NFL Player News

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.

Samuel (heel) practiced in full Thursday.

The same can be said for fellow WR Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), signaling that Washington's top options at the position are past their respective health concerns ahead of Monday's game at Kansas City. Samuel sat out Week 7 due to a lingering heel injury but was spotted performing hard cuts during individual drills at Thursday's session, according to Commanders writer Ben Standig.

The Vikings have activated Jones (hamstring), who is officially listed as questionable for Thursday Night Football against the Chargers but is expected to play, from injured reserve.

Jones is expected to suit up Thursday night, per Kirk Herbstreit of Prime Video, and this transaction makes him eligible to do so. Minnesota may not make the veteran running back's status official until roughly 90 minutes ahead of Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, however. If he's indeed cleared to suit up on the road against Los Angeles, expect Jones join Jordan Mason atop Minnesota's backfield depth chart, bumping Zavier Scott (wrist) down to the No. 3 role. It's possible, though, that Jones will still have a cap on his reps after having managed two limited walkthrough practices this week.

Olave (ankle) was spotted taking part in practice Thursday during the media-access portion of the session, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Olave was held out of the Saints' first Week 8 practice Wednesday on account of an ankle injury, but his presence on the field a day later offers hope that his absence was mostly maintenance-related. The Saints will release their second practice report of the week later Thursday, when it will be known whether Olave was a limited or full participant in the session. After his 2024 campaign was derailed by two concussions, Olave has enjoyed generally good health so far in 2025, suiting up for all seven of the Saints' games to date while producing a 44-440-3 receiving line on 70 targets.

McLaurin (quadriceps) practiced fully Thursday.

Both McLaurin and Deebo Samuel had no limitations to kick off Week 8 prep, indicating Washington's top two wide receivers are trending toward returning to action Monday at Kansas City. McLaurin himself has missed the last four games due to a quad injury but was seen cutting hard during individual drills at Thursday's session, per Commanders writer Ben Standig.

Patterson was elevated from the practice squad ahead of Thursday's game against the Vikings.

Patterson and Nyheim Hines have both been elevated, giving the Chargers a pair of healthy alternatives to Kimani Vidal, who is the only available option currently on the 53-man roster. Patterson has rushed 85 times for 344 yards and two touchdowns in 21 regular-season NFL games. He played for Washington in 2021 and 2022 before appearing in one game with the Chargers in 2024.

Davidson (ankle) did not practice Thursday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Davidson was limited in practice Wednesday, but he may have now suffered a setback. That said, Davidson managed to suit up Week 7 despite logging a FP-DNP-LP practice slate while listed with a knee injury, so if he's able to get back to at least limited activity levels Friday, he could still gain clearance for Sunday's divisional matchup at Philadelphia.

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

Bellinger has been limited in both of the Giants' first two Week 8 practices, so he may need to upgrade to full participation in Friday's session to avoid taking a questionable tag into this Sunday's game in Philadelphia. Though Bellinger has played second fiddle to Theo Johnson throughout the season, the Giants' depleted receiver depth has prompted head coach Brian Daboll to deploy two-tight-end sets more frequently in recent weeks. Bellinger has played more than half of the Giants' offensive snaps in three straight games, recording seven catches for 140 yards and a touchdown on eight targets during that stretch.