NFL Player News

Flowers (hamstring) was a full participant at Thursday's walkthrough.

Flowers was listed as a limited participant Wednesday but upgraded to all activity Thursday, putting him on track to play in Sunday's season opener against the Colts. After leading the Ravens with 1,211 receiving yards last season, Flowers is set to reprise his role as Lamar Jackson's top target under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.

Jeanty said prior to Thursday's practice that he feels "really good" about the health of his right ankle and reiterated that he'll be ready to go for Sunday's season opener versus the Dolphins, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports. "Any time away from the game, it's tough," Jeanty said. "But to get back out there [at practice Wednesday], mainly with the guys, man, it felt good."

Jeanty cleared up any concern about his availability for the opener by turning in a full practice Wednesday, two and a half weeks after he sustained what initially appeared to be a serious-looking ankle injury during an Aug. 23 training camp session. The running back practiced again Thursday, and barring any setbacks, he'll draw the Week 1 start for the Raiders. However, because of the amount of workouts Jeanty missed late in camp while recovering from the ankle injury, the Raiders could look to manage his workload to some degree in the opener and open up more reps for rookie Mike Washington, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.

Kamara (knee) remained limited at practice Thursday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Kamara still has a chance to suit up Week 1 as he recovers from a sprained MCL, so his participation level Friday will bear monitoring before the Saints release game designations for Sunday's matchup with the Lions. Travis Etienne is in line to lead New Orleans' backfield, while Kendre Miller could take on a change-of-pace role if Kamara doesn't play.

Nabers (knee) said Thursday that he feels good but declined to commit publicly to playing Sunday against the Cowboys, Art Stapleton of USA Today reports.

Nabers logged full practices Wednesday and Thursday, but his comments suggest the Giants still haven't made a final call on his Week 1 availability as Nabers works his way back from a torn ACL sustained in Week 4 of last season. Evan Barnes of Newsday Sports adds that Nabers is still deciding whether or not to play as he weighs the long-term implications of his recovery. The recent practice workload is an encouraging sign, but Nabers' fantasy managers would be in a tough spot if he doesn't avoid an injury designation Friday, since replacement options will be limited with the Giants playing on Sunday Night Football this weekend.

Pierce (heel) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

Pierce has kicked off Week 1 prep with a pair of limited practices, but he could still avoid an injury designation for Sunday's season opener against the Ravens by upgrading to full participation Friday. The Colts' leading receiver in 2025 is coming off an eventful offseason, during which Pierce underwent ankle surgery shortly after signing a four-year, $114 million contract in March. This current heel issue may be connected to that ankle procedure, which kept Pierce sidelined for all of training camp.

Tagovailoa was limited at Thursday's practice by an oblique injury, according to the Falcons' official site.

It appeared Tagovailoa was dealing with a back injury, but it turns out he's actually tending to an oblique issue. This is a curveball for the Falcons, who are already shorthanded at quarterback with Michael Penix (knee) out for the opener. With Tagovailoa tending to the injury, the Falcons gave all the first-team reps to Cooper Rush on Thursday. Suddenly, Friday's injury report becomes one of the most impactful ones across the whole league as the Falcons could be down their top two quarterbacks for Week 1 if Tagovailoa doesn't bounce back quickly.

Branch (hamstring) remained limited at practice Thursday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Branch has been a limited participant in consecutive practices to kick off Week 1 prep, but the rookie third-round pick still has a chance to avoid an injury designation if he can upgrade to full practice participation Friday as he looks to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Steelers. Branch is expected to fill a reserve role at wide receiver to begin his career, but he's penciled in as Atlanta's primary punt returner.

Rush took all of the first-team reps at Thursday's practice while Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) was unable to participate, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Michael Penix (knee) has already been ruled out, so if Tagovailoa is sidelined by the oblique injury he suffered during individual drills Thursday, Rush would be next in line to get tabbed for the Week 1 start Sunday against the Steelers, ahead of undrafted rookie Jack Strand. Tagovailoa officially went down as a limited participant Thursday, per Raimondi. Rush has a career 9-7 record as a regular-season starter, having gone 9-5 with the Cowboys from 2021 through 2024 but 0-2 with the Ravens last season.

Brooks (groin) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Brooks said Wednesday that he expects to play in the opener, but the club continues to keep a lid on his practice participation as he's yet to log a full session this week. He still could play this week despite the team's caution in practice. Assuming he's good to go, Brooks and Chuba Hubbard will handle the bulk of the backfield work against the Bears on Sunday.

Tagovailoa (back) could cede the Week 1 starting role to Cooper Rush, who took all of the first-team reps with the offense Thursday after Tagovailoa exited early due to a back injury, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Tagovailoa was named Atlanta's starter for Sunday's regular-season opener earlier in the week, but he went down grabbing his back in individual drills Thursday and subsequently sat out the remainder of practice. The Falcons are now preparing to head into Week 1 with the third-stringer Rush under center, as Tua is in danger of joining Michael Penix (knee) on the sidelines. If Tagovailoa is ruled out, Jack Strand would serve as Rush's backup this weekend.