NFL Player News

The Cardinals placed Isabella in the COVID-19 protocol Wednesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Isabella previously missed a handful of practices while spending time on the reserve/COVID-19 list at the beginning of training camp. His latest shutdown shouldn't affect his Week 1 availability, but he'll be missing out on chances to make his case for a role in head coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

Jefferson (shoulder) likely would be able to play this weekend if the Vikings had a regular-season game, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The Vikings have downplayed the severity of Jefferson's AC joint sprain, including head coach Mike Zimmer telling reporters Monday that he expected the wideout to have a "pretty quick" return to practice. Jefferson obviously won't suit up for Saturday's preseason game against Denver, but the Vikings don't seem to have much concern about his status Week 1. Jefferson even took some half-speed reps at Wednesday's practice, per Pelissero.

Robinson was a late scratch from Wednesday's practice due to a hamstring injury, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Rain may have played a role in the decision to hold Robinson out of practice. He was still in attendance for the session, so there's a good chance his injury is just a day-to-day concern.

Hopkins missed Wednesday's practice with a minor injury, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Hopkins missed a practice or two in late July with a minor injury, and he received a veteran's day off last Thursday. The Cardinals haven't been able to keep any of their wide receivers on the practice field consistently, with A.J. Green, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore battling various unspecified injuries and Andy Isabella now landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list for a second time. Hopkins provides stability, regardless of his practice participation.

Montgomery (undisclosed) was carted off the field at practice Wednesday, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

The reason for Montgomery's worrying departure from practice remains undisclosed. The sixth-year veteran has been taking the majority of his reps in training camp at wide receiver, and with Michael Thomas (ankle) set to miss regular-season action and Tre'Quan Smith (undisclosed) currently not practicing, the Saints can ill afford to lose any more pass catchers.

Smith (undisclosed) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.

Smith has been out for more than a week with an undisclosed injury, and while Wednesday marks another missed session, his presence on the sideline could be taken as a sign of progress. With Michael Thomas (ankle) facing a much longer absence, Smith still has a chance to be the team's No. 1 receiver early in the season.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he expects Bateman (groin) to miss "a number of weeks" following the wideout's early exit from Tuesday's practice, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Though Harbaugh isn't measuring Bateman's recovery from a groin injury in terms of months, a week-to-week timeline would leave the rookie's availability uncertain for Baltimore's season opener Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. At the very least, the rookie first-round pick is expected to miss Baltimore's first two preseason games, and an appearance in the the team's exhibition finale Aug. 28 at Washington may also be unrealistic.

Patrick (groin) was held out of practice Tuesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Patrick continues to miss practice time due to a groin issue that head coach Vic Fangio asserts is nothing serious, according to Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com. Denver's coaching staff is taking a cautious approach with the wideout after he nursed a hamstring injury earlier in the offseason. In the wake of a knee injury suffered by fellow receiver Courtland Sutton in 2020, Patrick saw his opportunity grow, and he amassed 742 yards and six touchdowns on 51 receptions. He enters the 2021 season in a competition for the No. 3 wide receiver spot with KJ Hamler.

Gallup has been received work in the slot during training camp, Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site reports. "Everybody's labeled me as just a deep ball threat, but I know I can do a whole lot more," Gallup said. "So me being able to come on the inside and run some routes from there, short, intermediate game, definitely can show that I'm more versatile than a lot of folks might think."

The Cowboys already have two capable options in the slot in CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper (ankle), so Gallup may not see a whole lot of action on the inside during the regular season. Nevertheless, anything that allows offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to get the best possible matchups for his elite trio of receivers can only help boost their numbers. Additional flexibility would also help improve Gallup's marketability as he heads into free agency next offseason.

Cooper (ankle) said in a recent interview with 105.3 The Fan Dallas would be ready to begin practicing "within the next couple of weeks," The Dallas Morning News reports.

When asked if he would be on the field right away if it were up to him, the wide receiver responded, "No, I wouldn't be out there today. But, as far as the couple of weeks are concerned, it's, you know, just me talking and communicating with the trainers." That timetable gives Cooper a shot at playing in one or both of the Cowboys' final two preseason games, but it's just as likely the team keeps him out of exhibition action entirely with an eye on getting him ready for Week 1. As yet, there's no sign the ankle issue will cause him to miss any regular-season snaps.