NFL Player News

Woolen (illness) carries no injury designation into Sunday's game against the 49ers, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

After popping up on Seattle's injury report as a non-participant in Thursday's practice due to an illness, Woolen appears ready to play in Sunday's divisional matchup. The fourth-year corner appeared in 15 games for the Seahawks in 2024, recording 46 total tackles, 14 passes defended (including three interceptions) and one forced fumble. He's expected to start alongside Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe in Week 1.

James (finger) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's contest in Seattle, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The broken finger that James suffered in early August thus is poised to delay the rookie fifth-round pick's pro debut. Whenever he's healthy, though, there will be a chance for him to mix into the 49ers backfield if Christian McCaffrey's recent calf injury lingers or even develops into Achilles tendinitis as it did a season ago. At the moment, Brian Robinson and Isaac Guerendo are the healthy running backs on San Francisco's active roster.

The Eagles placed VanSumeren (knee) on injured reserve Friday.

VanSumeren was injured on the opening kickoff Thursday night against Dallas and was carted off the field with what appeared to be a significant knee injury. It's unclear at this point if he has a chance to return in 2025, but VanSumeren will be required to miss at least the next four games.

Kneeland recorded three tackles, including his first career sack, in Thursday's loss to the Eagles.

The second-year defensive end picked up the Cowboys' first sack of the post-Micah Parsons era, bringing down Jalen Hurts midway through the third quarter. It was the only sack of the game for the Dallas defense. Kneeland played only 11 games as a rookie last season due to a knee injury after being selected in the second round, but the Western Michigan product should be in for a big role in the pass-rush rotation this year as the team tries to replace Parsons' relentless pressure.

The Eagles signed Smith on Friday.

Smith was released by the Lions back in March and spent the summer working out on his own. Turning 33 years old next week, Smith appeared in 17 regular-season games (16 starts) with the Browns and Lions last season, finishing with 35 tackles (22 solo), including 9.0 sacks. He gives the Eagles an experienced pass rusher off the edge.

Jones (hamstring) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Giants, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

The 31-year-old cornerback rested during Friday's practice after recording limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday. Jones, a nine-year NFL veteran, logged 58 total tackles, six passes defended and two forced fumbles for the Patriots in 2024. He's expected to provide depth to the Commanders' secondary this season, likely playing behind Trey Amos and Marshon Lattimore.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Jennings (calf) is "good to go" for Sunday's contest at Seattle, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports. "He's had a real good week," Shanahan added. "[He's] gotten better and better throughout the week, and I'm excited to see him out there Sunday."

Jennings logged limited practices Wednesday and Thursday due to the calf injury that's impacted him at times since the offseason program, but he also gained some clarity with his contract this week when he and the 49ers agreed to $3 million in play-time incentives for the 2025 season. He'll open the campaign with Ricky Pearsall as the top wide receivers for QB Brock Purdy in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk, who is on the reserve/PUP list as he completes his recovery from the ACL and MCL tears that he suffered Week 7 of last year. Jennings put together a career-best 77-975-6 line on 113 targets in 15 regular-season games in 2024.

Murray recorded nine tackles (four solo) in Thursday's loss to the Eagles.

Matt Eberflus' defensive scheme tends to boost the tackle totals of his linebackers, and Murray was the recipient of that boost in Week 1 as he tied safety Malik Hooker for the team lead in tackles for Dallas. Murray could have some IDP value in deeper formats, but DeMarvion Overshown (knee) should be the team's impact player at linebacker once he comes off the PUP list.

The Falcons released Sills on Friday, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Sills' ouster could mean Darnell Mooney (shoulder) will be ready for Sunday's opener against the Bucs. Sills hasn't registered a regular-season catch since 2022 with the Giants.

Armstrong (knee) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Giants, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Armstrong was held to limited participation both Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday's full practice session indicates he's moved past his knee issue in time to play Sunday. The veteran defensive end tallied 39 total tackles, including 5.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defended across 16 regular-season contests in 2024. He's expected to remain a starter on Washington's defensive line heading into the 2025 season.