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.

Cross appears to have have the lead in Indanapolis' free safety competition so far during OTAs, Kevin Bowen of 1075thefan.com reports.

There is still a long way to go, to be sure, but Cross is getting more reps with the first team during OTAs. He is competing with Rodney Thomas and Daniel Scott (knee) for the opportunity to start alongside strong safety Julian Blackmon in the secondary. Cross started just two games in 2023, but he did suit up for 17 regular-season games. The 22-year-old finished the year with 39 tackles (24 solo).

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.

Hendershot has been easing back into action following offseason ankle surgery, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Hendershot underwent ankle surgery following the close of the 2023 season and isn't yet back up to full speed. He's expected to fill a depth role at tight end for Dallas in the coming campaign.

Jones has been logging work with the starters during OTAs, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Jones worked primarily as a starter last season, though that was largely due to Dallis Flowers suffering an Achilles injury in Week 4. Flowers has returned to the field, but Jones has nonetheless been getting work with the Colts' defensive starters during OTAs. It's possible that Jones will be able to retain his starting role following a strong rookie campaign during which he tallied 44 tackles (33 solo) and five defensed passes over 17 regular-season contests.

Brissett has taken all the first-team reps during open practices, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

Third overall pick Drake Maye presumably will have a chance to win the Week 1 starting job, but he may have to wait until training camp to get any reps with the first-team offense. Graff notes that Brissett runs the offense smoothly, having previously worked with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt when both were with the Browns in 2022.

Goodson, Trey Sermon and Evan Hull got first-team reps at Thursday's practice, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan reports.

Jonathan Taylor missed practice for personal reasons, leaving the Colts with an inexperienced group of running backs. Multiple reports have suggested Sermon and Hull will compete for the second spot on the depth chart, but Goodson's work with the starting offense suggests he's also in the running to earn a bench role. While he weighs less than 200 pounds and has taken just 19 regular-season touches since going undrafted in 2022, it wouldn't be shocking if Goodson challenged Hull for a role as the two-minute/hurry-up back. Goodson ran a 4.42 at the 2022 Combine, after piling up 2,551 rushing yards and 70 receptions in three seasons at Iowa.

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.