NFL Player News

Higgins (ankle) returned to practice Thursday, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

It remains to be seen how the Bengals list his practice participation, but Higgins' return to the field after missing Wednesday's session has him trending in the right direction as this weekend's home game against the 49ers approaches.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Kupp will be limited in Thursday's walk-through practice due to a toe injury, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Kupp will make his first appearance on the injury report all season, as he's otherwise either been a full participant in every practice or sat out for rest purposes through the first 13 weeks of the season. The fifth-year wideout didn't show any obvious sign of being hurt in the Rams' Week 13 win over the Jaguars, rolling to his seventh 100-plus-yard receiving outing in Los Angeles' 37-7 win. So long as Kupp maintains limited activity or upgrades to full participation Friday and/or Saturday, he'll likely be in little danger of missing Monday's game against the Cardinals.

Williams, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday after being deemed a close contact of teammate Keenan Allen, has reportedly tested negative for the virus, according to Tyler Dragon of USA Today.

The report adds that the Chargers are optimistic Williams will be able to play Sunday versus the Giants. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Williams could be cleared by Saturday, based on his understanding that the high-risk close contact occurred Monday.

Schwartz (concussion) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

With consecutive absences from practice following the Browns' Week 13 bye, Schwartz doesn't appear to have any notable advancement through the NFL's concussion protocol since suffering the head injury Nov. 14 against the Patriots. Barring a dramatic step forward in his practice activity Friday, Schwartz looks set to miss a third straight game Sunday against Baltimore.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that Cobb is "going to be out for a while" due to the core muscle injury he sustained in Green Bay's Week 12 win over the Rams, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Even with the benefit of a Week 13 bye, Cobb doesn't seem to have made much progress in his recovery from what LaFleur termed as a "pretty significant" injury. Cobb hasn't resumed practicing and looks like he can safely be ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears, and his status beyond Week 14 looks murky as well. However long Cobb is sidelined, more reps should be available for Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling alongside No. 1 wideout Davante Adams.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday that Brown is dealing with a groin injury that will sideline the receiver for Sunday's game against Washington, and possibly additional contests to follow, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Brown appeared on the Cowboys' initial Week 14 injury report Wednesday after he didn't take any reps in practice, but the team hadn't previously disclosed that the receiver was banged up at any point during last week's win over the Saints. McCarthy shed more light on the situation Thursday, and after the coach described Brown's groin issue as a "couple-week injury," the Ohio State product looks like he'll face an uphill battle to make it back for the Cowboys' Week 15 game against the Giants, too. After turning in a 6-53-0 receiving line on nine targets while playing a season-high 94 percent of the Cowboys' offensive snaps in a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Raiders, Brown predictably saw his snap share take a big step back (to 18 percent) last week following the returns of Amari Cooper (reserve/COVID-19 list) and CeeDee Lamb (concussion) to the lineup. Brown will likely be limited to a depth role within the Dallas receiving corps once he moves past his groin injury.

Collins practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday due to a thigh injury.

Collins has spent time on injured reserve this season due to a shoulder injury and also had practice limitations due to foot and hip issues. Despite it all, he's played in seven straight games, logging 16 catches (on 26 targets) for 189 yards and no touchdowns during that stretch. Assuming he puts the current health concern behind him, Collins will continue to operate behind Brandin Cooks and alongside Chris Conley at wide receiver.

Metcalf (foot) didn't practice Wednesday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Since sustaining a foot injury Week 4, Metcalf has logged one session with limited or no activity per week, but it hasn't stopped him from being available on game days. As a result, he'll likely be listed as a full participant upon the release of Thursday's practice report. Metcalf has had stated performances since quarterback Russell Wilson returned to action Week 10, hauling in 13 of 28 targets for 130 yards and one touchdown over the last four contests.

Goodwin (foot) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

Goodwin practiced for the first time since suffering a foot injury in the Bears' Thanksgiving Day win over the Lions. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Allen Robinson (hamstring) also returned to practice as a limited participant. The returns of both players to the field is positive news for the Bears, who could have all three of their top wideouts available Sunday against the Packers. Top quarterback Justin Fields (ribs) is also poised to make his return after missing the last two games.

Higgins (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Per Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Higgins tweaked his ankle during the Bengals' Week 13 loss to the Chargers, but the wideout downplayed the injury afterward. With an absence from practice to begin Week 14 prep, however, Higgins' status is worth tracking as Sunday's game against the 49ers approaches. A return to practice in any capacity Thursday would presumably put the wideout on track to suit up this weekend.