NFL Player News

Strong tweeted Wednesday that he has fully recovered from the ACL injury he sustained in December of 2017.

Strong was playing for Jacksonville when he tore his ACL, and since has become a free agent. The Arizona State product will likely need to prove that he's fully recovered and can still play, but being fully recovered is a huge step for the player whose size (6-foot-2, 217 pounds) and speed (4.44 40) helped him get drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft. In Strong's NFL career, he has caught 31 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns over 19 games.

Cobb (hamstring) appeared to be a limited participant during Wednesday's practice, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

The Packers' first practice report of Week 12 will formally clarify how extensively Cobb was involved in the session, but it's nonetheless a step in the right direction for the wideout, who has missed five of the team's last seven games with the lingering hamstring issue. If he gains clearance to play Week 12 in Minnesota, Cobb will likely be featured regularly as the Packers' slot man in three-receiver sets.

Smith (knee) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Smith's first practice appearance since Week 7 comes at a good time with fellow wideout Devin Funchess (shoulder) held out of the session and considered day-to-day. Regardless, the 29-year-old may need to settle for a reduced role when he rejoins the offense, as D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel have provided a spark to the Carolina passing attack. Smith seems to be on track to return Sunday against the Seahawks.

Jones (knee) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Bears, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Jones hasn't been able to practice in any capacity the past two weeks while recovering from a bone bruise in his knee. It's an unpredictable injury that could lead to missed time beyond Week 12, though a return for Week 13 against the Rams wouldn't come as a major surprise either. Kenny Golladay is a clear favorite to lead the Lions in targets during the Thanksgiving Day game, with TJ Jones, Bruce Ellington (back) and Andy Jones all providing support.

Crowder (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game in Dallas, Jake Kring-Schreifels of the Redskins' official site reports.

Given that he was listed as a non-participant on the practice report every day this week, Crowder isn't a good bet to end his streak of six consecutive absences. However, the decision to list him as questionable may at least be a sign of progress, considering he was ruled out last Friday ahead of Sunday's loss to Houston. The Redskins likely will use Trey Quinn in the slot for the Thanksgiving Day game.

Anderson (ankle) wasn't present for Wednesday's practice, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Anderson still has time to return to practice as the week rolls along, but the fact that he's still unable to work coming out of the Jets' bye week isn't a great sign for his availability for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

Gallup (personal) rejoined the team Wednesday and will be available to play in the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game against the Redskins, Kate Hairopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The receiver had been listed as a non-participant in Dallas' first two practices of Week 12 while he remained in Georgia following the death of his brother. Gallup's arrival at the team facility Wednesday suggests he'll take part in the Cowboys' final practice of the week, which should be enough for him to fill his normal role on offense Thursday. The rookie has seemingly emerged as the Cowboys' preferred option alongside Amari Cooper in two-receiver sets, as Gallup has logged more snaps than both Cole Beasley and Allen Hurns in each of the past five games.

Chark isn't expected to practice Wednesday due to a quadriceps injury.

There had been no previous reports that Chark suffered an injury in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Steelers, during which the rookie nabbed two of five targets for 15 yards while playing 36 of the Jaguars' 69 offensive snaps (52 percent). Meanwhile, Keelan Cole played just 16 snaps (29 percent), indicating that Chark has settled in as the team's No. 3 wideout behind starters Donte Moncrief and Dede Westbrook. In order to maintain his spot in the pecking order Week 12 against the Bills, Chark must prove over the next two days that the quad issue isn't a major hindrance.

Carter received praise from coach Bill O'Brien for his efforts as a returner in a Week 11 win over Washington, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. "I thought he fielded the ball pretty well. There was one that he could've done a better job on, but overall, he came up on that short kickoff and made a great catch on that, helped our field position," O'Brien said.

Carter made his debut for the Texans last week after being claimed off waivers from the Eagles following their Week 10 bye. The Texans cleared a roster spot for Carter by cutting Tyler Ervin, who they felt had lost a step after suffering a knee injury in 2017. Carter had one punt return for 16 yards and fielded a short kickoff for an 18-yard return. Both plays turned potentially challenging field position into favorable situations for the Texans, who went on to score after each return.

Montgomery picked up five yards on a lateral play during Sunday's 24-21 win over Cincinnati.

Montgomery took the lateral inside the red zone late in the third quarter from rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, setting up Gus Edwards' game-tying touchdown run. It wasn't a spectacular debut and Montgomery certainly doesn't fit the Ravens' mold of big-bodied backs, but the play showed that Montgomery can add dimensions to a Jackson-led offense, like option plays, to go along with his receiving ability. Keep an eye on whether it's Jackson or Joe Flacco (hip) under center Sunday against Oakland, a team ranked 25th in the league with 4.8 yards per opponent carry.