapoport added. Cooper Rush could be awaiting the Panthers in Week 2, and based on how Rush played in Week 1, that means the Panthers defense could go from allowing 59 points to being a streamable defense in Week 2.

It sounds like Penix isn’t comfortable just yet on his knee, but it should be sooner rather than later, and the original time frame here was Week 2 or 3. The plan will definitely be to start Penix when he is healthy. Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski offered zero help on the situation on Monday; we’ll probably get a better update from the Falcons on Wednesday. It’s worth noting that Penix did practice in full all last week, but this may be more of a mental hurdle than a physical one.

Okonkwo’s name will be one to look for on Wednesday when the Commanders release their first injury report. The 27-year-old tight end exited in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Eagles and did not return to the field. If he’s unable to play in Week 2 against the Cowboys, the Commanders would be looking at using John Bates and unproven third-year tight end Ben Sinnott as their top two options. Neither should be trusted for fantasy purposes if Okonkwo is out.

Lane could be lost for some time, while it seems Flowers will at least have a chance of suiting up at Week 2 with a day-to-day listing at the moment and more testing to come. Minter noted there is “potential” for the Ravens to add a free agent wideout to the room as well. Ultimately, even if Lane hits IR, it’s hard to project confidence on the non-Flowers/Mark Andrews pieces of this passing game.

It was reported earlier in the day that Hand was believed to have suffered a season-ending quad injury, but Stefanski confirmed the worst on Monday. Hand, who signed a one-year deal with the Falcons this offseason, was expected to serve as a major contributor on the Falcons’ defensive line. The 30-year-old tackle will now spend the remainder of the season rehabbing and could be in search of a new home next offseason.

Mason didn’t appear to have any issues in Week 1’s win, but adrenaline does carry athletes at times. We’ll likely get an update on this on Wednesday at the latest — we’d consider Mason likely to play in Week 2’s game against the Bears at this point.

Coker was seen sporting a boot on his left foot and said he rolled his ankle “a little bit” in Sunday’s loss to the Bears. According to Coker, the injury occurred in the first quarter, which is a good sign since he finished out the game and led all Panthers receivers with 8-138-2 on nine targets. His injury status will be one to watch throughout the week, but it sounds like this is a non-issue heading into Week 2’s game against the Falcons.

Monken had been a little more evasive on the issue in his post-game interview after Week 1’s shellacking. It appears the Browns would like to touch the hot stove at least one more time against the Buccaneers. Expectations for all Browns pass-catchers and runners can be lowered even against a middling Bucs defense. Monken added “there were some really good things on film.”