NFL Player News

Olave (concussion) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

His participation in the first practice of the week suggests Olave has at least some chance to join the small group of players that have suited up on gameday one week after entering concussion protocol. He caught seven passes for 114 yards during Sunday's loss to the Falcons before exiting early in the third quarter with the brain injury. The Saints already were playing without wideouts Michael Thomas (knee) and Rashid Shaheed (groin), the latter of whom was injured during the second quarter and then missed practice Wednesday. New Orleans finished out the game with A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden and Keith Kirkwood as its healthy receivers.

Smith was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice estimate due to a knee injury.

Smith has yet to miss a game in his three-year career, but he's now dealing with his third health concern of the season. On a positive note, he was able to manage some reps at Wednesday's walkthrough and will have two more chances to get back to full activity by the end of the week. Fellow wide receiver A.J. Brown continues to tend to a thigh injury, so the status of the two bears watching ahead of Sunday's matchup with the 49ers.

Brown (thigh) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report.

Brown kicked off last week in a similar position with a cap on his reps at Wednesday's walkthrough, which he followed up with a limited listing Thursday and then full activity Friday to avoid a designation for Week 12 action. He proceeded to handle a typical 94 percent of the snaps in this past Sunday's overtime win over the Bills on his way to five catches (on nine targets) for 37 yards and one touchdown. Brown's status will continue to be monitored to ensure he's on the same course ahead of Sunday's showdown with the 49ers.

Burks (concussion) was present for practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Burks' participation in Wednesday's session marked his first on-field activity since suffering a concussion Nov. 2 against the Steelers. The wideout will still need to pass through all the necessary steps in the NFL's concussion protocol in order to play Sunday against the Colts and put an end to a three-game absence.

Goodwin (concussion) will not participate at practice Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Goodwin sat out of Sunday's loss at Denver due to a concussion, which he's still dealing with to start the Browns' new week of practice. He'll likely need to return to practice Thursday or Friday to have a chance to play in Week 13 at the Rams.

Shaheed (quadriceps) wasn't spotted at the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Meanwhile, fellow wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion) participated in individual drills. With Olave and Shaheed banged up and Michael Thomas (knee) on injured reserve, A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden and Keith Kirkwood are the healthy wide receivers on the Saints' active roster.

Olave (concussion) took part in individual drills at Wednesday's practice, Brooke Kirkhofer of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Olave departed this past Sunday's loss in Atlanta with a concussion, but prior to the injury he torched the Falcons defense to the tune of seven catches (on nine targets) for 114 yards. Wednesday's injury report will reveal how much work Olave was able to handle in the Saints' first Week 13 session.

Johnston (ribs) is participating in practice Wednesday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

The extent of Johnston's participation remains to be seen, but his presence at practice Wednesday bodes well for his availability this weekend against the Patriots after he sat out most of the second half of Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Ravens. Johnston caught one of three targets for seven yards prior to hurting his ribs. The rookie wide receiver was medically cleared to return, so it's possible his inability to return to the game was at least in part performance-based.

Shenault (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday.

After leaving this past Sunday's loss to Tennessee due to an ankle injury, Shenault remains bothered by the injury. If Shenault's able to recover by Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, he could work as a depth option out of the slot or in the backfield for the Panthers in interim head coach Chris Tabor's debut. Shenault will have two more opportunities to practice before the Panthers release their final injury report Friday.

McCloud sat out Wednesday's practice with a rib injury, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

McCloud has played just 10 snaps on offense over the past three weeks but has an important role on the team as the primary returner for both kicks and punts. An absence for Sunday's showdown with the Eagles might free up a few more snaps and routes for Ronnie Bell, who also would be one of the leading candidates to replace McCloud on kick and punt returns.