NFL Player News

Brown (shoulder) missed practice Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The wide receiver has been out since early August with the injury, including missing Houston's preseason game against the Steelers on Aug. 9. Brown recorded a career-high 567 receiving yards in 2023 and is competing for the fourth wide receiver spot behind Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Nico Collins.

Cooper (undisclosed) left Thursday's practice early after making a catch during 11-on-11 drills, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

When asked about Cooper afterward, coach Kevin Stefanski didn't specify the wideout's injury, noting that the veteran pass catcher is "sore," according to Oyefusi. Given that the team's starters aren't in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings, Cooper's next chance to see game action will arrive in Cleveland's exhibition finale against the Seahawks on Saturday, Aug. 24.

The Bills have reached an injury settlement with Claypool (toe), Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The Bills placed Claypool on injured reserve Tuesday, but following Thursday's injury settlement, the veteran wideout is now free to catch on elsewhere once he's past a toe issue that he sustained July 28. Unless he ends up in an ideal situation, however, the 2020 second-rounder seems unlikely to make much of a fantasy impact early on this season.

Cooks departed Thursday's practice early due to knee soreness, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Cooks reportedly pulled up gingerly during a route during Wednesday's joint practice with the Rams, which could be how his knee soreness originated. The veteran wide receiver's injury doesn't currently look too serious, but with No. 1 wideout CeeDee Lamb (contract dispute) still holding out from camp, any time missed by Cooks could significantly impact the first-team offense in pass-catching drills. As long as Cooks is sidelined, Jalen Tolbert will have an opportunity to handle an increased role at practice.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that Addison (ankle) did not suffer a major injury during Wednesday's practice, when the receiver was carted off the field, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

O'Connell noted that he doesn't envision Addison missing extended time, though the second-year wideout looks likely to sit out Saturday's exhibition contest against Cleveland. Addison could be a candidate to return in time for the Vikings' preseason finale at Philadelphia on Aug. 24, though it'll depend on how quickly he gets back on the practice field.

Cooks continues to show excellent chemistry with Dak Prescott during training camp, Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf of The Athletic report.

CeeDee Lamb's holdout has allowed Cooks to operate as the Cowboys' No. 1 receiver in camp, and the veteran has taken advantage. "He's having a hell of a camp," coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday. "I think we had a statistic last week that throughout every three catches that he's made in the team work has been either a touchdown or a big play." Cooks had a somewhat disappointing first season with Dallas in 2023, failing to see at least 100 targets while playing at least 15 regular-season games for the first time in his career. His eight TDs were his best total since 2016 though, and the 30-year-old speedster is still in great shape. Cooks still seems capable of putting up big numbers if he gets the volume, something which could depend on Lamb's status for Week 1.

Coach Brian Daboll said Thursday that Nabers (ankle) will be a full participant in practice, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Daboll also said there's "definitely a chance" Nabers plays in Saturday's preseason game against the Texans, per Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record. The rookie first-round pick suffered an ankle injury at practice Sunday, and despite initial concerns, Nabers has managed to work his way back from the sprain in quick fashion. During last week's preseason opener against the Lions, Nabers went without a target while playing on the game's first three drives. Daboll has stated that Daniel Jones will play Saturday after sitting out last week, so if Nabers is given the go-ahead to face Detroit he'll have his first chance to demonstrate on-field chemistry with his No. 1 quarterback.

Rice and other starters are scheduled to play the first half of Saturday's preseason game against Detroit, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

The Chiefs won't necessarily use all their starters for the entire first half, but they apparently plan to put the first unit out there for far more snaps than other teams tend to be comfortable with. Rice is locked in as a starter and top target for QB Patrick Mahomes, with the biggest question at this point being whether the wideout eventually gets suspended for his off-field problems this offseason. While avoiding a suspension entirely is highly unlikely, there's some chance league punishment doesn't come down until after the season.

Coach Dan Quinn suggested Thursday that Zaccheaus is competing for the Commanders' No. 2 receiver role, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson entered camp as a clear favorite for the role, but there have been some signs he's not exactly a lock, including his extended playing time in the preseason opener against New York. Quinn is now confirming there's a competition, with Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown presumably the main candidates to displace Dotson (and rookie third-round pick Luke McCaffrey possibly also in the mix for a top-three role). Zaccheaus only get a few snaps with the first-team offense in the preseason opener, but one of those was a 42-yard catch on the third play of the game.

Coach Dan Quinn suggested Wednesday that Dotson hasn't locked down the No. 2 receiver job, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Quinn said the Commanders are "in the middle of" a search for their No. 2 receiver, with John Keim of ESPN.com noting that Olamide Zaccheaus has been more consistent than Dotson in training camp. This may seem surprising given that Dotson was a first-round pick in 2022 and had a promising rookie season, but he was one of the least efficient starting WRs in the league last year in terms of both per-target and per-route production. He then played most of the first half in Washington's preseason opener against the Jets on Saturday, whereas sure-thing starters like QB Jayden Daniels and WR Terry McLaurin mostly were removed after the first drive. Dotson did get a lot of slot work against the Jets, suggesting he could settle in as the No. 3 receiver (and quite possibly draw more targets than Zaccheaus or whoever else is considered the No. 2).