NFL Player News

Pringle (groin) isn't listed on the Bears' initial injury report for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Pringle moved past his preseason groin injury and now faces a tough defense to start the season, though San Francisco's strength lies up front rather than in the secondary. The Bears list Equanimeous St. Brown ahead of Pringle as a starter on their first depth chart of the regular season, but the slotting looks fluid behind clear No. 1 receiver Darnell Mooney.

Burks isn't listed on the injury report ahead of Tennessee's season opener against the Giants on Sunday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Burks suffered a minor wrist injury in the final week of the preseason, but he returned to the game not much later and ended up scoring a touchdown. While his extended playing time this preseason led to a lot of negative attention, Burks should get his chances sooner or later in an otherwise unimpressive Titans receiving corps. The team is counting on Robert Woods to bounce back from an ACL tear, while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is listed as the other starter on the depth chart. Burks could rotate with one or both of them, even if he technically isn't a starter.

Watson (knee) practiced fully Wednesday, Jason Wilde of ESPN.com reports.

Watson was sidelined at the outset of training camp due to an offseason knee procedure and didn't make his first appearance at practice until Aug. 14. He subsequently didn't play during exhibition season, along with the Packers' top three other wide receivers on the depth chart (Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb). Lazard's status for Sunday's game in Minnesota is up in the air due to an ankle injury, which could result in decent run for Watson, the 34th overall pick in this year's draft, right off the bat.

Montgomery was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a knee injury, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

As Cox notes, Montgomery left New England's preseason finale with an ankle issue, but Wednesday's practice report lists him with a different injury. Either way, if Montgomery is available this weekend against the Dolphins, he's a candidate to help fill the change-of-pace/pass-catching void created by the retirement of James White. If Montgomery is out or limited, however, rookie Pierre Strong could see added touches behind top early-down options Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson.

Smith missed Wednesday's practice with a groin injury.

Smith dealt with a shoulder injury in late August, but this is the first report of a groin injury. A potential absence for Smith in Sunday's game in Atlanta shouldn't affect the Saints' game plan one way or another, with the wideout relegated to a depth role in 2022 after the team signed Jarvis Landry and drafted Chris Olave. If Michael Thomas (hamstring) is also available, Smith will be the Saints' fifth or sixth wide receiver.

Meyers was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a knee injury, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Meyers exited the Patriots' preseason finale early with the knee issue, but the fact that he was able to practice Wednesday is a positive indicator with regard to his Week 1 status. Assuming he's available this Sunday in Miami, Meyers is poised to maintain a key role in a Patriots wide receiver corps that also includes newcomer DeVante Parker and returnees Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor.

Jones was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a hamstring injury.

Jones made just one appearance during exhibition season, otherwise missing time due to undisclosed injuries. The rookie third-round pick made it back to the field Monday, but Wednesday's practice report revealed the nature of his current health concern. Jones has two days to potentially get in some work, at which point the Bears may give him a designation for Sunday's season opener against the 49ers.

Gage was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Head coach Todd Bowles was optimistic last week when discussing Gage's availability for the season opener against Dallas on Sunday. A limited practice suggests the wideout isn't quite back to full strength, but he'll still have some time to get there before the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday. Fellow wideout Chris Godwin (knee), who is coming back from an ACL tear, was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, though Bowles noted that both Godwin and the team's medical staff still need to sign off on him playing. Mike Evans and Julio Jones, meanwhile, are locked in and ready to play.

London (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site reports.

The first wide receiver selected in this year's draft, London was knocked out of the Falcons' first preseason game due to a knee injury, which wasn't believed to be a serious issue at the time. Still, he didn't play again during exhibition season and only returned to the practice field Monday. Wednesday's subsequent session was in full pads, before which head coach Arthur Smith said that the Falcons won't make a decision on the rookie's availability for Week 1 versus the Saints until Saturday, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Waddle was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a quadriceps injury, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com previously reported that Waddle was working at Wednesday's practice without a protective sleeve on his leg. His involvement in the Dolphins' first Week 1 practice session is a positive sign with regard to his status for Sunday's season opener against the Patriots.