NFL Player News

Brown (hamstring) and Julio Jones (leg) both missed practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Brown left Sunday's win over the Colts in the first half, while Jones hurt his leg but still managed to play six snaps after halftime. They'll have two more chances to practice before this weekend's game against the Jets, though Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Brown "may miss a week or two."

Higgins (shoulder) won't play Thursday against the Jaguars, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

With Higgins slated to miss his second straight game, Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd will continue to head Cincinnati's pass-catching corps Thursday. Meanwhile Auden Tate and Mike Thomas are next in line to absorb Higgins' snaps in three-receiver sets. The 2020 second-round selection will now target a potential return to action in the Bengals' Week 5 contest Oct. 10 versus the Packers.

Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) didn't take part in practice Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Valdes-Scantling was merely a spectator, which could indicate the hamstring pull he sustained late in the Packers' Week 3 win at San Francisco may not be severe. In any case, with an absence at practice to begin the week, he's behind the curve in his quest to suit up this Sunday against the Steelers. Valdes-Scantling will have two more chances to practice before that contest.

Thielen is present at Wednesday's practice but isn't participating, Eric Smith of the Vikings' official site reports.

The wideout presumably is dealing with an injury, though he's played all but eight of Minnesota's offensive snaps this season, scoring four touchdowns in the process. The Vikings will release their first Week 4 practice report later Wednesday, which should shed more light on what's keeping Thielen off the field.

Patrick and Courtland Sutton will serve as Denver's top wideouts until Jerry Jeudy (ankle) returns from injured reserve, while KJ Hamler (knee) is out for the season, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

Jeudy is eligible to return as soon as Week 4, but he'll likely need more time to recover from a high-ankle sprain. While Patrick eventually will face a demotion to the No. 3 role, he's done well with modest volume thus far, catching 12 of 13 targets for 174 yards and two touchdowns on a 73.3 percent snap share through three games. He gets a sub-optimal matchup this weekend, facing a Baltimore defense that has two of the league's more physically imposing cornerbacks in Marlon Humphrey and Jimmy Smith.

Moore (concussion) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

Moore will thus aim to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol in advance of Sunday's game against the Titans. While the rookie second-round pick's Week 4 status is currently cloudy, on the plus side, the Jets are expected to welcome Jamison Crowder (groin) back to the wideout mix.

The Patriots designated Harry (shoulder) to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

The wideout will take part in his first practice Wednesday since injuring his shoulder in the second week of the preseason. The Patriots now have a 21-day window to add Harry to their 53-man roster. Assuming that occurs, the 2019 first-round pick will bolster a wideout corps currently headed by Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh relayed Wednesday that Crowder (groin) is trending toward a return to action Sunday against the Titans, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

In the event that Crowder is able to suit up this weekend, he would be on track to reclaim a share of the Jets' slot duties, with Braxton Berrios in line to see decreased snaps in such a scenario. Crowder may missed the Jets' first three games of the season, sitting out the past two weeks with the groin injury and in Week 1 due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Samuel (groin) is in pads for Wednesday's practice and was designated to return from injured reserve, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Washington now has a three-week window to either place Samuel on the active roster or return him to IR for the rest of the season. The team won't need to list Samuel on injury reports until he's back on the 53-man roster, meaning updates on his progress will depend on media access to practice -- which is limited in-season -- and any comments the player or his coaches make this week. It isn't clear whether Samuel has a realistic chance to play this Sunday in Atlanta, but if he does, Washington will need to activate him by Saturday. The team hasn't gotten much from fill-in No. 2 receiver Dyami Brown, with the rookie catching only four passes for 32 yards despite playing 82.2 percent of snaps on offense. Cam Sims poached a little more work from Brown last week, but he'll likely get phased out if and when Samuel returns.

Chisena (undisclosed) returned to practice Wednesday, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Chisena spent the minimum three weeks on IR, and he will now have three weeks to be added to the active roster. If he isn't, he will head back to IR for the remainder of the season.