NFL Player News

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that Thielen won't require surgery for the right hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday's 36-22 win over the Raiders, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Carolina seemingly expects Thielen to make a full recovery from the injury through rest and rehab. After landing on injured reserve Tuesday, Thielen will be required to miss at least the team's next four games, and he won't be eligible to resume practicing until Week 8. Diontae Johnson should serve as the clear-cut No. 1 option in the Carolina passing attack sans Thielen, while young wideouts Xavier Legette and Jonathan Mingo will both move up a spot on the depth chart.

Allen (heel) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

Allen played through a heel issue Week 1 against the Titans en route to four catches (on 11 targets) for 29 yards. He then was held out of all drills during prep for Weeks 2 and 3 before returning to practice Wednesday. With consecutive capped sessions in his back pocket this week, Allen seems to be putting himself in a position to suit up again Sunday versus the Rams, but Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation. Meanwhile, rookie WR Rome Odunze (hip) showed up on Thursday's report as a limited participant, adding another question mark to the Bears' receiving corps.

Samuel (calf) was spotted on the field in full uniform during the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

San Francisco will release its second Week 4 injury report later Thursday, when the extent of Samuel's participation will be known. Samuel is back on the field for the first time since suffering a right calf strain in the 49ers' Week 2 loss to the Vikings, and while the expectation remains that he'll miss a second straight contest this Sunday versus the Patriots, his presence at practice suggests he can't be ruled out at this stage.

Odunze practiced in a limited capacity Thursday due to a hip injury.

Odunze is a midweek addition to the Bears' Week 4 practice report, but the current issue differs from the MCL sprain that he suffered in the season opener and impacted his practice reps during Weeks 2 and 3. He was able to tough out the injury the last two games while Keenan Allen (heel) was sidelined, combining for eight catches (on 16 targets) for 145 yards and one touchdown during that span. Allen has cobbled together back-to-back capped sessions this week, so their respective listings on Friday's report will be something to monitor in advance of Sunday's contest against the Rams.

Reynolds (Achilles) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Reynolds was limited in practice Wednesday due to a lingering Achilles injury, which hasn't prevented him from suiting up for any of the Broncos' three regular-season games thus far. The veteran wideout currently leads the team with 174 receiving yards and looks fully on track to handle his usual role on offense during Sunday's road matchup against the Jets.

Reed (calf/quad) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Bill Huber of SI.com reports.

For the second day in a row, Reed had his reps capped while he contends with a pair of injuries. The wideout will likely need to upgrade to full participation in the Packers' final practice of the week Friday to avoid taking a designation into Sunday's game versus the Vikings.

Johnson was added to the Carolina injury report as a non-participant in Thursday's practice due to a groin injury, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

While a mid-week addition to the injury report can often be a foreboding sign, Steve Reed of the Associated Press relays that the team considers Johnson's absence from Thursday's practice as precautionary due to the slick field conditions in Charlotte. Johnson is expected to return to practice Friday, which would alleviate most of the concern about his status heading into Sunday's game against the Bengals. With Adam Thielen (hamstring) landing on injured reserve earlier this week, Johnson could end up taking on an even greater share of the target volume in the Carolina passing game. Johnson demonstrated a strong rapport with quarterback Andy Dalton in the latter's first start in last Sunday's win over Las Vegas, registering eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets.

Smith (concussion) wasn't spotted at the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Brooks Kubena of The Athletic reports.

Smith sustained a concussion during this past Sunday's win at New Orleans, adding to an already banged-up receiving corps headlined by A.J. Brown (hamstring), who has missed the last two games. Meanwhile, Britain Covey (shoulder), Ainias Smith (ankle) and Jacob Harris (concussion) are on injured reserve. If both Smith and Brown go down as non-participants for a second consecutive day, they'll have just one more chance to mix into drills this week, which wouldn't be a great sign for Smith as he makes his way through the protocol for head injuries.

Brown (hamstring) wasn't present at the start of Thursday's practice, Brooks Kubena of The Athletic reports.

Brown hasn't taken part in drills since injuring his hamstring on Friday, Sept. 13, missing two games in the process. If he's listed as a non-participant again Thursday, he'll have just one more opportunity for on-field work this week. The same can be said for DeVonta Smith, who suffered a concussion this past Sunday in New Orleans. With Britain Covey (shoulder) landing on injured reserve Tuesday, Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson are the current healthy wide receivers on the Eagles' active roster.

Dell (chest) didn't practice Thursday and appears unlikely to play Sunday against the Jaguars while he manages bruised ribs, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The Texans haven't officially ruled Dell out from playing Sunday, with head coach DeMeco Ryans noting Wednesday that he considers the wideout "day-to-day" while the team waits to see how he progresses during the practice week. However, with two straight absences to begin Week 4 prep, Dell doesn't seem to be tracking toward playing against Jacksonville while he contends with the injury, which he sustained late in last Sunday's 34-7 loss to the Vikings. Dell also emerged from the contest with a hand injury, but the Texans list him only with a chest issue on the official Week 4 injury report. The team will decide after Friday's practice whether Dell carries a designation into the weekend, or if he's ruled out two days in advance of the contest.