NFL Player News

Covey (knee) participated in the Eagles' offseason practice Thursday, per Glenn Erby of USA Today.

Covey had knee surgery in the offseason but appears to have recovered well given his ability to participate in the practice session. The 27-year-old is slated to work as Philadelphia's primary punt/kick returner in 2024 and should also see some limited work as a receiver in the team's passing game.

Olszewski appeared to hurt his foot and/or ankle during practice Thursday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Olszewski slipped while making a cut during on-field workouts and left practice early. It's unclear at this point how serious the injury may be. Olszewski worked primarily as a punt returner last season and should get an opportunity to handle that role again in 2024, though newcomer Isaiah McKenzie is also a candidate to take on those duties.

Hodgins caught a lot of passes with the first-team offense last week but seems to be the odd man out now that Darius Slayton is at OTAs, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Slayton, Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson figure to be the top three wide receivers, leaving Hodgins to compete with Jalin Hyatt, Allen Robinson, Isaiah McKenzie and others for depth roles. It's hard to find a roster with more backup WRs that have starting experience in the NFL, but in Hodgins' case, he mostly got that opportunity because the Giants were so thin at his position the past two seasons. Now that they're in better shape -- at least at wide receiver -- he'll head to training camp without assurances of a Week 1 roster spot, after signing a one-year contract that includes only $325,000 guaranteed.

Coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Mitchell is "making a lot of plays" at OTAs, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 the Fan reports.

It sounds like the rookie second-round pick is getting a lot of first-team reps, in part because top wide receiver Michael Pittman has been out with a minor knee injury. Wearing a No. 10 jersey to signify the number of WRs drafted before him this spring, Mitchell has taken advantage of the early opportunity by catching a number of passes from starting QB Anthony Richardson. Still, it's unclear if Mitchell will head into Week 1 as a depth/rotation receiver or if he'll immediately supplant Alec Pierce as a starter alongside Pittman and slot man Josh Downs. There's also the question of how different that role might look if/when Mitchell replaces Pierce, as the latter was targeted on just 10.2 percent of his routes last year -- easily the the lowest rate in the league among regular starters at wide receiver.

Slayton showed up to OTAs this week after the Giants added $650,000 of incentives to his contract, ESPN's Jordan Raanan reports.

The 27-year-old is entering the second season of a two-year, $12 million contract, and while he might have been hoping for an extension or additional guaranteed money, it seems he'll settle for the boosted incentives. Slayton has led the Giants in receiving yards in four of his five NFL seasons, topping 700 yards each time without ever getting to 800. He'll likely be one of the team's top three WRs in 2024, along with sixth overall pick Malik Nabers and slot man Wan'Dale Robinson. Of the three, Slayton is least likely to draw a large number of targets, as he's never seen passes on a large percentage of his routes even when playing a lot of snaps in offenses with subpar receiving alternatives.

Mims said things are going "a lot smoother" for him in his second NFL offseason, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

In addition to having a much better understanding of Sean Payton's offense, Mims mentioned that he's "as healthy as I've been in a long time." The 2023 second-round pick was limited by hamstring injuries last spring and summer, though that didn't stop him from having a big impact early in the season, including four receptions of 38 or more yards and a kick-return TD within the first four weeks. While Mims remained effective on special teams apart from a pair of lost fumbles, he had only 135 receiving yards on 22 targets in his 12 appearances after Week 4. The NFL's new kickoff rules figure to make Mims even more important for Denver's special teams this year, and he should also be part of a competition for the No. 2 receiver job opposite Courtland Sutton. If not Mims, it'll likely be Josh Reynolds, Troy Franklin or Tim Patrick (Achilles) stepping up as the No. 2 receiver, though a rotation also is possible.

Gipson is expected to have competition as New York's primary return specialist heading into the 2024 season, Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record reports.

Gipson operated as the Jets' kick returner and punt returner for the entirety of the 2023 season, but with the team signing running back Tarik Cohen on Wednesday, Gipson may not be a shoo-in for the role again in 2024. Head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday that Gipson will get "first dibs," but the returning job is an "open competition."

The Buccaneers waived Thompkins (undisclosed) with an injury designation Thursday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Thompkins was re-signed to a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in March after appearing in all 17 of its regular-season contests and two postseason games in 2023, but he's now dealing with an apparent injury that could sideline him for the season. If the wide receiver clears waivers, he'll likely revert to the Buccaneers' injured reserve ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Baltimore officially listed Cunningham as a wide receiver during OTAs, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Cunningham has gotten reps at wide receiver since the Ravens brought him on board back in December, and his transition to the new position (from quarterback) is now officially complete. He's part of a relatively thin wide receiver room, so he could very well find his way onto Baltimore's final 2024 roster if he impresses during training camp.

Odunze (hamstring) returned to practice Thursday, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Odunze was featured in a video from practice catching a contested pass from rookie QB Caleb Williams. With the hamstring tightness behind him, the No. 9 overall pick will continue to build chemistry with Williams while working as the No. 3 receiver for now behind DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.