NFL Player News

Per Schefter, Ekwonu will undergo surgery and his availability for Week 1 of the 2026 season is in doubt. It’s a brutal end to the season for him and the Panthers. Now Carolina will likely have to spend a bit more on a backup tackle in the offseason. Pro Football Focus has Ekwonu graded as a top-40 tackle this year. He had just one year left on his contract and was likely eying an extension in the spring. Ekwonu might be forced to wait until next year to ink a new deal.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn also said the team doesn’t see the soreness as a long-term issue, but it is a disappointing follow-up to what was reportedly a strong showing for Burks at the first training camp practice. The Commanders have a very thin wide receiver corps, so every injury matters. Hopefully, Burks is back before long.

The Colts also hosted RB Marcus Major for a workout today. McIntosh suffered a torn ACL in July 2025 and was recently waived by the Seahawks.

This is a bummer. A torn meniscus in his left knee ended Nolen’s 2025 rookie season. Multiple beat reporters say Nolen appeared to injure his left knee today. He had been drawing positive reviews in training camp thus far. Hopefully, this is only a short-term injury.

This isn’t exactly breaking news, but it is always worth keeping track of the players who might have a chance to catch passes from QB Patrick Mahomes. Newell compares Armstrong to WR Tyquan Thornton, who signed with the Chiefs in November 2024 before earning Mahomes’ trust the following offseason. Armstrong has spent the entire offseason training with the Chiefs and was allowed to take “numerous” first-team reps on Thursday. In his 2024 senior season at Arkansas, Armstrong (6'4/202) led the SEC in catches (78), receiving yards (1,140) and receiving yards per game (103.6). Newell believes “it would be an underdog tale if he makes the team,” so set your expectations accordingly, but feel free to track his progress this summer.

Regarding running backs who play “all 65 snaps,” LaFleur says that he has “seen that story when guys are a little bit overloaded,” it hurts them either in the short- or long-term. Fortunately for all involved, not even 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey plays on 100 percent of snaps. He handled 81.6 percent last year, which is extremely high. This is a bit of a straw man argument from LaFleur, who ultimately concluded his comments by saying he wants to keep his running backs fresh and healthy for 17 games. That makes sense, but when a player is taken with the No. 3 overall pick, like RB Jeremiyah Love, we should expect them to eventually settle into a workload in which they are playing on a comfortable majority of snaps. The Cardinals’ coaching staff is seemingly intent on keeping Love’s ADP in check. We’ll take it.

Newsome had a tryout with the Cardinals earlier in the week. He spent 2024-25 as a practice squad player with the Broncos. The Cardinals correspondingly placed CB Jaden Davis on injured reserve.

According to Schefter, McDermott is using his time off to see how a few teams operate. If McDermott truly is just dropping by to see how the Rams do things, rather than interviewing for a job, it’s a bit unorthodox, but we suppose it’s a smart move. Perhaps McDermott will ultimately line up a consulting gig after a few of these visits. No word yet on the other organizations he is set to visit. We expect to hear more soon.

According to Newell, Allen “has been catching everything” thrown his way. Veteran fantasy players are all too familiar with the cool-catch storylines that send a player’s ADP rocketing upward — as well as the Chiefs’ annual rookie breakout storyline that does the same. Should we believe the hype? Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Allen must continue stacking good days once the pads come on, and “we’ll see from there.” It’s reasonable advice. Reid acknowledges that “the quarterback trusts him in there,” and WR Xavier Worthy said he is not surprised by Allen’s play after the rookie’s strong spring showings. That said, Allen, 23, is still experiencing mental gaffes. He lined up on the wrong side of the field after QB Patrick Mahomes broke the huddle on one play, and Reid also met Allen on the field at one point to offer “some subtle teaching points on how to run routes.” Allen should be rostered in dynasty formats and now warrants late-round flier treatment in best ball. Keep a close eye on him in the coming weeks.

The Chiefs are doing the same thing with CB L’Jarius Sneed. There is nothing to be worried about here. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the team is “just building them up,” which will “take a little bit of time.” Rice is still working on conditioning at this point, but once his cardio is good to go, we should see him practicing fully. He was cleared to practice on July 24th after undergoing an offseason clean-up procedure on his knee. Rice is a WR2 with WR1 upside.

Through two training camp practices, Thompson has been making plays when given opportunities with the first-team offense. On Wednesday, Chargers QB Justin Herbert told reporters that Thompson is “going to be very good” and “make a lot of plays.” In a piece published Thursday morning, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper reported that Thompson will be battling for snaps with WR Tre’ Harris, “who is also off to a great start.” Harris (6'3/210) can contribute as a receiver and as a blocker. While Thompson boasts 4.26-second 40 speed, at 5'9/164, it will be tough for him to bully defensive backs in the run game. Still, this is good news for dynasty and best ball managers who have taken late-round fliers on Thompson thus far.