NFL Catchup: Geno Smith Delivers In Preseason, Tyreek Hill Still In Recovery Mode

Preseason stars continue to emerge, free agents continue to ink new deals and injuries still headline the news. But one free agent has a bigger question mark than others: Tyreek Hill. After Hill’s season-ending injury early last season – and being released by Miami in February – his priority still remains his health and recovery, rather than joining a new team. On the other hand, the Houston Texans acted fast after wide receiver Jayden Higgins suffered a season-ending injury, and signed two new wide receivers on Friday. In terms of preseason starts, Jets quarterback Geno Smith needed one drive to put points on the board for New York, and Carolina Panthers’ running back Jonathan Brooks found the end zone early. However, the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks await serious injury news regarding the status of wide receiver Jake Bobo. Catch up with all the updates across the NFL: Former Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill has been a big question mark this offseason; where will the free agent land next? Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, joined the Pat McAfee show on Friday to discuss Hill’s timeline in terms of signing with a new team. “I don’t expect Tyreek to sign before the season starts,” Rosenhaus said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday. “He sent me videos of him running hills yesterday, and he looked great. “I do think when he does sign, he will be the kind of guy that will impact the playoff race and will certainly be successful.” Hill spent the last four seasons with the Dolphins, and six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs prior to signing with Miami. However, after Hill’s Week 4 season-ending knee injury last season, Rosenhaus emphasized that Hill’s priority is getting back to full health before he inks a new deal. “Tyreek Hill is gonna take his time and pick the right team,” Rosenhaus added. “He’s gonna come back fully healthy and he wants to help a team win a Super Bowl.” So Hill still expects to return at some point, but he’ll be calculated in determining his team and timeline. Geno Smith played one drive on Friday night, and he made it count. Starting the Jets’ preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Smith went 7-for-7 for 65 yards and a touchdown pass to tight end Jelani Woods. The drive featured a 21-yard completion to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and 10-yard completions to tight end Mason Taylor and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. This was Smith’s first preseason action this year. Rookie Cade Klubnik relieved Smith after an impressive preseason debut last week against the Buccaneers that saw him go 5-of-7 for 56 yards. The Clemson product may see time later in the regular season, but Smith will likely be the guy in Week 1. In the second game of the night, running back Jonathon Brooks showed that he might finally be ready to make a difference for the Carolina Panthers. Bryce Young marched the Panthers’ offense down the field, going 5-of-6 for 49 yards in his two drives, including two completions for a total of 25 yards to wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Brooks completed the Panthers’ second drive with a one-yard touchdown run. He totaled five carries for 18 yards on Friday. Brooks was a second-round pick in 2024 out of Texas and was drafted after having sustained a torn ACL during his last season in college. He suffered the same injury in Week 14 of his rookie year, again in his right knee, just the third game of his rookie season after returning from the initial injury. Brooks then sat out all of 2025. Since the end of last season, running back Rico Dowdle signed with the Steelers, leaving Chuba Hubbard as the lead back for Carolina. That also gives Brooks a chance to compete for carries — if he can stay healthy. The Houston Texans wasted no time once wide receiver Jayden Higgins was placed on the season-ending injured reserve. Houston signed veteran receivers Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones on Friday, according to NFL Network. Shepard spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jones was with the Arizona Cardinals for two seasons. With Higgins out, the additions of experienced receivers like Jones and Shepard can benefit quarterback C.J. Stroud and the offense. Jones and Shepard join a Houston receiving room that includes Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, and Tank Dell. After Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo was carted off during Friday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans, he will undergo tests to determine the severity of his knee injury. Bobo’s shining moment from last season came in Seattle’s NFC Championship win over the Rams, when he hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Darnold in the third quarter. Seahawks head coach Mike Maconald called Bobo’s injury “serious” and that it could leave Bobo sidelined for most of the regular season. “Our heart goes out to Jake Bobo,” Macdonald said after practice. “It seems like it’s going to be a serious knee. We’re going to get an image, but early returns, you know, just looks like it is a long-term injury. So, that’s unfortunate.”