NFL Player News

Bowers (knee) remained a non-participant in Thursday's practice, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.

Head coach Klint Kubiak has yet to officially rule Bowers out for Sunday's season opener versus the Dolphins, but the standout tight end is fully expected to be sidelined for Week 1 -- and likely, additional games beyond that -- after Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Bowers underwent a meniscus trim procedure Tuesday. Though the previous report indicated that Bowers is expected to miss "a game or two," Schefter clarified Thursday in an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that that timeline is coming from the tight end's camp and may be overly optimistic. For however long Bowers is sidelined, Michael Mayer is expected to take on an expanded role in the passing game as the Raiders' top tight end, and starting wideouts Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor also will have clearer paths to elevated target counts.

Mitchell (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

The Chargers put a cap on Mitchell's reps for a second straight day, but his ability to practice in any capacity on consecutive days to kick off Week 1 prep is an encouraging sign for his chances of playing in Sunday's season opener versus the Cardinals. If he's cleared to play against Arizona, Mitchell would likely be in line for a complementary role behind lead back Omarion Hampton.

Tucker (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

With days of signing a new one-year contract with the Buccaneers on Aug. 30, Tucker wasn't practicing due to an undisclosed health concern, which was revealed to be a knee injury when he went down as a DNP on Wednesday's injury report. His ability to mix back into at least individual drills is a positive sign ahead of Sunday's visit to Cincinnati, but Friday's report will unveil whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation for that contest.

Mims (foot) was listed as a full practice participant Thursday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Mims sustained a foot contusion in the Broncos' Aug. 28 preseason finale against the Vikings, but after having no limitations in the team's first official practice of the regular season, he'll be ready to go for the opener Monday in Kansas City. On the Broncos' unofficial depth chart, Mims is listed as a starting receiver along with Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton, though second-year wideout Pat Bryant drew plenty of positive buzz during training camp and the preseason and could push Mims for No. 3 duties.

Croskey-Merritt (groin) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

Croskey-Merritt has been tending to a lower-body injury since picking it up during an Aug. 22 practice. He's been back on the field since Sept. 1 but hasn't been able to do enough yet to be considered a full participant. Friday's practice report may provide a sense of Croskey-Merritt's odds to suit up for Sunday's regular-season opener at Philadelphia.

Allen (hip) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

Allen missed the second half of training camp due to what the Jaguars had previously labeled as a soft-tissue injury before he was listed with a hip issue when the team released its first Week 1 injury report Wednesday. The 22-year-old remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice, but he was able to go through individual drills during the open portion of Thursday's session, per Rachel Phillips of First Coast News. Allen's level of activity was enough for him to get upgraded to limited participation, but he may still need to put in a full practice Friday to have a realistic shot at playing in Sunday's season opener versus the Browns. When available, Allen projects to serve as the Jaguars' top passing-down back, though Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez will both be prioritized ahead of him on the ground.

McMillan (knee) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

McMillan has been tending to a knee injury since early August, a scenario that sidelined him for the entire preseason slate. With back-to-back capped sessions under his belt, he still has some work to do to make himself available for Sunday's game at Cincinnati. Friday's practice report will reveal if McMillan enters the weekend with a designation ahead of that matchup.

Meyers (thumb) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Per Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, Meyers was donning a non-contact jersey for the second day in a row while aiming to protect his injured right thumb. The fact that he's practiced in some fashion during the first two days of Week 1 prep is generally a positive sign for Meyers' status heading into Sunday's game against the Browns, but he may need to turn in a full practice Friday to avoid taking a designation into the weekend.

The 49ers elevated Hodge from the practice squad to the active roster for the team's Week 1 game against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

Hodge was released by the Falcons at the start of free agency in March and didn't garner any interest until he had a tryout with the Bills in late July. He eventually joined an injury-ravaged 49ers receiving corps on Aug. 5 but didn't survive roster cuts before being signed to San Francisco's practice squad. It's unclear if any of the other six wide receivers on the active roster will be healthy scratches, but even if he's available for the season opener, he likely wouldn't be in line for many offensive snaps with all of Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson ahead of Hodge in the WR pecking order.

Mahomes (knee) opened Week 1 prep as a full practice participant Thursday.

Per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com, head coach Andy Reid relayed prior to the Chiefs' first official practice of Week 1 that Mahomes was "geared up and ready to go" for the season opener Monday versus the Broncos. The quarterback backed up his coach's optimism by taking every rep with the first-team offense Thursday, setting the stage for him to play in his first game since his 2025 season came to an end Dec. 14, when he sustained a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. Mahomes made tremendous strides in his rehab from surgery and was cleared for full practices prior to training camp, and though he didn't play in any preseason games, he steered clear of any setbacks with his knee. According to Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com, Mahomes said that he'll continue to wear a protective brace on his knee, and while the Chiefs aren't expected to alter their game plans as a result, the 30-year-old could naturally scale back his involvement as a runner coming off major surgery.