NFL Player News

Haskins (hamstring) was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

This opened a 21-day window for Haskins to practice, and he can be activated at any time. The fourth-year running back practiced with the team Wednesday and could return to game action as soon as Sunday versus the Eagles. Once he returns to action, he's unlikely to have much of a role on offense because Omarion Hampton (ankle) is nearing a return and Kimani Vidal should serve as the No. 2 back.

Pierre (concussion) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

Pierre suffered a concussion during this past Sunday's loss to the Bills. It's encouraging that he's already back on the practice field, but he'll still need to clear the league's concussion protocol before he can potentially play in Sunday's game versus the Ravens. The Steelers just waived Darius Slay and signed Asante Samuel to the active roster to take his place, so Samuel is expected to start if Pierre can't go. There's a chance Samuel takes over the starting role altogether at some point down the stretch, too.

Harrison (heel) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, Zach Gershman of the Cardinals' official site reports.

This comes as no surprise, as Harrison wasn't spotted at the media-access portion of Wednesday's session. The second-year pro is dealing with a heel injury that he suffered in the fourth quarter of this past Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay, but coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday that Harrison was feeling "OK." Harrison likely will need to practice at some point this week to have a chance to play Sunday against the Rams, but if he sits out, it'll mark his third absence in the last four games (he missed Weeks 11 and 12 following an appendectomy).

Queen (glute) did not practice Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Queen was injured in last Sunday's loss to the Bills and was unable to return to the game. His injury was initially reported as a lower-back bruise, but it's actually Queen's glute. If Queen is unable to play Sunday against the Ravens, Carson Bruener and Malik Harrison would likely be next up for snaps at linebacker.

Watt (toe) did not practice Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Watt played his normal allotment of snaps in last Sunday's loss to the Bills, recording four tackles on 82 percent of the defensive downs. It's unclear when he picked up the toe issue. On the season, Watt has logged 47 tackles (18 solo), including 7.0 sacks, 17 QB hits, seven pass breakups, including one interception, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries across 12 contests.

The Bills claimed Slay off waivers from the Steelers on Wednesday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Slay and the Steelers mutually agreed to part ways after the 34-year-old was a healthy scratch during last week's loss to the Bills. During his tenure with the Steelers, Slay recorded 36 tackles (28 solo) and three pass breakups through 10 games. He'll add a veteran presence to the Bills' secondary, which features Christian Benford, Tre'Davious White and rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston. His first chance to suit up for the Bills is Sunday versus the Bengals.

Smyth is likely to be New Orleans' placekicker Sunday in Tampa Bay, Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports reports.

Smyth kicked for the Saints this past Sunday against Miami and made his lone field-goal try -- a 56-yarder. He also helped New Orleans get the ball back late with a successful onside kick. Smyth was placed back on the Saints' practice squad Monday, but that move was almost certainly procedural, as he did more than enough to earn another elevation for Sunday's Week 14 matchup.

Cook (ankle) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Cook suffered an ankle injury during last week's loss to the Cowboys and only played 12 defensive snaps as a result. However, it appears this injury won't be an issue moving forward. Cook has been a steady member of the Chiefs' secondary with 50 tackles (33 solo) and four pass breakups through 12 games.

McDonald (ankle) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

McDonald logged his usual defensive snap share against Atlanta on Sunday, but he appears to have also picked up an ankle injury. It bears monitoring his practice status the remainder of the week, but at this point there's no indication he's dealing with a major issue. McDonald has 7.0 sacks on the season, though 4.0 of those came in one game (versus Cleveland in Week 10).

Gray (concussion) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Gray missed last week's loss to the Cowboys, but he's progressing well and appears on track to clear the league's concussion protocol before Sunday's game versus the Texans. Gray typically plays more than half the offensive snaps in a game. He has produced 16 receptions for 132 yards through 11 games.