Wednesday saw some stars return to the field, while others at least gave a date when they would return; some QBs moved closer to winning jobs, while others slipped closer to losing them; and, as always, injured players tried to get back into action as soon as they could (or sooner) before their teams decided they were expendable. In other words, it was a typical day for the NFL as the league hurtles towards Week 1.

• Le'Veon Bell gave up on his holdout, tweeting that he would sign his franchise tender and rejoin the Steelers on Sept. 1. Conveniently, this will result in him missing the entire preseason schedule. Hmm. There's always a chance he's still not 100 percent from offseason groin surgery, but it's more likely skipping the team's exhibition games and working out on his own will leave him fresh as a daisy for Week 1. He remains in the conversation for the top overall pick in fantasy drafts.
• Jordan Reed saw his first action in practice of the offseason Wednesday while wearing a customized orthotic to help support his left foot. It's unclear exactly how much work he got in -- coach Jay Gruden said he was a "full" participant, but reports during the practice suggested he was only taking part in individual drills -- but either way the tight end is on pace to be ready for Week 1. Of course, he hasn't yet played more than 14 games in a season during his career, so being ready for Week 1 doesn't necessarily mean he'll be ready for Weeks 2-17. With DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon gone, though, Reed's familiarity with the Washington offense and chemistry with Kirk Cousins should make him the team's top target for however many games he's in the lineup.
• in other news out of Washington, Gruden all but squashed the idea that Rob Kelley's job as the starting running back was being threatened by rookie Samaje Perine. Perine's had the better preseason to date, and plenty of RBs before Kelley have come out of nowhere to have one big season before fading away, but at least for now it looks like Fat Rob will still get the majority, or at least the plurality, of backfield touches for the team to begin the year. Perine remains an intriguing RB lottery ticket if you have the bench depth to stash him for a month or so, though.
• the QB drama continued in Jacksonville, as coach Doug Marrone named Chad Henne, and not Blake Bortles, his starter for Thursday's preseason game against the Panthers. Bortles will still get snaps with the first-team offense, however, and the entire situation feels more like an attempt to motivate Bortles than a serious threat to give the top spot on the depth chart to Henne -- a guy who hasn't thrown a regular-season pass in the NFL since 2014 and who has a career 58:63 TD:INT and 75.5 QB rating. Then again, in his last stint as a head coach in Buffalo, Marrone messed with EJ Manuel's head too and eventually benched him for Kyle Orton, so maybe he just has a fetish for mediocre career backups.
• seventh overall pick Mike Williams is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a herniated disc in his back, and the Chargers receiver is already running sprints. There's still no timetable for his return, though, and the team has enough depth at the position between Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin not to feel much pressure to rush the rookie. First-year WRs are usually bad fantasy investments anyway, so even though the news here is good, the amount of time he's lost in the offseason all but ensures he'll be playing catch up in the offense instead of just catching passes. Williams should only be on your radar in dynasty formats.
• another player making good progress in his recovery from an injury is Devontae Booker, who suffered a hairline fracture in his wrist in late July. He's still likely out of action until at least Week 3, which gives C.J. Anderson an early jump on locking down the starting RB spot, but the Broncos haven't yet given up on their 2016 fourth-round pick. If Booker returns and provides more of a spark than he did as a rookie, a timeshare between the two -- or even the three, if Jamaal Charles somehow still has anything left in the tank -- seems likely as the season wears on.
• DeShone Kizer appears to have taken the lead in the QB battle in Cleveland, and will start the team's preseason game Saturday. The rookie likely won't be asked to do too much in 2017 as the offense leans on Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, at least in games that remain relatively close, but his mobility gives him a decent fantasy floor and his arm strength could allow him to find Corey Coleman for a bomb now and then. Hilariously, this puts Brock Osweiler back on the trade block, although considering that the Browns asked for (and got!) a second-round pick from Houston just to swallow his contract, it seems unlikely they'll find many takers. Maybe if the Jets' QBs are too competent and threaten to win a game at some point, Osweiler will look like an enticing alternative.