NFL Player News

Watson (knee) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

In his third week of on-field work since the Packers designated him for return from the reserve/PUP list, Watson has yet to log more than a limited session as he completes his recovery from the torn ACL that he sustained in his right knee Week 18 of last season. He told Schneidman on Wednesday, "My goal and my plan is to play this week." Assuming the Packers list Watson as anything other than 'Out' on Friday's injury report, the team then will need to activate him from the PUP list on Saturday afternoon for him to have a chance to suit up Sunday at Pittsburgh.

Njoku (knee) was limited in practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku has now logged back-to-back limited practices to open Week 8 preparation, with head coach Kevin Stefanski having called the veteran tight end both "day-to-day" and "hopeful" to suit up Sunday on the road against New England. Unless Njoku is able to upgrade full practice activity Friday it sounds as though he'll carry an injury designation into the weekend. He sat out Cleveland's win over the Dolphins in Week 7 due to a knee injury sustained during the team's loss to Pittsburgh in Week 6.

Taylor (knee) was a limited participant at practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor said he took a helmet to the knee in this past Sunday's loss to the Panthers. He replaced the ineffective Justin Fields at halftime of that game. Taylor and Fields have subsequently split reps in practice. The Jets have yet to announce which quarterback will start Sunday in Cincinnati, but Taylor will first need to show that he's healthy enough to suit up in order to remain in starting consideration.

Gano (groin) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Though Gano remains on injured reserve for the time being, all signs point to the Giants activating him this weekend in advance of Sunday's game in Philadelphia. After the Giants cut fill-in kicker Jude McAtamney on Tuesday before re-signing him to the practice squad two days later, Gano has kicked off Week 8 prep with a pair of full practices. Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said that Gano did a "nice job kicking" in Wednesday's session, but the 38-year-old will still need to steer clear of any setbacks with his groin during Friday's practice before getting the green light to play Sunday.

Jacobs (calf) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Jacobs played through a calf injury during this past Sunday's win at Arizona, notching 14 touches for 58 yards from scrimmage and two rushing TDs on a 53 percent snap share. After the running back's limited practice Wednesday, coach Matt LaFleur told Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site on Thursday that Jacobs was "begging for more reps." Jacobs has yet to take on a full allotment of on-field work this week, meaning Friday's session likely will be key for him to avoid a designation ahead of Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.

Taylor (quadriceps) didn't practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Cimini speculates that Taylor was presumably injured in Wednesday's practice, as Taylor didn't appear on Wednesday's injury report. Taylor's injury adds further uncertainty to a Jets offense that could be without top wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) and hasn't declared a starting quarterback between Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor (knee) for Sunday's game against the Bengals. If the rookie tight end is unable to play Sunday, Jeremy Ruckert could see additional involvement against a Bengals defense that has allowed the most yards (536) and touchdowns (nine) in the league to tight ends.

The Chargers have elevated Hines from the practice squad to the active roster for Thursday's home game against the Vikings.

Hines and Jaret Patterson have both been elevated to join a Los Angeles backfield that lacks any depth behind Kimani Vidal, with Hassan Haskins (hamstring) ruled out for Week 8, Omarion Hampton (ankle) still on IR, and Najee Harris (Achilles) out for the year. While Vidal has operated in a clear No. 1 backfield role since Hampton's injury, both Hines and Patterson could find themselves handling offensive touches if Thursday's contest turns into a run-heavy affair. Hines has been elevated for each of the Chargers' prior two games, and in both contests he contributed as a kick returner without logging a carry or target.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch said Thursday that he has both hope and "evidence" that Aiyuk (knee) will soon be ready to make his 2025 debut, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

Though Lynch didn't go into specifics regarding where exactly Aiyuk stands in his recovery from the torn ACL and MCL he sustained last October, the GM's comments indicate that the receiver has reached some necessary checkpoints in the rehab process for his surgically-repaired right knee. That being said, until the 49ers clear Aiyuk to practice and open up his 21-day evaluation window, it will be difficult to pinpoint a target date for the 27-year-old to potentially return from the PUP list. Whenever he's activated, Aiyuk could have his snap counts monitored carefully for at least a few games.

Penix (knee) was a limited practice participant Thursday

Penix is tending to a knee injury in the wake of getting rolled up in down the stretch of this past Sunday's loss at San Francisco. His reps were capped at Wednesday's walkthrough, and he maintained that activity level one day later, giving him just one more chance to practice in full this week. Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not Penix enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Slayton (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Slayton has kicked off Week 8 prep with a pair of limited practices, but because he hasn't played since Week 5 due to the hamstring injury, he may need to turn in a full practice Friday in order to avoid taking a designation into Sunday's game in Philadelphia. With Malik Nabers (knee) lost for the season, Slayton should be in line for a prominent role in the Giants' passing attack for the second half of the campaign once he's cleared to play.