NFL Player News

Herbig (hamstring) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Herbig was able to start his week of practice with a limited session, a strong sign for the linebacker's playing chances for Sunday's game against the Browns. Every front-seven player will be key for a Steelers defense that may be without T.J. Watt (lung) yet again. Herbig will have two more chances to upgrade his practice participation in the hopes of dodging an injury designation ahead of Sunday's divisional matchup.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle (ankle) won't practice Wednesday but "has a chance" to play Sunday against the Bears, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle was tackled awkwardly on his seventh and final catch in the middle of the third quarter of Monday's win at Indianapolis and wasn't able to return. Shanahan told Wagoner afterward that it was too early to touch on the severity of Kittle's ankle injury before Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Kittle was tending to a mid-to-low ankle sprain. Kittle doesn't necessarily need to practice in order to be active Sunday against the Bears, but his chances to play Week 17 would increase if he's able to mix into drills at some point Thursday or Friday. Jake Tonges likely would step into the pass-catching role in the 49ers offense if Kittle isn't able to suit up this weekend.

Hargrave (thigh) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Thursday's game against the Lions.

Hargrave logged limited practices all week with a thigh injury, and the partial participation was clearly enough to clear the defensive lineman of any injury designation. The 32-year-old is all set to suit up alongside Jalen Redmond and Jonathan Allen in the hopes of crushing the Lions' dreams of the postseason.

Warren (hip) was limited at practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Coach Mike Tomlin noted Wednesday that "Warren should be limited at the early portions of the week," which suggests that the running back may not practice fully Thursday either. That said, at this stage there's nothing to suggest that Warren will miss Sunday's game against the Browns, with the 9-6 Steelers firmly in the playoff hunt. In the team's Week 16 win over the Lions, Warren logged a 49 percent offensive snap share while working in tandem with fellow RB Kenneth Gainwell en route to rushing 14 times for 143 yards and two TDs to go along with logging two catches on two targets for eight yards.

Wilson (thumb) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Thursday's game against the Lions.

Wilson was a limited participant in Monday and Tuesday's practices, but was able to upgrade to a full participant Friday, just in time to avoid any injury designation for this week's divisional matchup. The starting inside linebacker is all set to suit up for Thursday's game, where the Vikings will try to play spoiler for a Lions team on the brink of postseason elimination.

Watt (chest) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Watt missed the Steelers' last two games while recovering from a procedure to repair a partially collapsed lung. The veteran pass rusher was able to log a limited practice to open the week, and he would likely avoid an injury designation for Sunday's AFC North tilt against the Browns if he were to fully practice by Friday. His return would likely result in rookie Jack Sawyer reverting to a rotational role behind Watt and Alex Highsmith.

St. Brown (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game at Minnesota.

In the midst of St. Brown logging a DNP/LP/LP practice regimen this week, coach Dan Campbell told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday that St. Brown was dealing with "a little irritation" in his knee, but the Lions still were optimistic about the wide receiver's odds to play Week 17. St. Brown's status ultimately will be confirmed about 90 minutes before Thursday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

The Chiefs moved Watson (groin) to injured reserve Wednesday.

Watson likely picked up the groin injury in last Sunday's loss to the Titans, and the Chiefs likely thought it best to shut down the cornerback for the season. With its playoff hopes dashed, the team is likely looking toward next season. Watson will end the 2025 season with 64 tackles (42 solo), including 2.0 sacks, and six passes defensed for two interceptions through 15 games.

The Chiefs activated Johnson (shoulder) from injured reserve Wednesday.

Johnson opened the regular season on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury he sustained in a preseason game in August, but his activation from IR puts him on track to make his 2025 regular-season debut against the Broncos on Thursday. The 2022 seventh-rounder could step into a prominent role in the Chiefs' secondary for the final two games of the regular season, given that Trent McDuffie (knee) and Jaylen Watson (groin) were both placed on injured reserve.

Sampson (hand) was limited at practice Wednesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Sampson, who last suited up in Week 14, didn't practice at all last week, so his return to practice -- albeit in a limited capacity -- bodes well for his chances of returning to the lineup Sunday against the Steelers. If Sampson is available this weekend, he'd have an opportunity to claim a key role in the Browns' Week 17 backfield, which will also include Trayveon Williams and Raheim Sanders, with Quinshon Judkins (ankle/fibula) now on injured reserve.