NFL Player News

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.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Addison cleared the concussion protocol, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

In his return to team drills at Wednesday's joint practice with the Cardinals, Addison mixed in with the Vikings' No. 1 offense in three-receiver sets and even made a nice touchdown catch in traffic, per Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. After spending exactly one week in the concussion protocol, Addison appears to be good to go moving forward, but it's unclear if he'll see action in Minnesota's preseason finale Saturday against Arizona.

Lazard departed Wednesday's practice early with an undisclosed injury, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

According to Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports, Lazard made a standout play in practice with a 30-yard touchdown reception over cornerback Sauce Gardner, but he appears to have picked up an injury near the end of the session. Head coach Robert Saleh's press conference Thursday should bring an update on Lazard's health, if the Jets don't offer one before then. With Corey Davis having announced his retirement Wednesday, Lazard will likely be assured a key role on offense, assuming he's healthy for Week 1.

Westbrook-Ikhine, who scored a touchdown in Tuesday's scrimmage, could begin the season as Tennessee's No. 2 wide receiver while Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips recover from their respective knee injuries, Tom Brew of SI.com reports.

Both injured receivers are still holding out hope that they'll play Week 1, but it's likely that at least one of Burks and Philips will begin the regular season on the sideline. While Westbrook-Ikhine is seemingly doing what he needs to do to put himself in position for plenty of snaps if either Burks of Philips is held out of th season opener, he's received ample playing time in previous seasons and has mediocre production to show for it. Despite logging 20 starts across the last two seasons, Westbrook-Ikhine failed to reach 500 receiving yards in either campaign.

Philips (knee) remained sidelined during Wednesday's practice, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Philips suffered a MCL injury during Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings, and while the Titans haven't outlined a timetable for his return to action, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com suggests that the wideout could miss up to six weeks. With Treylon Burks (knee) dealing with a sprained LCL, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and/or Chris Moore are candidates to see added opportunities alongside DeAndre Hopkins as long as Burks and Philips continue to miss time.

Panthers head coach Frank Reich said Wednesday that Chark is dealing with a hamstring injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Chark missed practice Wednesday, and until more details about the extent of his injury are revealed, he'll have to be considered up in the air for Week 1. The severity of Chark's hamstring issue will determine his recovery timetable, but at the very least, he is likely to sit out Friday's season finale against the Lions. Terrace Marshall (back) and Laviska Shenault (concussion) are also dealing with injuries, so rookie second-round pick Jonathan Mingo could see a sharp uptick in reps next to Adam Thielen atop the depth chart.

Panthers head coach Frank Reich said that Chark was absent Wednesday due to an unspecified injury, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Reich declined to expand on Chark's status, but at the very least, the starting wideout looks at risk of missing Friday's preseason finale against the Lions. The Panthers have already been working without Terrace Marshall (back) and Laviska Shenault (concussion) at practice, so the team could look to sign another wide receiver.

Swain signed with the Eagles on Wednesday.

Swain suffered a hamstring injury while with Miami during training camp, and ultimately reached an injury settlement with the team. Now healthy, Swain will work to earn a spot in Philadelphia.

Shakir missed Tuesday's practice due to a rib injury, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

The Bills haven't indicated that the injury is anything serious, but Shakir is jockeying for positioning in the team's receiver pecking order, so any missed time could prove costly. He's coming off a two-catch, 25-yard performance Saturday against the Steelers and seems to be slotted third or fourth on the Bills' depth chart heading into Saturday's preseason finale against the Bears.