NFL Player News

Allen (heel) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

By the end of August, Allen had developed what GM Ryan Poles called discomfort in his foot, and the Bears' first injury report of Week 1 revealed the issue to be to his heel. He thus has just one more chance to get back to full Friday before the Bears potentially hand him a designation for Sunday's contest versus the Titans. Allen would yield targets to fellow WRs DJ Moore and Rome Odunze if he's inhibited or out this weekend.

Chark (hip) remained sidelined at Thursday's practice, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Chark came up limping in practice on Aug. 19 and has been dealing with the injury ever since. Back-to-back DNPs to open the practice week aren't a good sign for the veteran wideout's Week 1 availability against the Raiders, but Chark has one more day of practice to get out there ahead of Sunday. If Chark is unable to play, Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston would likely be the Chargers' three-wide set versus Las Vegas.

Chase (not injury-related/rest) was listed as limited at practice Thursday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Back-to-back practice appearances, in any capacity, on the part of Chase -- who is seeking a new contract with the Bengals -- are no doubt a positive sign, but according to Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer, at this stage coach Zac Taylor won't confirm whether Chase is expected to play in Sunday's season opener against the Patriots. With that in mind, Conway notes that the Bengals and Chase are taking this "day-to-day" in the hopes of working something out before the end of the week.

Higgins (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Higgins didn't show any notable signs of injury during his post-practice locker room availability, per Dehner, but it looks like a hamstring issue is at least slightly bothering him ahead of Sunday's regular-season opener against the Patriots. Then again, with Ja'Marr Chase still limited amid an ongoing contract dispute, the Bengals could simply be taking a cautious approach to the health of Higgins ahead of Week 1 action. Friday's final practice/injury report of the week will reveal whether he heads into the weekend with a designation.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Pearsall (chest/shoulder) will focus on resting for roughly one more week before beginning his rehab process, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Pearsall, who will have to spend at least the first four games of the season on the reserve/non-football injury list, is in the early stages of recovery after having sustained a gunshot wound during an attempted robbery over the weekend. General manager John Lynch said Wednesday that he expects Pearsall to play in his rookie season, but it remains to be seen what sort of recovery timetable the 49ers have in mind. It's encouraging, though, that Pearsall is already nearing clearance to start rehab work. To begin the regular season, Jauan Jennings (oblique) looks set to operate as the No. 3 wideout behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

Doubs (hand) doesn't have a designation for Friday's game against the Eagles in Brazil, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Doubs surprisingly was included on Green Bay's first Week 1 injury report with a hand issue, which capped his reps at Tuesday's practice and led to an estimated limited listing Wednesday. Having said that, he logged a full session to end the week and thus is ready for the team's season opener. Doubs is coming off a 59-674-8 line on 96 targets in 17 regular-season games in his second campaign as a pro in 2023.

The Browns waived Bell on Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Bell, a 2022 third-round pick, failed to emerge as a regular starter in his first two seasons with Cleveland, but Cabot reports that the team hopes a reunion will be possible if he goes unclaimed on waivers. In Wednesday's practice Bell was limited with a quadriceps issue, but it looks like he's now healthy and wasn't waived with an injury designation.

Perry didn't practice Thursday due to a hand injury, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Perry is making a sudden appearance on the Saints' Week 1 practice report, making his status worthwhile to follow in advance of the weekend. Ultimately, his listing on Friday's report will give a sense of his potential to play Sunday against the Panthers. Perry put together an impressive preseason, leading the entire NFL with 176 receiving yards and putting himself in a position to be a regular wide receiver in New Orleans' offense in 2024.

Downs (ankle) wasn't spotted at Thursday's practice, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Though officially listed as a non-participant in the Colts' first practice of the week, Downs -- who is bouncing back from a high-ankle sprain -- noted that he ran some routes during Wednesday's session, while suggesting that he's "real close" to returning, per Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis. With another DNP looming Thursday, what, if anything, Downs is able to do Friday figures to be pivotal in terms of his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Texans.

Nacua (knee) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Nacua has been tending to a bursa sac issue in his knee since Aug. 4, when he initially suffered the injury. Last Thursday, head coach Sean McVay told Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site that Nacua logged every practice rep, and the team officially cleared him Wednesday with his listing on its first injury report of the season. With his health not in question for Sunday's game in Detroit, Nacua will seek to build on a promising rookie season in which he produced a 105-1,486-6 receiving line on 160 targets in 17 games.