Trent Taylor Undergoes Foot Surgery
49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor underwent surgery on a broken foot on Friday and is expected to miss the early part of the regular season, NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco writes. 
Though an official timetable has not been announced, the Niners are hoping the pass-catcher will not miss more than a few games at the beginning of the season. That’s a big blow for the Niners, as Taylor was expected to be the team’s top option from the slot.
A fifth-round selection from Louisiana Tech in 2017, Taylor flashed potential as a rookie by logging 43 receptions for 430 yards. He showcased a strong connection with Jimmy Garoppolo down the stretch, logging 19 catches for 226 yards after the Niners acquired the quarterback from New England.
After undergoing offseason back surgery in 2018, Taylor struggled in his second campaign, tallying just 26 receptions for 215 yards in 14 games.
After Marquise Goodwin, the team features plenty of promising, if unproven performers at the receiver position, including Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd, who tallied a touchdown catch in his preseason debut on Saturday night.
Johnson, Goedert To Miss Rest Of Preseason
Eagles tackle Lane Johnson and tight end Dallas Goedert are expected to miss the rest of the preseason with injuries, Reuben Frank of NBC Sports writes. 
Johnson, the two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle, didn’t play in the Eagles’ preseason opener vs. the Titans but is listed with a knee injury on the team’s report. Frank adds that it isn’t a serious concern and if the season opener vs. the Redskins was this week, Johnson would likely be on the field.
Goedert, the second-year tight end, did participate in Thursday’s game against the Titans and logged three catches for 50 yards on just 12 snaps. During that run, however, he also suffered a calf injury. Like Johnson, though, Goedert isn’t expected to miss any time in the regular season.
Both players figure to feature prominently in 2019, as the Eagles enter the campaign as one of the favorites in the NFC to contend for a spot in Super Bowl LIV. Johnson has appeared in 15 games in each of the last two seasons, during which he emerged as one of the league’s top all-around linemen. Though he plays behind star Zach Ertz, Goedert impressed as a rookie in 2018, logging 33 catches for 334 yards and four touchdowns.
The Eagles suffered another injury on Thursday, when backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld broke a bone in his left wrist. He underwent surgery on Friday and is expected to be out for at least six weeks.
Bills Place CB E.J. Gaines On IR
Bills cornerback E.J. Gaines has been placed on injured reserve due to a groin injury, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. 
Gaines sustained the injury in practice and was expected to miss a few weeks initially. Following the IR designation, he will now not be eligible to return until after Week 8.
A sixth-round selection by the Rams in 2014, Gaines spent two seasons with the team before being dealt to the Bills in 2017 in the same deal that sent Sammy Watkins the other way. He played one season with the Bills before signing a one-year deal with the Browns for 2018. Following an injury-shortened campaign, the cornerback returned to the Bills for 2019 on a one-year, $3.6MM contract.
Plagued by injuries in recent years, Gaines is coming off his one season with the Browns in which he appeared in six games, including two starts, but was lost for the season after suffering two concussions in a month’s time.
After placing Gaines on IR, the Bills brought in veteran cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, who is familiar with head coach Sean McDermott from their time with the Panthers.
Bills To Sign CB Captain Munnerlyn
The Bills are expected to sign veteran cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets.
A 10-year veteran, Munnerlyn has spent seven of those seasons, including the last two, in Carolina. Before his latest stint with the Panthers, Munnerlyn played under the direction of current Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who served as the team’s defensive coordinator from 2011-16.
Following E.J. Gaines‘ placement on IR, the Bills had an open spot in the secondary. They tabbed the veteran to fill a leadership role for a young secondary.
A consistent starter between Carolina and Minnesota from 2011-14, Munnerlyn has taken on a backup role in recent campaigns. In 2018, he appeared in all 16 games, starting five, and registered one interception and nine passes defensed. In his 10-year career, Munnerlyn has logged 12 interceptions, five of which he has returned for scores.
Cardinals Cut Darius Philon Following Arrest
On Friday, defensive lineman Darius Philon was arrested and charged with aggravated with a deadly weapon from an incident in May. On Saturday, the team made the decision to cut Philon, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. 
Philon allegedly pointed a gun and threatened to shoot a woman outside of a strip club on May 17th. The police report says the player pointed the gun at the victim, who was with another female, twice before she returned to the club, asking at one point “which one of you wants a bullet?” Philon drove away following the incident. On Friday, he was booked into the Maricopa County Jail and on Saturday he posted a $5,000 bond and was released.
The Cardinals signed the defensive end to a two-year deal in March worth $10MM and had slated him to fill a big role with the team in 2019. With Philon no longer in the picture, third-round pick Zach Allen is now expected to take over as a starter in Arizona.
A sixth-round selection in 2015, Philon played four seasons with the Chargers before signing with the Cardinals in 2019. The defensive lineman has appeared in 54 career games (19 starts) with 80 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Torn Pec Feared For Packers LB Oren Burks
Packers starting linebacker Oren Burks is believed to have suffered a torn pectoral muscle, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky writes. More tests are expected to determine the next course of action, Demovsky hears. 
The second-year linebacker sustained the injury, originally believed to be a shoulder injury, in the first quarter of Green Bay’s preseason opener vs. the Texans. When asked on Thursday, Packers coach Matt LaFleur did not provide an update on whether the injury would cost the linebacker significant time.
“Honestly, I don’t really know anything right now,” LaFleur said. “It’s kind of wait and see, but I hope not.”
A third-round selection in 2018, Burks appeared in 14 games as a rookie, starting four. He logged 24 tackles and was expected to take over as a starting inside linebacker alongside Blake Martinez in 2019. Though Burks was slated as a starter, it is essentially a part-time role in defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme, which calls for a hybrid safety at times to fill the role.
Bucs Release OL Evan Smith
The Buccaneers have released veteran offensive lineman Evan Smith, The Athletic’s Greg Auman tweets.
Entering his 11th season in the league and coming off two hip surgeries, Smith was due to make $2 MM in 2019. The move did not result in any dead cap space for Tampa Bay. Smith was slated to be a backup for the Bucs in 2019. His release now opens a spot as a backup guard/center for Earl Watford, Josh LeRibeus and undrafted rookie Nate Trewyn.
Undrafted coming out of Idaho State, Smith caught on with the Packers in 2009 and appeared in 13 games. He stayed in Green Bay as a versatile lineman for four seasons before joining the Buccaneers in 2014, with whom he started 15 games at center. Splitting time between both guard positions and center, Dietrich-Smith has been plagued by injuries in his last four season, playing in just 42 of a possible 64 games.
Extra Points: Gurley, Longacre, CBA
In his first day on the field at Rams training camp, Todd Gurley looked like vintage Gurley, The Athletic’s Vincent Bonsignore writes.
The All-Pro back looked like his old self early, showing an ability put plenty of weight on his knee and cut without any apparent issue. That knee, of course, underwent reconstructive surgery in college and gave him issues down the stretch in 2018, leading to C.J. Anderson‘s breakout stint in the playoffs.
As Bonsignore writes, that he looked good doesn’t mean much at this point. It’s all about getting him on the field and keeping him there over the course of a 16-game season. The Rams will be sure to take it easy with Gurley, but this is a great first step for one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers.
A healthy Gurley, who led the league in rushing touchdowns for a second consecutive season in 2018, would make the reigning NFC champions the conference’s favorites once again thanks to its loaded offense and talent-rich defense.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Buccaneers safety Orion Stewart was carted off the field on Sunday with an apparent serious right knee injury, Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The safety was covering Cameron Brate when their legs tangled, leading Stewart to come down awkwardly. A free agent acquisition in 2019, Stewart was working with the Bucs’ second unit.
- Colts defensive end Jabaal Sheard suffered a knee injury in training camp and is expected to “miss some time,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes. Just how long that “some time” is remains unclear, but the defensive end didn’t return to practice on Friday due to swelling and soreness. Colts head coach Frank Reich said the injury isn’t season-ending.
- Just four days after the Cardinals signed linebacker Matt Longacre, the team released him on Sunday, Florio writes. The move comes just a day after the team activated Brooks Reed from the physically unable to perform list. In 2018, Longacre appeared in 13 games with the Rams, recording one sack and 17 tackles.
- Lions defensive lineman Mike Daniels said he received interest from 13 teams but decided to join Detroit because he wanted to play for head coach Matt Patricia, Florio writes. Though the pair have never worked together before, Daniels called the coach “a genius.”
- Originally, a meeting was to be held on Monday to discuss the Collective Bargaining Agreement between owners and the NFLPA. That will no longer take place, as the meeting has been rescheduled for early August, Florio writes.
AFC South Notes: Henry, Lewan, Jags, Texans
Mystery still surrounds the extent of Titans running back Derrick Henry‘s leg injury, but as of now, there is no official timetable for when to expect the bruising back to return to the field, Titans online’s Jim Wyatt tweets.
The big back has missed a few days of training camp with the injury and was seen in a walking boot. Many do not expect the injury to be a serious one, but it does have an ominous feel to it after the team announced him as day-to-day on Saturday.
After taking over down the stretch in 2018, the former Alabama running back was expected to enter 2019 as the unquestioned workhorse. We will see if those plans are affected by the latest injury, but Tennessee has the likes of Dion Lewis waiting in the wings.
Here’s more from around the AFC South:
- Titans offensive lineman Taylor Lewan‘s four-game suspension will cost him $3.4MM in base salary, Paul Kuharsky writes. In addition to the base salary, the Titans also be able recoup part of his signing bonus. Lewan was suspension earlier this week for violated the league’s PED policy.
- Since Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has held out of camp for four days, he’s currently facing a fine of $160,000, ESPN’s Michael DiRocco tweets. That brings his total fine to $248,650 due to him missing mandatory minicamp. The fourth-year defensive end is expected to report back to the team in early August as he looks for a long-term deal.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien confirmed Lamar Miller is the team’s lead back but the other spots behind him are wide open, ESPN’s Sarah Barshop tweets. Behind Miller, Houston boasts a large collection of unproven backs looking to make an impact, led by D’Onta Foreman.
Saints Sign Patrick Omameh
Earlier today, it was reported the Saints were hosting free agent offensive lineman Patrick Omameh. That meeting apparently went well, as New Orleans signed the veteran on Sunday night, the player’s agent reports [Twitter link].
Since entering the league as UDFA in 2013, Omameh has racked up 56 games in his career and serves as valuable depth on a loaded New Orleans’ offensive attack.
He started all 16 games for the Buccaneers in 2014, and played 14 games for the Bears in 2015. He suited up for the Jaguars in the next two two seasons before inking a three-year, $15MM contract with the Giants last March. Omameh didn’t even last a full season with the Giants, who benched him in October and cut him in November after an underwhelming showing.
After being cut by the Giants, Omameh returned to the Jaguars and started six games down the stretch. After opening the year at right guard with the Giants, he finished the campaign largely on the left side of the Jacksonville line.