NFL Player News

Slayton was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

The Giants held a more traditional practice session Thursday after staging a walk-through Wednesday, but Slayton wasn't able to take a step up in terms of his listed activity. He'll attempt to turn in a full practice Friday, which would assuage any concerns about his status heading into Sunday's game against Washington.

Smith-Schuster (knee) practiced fully Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Wednesday absences from practice have become routine for Smith-Schuster, but he'll be out there Sunday against the Browns. To date, Smith-Schuster is averaging six targets a game, which has yielded a 21/188/3 stat line through four outings. He'll remain a key weapon for QB Ben Roethlisberger this weekend versus a Cleveland defense that has allowed an average of 296.4 passing yards per game. Only the Seahawks and Falcons have surrendered more thus far.

Shenault (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Shenault took a step forward in terms of activity from Wednesday, when the Jaguars listed him as a non-participant. At this stage, Shenault appears to be in a better spot physically than fellow starting wideout DJ Chark, who missed a second straight practice Thursday on account of an ankle injury. The Jaguars will reveal whether Shenault and Chark will carry injury designation into Sunday's game against the Lions shortly after Friday's practice concludes.

Johnson (back) returned to a limited practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Johnson sat out Wednesday's session, with his limited participation Thursday a good sign with regard to his Week 6 availability. Look for Friday's final injury report to clarify whether Johnson approaches Sunday's game against the Browns listed as questionable or free from an injury designation.

Brown (knee) didn't practice Thursday, Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean reports.

The Titans didn't hold a practice Wednesday after playing Tuesday against the Bills, so Brown's absence Thursday could simply be rep management for the wideout, who returned to action in Week 5 after missing two games. Against Buffalo, Brown logged 47 of a possible 66 snaps on offense, en route to hauling in seven of his nine targets for 82 yards and a TD. With no reported setbacks in the contest, what Brown does at practice Friday should clarify his status for Sunday's game against the Texans.

Chark (ankle) didn't participate in Thursday's practice.

The Jaguars' pass-catching corps is banged up heading into the team's Week 6 matchup with the Lions. In addition to Chark, tight end Tyler Eifert (neck) also sat out a second straight practice, while Laviska Shenault (hamstring) took part in some capacity Thursday after missing Wednesday's session. Chark could still put himself in position to play Sunday by returning to practice in some fashion Friday, but his status for the game appears dicey at the moment.

Shepard (toe) got in some light work on the side during Thursday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

While Shepard is eligible to take part in practice after spending three weeks on IR, he didn't participate as he draws closer to the final stages of his recovery from a turf toe injury. He doesn't seem likely to be activated in time for Sunday's game against Washington, which would make his next chance to play Week 7 in Philadelphia. In the meantime, Darius Slayton (foot) and Golden Tate will continue to earn the bulk of the targets among Giants wide receivers.

Beckham (illness) was sent home by the Browns on Thursday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Ulrich adds via coach Kevin Stefanski that Beckham hasn't tested positive for COVID-19. The team, which is understandably exercising caution at this stage, will find out the results of the wideout's latest test Friday.

Evans (ankle) was spotted on the field during the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Tampa Bay listed Evans as a non-participant in their first practice of the week Wednesday, but the wideout looks like he'll have a good chance to at least put in a limited workout Thursday. The Buccaneers will reveal how extensively Evans was involved in the session when the team releases its second Week 6 practice report later Thursday. Evans' health situation appears to be the most unsettled among the Buccaneers' banged-up pass catchers, as Chris Godwin (hamstring), Scotty Miller (hip/groin) and Rob Gronkowski (shoulder) were all at least limited participants in Wednesday's practice, while Justin Watson (chest) practiced fully after sitting out the Week 5 loss to the Bears.

Moore (thigh) was a limited participant for Wednesday's practice.

Moore continues to work through the thigh injury, as despite practicing in limited fashion this season, he's yet to get on the field for game action. The hope is that the receiver progresses throughout the week to have a chance to suit up in Sunday's game against Philadelphia. If Moore is sidelined, duties at depth receiver will continue to shift to Miles Boykin and Devin Duvernay.