NFL Player News

Penix (knee) was limited at Wednesday's walkthrough, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Raheem Morris said Monday that Penix came out of Sunday's 20-10 loss in San Francisco with a bone bruise in his foot/ankle, per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site. Morris then told Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com on Wednesday that Penix was "day-to-day" before the Falcons listed him with a knee injury on the first Week 8 practice report. No matter the nature of the issue, Morris feels good about the second-year quarterback ahead of the weekend, according to Raimondi, but Kirk Cousins is waiting in the wings in the event Penix isn't able to suit up Sunday against the Dolphins.

Woodson did not practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.

Woodson logged just one tackle while playing every defensive snap during the Patriots' Week 7 win over the Titans. The rookie fourth-rounder appears to have picked up an ankle injury during that game, which was severe enough for him to sit out of Wednesday's practice. Woodson will have two more opportunities to return to practice ahead of the Patriots' Week 8 home clash against the Browns on Sunday. Woodson has started in each of the first seven games of the regular season and has accumulated 21 tackles (13 solo), one pass defense and one fumble recovery.

Hawkins (hamstring) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

A hamstring injury sidelined Hawkins for the Patriots' last two games, but the 2020 fourth-rounder is on track to return for Week 8 against the Browns on Sunday. Hawkins' return will mean less snaps at safety for Kyle Dugger, though rookie fourth-rounder Craig Woodson is nursing an ankle injury that prevented him practicing Wednesday.

Whiteheart (shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Whiteheart was nursing a shoulder leading up to the Browns' Week 7 clash against the Dolphins, but he was cleared to play and finished with a season-high 35 offensive snaps due to the absence of David Njoku (knee). Whiteheart's shoulder issue limited him in the first practice of the week, but he'll have two more chances to log a full session and avoid an injury tag heading into Sunday's game against the Patriots.

The Buccaneers placed Evans (collarbone) on injured reserve Wednesday.

A report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport earlier Wednesday suggested that Evans suffered a "clean break" of his collarbone and could be back in eight weeks or fewer. That's optimistic relative to past cases of NFL players returning from collarbone fractures, but it's at least clear that the Bucs have hope to get Evans back later this season. For now, he's officially ruled out for the next four games on injured reserve, with surgery scheduled this week.

Ward was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to a hip injury, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Ward was on the Browns' injury report ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Steelers due to a hip injury. He faded the injury report for Week 7 against the Dolphins, but it appears his hip issue has flared up again, which limited his practice participation Wednesday. Ward will have two more cracks at logging a full practice to avoid an injury designation heading into Sunday's road tilt against New England.

McManus (right quadriceps) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice.

McManus thus has been a DNP on four consecutive injury reports due to the right quad that he tweaked in practice on Wednesday, Oct. 8. Until he logs at least a limited practice again, he appears to be in danger of missing a third straight contest Sunday at Pittsburgh. Considering how well fill-in kicker Lucas Havrisik has fared in place of McManus -- 4-for-4 on FGAs, 6-for-6 on PATs -- the Packers have the luxury of patience as it pertains to McManus' recovery.

Graham (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

The rookie first-rounder was cleared to play through a knee injury during the Browns' Week 7 win over the Dolphins, when he finished with three solo tackles and one pass defense while logging 43 defensive snaps. Graham will have two more days to increase his practice participation and avoid an injury tag heading into Sunday's road game against the Patriots.

Watson (knee) was limited in practice Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

For the third week in a row, Watson continues to operate with a cap on his practice reps as he puts the finishing touches on his recovery from the torn ACL in his right knee that he suffered Week 18 of last season. The Packers are particularly cautious with returns from serious injuries, but on Wednesday the wide receiver said, "My goal and my plan is to play this week," per Schneidman. The first step in Watson's return will be the Packers listing him as something other than 'Out' on Friday's practice report, after which the team will need to activate him from the reserve/PUP list Saturday afternoon for him to have a chance to be active at Sunday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.

Campbell (quadriceps) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Campbell logged a pick-six along with two tackles (one solo) during the Browns' 31-6 win over the Dolphins on Sunday. The 2021 second-rounder appears to have come out of that contest with a quad injury, which limited him in the first practice of the week. Campbell has two more chances to increase his practice participation and avoid an injury designation heading into Sunday's game against the Patriots.