NFL Player News

Mays (6'6/328) was originally denied an eligibility waiver in August, but fortunately the NCAA has come around and granted his waiver on appeal. Mays now must wait for the SEC to clear him since nothing can be accomplished succinctly when it comes to college football bureaucracy. Mays, a former five-star recruit, started 18 games during his two seasons at Georgia and will immediately assume starting duties at Tennessee if his SEC eligibility is granted. The Vols look forward to having Mays in the lineup September 26th when they open at South Carolina.

After missing the early part of training camp, Tua Tagovailoa has been back practicing with the team and reportedly turned in a solid session on Sunday, which was cut short by lightning. Michael Penix, who is still waiting to be fully cleared to return from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign. The third-year signal-caller has been practicing in a limited capacity and said in late July that it might be “another four weeks” before he moves on to the next stage in his recovery. Regardless of what Stefanski says about naming his Week 1 QB, until Penix is officially cleared for full football activities, Tagovailoa feels like a safe bet to open the year as the starter.

It’s been an impressive few weeks of camp for Boston, who has flashed on several occasions since things got underway. The rookie second-rounder has made enough of an impression to begin working with the first-team offense ahead of the team’s first preseason game, which suggests he is well on his way to solidifying an early role in the offense. While the Browns’ quarterback situation leaves much to be desired, Boston could end up having a solid fantasy floor in his rookie season under Monken. Both he and fellow rookie KC Concepcion are intriguing later-round picks in redraft leagues this season.

Waddle has been working through a muscle strain, per head coach Sean Payton, since last week. It was reported on Thursday that he would return within 4-5 days, so we’re nearing the point where we would expect to see him on the field. He was seen working off to the side during Saturday’s practice, so hopefully another day or two of rest will be enough for him to return. Waddle is expected to be the top pass-catcher for the Broncos this season and was having a nice camp before going down.

Pittman exited Saturday’s practice with an apparent leg injury and was not on the field for Monday’s session. Speaking with the media, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Pittman was injured on Saturday but didn’t discuss how long he may be out. For now, we’ll assume this is something minor, but hopefully we’ll have more details to provide soon.

This news comes from NBC Houston’s Aaron Wilson. Dell’s participation on Monday is a notable step in his recovery as the fourth-year receiver continues to work his way back from a devastating knee injury that ended his 2024 season and sidelined him for all of 2025. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said last week that the team is planning to take its time bringing Dell back, but it appears he is making good progress with a few weeks still left in camp. Whether or not Dell will be ready for Week 1 remains up in the air, but he’s clearly trending in the right direction.

Bieniemy took an indefinite leave of absence early in camp after his wife, Mia, was shot while inside the couple’s home. She was reported to be in stable condition at the time of the shooting and seems to be doing well in her recovery, which likely prompted Bieniemy’s decision to return.

While Smith’s injury isn’t believed to be serious, the Eagles are clearly taking their time with their new WR1. Smith has been sidelined for nearly a week and will remain on the sidelines to begin the third week of camp. If Smith can begin ramping things up closer to the start of the season, it will be safe to assume he’ll be good to go for Week 1.

Pacheco is expected to serve as the backup to Jahmyr Gibbs. He has missed the last few days of practice due to his injury, but Campbell doesn’t appear overly concerned about his availability when it comes to the start of the season. Speaking to the media on Monday, Campbell said: “We feel pretty good about him being ready to go, especially when the season gets here.” As far as fantasy is concerned, Pacheco shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a backup for Gibbs, he has no standalone value.

The Lions sought to upgrade at center this offseason and went out and signed Mays to a three-year, $25 million contract. Now, the 27-year-old lineman is expected to be sidelined for the next 8-10 weeks after fracturing a small bone in his wrist, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Campbell said that the injury is not believed to be season-ending, but it’s still a major blow to the offensive line. Former second-round pick Juice Scruggs came over in the David Montgomery trade and has played center before, so he will presumably get the first crack at taking over in Mays’ absence.

Arnold met with the Seahawks on Sunday and also met with the Texans last month. The former No. 24 overall pick is in search of a new home following his release from the Lions and is facing felony kidnapping and armed robbery charges. It seems unlikely that Arnold signs with a team until his legal troubles are behind him, but there are plenty of teams willing to take him on if he is cleared.