NFL Player News

Childress won Super Bowl rings with New England, but never developed into an offensive asset. Fontenot and Togafau are practice squad candidates.

Jennings is reportedly seeking a new contract or a trade before the start of the season, but it was business as usual for the first practice of training camp. The veteran wideout was on the field, practicing in full despite his desire for a new deal. 49ers GM John Lynch has also said that Jennings didn’t formally request a trade. As far as contract stalemates go, this one seems rather amicable. Barring a sudden turn of events, Jennings is on track to open the year as San Francisco’s No. 1 receiver. He should hold onto that role until Brandon Aiyuk is fully recovered from the multi-ligament knee injury he suffered last year.

Arizona’s No. 16 overall pick will head to the sidelines for the start of his first training camp as a pro. Nolen was a high-ceiling defensive tackle at Ole Miss who needed to show more consistency in his game. A lack of practice time isn’t going to do him any favors. Though the Cardinals’ defense should improve in Gannon’s second year on the headset, they aren’t off to a great start.

Cowing was a rising star during the 49ers’ spring practices, drawing praise from reporters including The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, who said he could take over some of Deebo Samuel’s vacant gadget touches. Now Cowing will join Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall on the sidelines. Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL and isn’t expected to be ready for Week 1. Pearsall is dealing with a lingering hamstring issue but isn’t expected to miss much time. Despite airing his desire for a new contract publicly, Jauan Jennings showed up to practice and fully participated on Wednesday, putting any notions of a “hold-in” to bed. If the 49ers can’t field a healthy receiving corps around him, Jennings will project for a gaudy target share out of the gates.

Kaye points out that Young targeted Renfrow regularly throughout the first practice of training camp. It wasn’t just reporters noticing their chemistry either. Young praised Renfrow’s ability to get open and understanding of the game before saying he’s excited to continue building chemistry with him. Renfrow did not play in 2024 and went for a combined 585 yards in the previous two seasons. His odds of being an impactful player in 2025 are slim, but this is what the beginning of a bounceback would look like for the veteran slot receiver.

The Sun Sentinel’s David Furones has since confirmed that Burns tore his ACL in practice. The injury will sideline him for the entirety of the 2025 season. Burns signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in the offseason to bolster their secondary. Burns bounced between the Seahawks’ practice squad and active roster last year and was set to compete for a rotational role in Miami. The injury and Jalen Ramsey trade leave Miami severely undermanned at corner. They could look to the free agent market for some depth.

As Cronin notes, Burden got banged up when he landed on the ball in an early offseason practice. He was also dealing with a hamstring issue at one point. It’s not clear which injury is forcing him to miss the start of camp, but it’s a bad sign no matter the cause. The fact thta Ben Johnson previously indicated that Burden would be ready for camp and he isn’t is an even brighter red flag. Burden left Mizzou as a schemed-touches master, perfect for Johnson’s heavily curated offense. Fantasy managers should still bet on him carving out a role as a rookie, but the odds of that happening early in the season are decreasing by the day.

Schultz said Allen, 33, who had 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns last season with the Bears, has “been waiting for training camps to open to better assess the landscape and get a clearer picture of each team’s wide receiver situation.” Allen ranked 16th among wideouts in targets, operating for much of the year as Chicago’s No. 1 receiver. Look for Allen to sign this summer with a wideout-needy team that would use him as an every-down player. Some teams in need to receiver help include the Patriots, Steelers, Cowboys, Seahawks, and Jets.

Matos, 24, reportedly sustained a serious injury near the end of Wednesday’s training camp practice and was helicoptered to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. It’s a frightening situation. We’ll update Matos’ condition as the team offers updates on his condition.

Schottenheimer also described Pickens’ ability to track and secure downfield attempts is “uncanny” and should change the Dallas offense in 2025. Dak Prescott has sung Pickens’ praises since he was traded to the Cowboys a couple months ago, calling Pickens more than just a deep ball specialist. Schottenheimer said last year’s Cowboys “didn’t have enough explosive plays” and the addition of Pickens — who in 2024 had the league’s second most receiving yards on downfield targets — should be the solution in 2025. Pickens is quietly an excellent fantasy pick in a Dallas offense that should have a condensed target distribution.

It could be a way for the Bengals to prevent yet another miserable start to the regular season, though putting Burrow in harm’s way during meaningless August games presents some risk. Last year, Burrow completed five of seven preseason passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. It was the first preseason action he had seen since 2021, when he completed his lone preseason attempt. Hopefully Burrow can stay healthy and upright as the team ramps up his August playing time.