NFL Player News

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Grant will return kickoffs and punts during Saturday's preseason game against the Chiefs, Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Grant has not yet appeared in any of the Browns' preseason games while he was brought along slowly from an Achilles' injury. Despite not appearing in game action, Grant has been a full practice participant and often taken the first (and sometimes only) reps as the returner. Stefanski said he doesn't need to see Grant on offense before making a roster decision, so it appears that Grant will secure a roster spot heading into the regular season, if he comes out of Saturday's game in good health. The back end of the wideout depth chart remains murky in terms of health and the number of wideouts the team plans to keep. Marquise Goodwin (illness), Jaelon Darden (leg) and Anthony Schwartz (hamstring) are iffy heading into Saturday's preseason finale.

Durden (knee) suffered a non-contact knee injury during Wednesday's practice, and there is concern he may have suffered a torn ACL, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Durden was carted off the practice field with a knee injury Wednesday, and the wideout will undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the issue. Gehlken reports that multiple people familiar with the situation are concerned that Durden's ACL may not be intact. The 24-year-old has impressed as an undrafted free agent rookie in camp thus far. A serious knee injury would be a major blow for Durden, as the receiver seemed like a good bet to make the Cowboys' practice squad to start the season at the very least.

Durden was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury while doing 1-on-1 work in training camp Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Durden suffered a concussion earlier in camp but had shown enough improvement from that issue to participate in 1-on-1 drills. However, he's now dealing with a leg injury that appears to be serious given the need for him to be carted off the field. Durden has been competing for a depth role at wide receiver after signing with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in May.

Bateman said Wednesday that his surgically-repaired foot feels "99 percent" healthy, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site reports.

Bateman underwent Lisfranc surgery last November and started training camp on the PUP list. He was activated Aug. 9 and progressed to 11-on-11 work and team drills just last week. As long as he steers clear of any setbacks with the foot coming out of Saturday's preseason finale versus the Buccaneers, Bateman should enter Week 1 without any restrictions. Bateman should be a fixture in three-receiver sets alongside Zay Flowers, and Odell Beckham, with veteran Nelson Agholor subbing in as the No. 4 wideout.

Bridges has a sprained ligament in his knee and will miss multiple weeks, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site reports.

Bridges missed practice Wednesday, and it was later revealed by head coach John Harbaugh that the wideout is dealing with a ligament sprain in his knee. Harbaugh indicated that Bridges will be sidelined for at least two weeks, which means that he'll miss Saturday's exhibition finale in Tampa Bay. He had been competing for one of the final receiver spots on the initial 53-man roster but was considered a long shot to make the squad.

Flowers signed with the Seahawks on Wednesday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

An undrafted free agent out of Montana, Flowers initially signed with the Saints in May, but he was let go in mid-June. The rookie is a long shot to make Seattle's initial 53-man roster, but he could earn a practice-squad deal with a solid showing during the final days of training camp. Flowers excelled as a kick returner in college, notching seven career touchdowns.

Erickson received reps with the starters in practice Wednesday and has a chance to secure a roster spot with the Jets following Corey Davis' announcement that he's stepping away from football, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

With Davis out of the picture, the Jets will have one or possibly two open roster spots at wide receiver behind Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard (undisclosed), Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb. Erickson is competing for those openings against undrafted rookies Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson. Given the 30-year-old's edge in experience and his ability to contribute in the return game on special teams, Erickson likely has an inside track on making the team.

Lazard (undisclosed) isn't expected to miss significant time due to the injury he suffered in practice Wednesday, Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York reports.

Lazard exited practice early Wednesday after making the play of the day by scoring a 30-yard touchdown over cornerback Sauce Gardner. While a specific return timeframe for Lazard has yet to be established, Hughes relays that all indications point to the wideout dealing with a short-term issue. Lazard will likely be kept out of Saturday's preseason finale against the Giants but should be good to go for the Sept. 11 season opener against the Bills. Upon his return, Lazard will face less competition for playing time, as fellow big-bodied receiver Corey Davis surprisingly announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, per Andy Vasquez of The Newark Star-Ledger.

Kupp (hamstring) participated in Wednesday's joint practice with the Broncos, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Kupp exited practice Aug. 1 due to a hamstring injury that was expected to keep him out until joint sessions with either the Raiders or Broncos. His first chance to return to drills came and went without the wide receiver seeing the field, but he relayed during Saturday's preseason game against Las Vegas that he intended to get back in the mix versus Denver. Indeed, Kupp took part in Monday's practice and followed it up with an appearance Wednesday. Perhaps the Rams want to see Kupp put together back-to-back days with on-field work before clearing him for full activity, but his incremental progress this week indicates he'll be healthy in advance of a Week 1 road matchup with the Seahawks.

Thornton (undisclosed) didn't practice Wednesday, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Unless he returns to the field in some fashion Thursday, Thornton looks as though he'll end up missing Friday's preseason finale versus the Titans. Whenever he returns to the field, the 2022 second-round pick will have to make up some ground in order to secure a steady role in the Patriots offense early on this season. As the depth chart currently stands, JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne profile as the team's top three receivers, with Thornton and rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte competing for depth roles.