NFL Player News

Cooper (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Cooper was activated from injured reserve Saturday, and the undrafted rookie has been officially cleared to return from a four-game absence due to a shoulder injury he sustained against the Rams in Week 3. Cooper saw the field on both special teams and in a rotational role on offense prior to his injury, but he could see more snaps at wide receiver in Week 8 due to the absence of A.J. Brown (hamstring).

Sample (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jets.

Sample has played 110 rotational defensive end snaps this season, contributing in all seven games for the team. The 26-year-old will miss his first game of the season with a knee injury, potentially giving a chance to rookie Shemar Stewart to see the field more as he works his way back from an ankle injury.

Renfrow (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bills, Darin Gantt of the Panther's official site reports.

Renfrow will be a healthy scratch for a second-straight week, which coincides with the return of Jalen Coker from injured reserve. Coker will join Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jimmy Horn and Brycen Tremayne as Carolina's active wide receivers for Sunday's home game against Buffalo. Renfrow's next opportunity to play will be Week 9 against the Packers on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Loveland is expected to serve as the Bears' No. 1 tight end and see a spike in playing time Sunday against the Ravens with Cole Kmet (back) inactive for the contest, Phil Thompson of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Following the Bears' Week 5 bye, Loveland had already noticed an uptick in snaps, handling a 51 percent share in a Week 6 win over the Commanders and a 41 percent share in the Week 7 win over the Saints. Though the Bears will have Durham Smythe and Stephen Carlson on hand as depth options at tight end, Loveland likely stands to see an even greater bump in snaps, with the absence of Kmet making the rookie first-round pick the clear top pass-catching option at the position. Loveland has flashed some upside in his limited opportunities thus far, recording eight receptions for 78 yards on 13 targets through his first five NFL games.

Santos (thigh) is active for Sunday's game against the Ravens.

Jake Moody wasn't elevated from the practice squad Saturday, suggesting that Santos would be cleared to return from a two-game absence due to a thigh injury, and the latter will indeed handle kicking duties for the Bears in Week 8. Prior to his injury, Santos went 6-for-7 on field-goal attempts while connecting on all 11 of his extra-point tries across four regular-season games.

Lee (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jets.

Lee did not practice Friday and will be unable to provide depth at center for Week 8. The 2024 seventh-round pick has yet to play this season and has served in an emergency capacity behind starter Ted Karras.

Daniels will test his injured hamstring in workouts on Sunday, and the Commanders think he has a chance to return in Week 9 against the Seahawks, Jay Glazer reported on Fox NFL Sunday.

No matter how the testing unfolds, Daniels will still miss Monday night's game against the Chiefs, but he's made enough progress during the week to create some optimism for next week. Marcus Mariota will start on Monday night in Daniels' stead versus Kansas City.

Mitchell (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bills, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Mitchell had suited up in three consecutive games from Weeks 4 through 6, but he'll be inactive Sunday for the second contest in a row. His move to the inactive list has coincided with the return of fellow tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who missed three straight games due to an ankle injury before returning to action for last Sunday's win over the Jets.

Fuller (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Fuller has been cleared to return from a five-game absence due to a knee injury he sustained in Week 1 against the Buccaneers. He started in all nine regular-season games he suited up for in 2024 as a member of the Panthers, but he'll likely see most of his playing time Sunday on special teams while serving in a reserve role in the secondary behind starting safeties Jessie Bates and rookie third-rounder Xavier Watts.

Dallas (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bills, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Dallas will be in street clothes for the second straight game while the Panthers go with Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne as their available running backs. Over his two appearances with Carolina this season, Dallas primarily served as a kickoff return man, but the Panthers appear to be comfortable with Etienne handling those duties for the time being.