NFL Player News

Kirk (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday's game versus the Buccaneers.

Kirk didn't practice all week, and he'll miss a second straight game to start the season. Jayden Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson, Justin Watson and Jaylin Noel all handled additional reps behind star wideout Nico Collins last week, and there figures to be a similar rotation in Week 2. Kirk's next chance to play is Week 3 versus the Jaguars.

Fuller (knee) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.

The 27-year-old safety had already been ruled out for the Falcons' Week 2 matchup against the Vikings due to a knee injury, but the issue now appears serious enough to land him on IR. Fuller played 17 total snaps (one defensive and 16 on special teams) in the Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers, failing to record a stat. With Fuller now sidelined, Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates are currently the only safeties on the Falcons' active roster without injury designations.

Koo didn't travel with the team to Minnesota and won't play in Sunday's game versus the Vikings, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Parker Romo -- who was elevated from the practice squad Saturday -- will take over as the Falcons' kicker for at least one game, though it wouldn't be surprising if he permanently usurps Koo on the depth chart with a strong showing in Minnesota. Koo will end up ceding kicking duties to Romo in Week 2 after missing a 44-yard field-goal attempt late in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Buccaneers. His struggles date back to last season, when he connected on just 73.5 percent of his field-goal tries after hitting at least 86 percent in each of the previous five seasons.

Ekwonu (appendectomy) remains listed as questionable but is expected to play in Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Ekwonu was a limited participant in practice throughout the week as he continues to work his way back from the appendectomy he underwent last month, but he's trending toward suiting up Sunday after he sat out the Panthers' loss to the Jaguars in Week 1. Assuming Ekwonu is cleared ahead of Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff, he'll step back in as the Panthers' starting left tackle, while Yosh Nijman would move back into a swing tackle role.

Coach Todd Bowles said Saturday that Godwin (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday's game at Houston, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Godwin logged his first practice reps Thursday since sustaining a dislocated left ankle Week 7 during the 2024 campaign, but he followed up that limited session with no activity Friday before Bowles made a ruling on his availability for Week 2. His next chance for game action arrives Sunday, Sept. 21 against the Jets, but he may need to practice on back-to-back days in order to put himself in a position to make his season debut. Mike Evans and rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka will continue to serve as the primary wide receivers for quarterback Baker Mayfield until Godwin is cleared to return.

The Bears placed Carlton (undisclosed) on their practice squad injured list Saturday, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Carlton didn't play in the team's Week 1 loss versus the Vikings, so it's currently unclear where he picked up the injury. The rookie undrafted free agent will have to be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks.

Wirfs (knee) has been ruled out for Monday's game versus the Texans, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Wirfs will miss a second consecutive game due to his recovery from July arthroscopic right knee surgery. It's encouraging that he returned to the practice field in a limited fashion Thursday, and his next chance to play is Week 3 versus the Jets.

Bowers (knee) is practicing with the team Saturday, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

Bowers didn't practice Thursday or Friday, so his presence at Saturday's practice was critical to his chances of playing Monday versus the Chargers. The Raiders will reveal later in the afternoon whether Bowers practiced with limitations or if he'll carry a questionable tag into Monday's game. Fantasy managers may need to plan ahead at tight end if Bowers is tagged as questionable, because the Raiders have the final game of the week, which kicks off at 10:00 p.m. ET on Monday.

Powers-Johnson (concussion) didn't participate in Friday's practice.

Powers wasn't listed on the injury report Thursday, so it's concerning that he was diagnosed with a concussion before Friday's practice. It seems unlikely that he'll pass the league's concussion protocol before Monday's game versus the Chargers. If he can't go, Alex Cappa and Caleb Rogers are the candidates to start at right guard.

Walker (ankle) has been downgraded from doubtful to out for Sunday's game versus the Lions, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

The undrafted rookie suited up in the season-opening loss to the Vikings but stuck to special teams. Walker's next chance to play is Week 3 versus the Cowboys.