NFL Player News

Odunze caught one of two targets for 45 yards and took a carry for 16 yards in Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals.

Odunze and Caleb Williams played the entire first half, while DJ Moore and Keenan Allen were removed after three drives (all three-and-outs). After a slow start, Odunze took a jet sweep for 16 yards on the fourth drive to help set up a field goal, then made a 45-yard catch on the fifth drive on a play where Williams scrambled around before throwing a dart on the run. Shortly thereafter, Williams had another incredible pass on the run to Odunze in the back of the end zone, but the wideout seemed to lose track of where he was and had his feet on the wrong side of the chalk when he caught the ball. Williams ran it in himself a few plays later, finishing strong against a Bengals defense comprised of second- and third-stringers. Odunze likely will enter Week 1 as Chicago's No. 3 receiver in terms of playing time, but there's a good chance the ninth overall pick is more involved (and more productive) than most of the other WR3s around the league.

Walker wasn't targeted in Saturday's preseason game against Atlanta.

Bo Smolka of PressBox notes that Walker appeared to play only a few snaps on offense, with Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reporting that the rookie got work covering a kickoff before appearing on offense. It's not looking good for an early-season role, as Walker was also nearly absent in Baltimore's preseason opener, finishing without a catch on a single late-game target. The fourth-round pick at least figures to have a roster spot, and the depth chart ahead of him is shaky beyond Zay Flowers.

Allen was held without a catch on one target in Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals.

Allen and DJ Moore were removed after three drives, all three-and-outs, while many of the Bears' other top players (including QB Caleb Williams and WR Rome Odunze) continued playing deep into the second quarter. Oddly, much of the discussion about Allen in recent weeks has centered on his weight, after SI's Albert Breer's offhand mention in an article that Allen is 230 pounds. That doesn't seem accurate, and the 32-year-old looks about the same as he did last season when the Chargers listed him at 211 pounds (the Bears' roster has him at 211 as well).

Skowronek (leg) is out for Saturday's preseason game versus the Giants, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

After coming up empty on two targets in the Texans' second preseason game, Skowronek will sit out the third exhibition. In his absence, Xavier Hutchinson could see increased work out of the slot.

Jefferson and most other starters aren't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Browns, Mark Craig of The Star Tribune reports.

It sounds like the Vikings will use fewer key players than they did in their preseason opener, although Jefferson was also held out for that one. He's set to open the season with Sam Darnold as his starting QB after J.J. McCarthy's season-ending meniscus surgery put an end to any thoughts of a job battle.

Nabers (ankle) is in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against Houston, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Nabers suffered an ankle injury six days prior in the Giants' first practice after their preseason-opening win over the Lions. Nabers finished that game without a target despite playing three drives, and he's now on track for another preseason appearance after a quick recovery from the ankle injury.

Ngata (ankle) did not participate at practice Saturday, Andrew DiCecco of InsideTheBirds.com reports.

It's currently not clear how serious Ngata's ankle injury is. He'll have to try to get back onto the field as quickly as possible to compete for a spot on the Eagles' final 53-man roster for 2024.

Higgins is unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Chicago, as the Bengals plan to rest most of their starters, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Higgins played in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay last Saturday and caught two of three targets for 19 yards and a TD on his only drive (with the lone incompletion being a near-miss on a deep ball into double coverage in the end zone). He's been healthy all summer after battling hamstring injuries for much of last season, set to play out 2024 under a franchise tag for $21.8 million. Ja'Marr Chase, meanwhile, still hasn't practiced this summer amidst a contract dispute.

Raymond appears to have solidified himself as the No. 3 wide receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

Raymond is positioned to replace the departed Josh Reynolds as the No. 3 wide receiver, though given the importance of TE Sam LaPorta (hamstring) and RB Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) in the passing game, that isn't a role that will necessarily translate to regular targets. Pouncy notes that Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain have also made some noise at training camp, but barring any additions to the wide receiver room, Raymond looks set to start in three-wide sets. He will have a chance to further entrench himself during Saturday's preseason game against the Chiefs.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that he hopes Pearsall (shoulder) will be healthy and available for a Week 1 matchup with the Jets on Monday, Sept. 9, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

With Brandon Aiyuk's hold-in lasting to this point in the preseason, Pearsall has missed out on valuable reps as he tends to his second injury since reporting for training camp in mid-July. The current issue is the shoulder injury that also impacted the first-round rookie during OTAs. Shanahan's comments Friday indicate Pearsall is making progress in his recovery behind the scenes, but the wide receiver would begin to allay concerns from outside the team by getting back on the practice field.