NFL Player News

Johnson (toe) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Johnson missed practice last Wednesday and Thursday with the same injury before being listed questionable for this past Saturday's win over the Raiders. The wideout played in the contest while logging an 88 percent snap share and catching five of his seven targets for 64 yards. With no reported setbacks coming out of that game, chances are Johnson's listed limitations Wednesday are a case of his reps being managed in advance of this weekend's showdown with the Ravens.

St. Brown (concussion) didn't take part in practice Wednesday.

Since sustaining a concussion Week 15 against the Eagles, St. Brown hasn't logged any on-field work, signaling that he hasn't made much, if any, progress through the five-step protocol for head injuries. Chase Claypool (knee) also didn't practice Wednesday, while Dante Pettis (ankle) was limited, so the Bears' receiving corps is particularly banged-up at the moment.

Claypool (knee) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

Claypool has been dealing with a knee issue for the better part of the last month, and while he played Week 13 against the Packers, he's missed two straight games since the Bears' Week 14 bye. He hasn't made a noticeable step forward in his recovery from the injury, but he has two more chances to mix into drills this week before the Bears potentially make a decision on his availability for Sunday's contest at Detroit.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that Lockett "did everything" at Wednesday's walk-through practice and "looked great" after undergoing surgery on a broken index finger Dec. 19, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Lockett sustained the finger fracture Week 15 and didn't suit up this past Saturday at Kansas City, but he now appears to be in a good spot as the Seahawks prepare for Sunday's game against the Jets. Carroll didn't tip his hand regarding Lockett's chances to play Week 17, as Lockett's continued participation in practice the next two days is likely to guide that decision. Wednesday's injury report will reveal how much, if any, activity Lockett was able to handle at Seattle's first official practice of the week.

Watson (hip) didn't practice Wednesday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that he considers Watson day-to-day after the rookie sat out the second half of Sunday's 26-20 win in Miami. Fellow rookie Romeo Doubs played more than 80 percent of Green Bay's offensive snaps in the second half, after Watson caught six of eight targets for 49 yards in the first half. Lazard, Doubs and Randall Cobb will likely be Green Bay's top three wide receivers if Watson isn't available this Sunday against Minnesota.

Olave (hamstring) returned to practice Wednesday, Terrin Waack of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Olave didn't practice at all due to the hamstring issue in Week 16 before he was ruled out in advance of this past Saturday's win in Cleveland. It marked the second absence during what's been a productive rookie campaign for the 11th overall pick of this year's draft, as he's just 60 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards with two games to go in the regular season. Wednesday's injury report will reveal how much work Olave was able to handle in the Saints' first Week 17 session.

Smith (foot) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Smith left Saturday's win over the Lions with an apparent foot injury, and he's since practiced in limited fashion Wednesday. If the second-year pro is eventually unable to gain medical clearance prior to Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, then DJ Moore would likely handle punt-returning duties, while both Laviska Shenault and Terrace Marshall would presumably be called upon to command expanded pass-catching roles this weekend.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel (knee/ankle) has a chance to return to practice Thursday, depending on how his on-field workout goes Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

On Monday, Shanahan told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that Samuel would make an effort to mix into drills this week, and now it may happen as early as Thursday. It's unclear if Samuel will have enough time to prove the health of his sprained left knee and ankle ahead of Sunday's game at Las Vegas, but his status bears watching in the coming days to get a sense of his potential to do so.

The Ravens designated Wallace (hamstring) to return from injured reserve Wednesday.

Wallace returned to practice Wednesday after spending the last four weeks on Baltimore's injured reserve due to a hamstring issue. The Ravens will now have 21 days to activate the second-year pro back to their active roster, though he's currently eligible to jump into the team's pass-catching rotation as soon as New Year's Day versus Pittsburgh.

Baker was signed to the Saints' practice squad Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Baker was most recently on the Eagles' practice squad, and has yet to play an NFL game this season. However, he spent part of 2021 in New Orleans, playing two games for the team. With Chris Olave dealing with a hamstring injury, and Jarvis Landry (ankle) on IR, the Saints are currently short-handed at receiver. Baker will work to make his way to the active roster before the current season comes to a close.