NFL Player News

Burden (groin) returned to practice Wednesday, but he was contained to individual drills, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Since exiting practice Aug. 8 due to a groin injury, Burden was given a prognosis of roughly one month, meaning preseason action was off the table. However, his ability to mix back into some drills Wednesday generally is a positive sign in his recovery. The Bears open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13 at Carolina, a contest for which Burden will continue to ramp up for.

Flowers (undisclosed) is being held out of practice "for precautionary reasons" and should be ready for Week 1, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner reports.

Flowers missed a couple days of practice this week with an unspecified injury, but head coach Jesse Minter did not express any concern about his availability when asked after Wednesday's practice, so it appears Baltimore's top wideout is not facing any sort of extended absence.

Downs said his calf injury is "very minor" and believes he will resume practicing soon, Jake Arthur of Roundtable.io reports.

The injury prevented Downs from practicing both Tuesday and Wednesday, but it does not appear he is facing any sort of extended absence. With Alec Pierce (ankle) still sidelined, Keenan Allen, Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine figure to get more reps with the first team for the time being.

Chase (knee) is not participating in Wednesday's practice, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Chase downplayed the injury that forced him from Tuesday's session, but he will get at least one day to rest and recover. The report notes that Chase "was not sporting any protective equipment," which backs up his stance that he is dealing only with a minor setback.

Downs is not practicing Wednesday due to a calf injury, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

Downs sat out Tuesday's practice with an undisclosed injury, and the reason for his absence is now known. The extent of his setback is uncertain, but the Colts are down their top two options at wide receiver for the time being.

Flowers isn't practicing Wednesday for the second consecutive day while he tends to an apparent undisclosed injury, Cordell Woodland of 105.7 The Fan Baltimore reports.

Flowers contended with a bruised quadriceps earlier in camp, but it's unclear if his consecutive absences from practice are related to that injury or if he's nursing a new health concern. Though Flowers isn't in uniform Wednesday, he was at least in attendance for practice and was working out off to the side, which bodes well for his chances of being available for the Ravens' Week 1 game against the Colts on Sept. 13. Flowers will likely miss Friday's preseason finale versus the Commanders, though that might have been the case even if he was 100 percent healthy.

McMillan (knee) didn't travel with the Buccaneers to Jacksonville for Wednesday's joint practice with the Jaguars, PewterReport.com reports.

The Buccaneers will reconvene with the Jaguars on Friday in Jacksonville for the preseason finale, and McMillan would appear safe to rule out for that contest after not making the trip north from Tampa. McMillan hasn't played at all in preseason while managing a lingering knee injury, and though he appeared to make some progress last week by returning to practice in a limited fashion, he may have since taken a step back in his recovery. He didn't practice in any capacity Tuesday in the first of the Buccaneers' two joint sessions with the Jaguars.

Thomas (shoulder) was present on the field for Wednesday's joint practice with the Buccaneers while sporting a no-contact jersey, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Thomas made an early exit Tuesday for the first of two joint practices after falling on his shoulder while catching a touchdown pass in red-zone drills. Head coach Liam Coen said afterward that Thomas was "alright," though Coen indicated that the Jaguars would likely err on the side of caution and keep the receiver out for Friday's preseason finale versus Tampa Bay. Thomas' return to the field in a day later -- even in what appears to be a limited capacity -- is a good sign that he'll be ready to go for the Jaguars' Sept. 13 season opener versus the Browns.

Beckham's chances of winning a spot on the Giants' 53-man roster appear to have increased after Calvin Austin (knee) sustained a season-ending ACL tear in Tuesday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Austin had been projected to play a significant role as the team's top slot receiver, but the Giants now appear likely to lean on a committee of players to fill the void, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. Though top wideout Malik Nabers (knee) and top tight end Isaiah Likely are among the candidates to see more reps out of the slot, Beckham is also capable of lining up at that spot in addition to playing on the perimeter. Given Beckham's age and poor track record on the health front in recent years, the Giants likely aren't counting on him to serve in anything more than a part-time role if he wins a roster spot, but the loss of Austin nonetheless makes Beckham a more valuable insurance option. Raanan notes that Beckham had been an afterthought for much of the summer while working with the second-team offense, but the 33-year-old wideout turned in one of his best practices Tuesday, hauling in four receptions during live drills.

Fields could be one of multiple Giants receivers who benefits from added opportunities to begin the season after Calvin Austin (knee) sustained a torn ACL during Tuesday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Fields is primarily an "X" receiver and projects to see most of his playing time on the perimeter as a rookie, but the loss of Austin -- who was projected to serve as the Giants' top slot man -- could nonetheless aid his chances of seeing the field. With Austin sidelined, Dan Duggan of The Athletic posts that the Giants will lean on a committee of players in the slot, which could include Malik Nabers (knee). While it's also not out of the question for Fields to see some occasional work as a power slot, the rookie third-round pick would still be a beneficiary of more snaps on the outside if Nabers ends up playing inside more frequently. Fields has drawn generally positive reviews during his first training camp, seeing plenty of reps with the first-team offense while filling in for Nabers, who had been a non-participant or limited participant for much of the summer before being cleared to take contact earlier this week.