NFL Player News

Smith (hamstring) is suited up in advance of Monday's practice, Olivia Reiner of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Smith initially hit the sidelines Aug. 4 due to a hamstring injury, but in recent days he was seen working on the side last Thursday before taking part in pregame warmups before Saturday's preseason game at Baltimore, which he sat out. Ultimately, he appears to be closing in on a return to practice.

Douglas (undisclosed) exited Monday's practice early, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

The rookie was seen walking off with trainers during Monday's session but later returned to the sidelines, at which point his day was done from a participation standpoint. The exact nature of Douglas' issue is unclear at this point, but his ability to return to practice this week will settle that. Douglas is one of several young Dolphins looking to make a splash in a revamped receiver room this season.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that McMillan (knee) is considered day-to-day, PewterReport.com reports.

He remained sidelined at practice Monday along with Emeka Egbuka (toe), whom Bowles referred to as "day-to-day, week-to-week," per Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay. McMillan has been tending to a sore knee for nearly two weeks, with the issue preventing him from playing in last week's preseason opener versus the Jets. The third-year wideout is trending toward another absence for Saturday's exhibition versus the Chiefs, but the Buccaneers haven't yet indicated that McMillan's availability for the start of the regular season is in any jeopardy.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Egbuka (toe) is "day-to-day, week-to-week" and was non-committal regarding the wideout's status for the Sept. 13 season opener versus the Bengals, Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay reports.

Egbuka remained sidelined for practice Monday after suffering a sprained toe last Wednesday in a joint session with the Jets. While the Buccaneers had previously spoke more optimistically about Egbuka's status for Week 1, Bowles was more hesitant during his most recent media session to speculate on the second-year receiver's availability for the start of the regular season. Along with Egbuka, Jalen McMillan (knee) was also a spectator at practice Monday, with Bowles referring to the latter wideout as day-to-day, per PewterReport.com.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said that Wilson didn't practice Monday due to a stomach bug, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Assuming Wilson is able to move past the illness and regain strength within the next few days, his preparation for the start of the regular season shouldn't be dramatically affected. Wilson suited up for the Jets' preseason opener Friday against the Buccaneers and displayed a strong early connection with new starting quarterback Geno Smith, recording two catches for 32 yards on three targets in limited snaps.

Noel recently sustained a hamstring injury that will likely keep him from practicing for "a few weeks," Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The wideout previously had a delayed start to training camp due to a right pinkie finger injury, which caused him to miss some practice time before he was activated from the active/non-football injury list Aug. 7. Just over a week later, Noel is now dealing with a more worrisome hamstring issue, which had relegated him to a side field in the Texans' last few practices. Receivers coach Ben McDaniels expressed confidence that Noel will be "ready to roll" once he's cleared to resume taking part in team drills, but the missed reps during practices and preseason games likely will damage his chances of heading into Week 1 as the Texans' No. 3 receiver. Noel has been competing with Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell (knee) for those duties.

The Dolphins activated Bell (knee) from the active/non-football injury list Monday.

The transaction clears the way for Bell, a rookie third-round pick out of Louisville, to resume practicing with the Dolphins. Bell missed all of OTAs and the start of training camp while recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee, which he had surgically repaired in December. Given the nature of the injury, Bell is expected to be eased back into practice with a light workload this week and is unlikely to be available for Saturday's preseason game against the Giants. The 22-year-old wideout may have a better chance of playing in the Aug. 28 preseason finale versus the Falcons, however, which would set the stage for him to have a role in the Dolphins' game plans once the regular season gets underway.

Meyers did not suit up for Saturday's 24-20 preseason victory over the Saints.

As an established veteran, Meyers was held out of Saturday's contest for rest and injury prevention purposes. He remains on track to open the regular season as one of Jacksonville's top three wideouts alongside Brian Thomas and Parker Washington.

Thornton started at wide receiver Saturday's 20-12 preseason loss to the Rams, according to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star.

Thornton did not draw a target in Saturday's contest, but he played only six snaps and left the game before both Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen, which is an indication the Chiefs are comfortable with where he stands. Allen has made noise during the preseason, but Thornton presumably remains the favorite to open as the third receiver behind Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy (shoulder).

Foster caught five of seven targets for 36 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 17-7 preseason loss to the Cowboys, building on what has been a strong performance in training camp, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Foster had a five-yard touchdown catch and almost added a 68-yard touchdown to his stat line Saturday, but Drew Lock overthrew to an open Foster down the sideline in a game during which the Seahawks rested most of their starters. Foster's strong preseason debut could help him in his quest to secure a depth role in a Seattle wide receiver room that also includes Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton, Jake Bobo and Emmanuel Henderson. The 25-year-old Foster will look to keep building momentum in Seattle's second preseason game against the Titans on Aug. 23.