NFL Player News

The Giants activated Shepard (Achilles) from the PUP list ahead of Wednesday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

The transaction rules out the possibility of Shepard landing on the reserve/PUP list to start the regular season, which would mean an automatic absence of at least four games. Shepard may or may not be back Week 1, but the Giants apparently think he can be ready at some point in September. His return could affect rookie Wan'Dale Robinson, who has been the No. 3 receiver with the first-team offense throughout training camp and the preseason. Then again, Shepard also has experience lining up on the perimeter, where the Giants face the challenge of keeping Kadarius Toney (leg) and Kenny Golladay healthy and productive.

Thomas (hamstring) remained sidelined at Wednesday's practice, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas thus appears to be trending toward missing the Saints' preseason finale against the Chargers on Friday. If the starting wideout indeed sits out the contest, his next chance to see game action will arrive Week 1 against the Falcons.

Waddle (undisclosed) stretched with teammates Wednesday but isn't practicing, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Waddle has now been out for more than a week after initially being deemed day-to-day. Head coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday that he's not worried about Waddle's Week 1 availability, and the second-year wideout still has more than two weeks to recover before the opener against New England.

Coutee (groin) returned to practice Tuesday, 107.5 FM The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Coutee suffered a groin injury in Indy's first preseason game. He got reps in the slot behind Parris Campbell during training camp and may be in the lead to win the No. 5 receiver role now that he's healthy.

Lamb (foot) returned to the practice field as a participant in individual drills Tuesday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Lamb has been sidelined for the past week after sustaining a foot laceration. The injury was never considered serious, and his return to the practice field indicates he is trending in the right direction. It remains likely that he will sit out the team's final preseason game Saturday versus the Seahawks, as there is no reason for the Cowboys to risk his health. Barring any setbacks, he is presumably on track to suit up Week 1 as the team's No. 1 pass catcher.

The Cowboys and Fryfogle (undisclosed) have come to terms on an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Fryfogle reverted to Dallas' injured reserve last week after he went unclaimed on waivers. He will now be free to look for a new opportunity once he has worked has way back to full health.

Goodwin (hamstring) isn't in line to play during Friday's preseason game against the Cowboys, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Though the veteran receiver resumed practicing this week, head coach Pete Carroll said he doesn't expect Goodwin to participate in the team's final preseason contest. The 31-year-old signed a one-year deal with Seattle back in May, after he accumulated 20 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown across 14 games a season ago for the Bears. Goodwin is set to compete with fellow pass catchers Freddie Swain and Dee Eskridge for snaps behind usual starters Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

Head coach Pete Caroll said Eskridge (hamstring) practiced Tuesday and has a shot at playing in Friday's preseason finale against the Cowboys, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Since the beginning of June, Eskridge has been bothered by a hamstring issue, but he appears closer to gaining clearance ahead of the regular season. The second-year pro is looking to secure a role in the Seahawks' wide receiver corps behind Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Freddie Swain. While it's possible that Eskridge could participate in Friday's exhibition against Dallas, it also wouldn't be a surprise to see the team err on the side of caution with the 2021 second-round draft selection.

The Cowboys feel "really good" about Gallup (knee) and chose not to move him to the reserve/PUP list Tuesday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

A bunch of players coming back from major surgery were moved from active/PUP to reserve/PUP on Tuesday, clearing a roster spot while ruling them out for the first four games of the regular season. Gallup wasn't one of them, though the Cowboys technically can still shift him to the reserve/PUP list up until they make their third and final round of cuts Aug. 30. Despite ruling himself out for Week 1 already, Gallup appears to be on track to avoid that automatic four-game absence. The Cowboys certainly could use him, with James Washington (foot) out until at least late September and rookie Jalen Tolbert looking very rough around the edges in two preseason appearances.

The Texans placed Metchie (knee/illness) on the reserve/non-football illness list Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

This officially rules Metchie out for the first four games of the season, and he's expected to miss the entire year after being diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia earlier this summer. Metchie expects to make a full recovery and return to football at some point.