NFL Player News

Kirk (hamstring) and Nico Collins (concussion) returned to practice Wednesday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

The Texans may have their receiving corps back at full strength this Sunday against the Broncos, facing a defense that leads the league in sacks but will now be playing without reigning DPOY Patrick Surtain (pectoral). With Kirk and Collins absent last week, the Texans got solid showings from all of Jaylin Noel, Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson in a win over the 49ers.

Baker (head) won't practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Baker exited the Titans' Week 8 loss to the Colts in the third quarter after taking a hit to the head, but interim head coach Mike McCoy didn't give an update on his condition. The Georgia Southern product likely needs to upgrade to at least limited practice Thursday or Friday in order to play in Sunday's matchup against the Chargers.

Collins (concussion) returned to practice Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Christian Kirk (hamstring) is also back at practice after he and Collins missed the Week 8 win over San Francisco. Wilson suggests that Collins is trending toward a return for Sunday's matchup with Denver.

Payton (hamstring) was designated to return from the injured reserve list Wednesday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

The Pittsburgh State product has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury, but it now appears he's nearing a return. Payton appeared in 16 games for the Saints last season and played 242 special-teams snaps, recording 11 total tackles. He now has 21 days to be added to the Giants' active roster before reverting to IR, and he'll likely have a similar role once fully healthy.

Haynes (pectoral) was designated to return from the injured reserve list Wednesday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

The second-year pro from UConn was placed on injured reserve in late August due to a pectoral injury, but it now appears he's nearing a return. Seattle now has 21 days to add Haynes to its active roster before he reverts to IR. He's expected to serve as the Seahawks' top right guard once fully healthy.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that Lloyd (hamstring), who remains on IR, is not nearing a return to practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Lloyd has spent the entire regular season on IR due to a hamstring injury. LaFleur offered optimism about the second-year pro's progression toward the practice field in mid-October, but it seems things have since changed. It's possible that Lloyd, who has dealt with consistent injury issues since being selected by Green Bay in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, has suffered a setback in his recovery. In any case, Emanuel Wilson has entrenched himself as the No. 2 option behind Josh Jacobs in the Packers' backfield, so if Lloyd does return to action this season, he'll likely compete with Chris Brooks for the No. 3 role.

Woods (hamstring) won't practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The 30-year-old played a season-low 25 defensive snaps in the Week 8 loss to the Colts, recording four total tackles prior to his hamstring injury. Woods has yet to miss a game this season, but if he doesn't upgrade to at least limited practice Wednesday or Thursday, his status for Tennessee's Week 9 matchup against the Chargers will likely be in doubt.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Brown (illness) will not practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the team's official site reports.

Brown's health will have to be monitored for Week 9, as the veteran wideout will now have two more chances to get back on the practice field ahead of Sunday's road matchup against the Bills. In the two games since Rashee Rice's return to the lineup, Brown played under 40 percent of offensive snaps. He failed to haul in his only target during Monday's win over the Commanders. As a result, even if he's cleared to suit up Week 9, the current state of Brown's involvement on offense will put him off the fantasy radar aside from in deeper formats.

Young (ankle) was seen throwing during Wednesday's practice, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Young suffered a high right-ankle sprain during the Panthers' Week 7 win at the Jets and didn't practice last week before being deemed inactive this past Sunday against the Bills. Prior to mixing into drills on a wet field Wednesday, he also joined his teammates for a pre-practice stretch, something that he didn't do last week, per Joe Person of The Athletic. Young thus has made clear progress in his recovery, but whether or not he'll be able to supplant backup QB Andy Dalton as the Week 9 starter Sunday in Green Bay remains to be seen.

Head coach Ben Johnson told reporters Wednesday that Gardner-Johnson will play slot corner for the Bears, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

The 27-year-old signed with the Bears' active roster Wednesday after being dropped from the Ravens' practice squad on Oct. 14. With Kyler Gordon (groin/calf) moving to IR, Gardner-Johnson is expected to take over as the Bears' top slot corner. The Florida product is likely to help a Chicago defense that already leads the NFL in takeaways (16), as he forced seven turnovers over 16 regular-season games with the Eagles in 2024.