NFL Player News

Olatoke was designated to be the Panthers' International Player Pathway Program player Monday and will join the team's practice squad, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Olatoke first signed with the Chargers in June as an undrafted free agent, but he's now found a new home on Carolina's practice squad. The Nigerian-born wide receiver has very limited experience playing football, as he played for Ohio State's Club Football program in 2023. However, Olatoke was an All-Big Ten sprinter at Ohio State, so he definitely brings speed to the table. Additionally, Olatoke won't count against Carolina's practice-squad size limit of 16 due being a part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.

The 49ers placed Pearsall (chest/shoulder) on the reserve/non-football injury list Monday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pearsall's placement on the reserve/NFI list rules him out for at least the first four games of the regular season after he sustained a gunshot wound to the chest as the victim of a robbery attempt Saturday. The rookie first-round pick was discharged from San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center on Sunday after having had his condition upgraded from "serious" to "fair" earlier in the day.

Head coach Shane Steichen noted Monday that Downs is "progressing well" while rehabbing his left high-ankle sprain, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

That said, it's unclear if Downs will be able to practice Wednesday, with the wideout's status for Sunday's game against the Texans to be determined, per James Boyd of The Athletic. If Downs is unavailable for Week 1, look for Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce to see added opportunities this weekend behind top wideout Michael Pittman.

Addison (ankle) was spotted warming up during the portion of Monday's practice open to the media, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Addison appears to be practicing without a helmet Monday, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic, an indication that he's logging a limited session. Nonetheless, it's encouraging to see the second-year wideout handling reps again for the first time since he was carted off the field Aug. 14. The Vikings will likely continue ramping up Addison's activity level ahead of Sunday's regular-season opener on the road against the Giants. Wednesday's first official practice report of the campaign will shed more light on Addison's status for Week 1.

Weaver "nicked" his oblique, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon, and did not practice Monday, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Weaver's injury comes at an inopportune time, as the 23-year-old was able to make the 53-man roster despite going undrafted out of Colorado. Likely aiding his inclusion on the active roster was the five-game suspension of Zay Jones for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Any missed time for Weaver could be lost opportunity with Jones on the sidelines. However, Weaver will work to get back on the field sometime this week ahead of the team's season opener Sunday against the Bills.

Brown (shoulder) won't practice Monday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

The Chiefs open their regular-season slate Thursday night against the Ravens, and coach Andy Reid acknowledged to McMullen that the wideout is not expected to be available for the contest. Though Brown appears on track to be officially ruled out by the team ahead of Week 1 action, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com relays that Reid has noted that Brown's progress in his recovery has been very encouraging. In his anticipated absence versus Baltimore, fellow WRs Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy should have an opportunity to make their mark in fantasy lineups out of the gate.

Chase did not participate in Monday's practice, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Chase was present for the beginning of the session, though not in uniform. The Bengals won't have to release an official practice/injury report before Wednesday, but with the team's season opener quickly approaching, the wideout's status will need to be monitored closely ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff against the Patriots. For his part, coach Zac Taylor indicated that the team will "just take it day by day" in terms of the star wideout's Week 1 availability, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Hill (thumb) said Monday that he's "100 percent" healthy, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Hill returned to practice Monday after having been limited since mid-August due to a hand/thumb injury. It always looked like the Dolphins were simply taking a cautious approach to Hill's recovery, but it's encouraging to see the star wideout remove any ambiguity from the situation ahead of Week 1. Hill is locked in as a top tier fantasy option for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Jaguars, while teammate Jaylen Waddle (undisclosed), who also resumed practicing Monday, also seems on track to suit up without issue.

Bell (quadriceps) did not practice Monday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Bell has been out of action since suffering the injury Aug. 10 against the Packers. The third-year pro was expected to return to practice this week, but for now, he'll be considered questionable for Cleveland's Week 1 matchup with the Cowboys on Sunday. Currently slotted in as the team's No. 5 wideout on the positional depth chart, his potential absence likely won't have much of an impact on the offense but would probably allow rookie Jamari Thrash to see a few snaps.

Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Waddle (undisclosed) and Tyreek Hill (thumb) will both practice and have had "no setbacks," Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

McDaniel seems to be indicating that Hill and Waddle, both of whom have been held out of practice recently due to minor injuries, remain on track to suit up for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Jaguars. Waddle practiced in a non-contact jersey last week, but it seems likely that his activity level will now be ramping up. If McDaniel doesn't offer more information on the health of Miami's star wide receivers earlier, Wednesday's official practice report will reveal more about the status of both Waddle and Hill.