NFL Player News

Kmet (knee) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

Kmet is a step ahead of last week's practice regimen as he tends to a knee issue, putting in a limited session one day earlier this time around. Still, he entered last weekend listed as questionable for this past Sunday's game against the Falcons, for which he was active but blanked in the box score. It remains to be seen if Kmet has a designation ahead of this Sunday's contest at Green Bay, something that will be revealed on Friday's injury report.

Wright (hip) did not participate at practice Wednesday.

Wright has sat out of both of Detroit's last two games due to a hip injury, and now he's missing the first practice of the new week. He'll probably have to return to practice Thursday or Friday to have a chance to play in Week 18.

Musgrave (kidney) was a limited participant at Wednesday's walkthrough.

Musgrave is maintaining his practice activity level from last week, when he was listed as doubtful for Week 17 action and eventually wasn't activated from injured reserve ahead of this past Sunday's game at Minnesota. Head coach Matt LaFleur told Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last Thursday that Musgrave must be medically cleared from his lacerated kidney and also look like himself in order to suit up on game days, which clearly hasn't come to pass yet. Musgrave will have two more chances this week to give the Packers enough evidence that activation from IR is a reasonable course of action before Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bears.

Brown was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a rib injury.

While Hunter Henry (knee) missed a second straight game, Brown saw his highest snap share of the season (68 percent) in this past Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Bills, finishing with one catch for five yards. However, he seemingly sustained an injury at some point along the way, and he may need to upgrade to full practice participation Thursday or Friday to avoid taking an injury designation into this weekend's season finale versus the Jets.

Mayer (toe) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

The second-round rookie has already missed the Raiders' last two games, and his continued absence from practice doesn't bode well for his chances of suiting up in Sunday's season finale versus the Broncos. While Mayer was sidelined last week, Austin Hooper played 85 percent of the offensive snaps, catching three passes for 28 yards on three targets in a 23-20 loss to the Colts.

Kelce was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a neck injury.

Kelce's neck issue doesn't appear to be a major concern, and he'll still have two more opportunities to practice fully this week before the Chiefs decide whether he carries a designation into Sunday's game against the Chargers. However, with the Chiefs locked in as the AFC's No. 3 seed in the playoffs, the tight end will be a candidate to be rested this weekend, especially if he's less than 100 percent. Kelce approaches Week 18 action needing 16 more receiving yards to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the eighth consecutive season.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that Higbee (shoulder) won't play in Sunday's game against the 49ers, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Higbee is nursing a shoulder injury, and the Rams have no reason to push him to play Week 18 with a wild-card spot already sewn up. McVay plans to rest several key starters, and Higbee will get an extra week to tend to his ailing shoulder. Look for Davis Allen to see significant playing time at tight end with Carson Wentz under center versus San Francisco on Sunday.

The Broncos won't activate Dulcich (foot) from injured reserve after his 21-day practice window closed Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Coming off a promising rookie campaign in which he tallied 33 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, Dulcich failed to take a step forward in 2023 due to hamstring and foot issues. He played just 32 offensive snaps across two games in 2023, catching three of four targets for 25 scoreless yards. The 23-year-old tight end has now missed 22 of 34 games to begin his professional career.

Johnson was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a chest injury.

Johnson sat out Weeks 4 through 7 due to a calf issue and has dealt with quadricep and shoulder concerns for about the last month. Despite the recent injuries, he's suited up in all six games since the Saints' Week 11 bye, recording a 20-231-3 receiving line on 34 targets during that span. It's unclear if the current injury is threatening his availability for Sunday's contest against the Falcons, but his activity level -- or lack thereof -- in the coming days could be telling for his Week 18 status.

Henry (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Henry has missed the Patriots' last two games due to the knee issue, but his limited participation in practice to kick off Week 18 prep would seem to suggest he has a better chance to play in Sunday's season finale against the Jets.