NFL Player News

Kirkwood (ankle) was a non-participant on the Saints' estimated practice report Monday, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Kirkwood was signed to the Saints' active roster ahead of Sunday's loss to the Saints, where he played 70 percent of the snaps on offense and made a 14-yard catch on his only target. With Jarvis Landry (ankle) and Michael Thomas (foot) also DNP's, the Saints could be light again at receiver Thursday against the Cardinals.

Thomas (foot) was listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated injury report, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

This doesn't come as a surprise after Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reported earlier Monday that the Saints don't expect Thomas to be ready for Thursday's contest against the Cardinals. Jarvis Landry (ankle) also was labeled a DNP, while Chris Olave (concussion) wasn't listed at all. As of Monday, it appears like the rookie first-round pick will assume the No. 1 wideout role Week 7, but reports Tuesday and Wednesday should provide a clearer picture on how New Orleans' wideout corps will look Thursday.

The Colts signed Smith to the practice squad Monday.

Smith was let go from the Broncos' practice squad Tuesday after joining with the team in early September. The 26-year-old wideout has yet to play this season, and he has not caught a pass since the 2020 campaign. Smith will serve as a potential game-day elevation with wideouts Ashton Dulin (foot) and Keke Coutee (concussion) both likely to miss time due to injury.

Olave (concussion) wasn't listed on Monday's estimated injury report, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Olave has cleared the concussion protocol and should be good to go for Week 7. Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) continue to deal with lingering injuries, so Olave currently is in line to be the Saints' No. 1 wideout against the Cardinals on Thursday. Across five appearances, the rookie first-round pick has caught 25 of 42 targets for 389 yards and two scores.

An MRI revealed Brown's left foot injury won't require surgery and may sideline him for six weeks, but the wideout will get a second opinion before moving forward, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

This is certainly an encouraging development after news dropped earlier Monday that Brown may miss the remainder of the season, but the extent of his issue remains unclear. On Monday, the Cardinals traded for Robbie Anderson and activated DeAndre Hopkins to the active roster following a six-game suspension, a pair that'll join Rondale Moore and A.J. Green to cover for Brown's absence.

The Chargers elevated Bandy from the practice squad to their active roster Monday ahead of their game versus Denver, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

It will be the third consecutive week Bandy is active for the Chargers and the last time he's eligible to be elevated from the practice squad before he would have to be signed to the team's active roster in order to play. The 24-year-old wideout has two receptions for 49 yards on two targets through two games this season.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that Cobb (ankle) is going to be out a while but added the veteran wideout avoided a serious injury, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The extent of the situation remains unclear, but Silverstein suggests that Cobb likely will join fellow wideout Sammy Watkins on IR. Rookie second-round pick Christian Watson (hamstring) also continues to deal with injury, leaving Allen Lazard, Romeo Doubs, Juwann Winfree and Amari Rodgers as Aaron Rodgers' top wideouts.

Arizona activated Hopkins, who served a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, to the 53-man roster Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Hopkins missed the end of the 2021 campaign due to an MCL sprain, but he moved past that injury during the offseason and is expected to be full go Week 7. There's a little concern that the wideout won't have a full week of practice under his belt before he makes his first appearance of the season, but there hasn't been any reports about Hopkins being limited for Thursday's matchup against the Saints. With Marquise Brown (ankle) sidelined for the foreseeable future, Hopkins should be Arizona's clear No. 1 target moving forward.

Atwell rushed once for nine yards in Sunday's 24-10 victory against the Panthers.

One game removed from his first career catch, Atwell reverted back to his typical usage, with just two snaps on offense. The speedy second-year wideout made the most of his time on the field, ending the first quarter with a nine-yard rush, but Atwell's limited snap share may be completely erased with the impending return of Van Jefferson (knee) after the Rams return from their bye week.

Powell caught four of five targets for 27 yards and rushed three times for 13 yards in Sunday's 24-10 win against the Panthers. He also returned one punt for 15 yards.

Powell nearly doubled his season total in snaps in Sunday's victory, taking the field for 25 offensive snaps and turning that into a total of seven touches for 40 yards. In the fourth quarter, Powell had a clutch 16-yard catch to set up a Darrell Henderson rushing touchdown to ice the game for the Rams. The expanded usage for the speedy return man may be short lived, as the Rams go on bye in Week 7, and Van Jefferson (knee) is eligible to return in Week 8.