NFL Player News

Love (ankle) stayed limited at Thursday's practice, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Love emerged from a Week 4 loss at the Giants with a new ankle injury that's not related to the high-ankle sprain that he tended to in August. Friday's practice report will reveal whether or not he heads into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Porter has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Buccaneers due to an illness, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Only days after his trade from Pittsburgh to Dallas this past Sunday at Houston, Porter was able to handle a 45 percent snap share but didn't make any marks in the box score in his Cowboys debut. An illness will keep him sidelined in Week 5, though, allowing Ameer Speed and Caelen Carson to work at outside cornerback opposite DaRon Bland.

Evans (ribs) didn't practice Thursday, but he was able to run on a side field during the open portion of the session, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

While Evans officially downgraded from Wednesday's limited session as he tends to a lingering rib injury, he was upbeat as he talked with reporters at his locker afterward. Friday's practice report will give a sense of his odds to suit up Sunday at Seattle, but his DNP on Thursday should be taken with a grain of salt considering he doesn't need many, if any, on-field reps to be available on game days.

The Panthers signed Tyus to the practice squad Thursday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Tyus was on the Panthers' 53-man roster for two games this season, though he didn't spend a lot of time on the field. He was waived Tuesday to clear a roster spot. However, after clearing waivers, Tyus will rejoin the practice squad.

Johnston (chest) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

A chest injury has resulted in back-to-back capped sessions for Johnston to kick off Week 5 prep, giving him just one more opportunity to get back to full Friday before the Chargers potentially tag him with a designation for Sunday's game against the Broncos. With Ladd McConkey (foot) not practicing Wednesday or Thursday and potentially trending toward an absence, an active Johnston likely will be the top pass catcher available to QB Justin Herbert this weekend.

McConkey (foot) didn't practice Thursday.

McConkey dealt with a foot injury last week before attempting to play through it this past Sunday in Seattle. He eventually exited for good in the third quarter and hasn't practiced since then. Coach Jim Harbaugh termed McConkey "week-to-week" Monday, according to Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com, so it won't be a surprise if he's ruled out on the Chargers' final Week 5 injury report Friday.

Elliott (undisclosed) returned to practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

The 21-day practice window opened Thursday. While Elliott was only back on the practice field in a limited capacity, it was still a step in the right direction. However, despite his presence at practice Thursday, the team might need to wait a few more weeks before he's ready to suit up, with Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reporting his return may not happen until the Steelers play the Saints in Paris on Oct. 25.

Brooks (ankle) didn't practice Thursday.

Brooks was held out of practice for a second straight day, and his consecutive absences could put his availability in jeopardy for Sunday's game against the Bears. Perhaps out of concern for Brooks' status heading into the weekend, the Packers signed Pierre Strong off their practice squad Thursday to give the team another healthy option in the backfield behind MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson. If Brooks ends up sitting out Sunday, Strong could end up handling some of Brooks' responsibilities on passing downs.

Fant (abdomen) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

After sitting out Monday's loss to Atlanta, Fant has had his reps capped for the Saints' first two Week 5 practices while he continues to manage the abdominal injury. He'll likely need to upgrade to full participation Friday to avoid taking a designation into Sunday's matchup with the Vikings. When available this season, Fant has been productive as the Saints' No. 2 tight end behind Juwan Johnson, registering eight receptions for 66 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets over three appearances.

Dell (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Though he didn't take a step forward in terms of activity after being listed as limited Wednesday upon having his 21-day practice window opened, Dell was seen donning full pads Thursday, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com. The wideout will likely still need to complete multiple full practices before being activated from injured reserve, so he could face an uphill battle to play in Sunday's game against the Titans. However, so long as Dell's surgically repaired left knee responds well as he ramps up his practice activity, he should be on pace to make his 2026 debut by midseason.