NFL Player News

McConkey (lower body) returned to practice Thursday, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

McConkey came up limping during Saturday's practice and left the field early before sitting out Sunday's session entirely. After a few days off, he was back on the field in uniform with a helmet on, but it's unclear if he's completely past the recent health concern. Once he is, McConkey will be operating with backup quarterback Easton Stick in the first-team offense for the foreseeable future while Justin Herbert tends to a plantar fascia injury.

Nabers is in line to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Lions, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

ESPN reported early Thursday that Nabers would be among a number of Giants starters to not suit up for the team's exhibition opener, but the rookie first-round pick indeed will be available for up to the entire first quarter. Nabers has been ripping it up since arriving in New York as the sixth overall pick back in April, and Thursday will mark his first game action in the NFL.

St. Brown isn't suited up ahead of Thursday's preseason contest at the Giants, Justin Rogers of DetroitFootball.net reports.

The same can be said for fellow wide receivers Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond, meaning Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tre'Quan Smith and Tom Kennedy likely will be the first wide receivers to get on the field for the Lions in their exhibition opener. St. Brown himself signed a lucrative four-year extension back in the spring on the heels of back-to-back 100-catch campaigns and career highs in receiving yards (1,515) and touchdowns (10) over 16 regular-season games in 2023.

Douglas (hand) isn't slated to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Panthers, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.

While the Patriots are in line to play their healthy starters, Douglas has been wearing a red non-contact jersey in practice of late, as he manages what he has described as a minor hand injury. At this stage, Douglas' Week 1 status isn't in jeopardy, but it remains to be seen if he'll take the field next Thursday against the Eagles.

Thielen isn't in line to play in Thursday's preseason game in New England, Kassidy Hill of the Panthers' official site reports.

Carolina is sitting 33 players in its exhibition opener, namely QB Bryce Young, RBs Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks (knee), WRs Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette (foot) and TEs Tommy Tremble (hamstring) and Ian Thomas (calf). Thielen is expected to retain a key role out of the slot in his second campaign with the team after racking up 103 catches (on 137 targets) for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season contests in 2023.

Johnson is among the Panthers not in line to play in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Patriots, Kassidy Hill of the team's official site reports.

The same applies to QBs Bryce Young and Andy Dalton, RBs Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear, WRs Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette, as well as TEs Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble. Johnson's next chance to make his game debut with the Panthers will arrive Saturday, Aug. 17 against the Jets.

The 49ers released Turner from injured reserve with an injury settlement Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Turner was placed on San Francisco's injured reserve Tuesday with an unspecified injury, and he was set to miss the entire 2024 campaign until reaching a settlement two days later. Once healthy, the 28-year-old wide receiver out of Illinois will look to catch onto another team's roster, most likely on the practice squad.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston relayed Wednesday that Brown is close to returning from a strained shoulder injury that has kept him out of practice since last week.

It's not clear whether it's the same shoulder that Brown sustained a torn labrum injury in the Houston's wild-card win over Cleveland in January. However, it seems likely that the Texans will take the cautious route and keep the 28-year-old out of the preseason opener against the Steelers on Friday. Brown is coming off a career-high 567 receiving yards in just 10 regular-season games in 2023, and once he's returned to practice, he'll compete with Robert Woods, John Metchie and Ben Skowronek for the fourth wide receiver spot behind Stefon Diggs (undisclosed), Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Thursday that Harrison will suit up for Saturday's preseason opener against the Saints, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Harrison will have a chance to log some exhibition reps Saturday, though Gannon already confirmed quarterback Kyler Murray won't suit up for any preseason action. That leaves Harrison in position to catch passes from Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune during the preseason, while he'll have to wait until Week 1's road opener against the Bills to demonstrate his chemistry with Murray. Gannon didn't offer an estimation of Harrison's expected workload for Saturday, but it would be surprising to see the rookie fourth overall pick handling too many game reps before the regular season.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that Jefferson likely won't take the field during Saturday's preseason game against the Raiders.

Jefferson is fully healthy, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic, but with all he's proven in his excellent career, there Vikings simply believe there's no need to expose him to unnecessary game reps. Sam Darnold is slated to start Saturday's exhibition contest, with 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy also in line to receive notable reps, but neither is expected to yet have an opportunity to demonstrate their chemistry with the Vikings' No. 1 receiver.