NFL Player News

St. Brown (abdomen) said Thursday that his goal remains to play this Sunday against the Panthers, despite having sat out the Lions' first two Week 5 practices, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Though he's gone down as a non-participant on both of the Lions' two practice reports for Week 5, St. Brown hasn't been completely inactive during those sessions. As Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com notes, St. Brown was spotted working with trainers off to the side Thursday, just as the receiver was able to do Wednesday. Even so, the Lions will still presumably want to see St. Brown log at least some reps with the team before clearing him to play, so his activity (or lack thereof) at Friday's session will be more telling with regards to his chances of suiting up Sunday. If St. Brown ends up sitting out this weekend, quarterback Jared Goff could become more reliant on tight end Sam LaPorta, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and receivers Josh Reynolds (groin) and Jameson Williams, the last of whom is set to make his 2023 debut Sunday after completing a four-game suspension to begin the season.

Thornton (shoulder) wasn't designated to return from injured reserve ahead of either of the Patriots' two practices this week and appears set to remain out for Sunday's game against the Saints, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

After being placed on IR on Aug. 31 with the shoulder injury, Thornton has now missed the requisite four games and is eligible to play beginning this week. However, with Thornton having yet to reach the point in his recovery where he's able to practice, the second-year wideout looks as though he'll stick on IR for at least another week. Whenever the Patriots decide Thornton is fit to practice, the team will then have a 21-day window to evaluate him for a return to the 53-man roster.

Higgins (rib) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Higgins, who is dealing with a fractured rib, also missed Wednesday's practice, so what he's able to do Friday, if anything, will be telling with regard to his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Cardinals. Per Ben Baby of ESPN.com, Higgins suggested this past Monday that he could potentially play through his rib issue, noting, "Really, it's just up to me. Pain-wise, I might be able to go this week. I might not. You never know." If Higgins is limited or out this weekend, however, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site suggests that Tyler Boyd could log added outside WR snaps Week 5.

Adams (shoulder) won't practice Thursday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

Adams exited this past Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Chargers with a shoulder injury, but he subsequently returned to action and finished with eight catches for 75 yards on 13 targets while playing 59 of the Raiders' 69 snaps on offense. With an absence from practice Thursday on tap, Adams' status is now worth tracking as Monday's game against the Packers approaches. As long as the wideout avoids any setbacks, he'll likely continue to play through the shoulder issue Monday.

Head coach Brian Daboll said Robinson (knee) is set for limited participation in Thursday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

After suffering a 24-3 loss to Seattle on Monday, the Giants will face a quicker turnaround than usual in Week 5 while preparing for a Sunday matchup with Miami. As such, the Giants seem to be taking a cautious approach with Robinson, who played his first two games of the season Weeks 3 and 4 after sitting out the first two contests while he continued his rehab for his surgically repaired right knee. The team hasn't indicated that Robinson has suffered any setbacks with his knee, so he should be in good shape to play Sunday while continuing to serve as a go-to option for quarterback Daniel Jones. Through his first two games, Robinson has turned 11 targets into nine receptions for 61 yards and no touchdowns while also carrying once for a seven-yard gain.

St. Brown (abdomen) will be a non-participant in Thursday's practice, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

Per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com, St. Brown will be working out and running off to the side under the supervision of trainers, just as he did for the Lions' first official Week 5 practice session Wednesday as well as an unofficial session Tuesday. With no involvement in team reps thus far in Week 5, St. Brown may need to take part in drills in some capacity Friday to have a realistic shot at playing Sunday versus the Panthers. If St. Brown is sidelined this weekend, his absence would be cushioned to some extent by the return of 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams, who is eligible to make his season debut after serving a four-game suspension to begin the campaign.

Skowronek (Achilles) was a limited participant at the Rams' practice Wednesday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Skowronek was able to play in Week 4 versus the Colts, logging 39 snaps between the offensive unit and special teams, so he seems likely to play again Sunday against the Eagles. The wide receiver will look to ramp up his activity as the week progresses.

Kupp (hamstring) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice report, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

The Rams designated Kupp for return from injured reserve Wednesday, opening a 21-day in which to evaluate the wide receiver and clear him for game action. He dealt with a hamstring injury in training camp that flared up again following joint practices with the Broncos in mid-August. Thereafter, he visited a specialist in Minnesota before the team placed him on IR prior to Week 1. Head coach Sean McVay told Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic before Wednesday's session that the wide receiver "feels good," and Kupp is expected to increase his workload as the week goes on. Kupp thus will have two more opportunities to put himself in a position to come off injured reserve before Sunday's game against the Eagles.

Covey (concussion) was a non-participant at the Eagles' practice Wednesday.

Covey's absence comes as no surprise considering he entered concussion protocols Monday. The return specialist faces an uphill battle to be able to play Sunday against the Rams.

Jeudy (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Jeudy was limited at practices last Wednesday and Thursday before working fully Friday and heading into this past weekend's game against the Bears without an injury designation. After catching three of five targets for 52 yards and experiencing no reported setbacks with the knee in the Broncos' 31-28 win, Jeudy's listed limitations Wednesday may have just been maintenance-related.