NFL Player News

Lazard (core) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Lazard maintained his activity level for a second straight session as he works his way back from Oct. 1 core-muscle surgery. Clearly, there's some question about whether he'll be able to make his first appearance since Week 3 on Sunday at Indianapolis, but his status may be cleared up on Friday's injury report. With Davante Adams (ankle) downgrading from limited Wednesday to no reps at all Thursday, the Packers' receiving corps is in some flux at the moment.

Smith (concussion) was limited at practice Thursday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Smith was leveled and removed for good during the second quarter of this past Sunday's win versus the 49ers. A concussion was the result of the play, but he now has made some progress through the protocol for head injuries. Still, Smith was donning a red non-contact jersey Thursday, per Katherine Terrell of The Athletic, so a cloud is hanging over his head as the weekend draws closer.

Brown (knee) sat out Thursday's practice, John Glennon of BroadwaySportsMedia.com reports.

Brown has been managing a knee issue of late and has been given rest days on a routine basis, so his absence Thursday shouldn't raise an immediate alarm. Based on the pattern we've seen in previous weeks, we'd expect the wideout to return to a full practice Friday and approach Sunday's game against the Ravens minus an injury designation.

Adams (ankle) was held out of practice Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

During the open part of practice, Adams took part in the team stretch but didn't join his teammates outside for drills, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The result for Adams was no activity after logging a limited session Wednesday. The downgrade is concerning as the Packers inch closer to the weekend, but he still has one more chance to make an impression on the field before Sunday's game at Indianapolis.

Jones (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Though Jones was listed as a non-participant Wednesday in the Lions' first practice of the week, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com suggests the wideout's absence was likely rest-related. Jones' return to work a day later supports that notion, and if he can upgrade to full activity Friday, he'll likely avoid taking an injury designation into Sunday's game in Carolina. With the likes of D'Andre Swift (concussion), Kenny Golladay (hip) and Danny Amendola (hip) all going down as a non-participants in Thursday's practice, Jones could be looking at a high-volume role in the passing game if at least two of those banged-up pass catchers aren't available.

Ridley (foot) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

The Falcons capped Ridley's reps for the second practice in a row, but McFadden notes that any participation should be viewed as a good sign for the wideout's chances of playing through a sprained left foot Sunday in New Orleans. Ridley sat out the Falcons' Week 9 win over the Broncos with the injury before benefiting from a well-timed Week 10 bye.

Humphries (concussion) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean reports.

Back-to-back absences suggest that Humphries is trending toward missing Sunday's game against the Ravens. If he remains sidelined this weekend, added Week 11 opportunities would be available for Cameron Batson and Kalif Raymond.

Arcega-Whiteside tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

As part of contract tracing, John Hightower was placed on the same list, while Deontay Burnett landed on the practice squad COVID-19 list. With so little time before the Eagles' next game Sunday in Cleveland, Arcega-Whiteside is poised for another absence in what has become a suddenly healthy receiving corps.

The Patriots cut Kinsey from the practice squad Wednesday, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports.

Wednesday marked the second time this season that Kinsey was cut by the Patriots' practice squad, so he'll likely have the opportunity to return again this year. The undrafted rookie out of Berry College will look to latch on elsewhere to add depth at receiver.

The Texans signed Scott to the practice squad Wednesday.

Scott visited with the team last week and looks to be in the plans moving forward. The Clemson product hasn't played a game since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2017; he'll start out on the scout team with the Texans and look to work his way up to the active roster.