NFL Player News

Morgan is unlikely to play in Thursday's preseason contest against the Giants, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Morgan is one of three receivers not playing Thursday, joining John Ross (hamstring) and A.J. Green (ankle). The 22-year-old hauled in both of his targets for 21 yards last week against the Redskins. Morgan has reportedly generated some buzz in training camp after going undrafted out of Nebraska, but whatever momentum he's accumulated will be halted momentarily with him on the sidelines Thursday.

Parker (undisclosed) won't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Jaguars, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

With Parker dealing with an undisclosed injury, he'll sit this one out, with an eye toward being ready for Week 1 action. If healthy, he'll join Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson atop the Dolphins' wideout depth chart heading into the 2019 season.

Johnson said he's day-to-day with an unspecified injury, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

After dealing with a hip injury early in training camp, Johnson made it back for the second week of the preseason, catching three of five targets for 46 yards and a touchdown while playing deep into the fourth quarter. The rookie third-round pick doesn't appear headed for a significant Week 1 role on offense, but he could get chances throughout the year if Donte Moncrief and/or James Washington disappoint. An absence from Saturday's preseason game against Tennessee wouldn't help Johnson's case.

Cooper (heel/foot) anticipates being pain-free before the regular-season opener, also noting that he should be able to play through the injury if it doesn't resolve, Clarence Hill of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Absent since the second week of training camp, Cooper will miss the entire preseason but hopes to return to practice next week. His confidence in playing in the regular-season opener might be taken as a good sign, but it is a bit worrisome that he's already discussing the possible need to fight through his plantar fasciitis, an injury that tends to linger. Cooper dealt with the same issue during his sophomore year at Alabama and rookie season in Oakland, the latter resulting in a 1,000-yard campaign. He said his foot has improved since two weeks ago, allowing him to run routes at less than full speed the past few days.

Shepard (thumb) won't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Bengals, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Shepard fractured the tip of his left thumb on the second day of training camp and was limited to non-contact work until this past weekend. Coach Pat Shurmur said the wide receiver is on track for Week 1 against Dallas, though Shepard still has a splint on his thumb for support, per Tom Rock of Newsday.

Blacknall (undisclosed) reverted to injured reserve Wednesday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Blacknall was waived/injured by the Dolphins with the unspecified injury, but he moves to IR after clearing waivers. The 23-year-old will be out for the season unless he agrees to an injury settlement.

Grayson (knee) reverted to injured reserve Wednesday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Grayson was waived/injured by the Chiefs earlier in the week, but he lands on injured reserve after going unclaimed on waivers. The 23-year-old will miss the 2019 season unless he reaches an injury settlement with the team.

Hill (personal) returned to practice Wednesday, KCTV 5 News reports.

Held out Tuesday for personal reasons, Hill was quick to rejoin his teammates in preparation for Saturday's preseason game against the 49ers. He could see a decent chunk of playing time, as coach Andy Reid usually gives his best players some run in exhibition contests, bucking the recent trend league-wide.

Cooks and other starters aren't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against Denver, Gary Klein of The Los Angeles Times reports.

Sean McVay played starters in the preseason his first year as a head coach, but he held out all the big names last summer and seems to have the same plan this time around. Cooks seems to have been healthy throughout most of the offseason and training camp, apart from a brief absence caused by a minor hamstring tweak at the beginning of his August. He's locked in as Jared Goff's favorite deep threat, seeking a fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season.

Smith-Schuster is focused on becoming more of a deep threat outside, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. "Being able to catch the deep balls down the field," Smith-Schuster said. "That's what I've focused on a lot, catching the ball over the shoulder and being able to be a threat on the outside."

With Antonio Brown off to Oakland and slot specialists Ryan Switzer and Eli Rogers left behind in Pittsburgh, there's an excellent chance Smith-Schuster takes more of his snaps outside this season. It's less clear if he'll become a viable deep threat, but he's so good at everything else that it shouldn't be a major issue if he struggles to gain separation on go routes. His work after the catch has led to some huge plays through two seasons, including gains of 97, 97, 75, 69 and 67 yards.