NFL Player News

Williams (shoulder) is in uniform for Wednesday's practice, Richard Silva of The Detroit News reports.

Williams was out for only a few days and may quickly return to full participation. It's less clear if he'll play in Saturday's preseason game against Washington, though an absence wouldn't necessarily be for health-related reasons. In any case, Williams is on track for his usual role come Week 1.

Waddle (leg) participated in team drills Tuesday, SI.com's Chad Jensen reports.

Waddle returned to practice Monday for a non-padded session before proving his health Tuesday at a more taxing practice. A quick return to full participation suggests there's no concern about his Week 1 availability, and Waddle may even play in Friday's preseason game against Green Bay.

Higgins was diagnosed Wednesday with an ACL tear, which would rule him out for the 2026 season, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

We'll await confirmation from the team, but after early reports suggested a minor injury, it appears to be just the opposite, leaving Houston shorthanded at wide receiver a few weeks before the start of the regular season. Higgins seemingly was locked in for the No. 2 role, which could now be up for grabs between Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel (hamstring) and Tank Dell (knee). Fantasy interest in Noel and Dell figures to increase significantly now that Higgins is on track to be out of the picture until 2027.

Tate (undisclosed) is absent from Wednesday's practice after taking a hard hit Monday and leaving early, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Coach Robert Saleh downplayed the incident afterward, telling reports that Tate likely avoided a concussion but will require further evaluation. An absence Wednesday confirms the rookie is dealing with some kind of injury, but there haven't been any details yet about the part of his body that's affected.

Lemon (hamstring) is listed as a limited participant on the injury report but is not in uniform for Wednesday's practice, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Lemon has been sidelined for several weeks while recovering from a hamstring injury, and the report notes he is not suited up for Wednesday's session. However, his "limited" listing suggests he is making progress.

Smith (hamstring) will be a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

After suffering a hamstring injury early in camp, Smith had been able to work out off to the side last week before seemingly taking a step forward Monday, when he was spotted on the field in full uniform. The wideout was a limited participant in that session, and he'll have a cap on his reps once again Wednesday as the Eagles continue to ease him back from the injury. The Eagles haven't offered any indication that Smith's availability for the start of the regular season will be in any jeopardy, but it won't be surprising if he is held out of the team's final two preseason tilts.

Thornton (hamstring) is participating in Wednesday's practice, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Thornton left Tuesday's practice on a cart after tweaking his hamstring, though his presence on the field a day later suggests that his early exit may have been precautionary more than anything. He's donning full pads Wednesday, so Thornton doesn't look as though he will be limited in the session.

Giants head coach John Harbaugh said after Tuesday's practice that Nabers (knee) will need to take contact before getting cleared to play Week 1 against the Cowboys, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports. "He won't go through the rest of the summer in a red [no-contact] jersey," Harbaugh said. "He's going to have to get bumped around and hit and fronted up. You just have to feel that and know how to deal with it to protect yourself."

Nabers cleared a major hurdle in his recovery from a torn ACL by taking part in team portions of practice Monday and Tuesday, though he donned the red jersey on both days. Harbaugh noted that Nabers responded well to increasing his overall number of reps from Monday to Tuesday, and the third-year wideout should see his workload gradually increase as the start of the regular season draws closer. The Giants are unlikely to clear Nabers to play in either of their final two preseason games, but assuming he ditches the no-contact jersey at some point during Week 1 prep (or before then), he's expected to be available for the regular-season opener.

Vele missed Tuesday's practice due to a planned rest day, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Vele has had multiple rest days over the past week. With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) set to miss the beginning of the regular season, the Saints need Vele to be healthy alongside Chris Olave in a wideout room that doesn't have a whole lot of depth.

The Rams signed Bachman on Tuesday.

In a corresponding transaction, the Rams waived wide receiver Mario Williams (undisclosed) with an injury designation. Over 13 games with the Raiders in 2025, Bachman hauled in two of three targets for 12 yards. He also handled some punt return duties.