NFL Player News

Burks won't practice Wednesday due to a personal matter, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com, Burks is expected to return to practice Thursday. In the Titans' 16-15 loss to the Saints in Week 1, Burks started opposite DeAndre Hopkins and recorded two catches for 18 yards on three targets.

Dell is expected to handle an expanded role after the Texans placed on Noah Brown (groin) was injured reserve Wednesday.

Brown will miss a minimum of four games, which may pave the way for Dell to play consistently in three-receiver sets alongside Robert Woods and Nico Collins. However, the potential return of John Metchie (hamstring) in Week 2 could further alter the pecking order at wideout. In his NFL debut against the Ravens last weekend, Dell had three catches for 34 yards while playing 37 offensive snaps, compared to 52 snaps for Brown. Dell had a productive preseason, and the diminutive rookie has a nice opportunity in front of him, beginning with Sunday's game against the Colts.

Strachan is expected to sign with the Panthers' practice squad Wednesday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Strachan was cut from the Colts' practice squad Tuesday, so it didn't take long for the Charleston product to find a new home. The 2021 seventh-round selection appeared in 13 games for Indianapolis last season, recording three catches on nine targets for 59 yards.

The Texans placed Brown on injured reserve Wednesday with a groin injury.

Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Brown's groin injury is viewed as a short-term issue, which suggests that the wideout could be back in action Week 6 after missing the minimum four games. In Brown's looming absence, 2023 third-round rookie Tank Dell is expected to see added snaps alongside Nico Collins and Robert Woods.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said Wednesday that Meyers remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Meyers still has time to clear the five-step protocol ahead of Sunday's game in Buffalo, but his status will need to be monitored over the next few days. Prior to being forced out of this past weekend's 17-16 win over the Broncos, Meyers caught nine of his 10 targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnson (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined up to four weeks, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Johnson already appeared likely to miss Monday's game against the Browns after injuring his right hamstring in Pittsburgh's season-opening loss to the 49ers, and based on follow-up exams, he now looks like a potential candidate for injured reserve, if the estimated four-week recovery timetable is accurate. Pittsburgh is on bye Week 6, meaning if Johnson were to miss the next four games, his earliest return date would be Oct. 22 versus the Rams. For however long Johnson is sidelined, George Pickens, Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin will serve as the Steelers' top three wideouts.

Kirklin was cut from the Saints' practice squad Tuesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Kirklin spent most of training camp in New Orleans but was ultimately unable to carve out a spot on the roster. He subsequently landed on their practice squad, but it now looks like the team is going in a different direction. As a result, the pass catcher will be on the hunt for landing spot.

Pittsburgh signed Copeland to its practice squad Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

The undrafted rookie will join his third NFL organization after cutting ties with Minnesota back in August. Barring a slew of injuries to Pittsburgh's wide receiver room, it doesn't seem likely Copeland will be elevated to the active roster anytime soon.

Gipson had two punt returns for 66 yards and a touchdown and two kickoff returns for 46 yards in Monday's 22-16 overtime win over the Bills.

Gipson won the game with a 65-yard punt return touchdown in overtime. He got free down the left sideline, then patiently waited for blockers to clear the way before working his way into the end zone to send the MetLife Stadium crowd into a frenzy. It was an unforgettable moment for the undrafted wide receiver out of Stephen F. Austin, who was making his NFL debut. Gipson doesn't have much of a role on offense, but he could be an asset in formats that reward return yardage.

Irwin played 10 offensive snaps in Week 1 against the Browns but didn't get targeted in the loss.

Irwin was still ahead of rookies Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas on the depth chart, as they only had one snap on offense between the two of them. Irwin's production will remain limited as long as Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are all healthy.