NFL Player News

Smith (hamstring) isn't practicing Friday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Fellow wideouts Makai Lemon and Britain Covey also are absent due to hamstring injuries, leaving Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown as the team's top healthy wideouts. Elijah Moore and Darius Cooper should also see more first-team snaps as a result. Reports suggest Smith's hamstring injury is minor; he's been absent from practice since Tuesday.

Allen (shin) returned to practice Friday morning, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

The rookie fifth-round pick was one of Kansas City's early standouts at training camp, building chemistry with Patrick Mahomes while taking some snaps on the first-team offense. Allen then suffered a shin bruise Saturday and missed most of the week, but he's back in action Friday to continue making his case for a Week 1 role.

Doubs (personal) returned to practice Friday, Karen Guregian of MassLive.com reports.

With his two recent absences being for non-injury reasons, Doubs should pick up where he left off at Patriots training camp, building chemistry with Drake Maye. The team has a deep WR room, also featuring A.J. Brown, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins.

The Texans activated Noel (finger) from the active/non-football injury list Friday morning.

After missing the first two weeks of training camp, Noel will hope to join the job battle for the No. 3 WR role in Houston. Noel's main competition is Tank Dell (knee) and Xavier Hutchinson.

Virgil secured five of six targets for 66 yards in the Cardinals' 33-30 preseason loss to the Panthers on Thursday.

The rookie fifth-round pick led the Cardinals in receptions and targets while finishing second in receiving yards on the night to Jalen Brooks. Virgil is battling Brooks and veterans such as Devin Duvernay and Simi Fehoko for a spot on the latter portion of the wide-receiver depth chart, and Virgil got his quest off to an excellent start Thursday. Given the promise he showed, Virgil should continue seeing plenty of snaps in the Cardinals' preseason game on the road against the Raiders next Thursday.

Dillon rushed three times for 18 yards and a touchdown and secured his only target for 18 yards in the Panthers' 33-30 preseason win over the Cardinals on Thursday.

Dillon's first three touches came in consecutive fashion early in the second quarter, as he rattled off his 18-yard reception and then gained four yards on his first run of the night. The veteran back followed it up with a one-yard touchdown run on the next play, and his final rush attempt of the night resulted in a game-long 13-yard run to start the following possession. Dillon was the second back in the game behind Trevor Etienne, and the former will look to continue making a strong impression in the Panthers' second preseason game on the road against the Bills on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Knight rushed 12 times for 60 yards in the Cardinals' 33-30 preseason loss to the Panthers on Thursday. He also fumbled once but recovered.

The journeyman back is looking to run it back with the Cardinals after making a positive impression during an injury-riddled 2025 for the Arizona backfield. Knight started Thursday's game and saw action into the first drive of the second half, fumbling at the end of his longest run of the night -- 15 yards -- late in the second quarter but falling back on the ball. Knight finished as the team leader in rushing yards, but he figures to have an uphill battle to stick on the final roster in a very crowded running back room headlined by rookie first-round pick Jeremiyah Love along with Tyler Allgeier, James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson.

Sanders (ankle) brought in all three targets for 13 yards in the Panthers' 33-30 preseason win over the Cardinals on Thursday.

Sanders started the game and recorded his first two receptions on the Panthers' first pair of plays from scrimmage. The 2024 fourth-round pick has been solid in a rotational role over his first two seasons, posting a combined 62-532-2 line on 77 targets over 29 regular-season games. Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Sanders has a chance to overtake Tommy Tremble for the No. 1 tight-end role, although it's possible head coach Dave Canales opts to continue utilizing both players in a 1A-1B type of arrangement again.

Etienne started the Panthers' 33-30 preseason win over the Cardinals on Thursday, rushing four times for 12 yards and bringing in his only target for minus-1 yard.

With Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks both getting the night off, Etienne was the first back on the field for the Panthers and logged touches on each of the first three drives. He netted 12 yards via back-to-back runs on Carolina's third possession, but he was ultimately outperformed by both Miles Davis and veteran AJ Dillon after exiting the game. Etienne appeared in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie in 2025 and contributed 107 scrimmage yards, but he also added value on special teams with 733 kickoff-return yards and 163 yards on punt returns. Etienne will continue attempting to make a case for a role behind Hubbard and Brooks in Carolina's second preseason game, which unfolds Saturday, Aug. 15 on the road against the Bills.

Brooks secured three of four targets for 99 yards in the Cardinals' 33-30 preseason loss to the Panthers on Thursday.

Brooks led the Cardinals in receiving yards on the night, getting a major boost from two long catches in the first half. Brooks first recorded a 35-yard grab from Carson Beck on the Cardinals' second possession, and he subsequently set Arizona up at the Panthers' 17-yard line with a 49-yard reception down the left side of the field early in the second quarter. The stellar showing was critical for Brooks, who's looking to stick as a reserve option in a fairly crowded Cardinals receiver room. The 2023 seventh-round pick of the Cowboys will look to carry over the momentum into Arizona's second preseason game next Thursday night in Las Vegas.