NFL Player News

Croskey-Merritt (groin) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

Croskey-Merritt has been tending to a lower-body injury since picking it up during an Aug. 22 practice. He's been back on the field since Sept. 1 but hasn't been able to do enough yet to be considered a full participant. Friday's practice report may provide a sense of Croskey-Merritt's odds to suit up for Sunday's regular-season opener at Philadelphia.

Allen (hip) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

Allen missed the second half of training camp due to what the Jaguars had previously labeled as a soft-tissue injury before he was listed with a hip issue when the team released its first Week 1 injury report Wednesday. The 22-year-old remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice, but he was able to go through individual drills during the open portion of Thursday's session, per Rachel Phillips of First Coast News. Allen's level of activity was enough for him to get upgraded to limited participation, but he may still need to put in a full practice Friday to have a realistic shot at playing in Sunday's season opener versus the Browns. When available, Allen projects to serve as the Jaguars' top passing-down back, though Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez will both be prioritized ahead of him on the ground.

McMillan (knee) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

McMillan has been tending to a knee injury since early August, a scenario that sidelined him for the entire preseason slate. With back-to-back capped sessions under his belt, he still has some work to do to make himself available for Sunday's game at Cincinnati. Friday's practice report will reveal if McMillan enters the weekend with a designation ahead of that matchup.

Meyers (thumb) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Per Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, Meyers was donning a non-contact jersey for the second day in a row while aiming to protect his injured right thumb. The fact that he's practiced in some fashion during the first two days of Week 1 prep is generally a positive sign for Meyers' status heading into Sunday's game against the Browns, but he may need to turn in a full practice Friday to avoid taking a designation into the weekend.

The 49ers elevated Hodge from the practice squad to the active roster for the team's Week 1 game against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

Hodge was released by the Falcons at the start of free agency in March and didn't garner any interest until he had a tryout with the Bills in late July. He eventually joined an injury-ravaged 49ers receiving corps on Aug. 5 but didn't survive roster cuts before being signed to San Francisco's practice squad. It's unclear if any of the other six wide receivers on the active roster will be healthy scratches, but even if he's available for the season opener, he likely wouldn't be in line for many offensive snaps with all of Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson ahead of Hodge in the WR pecking order.

Mahomes (knee) opened Week 1 prep as a full practice participant Thursday.

Per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com, head coach Andy Reid relayed prior to the Chiefs' first official practice of Week 1 that Mahomes was "geared up and ready to go" for the season opener Monday versus the Broncos. The quarterback backed up his coach's optimism by taking every rep with the first-team offense Thursday, setting the stage for him to play in his first game since his 2025 season came to an end Dec. 14, when he sustained a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. Mahomes made tremendous strides in his rehab from surgery and was cleared for full practices prior to training camp, and though he didn't play in any preseason games, he steered clear of any setbacks with his knee. According to Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com, Mahomes said that he'll continue to wear a protective brace on his knee, and while the Chiefs aren't expected to alter their game plans as a result, the 30-year-old could naturally scale back his involvement as a runner coming off major surgery.

Love (ankle) is warming up ahead of Thursday's practice, Dani Sureck of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Love is set to practice in some capacity Thursday after being listed as a limited participant Wednesday. The rookie third overall pick is working his way back from a high-ankle sprain sustained exactly one month before Sunday's regular-season opener against the Chargers. Once cleared for game action, Love is expected to operate in a split backfield with Tyler Allgeier.

Flowers (hamstring) was a full participant at Thursday's walkthrough.

Flowers was listed as a limited participant Wednesday but upgraded to all activity Thursday, putting him on track to play in Sunday's season opener against the Colts. After leading the Ravens with 1,211 receiving yards last season, Flowers is set to reprise his role as Lamar Jackson's top target under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.

Jeanty said prior to Thursday's practice that he feels "really good" about the health of his right ankle and reiterated that he'll be ready to go for Sunday's season opener versus the Dolphins, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports. "Any time away from the game, it's tough," Jeanty said. "But to get back out there [at practice Wednesday], mainly with the guys, man, it felt good."

Jeanty cleared up any concern about his availability for the opener by turning in a full practice Wednesday, two and a half weeks after he sustained what initially appeared to be a serious-looking ankle injury during an Aug. 23 training camp session. The running back practiced again Thursday, and barring any setbacks, he'll draw the Week 1 start for the Raiders. However, because of the amount of workouts Jeanty missed late in camp while recovering from the ankle injury, the Raiders could look to manage his workload to some degree in the opener and open up more reps for rookie Mike Washington, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.

Kamara (knee) remained limited at practice Thursday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Kamara still has a chance to suit up Week 1 as he recovers from a sprained MCL, so his participation level Friday will bear monitoring before the Saints release game designations for Sunday's matchup with the Lions. Travis Etienne is in line to lead New Orleans' backfield, while Kendre Miller could take on a change-of-pace role if Kamara doesn't play.