NFL Player News

Walker is experiencing swelling around his ankle but is expected to "be fine," Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

It was reported Tuesday that Walker was dealing with a foot injury, and head coach Andy Reid clarified a day later that he is actually dealing with an ankle issue. Reid did not express any concern about about Walker's status, so it appears he is not facing any sort of extended absence.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said McCarthy won't practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury, but the Vikings are hopeful he'll start Friday's preseason contest at Denver, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

McCarthy came out of Saturday's exhibition loss to the Ravens with an undisclosed injury, which O'Connell clarified Wednesday. The team wants McCarthy to be the first QB under center in Friday's preseason finale, but Minnesota will continue to monitor whether that's possible for the third-year pro, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune. Wednesday's absence in the form of rest is a means to that end.

Penix (knee) won't play in Friday's preseason game in Miami, but he believes he'll be available for a Week 1 road matchup with the Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 13, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Penix was cleared for team drills as of Saturday, but coach Kevin Stefanski won't allow the third-year pro to suit up with only three such practices under his belt. Penix also told Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network that it's "too soon" to play in a game, but he thinks he'll be capable both physically and mentally to be the starter if Stefanski names him the No. 1 over competitor Tua Tagovailoa. Penix is completing the final stages of his recovery from the torn ACL he sustained in his left knee in Week 11 of last season.

Burden (groin) returned to practice Wednesday, but he was contained to individual drills, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Since exiting practice Aug. 8 due to a groin injury, Burden was given a prognosis of roughly one month, meaning preseason action was off the table. However, his ability to mix back into some drills Wednesday generally is a positive sign in his recovery. The Bears open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13 at Carolina, a contest for which Burden will continue to ramp up for.

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Tagovailoa will start Friday's preseason game at Miami, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Fellow QB Michael Penix recently was cleared for team drills in practice as he continues to ramp up his activity level following last season's torn ACL. Stefanski relayed that Penix won't play preseason Week 3, which will give Tagovailoa another chance to stake a claim to the Falcons' starting quarterback gig. Stefanski also told Kendall that he'll name a starter "whenever they tell me I have to," so the competition appears to be a toss-up at the moment.

Love (ankle) was spotted doing some light agility work with trainers ahead of Wednesday's practice, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Love emerged from his only action of the preseason Aug. 13 with a high-ankle sprain that has sidelined him from practice and one exhibition in the meantime. While his ability to get in some work Wednesday is an encouraging step in his recovery, he's likely still some time away from mixing back into drills. Tyler Allgeier will continue to handle the bulk of the first-team RB reps until Love is healthy.

Flowers (undisclosed) is being held out of practice "for precautionary reasons" and should be ready for Week 1, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner reports.

Flowers missed a couple days of practice this week with an unspecified injury, but head coach Jesse Minter did not express any concern about his availability when asked after Wednesday's practice, so it appears Baltimore's top wideout is not facing any sort of extended absence.

Downs said his calf injury is "very minor" and believes he will resume practicing soon, Jake Arthur of Roundtable.io reports.

The injury prevented Downs from practicing both Tuesday and Wednesday, but it does not appear he is facing any sort of extended absence. With Alec Pierce (ankle) still sidelined, Keenan Allen, Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine figure to get more reps with the first team for the time being.

Chase (knee) is not participating in Wednesday's practice, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Chase downplayed the injury that forced him from Tuesday's session, but he will get at least one day to rest and recover. The report notes that Chase "was not sporting any protective equipment," which backs up his stance that he is dealing only with a minor setback.

Kraft (knee) will participate in team drills during Wednesday's joint practice with the Cardinals, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Kraft has been participating in team drills for over a week, and he has advanced enough to get some work in against an opposing team. It's still not certain that Kraft will be ready for Week 1, and it was reported earlier in August that he could open on a snap count even if he is ready to go, but the chances of him both being out there and filling a key role continue to rise.