NFL Player News

Waller (hip/rest) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waller's limited practice activity appears to be at least partially related to maintenance. The veteran tight end made his team debut during Monday's 27-21 win over the Jets and was highly productive despite playing just 25 percent of offensive snaps, as he secured three of four targets for 27 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins figure to continue taking a cautious approach to ramping up Waller's activity, but it will be crucial for him to begin playing closer to a starting role sooner than later with Tyreek Hill (knee) out for the remainder of the season. Waller's next chance to increase his snap count will come Sunday on the road against Carolina.

Ray (ankle) would have been a full participant in Wednesday's practice, but the Panthers opted for a walkthrough instead of a full practice.

Ray remains on injured reserve but was designated for return Wednesday, opening his 21-day practice window. Ray appeared in 16 regular-season games last season, making nine starts, and recorded 41 tackles (15 solo), including 1.0 sacks, as a rotational defensive lineman.

Jones (hamstring) was a estimated to be a full participant in Wednesday's walkthrough practice.

Jones missed last Sunday's loss to the Patriots but appears to be on track to return to the lineup following a two-game absence. Jones has five tackles (four solo), one QB hit and one pass breakup on 90 defensive snaps this season.

Wharton (toe) was estimated to be a DNP in Wednesday's walkthrough practice.

Wharton previously dealt with a hamstring issue that caused him to miss Weeks 2 and 3 before he returned last Sunday against the Patriots. Wharton played 63 percent of the defensive snaps against New England and recorded five tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks, in the 42-13 loss.

Nubin (groin) did not practice Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Nubin played 94 percent of defensive snaps during New York's upset win over the Chargers in Week 4, in which he tallied four tackles (three solo), but he appears to have picked up a groin issue during the contest. He'll have two more opportunities to get back on the practice field ahead of Sunday's road matchup against the Saints.

Moore suffered a dislocated elbow in last Sunday's loss to the Patriots, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Moore has since been placed on injured reserve and will be out a minimum of four weeks, but coach Dave Canales relayed Wednesday that Moore will be out for a while, suggesting he's likely to miss more than the minimum four contests. Brycen Tremayne and Jimmy Horn will handle depth receiver duties behind Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette and slot man Hunter Renfrow.

Taylor (ankle) was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice estimate, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor now has two more chances to practice fully ahead of Sunday's game against the Cowboys. The 2025 second-rounder is coming off his best game of the season, a 5/65/0 effort on seven targets (while logging an 81 percent snap share) in the Jets' Week 4 loss to the Dolphins.

Holland (neck) was limited in practice Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Holland was forced out of the Giants' win over the Chargers in Week 4 early due to a neck injury, so it's encouraging to now see him handling at least limited practice reps. The starting safety will have two more chances to upgrade to full practice activity ahead of Sunday's road matchup against the Saints.

Higbee (hip) is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Rams, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Higbee played through a hip issue this past Sunday against the Colts, earning a 55 percent snap share and hauling in two of five targets for 25 yards. He then was listed as a non-participant on Monday's practice estimate and was a DNP at Tuesday's walkthrough due to the same health concern. Now that Higbee is unlikely to play Week 5, Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson and perhaps even rookie second-round pick Terrance Ferguson are poised to handle TE reps Thursday.

Jones (knee) will start Thursday at the Rams after Brock Purdy (toe) was ruled out for that contest, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Purdy returned from a two-game absence this past Sunday versus the Jaguars but came out of the outing with toe soreness, which didn't allow him to practice this week. Meanwhile, Jones is past the PCL sprain that he dealt with last week following three straight full listings this week. With Purdy sidelined for the third time this season, Jones will retake the reins of the 49ers offense, but the skill positions also will be without WRs Jauan Jennings (ankle/rib) and Ricky Pearsall (knee), meaning RB Christian McCaffrey, WRs Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson and Skyy Moore and TE Jake Tonges will be the top available options in the passing game.