NFL Player News

The Browns waived Phelps on Thursday.

The move follows a Wednesday night incident in which the defensive end was charged with drunken driving. Phelps, who first joined the Browns as an undrafted free agent last May, spent the 2023 season on the team's practice squad and was subsequently signed to a reserve/future contract in January.

Stevenson has agreed to a four-year extension with the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per Schefter, Stevenson's deal is for $36 million, of which $17 million is reportedly guaranteed. The move to extend the 2021 fourth-rounder beyond his current pact solidifies the Patriots backfield ahead of Jerod Mayo's first season as head coach, and with the team transitioning at the QB position, look for Stevenson and fellow RB Antonio Gibson to be key drivers of New England's offense in 2024. Over the course of 12 regular-season games last season, Stevenson logged 156 carries for 619 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 38 catches for 238 yards on 51 targets. As training camp approaches, the 26-year-old has moved past the ankle issue that cost him time down the stretch in 2023, with Stevenson's new contract terms reflecting his continued status as his team's lead back.

Higbee, who is bouncing back from a torn ACL and MCL, remains without a timetable for a return to action, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

Higbee hurt his knee during the Rams' wild-card loss to the Lions on Jan. 14, and given the timing and nature of the injury, it seems likely that the tight end will start training camp on the PUP list. Beyond that, added context regarding Higbee's chances of suiting up early on this season should arrive once he approaches a return to the practice field, but if he's unavailable come Week 1, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Hunter Long would be in line to handle Los Angeles' TE duties out of the gate in 2024.

Harrison has impressed throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp and quickly solidified himself as the top option in Arizona's wide receiver room, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports.

Harrison was fully expected to ascend as the No. 1 target for quarterback Kyler Murray upon being chosen No. 4 overall in April's draft, so it's no surprise that his offseason transition to the NFL has been "pretty seamless," per coach Jonathan Gannon, who also said the rookie has been "everything I expected." By all reports, Harrison has had no issues picking up Arizona's playbook, with positional mate Michael Wilson calling him "very perspicacious," saying "I truly think sky's the limit for [Harrison]." Tight end Trey McBride may represent more real competition for targets than fellow wideouts Wilson or Greg Dortch, but it's easy to envision a scenario where the Cardinals' passing offense is heavily filtered through its top two targets. The biggest question for Harrison will be whether he can live up to his hype immediately, as his ADP has already risen to the early second round of most 2024 fantasy drafts.

Kittle (core muscle) recently told the Bussin' With The Boys podcast that he lost nearly 30 pounds at the beginning of the offseason while rehabbing injuries.

Kittle had core muscle surgery after the Super Bowl and was also recovering from shoulder and rib injuries at the time -- a combination that prevented him from doing both upper- and lower-body weightlifting for about a month. He said he's "almost back to 100 percent" and has regained most of the lost weight, but he still wants to add about 10 more pounds before the start of the regular season. It sounds like Kittle will be ready for the beginning of training camp in late July.

The Packers waived Podlesny on Wednesday.

Podlesny agreed to a reserve/future contract with the Packers in January after going undrafted last spring, but the team has now decided to part ways with the 24-year-old kicker. With Podlesny getting waived, Green Bay's kicking competition will be between Greg Joseph and Anders Carlson, barring any outside additions prior to training camp.

The Steelers waived Thompson (neck) on Wednesday.

Thompson appears to have recovered from the neck injury that caused him to be placed on injured reserve back in January, as he wasn't waived with an injury designation. He suited up for six contests (one start) with Pittsburgh in 2023, recording 22 tackles, three passes defensed and one interception. Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com relays that Thompson opted against undergoing offseason surgery and was able to recover from the neck injury through rest and rehab.

Conley (ankle) signed a contract with the Cowboys on Tuesday.

Conley will link back up with an NFL roster after going unsigned since the end of the 2020 campaign. The 6-foot cornerback was drafted by the Raiders in the first round of the 2017 Draft, but his career was partially derailed by lingering ankle injuries, which forced him to miss the entirety of the 2020 season with the Texans. Conley played 14 games between the Raiders and Texans in 2019, tallying 50 tackles and 13 passes defended, including one interception.

The Giants placed Cota (collarbone) on injured reserve Tuesday, Matt Citak of the team's official site reports.

Cota sustained a broken collarbone during minicamp practice Tuesday, and he'll now move to season-ending IR. The 23-year-old could still appear in the 2024 campaign if he is waived with an injury settlement, though he may have to wait until the 2025 season to make his NFL debut. Cota spent his 2023 rookie campaign between the Chiefs' and Texans' practice squads.

The Seahawks signed Person to a contract Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Person was waived by the Ravens with an undisclosed injury in March of 2023, and he returns to the NFL following a standout campaign with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL. The 24-year-old rushed for 295 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 150 receiving yards for the Stallions. Person will likely need to carve out a role on special teams in order to stick around with Seattle in 2024.