NFL Player News

Dulin has made Indianapolis' 53-man roster.

Dulin was in contention for the fifth wide receiver role with Mike Strachan and Dezmon Patmon, but he was outplayed in the preseason by both. Dulin is mostly on the roster for his prowess on special teams and may not be much of a factor as a receiver unless there are several injuries.

Jets coach Robert Saleh expects Crowder (groin) to play Week 1 against Carolina, noting that the slot receiver remains day-to-day, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

That notion figures to be solidified one or way or the other no later than next week, once the Jets start issuing their official practice participation/injury reports. As the coming season approaches, Crowder should offer rookie QB Zach Wilson an experienced and reliable pass-catching option out of the gate, with Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Keelan Cole and perhaps Denzel Mims also in the mix for targets in the team's offense.

Coach Ron Rivera said Thursday that he's "very confident" Samuel (groin) will play in Washington's Sept. 12 season opener against the Chargers, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

Samuel was removed from the PUP list Aug. 15 but still hasn't participated in team drills since his groin injury was first reported in early June. Rivera cautions not to mistake the length of Samuel's absence for the severity of the injury, suggesting that faster players take longer to recover from groin issues, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. Rivera also mentioned that he's noticed Samuel's speed and quickness coming back the past few days, with the wideout apparently making good progress in his individual/side work. It's still best to consider him questionable for Week 1, as Samuel will be limited to individual work again Thursday just 10 days before the season opener Sept. 12 against the Chargers. Rivera says Samuel will either be cleared for his full role or not at all, rather than being eased in with a limited workload, per Fortier.

Lamb was activated from the reserve/COVID list Thursday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The second-year pro missed a little more than a week of practice and finished the preseason with just one catch for 13 yards. The Cowboys start their campaign on the road against the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers, but with Dak Prescott (shoulder) seemingly healthy, Dallas should at least be able to move the ball Thursday night. Lamb was well on his way to a 1,000-yard rookie campaign before Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle fracture in Week 5 last year.

Samuel (groin) is working off to the side during Thursday's practice, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Samuel still hasn't practiced with the team since his groin injury was first reported in early June. He's now been off the PUP list for two and a half weeks, but progress has been slow/intermittent, even after coach Ron Rivera said he was "pretty optimistic" about Samuel returning to practice this week. The wideout appears no better than 50/50 to suit up for Week 1 against the Chargers.

Patmon (foot) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Mike Wells of ESPN.com reports.

Patmon was a candidate for the fifth receiver role, but he hurt his foot in the final preseason game. The severity of his injury isn't clear, but he'll miss at least three games. With T.Y. Hilton out at least several games due to a neck surgery, Patmon may have missed an opportunity to get significant playing time.

Pascal was removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday morning, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

Pascal returns to practice along with QB Carson Wentz (foot) and starting center Ryan Kelly. Pascal's absence coincided with WR T.Y. Hilton's surgery for a disc injury in his neck, ruling the veteran out for at least three games. Pascal seemed to be competing with Parris Campbell for slot snaps earlier this summer, but the Colts may now use him as a replacement for Hilton, at least early on in the season. They kick things off with a Week 1 home game against the Seahawks.

Toney (undisclosed) ran routes at full speed during Wednesday's practice and took reps with the second-team offense in individual drills, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Between a brief stint on the reserve/COVID list and now an undisclosed injury, Toney hasn't taken many reps in team drills this summer. That should be coming soon enough with the Giants expecting him to play Week 1 against Denver, but the first-round pick may have to settle a small role to open his career, even with the team set back by a number of other skill-position injuries. Things are looking dicey for tight ends Evan Engram (ankle) and Kyle Rudolph (foot), while wideouts Kenny Golladay (hamstring) and Darius Slayton (ankle) and running back Saquon Barkley (knee) seem more likely to suit up for Week 1. it is possible Toney could take on extra snaps if either Golladay or Slayton don't end up playing.

The Cowboys plan to activate Lamb from the reserve/COVID list Thursday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The same goes for Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins. All three will rejoin the team with plenty of time to prepare for Week 1, though Lamb did miss more than a week of practice. Meanwhile, QB Dak Prescott has recovered from a shoulder injury, giving the Cowboys their full stable of playmakers for next Thursday's season opener at Tampa Bay.

Edwards is positioned to secure a starting role opposite fellow receiver Henry Ruggs after the Raiders granted John Brown's request to be released Tuesday, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.

Edwards appears to have won the starting spot without much legitimate competition from the aforementioned Brown, as the former was never asked to play a preseason snap while Raiders coach Jon Gruden kept much of the first-team offense sidelined. Edwards profiles as the team's primary "X" receiver across from Ruggs, which should allow the South Carolina product to compete with tight end Darren Waller for red-zone targets as well.