NFL Player News

Noel (hamstring/finger) returned to practice this week, and the plan is to get him ramped back up to full speed over the next couple weeks, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Noel missed a couple weeks of action with a pulled hamstring and pinkie finger issue, but he's now suddenly in the spotlight in a big way in Houston after it was reported that Jayden Higgins suffered a season-ending torn ACL this week. A third-round pick out of Iowa State in the 2025 Draft, Noel appeared in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie but was on the field for just 26 percent of the offensive snaps behind Nico Collins, Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson and Christian Kirk. With Higgins now out and Kirk in San Francisco, there's a big opportunity for Noel to carve out a role in two- or three-wide sets. When on the field in 2025, Noel was productive, turning 35 regular-season targets into 26 catches for 292 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and a pair of touchdowns.

Wilson (knee) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Wilson was absent from Monday's practice session due to a knee issue, making consecutive sessions missed due to injury for the wide receiver. The 25-year-old is competing with Elijah Moore and Hollywood Brown for a chance at the No. 4 wide receiver spot in the Eagles' offense. Any missed time for Wilson likely further sinks his chances of being a starting contributor to the team at the commencement of the regular season.

Coach Shane Steichen told Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis on Wednesday that Pierce (ankle) is "in a great spot right now. ... Hopefully, we will have him back soon."

When Pierce initially underwent a clean-up procedure on his left ankle in April, he was facing a three-month recovery timetable. He then kicked off training camp on the active/PUP list, where he remains as of Wednesday. On Tuesday, Pierce put in some individual work on the side under the supervision of a trainer, and Steichen noted that the wide receiver was "moving around really good." Once Pierce gets healthy -- whenever that may be -- he'll be looking to justify the four-year, $114 million contract he signed with the Colts back in March.

The Jets signed Bergen to a contract Wednesday, Eric Allen of the team's official site reports.

Bergen was waived by the 49ers last Wednesday and was able to clear waivers. The second-year wide receiver has not yet appeared in a regular-season game. The Jets waived/injured wide receiver DT Sheffield (undisclosed) in a corresponding move.

Williams (shoulder) participated in team drills and 7-on-7s during Wednesday's practice, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

After missing Detroit's last two sessions due to a minor shoulder injury, Williams was back on the field and made an immediate impression in team drills, gathering in a pass from QB Jared Goff on a deep comeback route to the left in tight coverage with the offense backed up inside its 5-yard line. Williams later beat coverage in 7-on-7 work on a deep crosser for a significant gain. His activity level indicates he's back to normal and poised to serve as the big-play threat in the Lions offense moving forward.

Pittman's absence from practice that stems back to last week is due to a hamstring issue, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.

Pittman left practice Saturday, Aug. 8, with some sort of right leg injury and has been sidelined in the meantime, but the nature of the issue wasn't clarified until this week. Meanwhile, fellow WR DK Metcalf also has been tending to an undisclosed health concern during most of that stretch. Pittsburgh likely will continue to take a cautious approach with its top two receivers with a Week 1 matchup against the Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 13, in mind. Per Farabaugh, there's no concern regarding Pittman's status for that contest.

Metcalf (undisclosed) said Wednesday that he's "fine" and isn't concerned about his status for Week 1, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.

Metcalf has missed more than a week of practice due to an undisclosed injury, a stretch that included the Steelers' preseason opener against the Packers last Thursday. At the same time, fellow WR Michael Pittman also has been sidelined with a hamstring issue. Pittsburgh likely will continue to take a cautious approach with its top two pass catchers with the Sept. 13 Week 1 matchup with the Falcons in mind.

With Jayden Higgins having reportedly suffered a torn ACL, Noel (hamstring/finger) is a candidate to see added work in Houston's offense this coming season, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.

Higgins had been slated to serve as the Texans' No. 2 WR behind top option Nico Collins, but in his looming absence, snaps and targets that would have gone his way are up for grabs. Per Bien-Aime, Noel hasn't practiced much throughout training camp as he's dealt with a finger issue and hamstring tightness, while Tank Dell is being eased back in following a knee injury that cost him the entire 2025 campaign. Also in the mix behind Collins is Xavier Hutchinson, but once Noel moves fully past his injury issues, he'll have a chance to claim a role in his team's offense out of the gate this season.

Coach Robert Saleh said Tate's absence from Wednesday's practice was due to stiffness and not the hard hit he took at Monday's session, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

Since being blanked on three targets in his preseason debut last Thursday at San Francisco, Tate hasn't got much on-field work this week, and his status for Sunday's preseason game against the Seahawks now may be up in the air.

With Jayden Higgins having reportedly suffered a season-ending torn ACL, Hutchinson is a candidate to see added work this season behind top WR Nico Collins, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Higgins has been projected to work as the team's No. 2 WR option, but in the wake of his injury, Hutchinson as well as Jaylin Noel, (who has been managing a hamstring issue) and Tank Dell -- who is being eased back from in his return from a serious knee injury -- are candidates to absorb Higgins' vacated snaps and targets. It's also possible the Texans could bring in added wide receiver depth ahead of Week 1, but as things stand, Hutchinson has a chance to be a factor in the team's offense out of the gate this season.