NFL Player News

Johnson is questionable to return to Thursday's game against the Cowboys due to a neck injury, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Johnson went down awkwardly following a big gain in the first quarter of Thursday's matchup and headed to the locker room after spending several minutes in the medical tent. Garrett Griffin should see a slight uptick in playing time if Johnson is unable to return.

Kmet (groin) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

Kmet was among a handful of Bears skill-position players to sit out Wednesday, but he was the only one of them to fit in some activity one day later. He seems to be trending in the right direction, but Friday's injury report will be key to determining whether he may be available Sunday against the Cardinals.

Freiermuth (concussion) practiced fully Thursday.

Back-to-back full sessions have Freiermuth trending toward suiting up Sunday against the Ravens. Friday's final injury report will reveal whether he has fully cleared concussion protocol and if so, the Steelers' top tight end will head into the weekend minus a Week 13 injury designation.

Waller (knee) remained a spectator for Thursday's practice, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

Now that he's missed the Raiders' first two Week 13 practices in addition to having interim head coach Rich Bisaccia label him as "week-to-week," Waller is trending toward missing his second game of the season Sunday against Washington. Assuming Waller continues to sit out practice Friday, he'll likely be officially ruled out in advance of the weekend, paving the way for Foster Moreau to fill in for him as the Raiders' starting tight end. When Waller was sidelined with an ankle injury in a Week 7 game against the Eagles, Moreau played 100 percent of the offensive snaps and reeled in six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Seals-Jones (hip) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Prior to exiting early in Washington's Week 10 win over Tampa Bay with a hip injury and then missing the Football Team's next two games, Seals-Jones played no fewer than 92 percent of the offensive snaps in any of his previous five appearances. With a pair of limited practices to begin Week 13 prep, Seals-Jones has a decent chance of suiting up Sunday against Las Vegas, but he'll likely be looking at a significant role reduction if he's active for the contest. Seals-Jones' snap counts before he suffered the injury were inflated by the absence of top tight end Logan Thomas (hamstring), who returned from injured reserve Monday and drew six targets in Washington's 17-15 win over Seattle. Like Seals-Jones, Thomas has been limited in both of Washington's first two practices of the week, but the latter will be the team's unquestioned No. 1 option at the position if he's cleared to play Sunday, as expected.

Thomas (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas' reps were capped for the second day in a row, but Washington hasn't suggested that the tight end experienced any setbacks in his return from a six-game absence in Monday's 17-15 win over Seattle. He played 77 percent of the snaps in the victory and finished with three receptions for 31 yards on six targets, and he could be primed for a larger snap count Week 13 against Las Vegas now that the hamstring issue is a little further in the rear-view mirror.

Smith (knee) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Smith hasn't seen game action since Week 9. Given his recent inactivity, Smith's likely to remain sidelined Sunday in Miami, though a more definitive update on his status should arrive when the Giants publish their injury report Friday.

Hill will be the Saints' starting quarterback Thursday against the Cowboys, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.

Hill revealed Tuesday that the foot injury he's dealt with of late is a partial tear in his plantar fascia, according to Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. As a result of the issue, Hill has been kept on the sideline the past two contests as an emergency option, but he's poised for his first game action since Week 10 and first start of the campaign, replacing Trevor Siemian in the process. In four spot starts in place of Drew Brees last season, Hill completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 208.5 yards per game, tossed four touchdowns versus two interceptions and recorded 39 carries for 209 yards and four touchdowns.

Kmet was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a groin injury.

Kmet, a 2020 draftee, has flashed his second-round pedigree at times this season, including last Thursday in Detroit, where he hauled in eight of 11 targets for 65 yards. He emerged from the contest with a groin issue, however, which will need to be monitored this week to get a sense of his status for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Smith (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Smith's knee has been a chronic issue throughout the season, and he hasn't appeared in game since Week 9 against the Raiders while he continues to manage the injury. His absence to begin Week 13 prep doesn't bode well for Smith's early chances of suiting up Sunday in Miami.