NFL Player News

Samuel (groin) will rejoin Washington for practice Sunday, but he's expected to remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list for at least a couple more days while he works his way back into playing shape, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Before he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list July 29, Samuel hadn't practiced since June on account of the groin injury. Once he's activated from the COVID list, Samuel could revert to the PUP list, where he had resided prior to being ruled out through the NFL's protocols for the coronavirus. The time Samuel already has missed in camp makes him unlikely to gain clearance for Washington's upcoming preseason game Thursday at New England, but he should have enough time to get back up to full speed ahead of the Sept. 12 regular-season opener versus the Chargers.

Hightower is week-to-week after leaving Thursday's practice with a groin injury, the Eagles' official site reports.

It remains to be seen how long Hightower will miss, but a lengthy absence could hurt his chances of making the team's roster, Zach Berman of The Athletic notes. Hightower is competing with the likes of Quez Watkins and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside for depth slotting in the Eagles' wide receiving corps.

Brown (hamstring) got in some conditioning work on a side field during Saturday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

While that's a step in the right direction for the wideout, who's been sidelined for the last seven practices, the Ravens plan to proceed cautiously with Brown. "You don't want to come back and re-injure it, as we've seen before," coach John Harbaugh noted. With that in mind, Brown's status for next Saturday's preseason opener against the Saints is cloudy.

Perriman (hip) did not practice Saturday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Tyrell Williams (groin) and Quintez Cephus (head) also did not practice, so it could be as simple as the Lions choosing to play it safe with three of their top pass catchers. Perriman's lackluster training camp might be of bigger concern than any sort of lingering injury, although considering the 27-year-old's lengthy injury history, any sort of issue -- no matter how small -- is worth noting.

Erickson is getting reps as a slot receiver during training camp, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Erickson signed a one-year deal as a free agent and is competing with Keke Coutee and Anthony Miller in the slot. The five-year veteran has not missed a game in five NFL seasons while with Cincinnati, though he has only been an occasional starter on offense. Erickson's been much more prevalent as a returner during this time with the Bengals.

Beckham (knee) participated in one-on-one work with quarterback Baker Mayfield during Friday's practice, Ellis L. Williams of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The duo connected on all of the passes -- none were overthrown or behind Beckham -- although the reps did not include a defender. Beckham has been in uniform during training camp but remains out of team drills, so it's incumbent on the receiver and quarterback to establish rhythm apart from the group. It's possible that Beckham does not play in preseason games, so these one-on-one sessions take on great import.

Reagor had a promising practice Thursday but continues to struggle with drops and other miscues this preseason, Zach Berman of the Athletic reports.

Reagor was credited with perhaps the best catch of the day Thursday when he jumped over Darius Slay to make a one-handed grab. The 2020 first-round pick has no shortage of talent but has had a number of issues in the early going. He was chewed out for a solid minute by head coach Nick Sirianni and passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo for mistakes made in Wednesday's practice and failed a conditioning test at the start of camp. The Athletic's Bo Wulf relays that with DeVonta Smith (hamstring) out for a few weeks, almost every other receiver on the roster has been flashier (Travis Fulgham, Quez Watkins, John Hightower) or more consistent (J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward) than the 22-year-old Reagor. Given the draft capital invested in the TCU product, he will still almost certainly make the Eagles' roster to start the year, but he'll need to dig himself out of the doghouse if he is to become the breakout player many have projected him to be this season.

Jefferson (shoulder) underwent testing Friday that came back clean, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Jefferson exited Friday's practice early due to a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder, but he appears to have avoided a significant injury. The 22-year-old may be brought along slowly in the coming days to prevent against a setback, but he's received encouraging news so far.

Jefferson sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder and is scheduled for additional testing, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The wideout left Friday's practice early, walking off the field without moving his injured arm after a hard fall. The initial diagnosis alone would give him a shot to be healthy for Week 1, but the Vikings still need to make sure there are no additional issues beyond the AC joint sprain.

Jefferson left Friday's practice with an apparent arm/wrist injury, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Jefferson reportedly clutched his left wrist and kept the injured arm down at his side while walking off the field with trainers. He's been busy at training camp, and Friday's injury occurred when he was targeted on three consecutive snaps.