NFL Player News

Nacua (knee) was spotted working off on the side at Wednesday's practice with a compression sleeve on his right leg, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Nacua remains on injured reserve but conducted some rehab work on a side field along with Cooper Kupp (ankle) while under the supervision of the Rams' training and conditioning staff. The earliest possible date Nacua will be eligible to come off IR and play is Oct. 20 in the Rams' Week 7 matchup with the Raiders, but a return for that game might be ambitious, considering he was given an estimated 5-to-7-week recovery timeline after being diagnosed with a PCL sprain coming out of a Sept. 8 loss to the Lions. The second-year wideout thus looks in danger of not only missing Week 7, but also the following Thursday night matchup against the Vikings in Week 8. On the plus side, while Kupp has already been ruled out for Week 4 against the Bears and may also miss Week 5 versus Green Bay, the veteran wideout seems like a better candidate to be ready to return to the field following Los Angeles' Week 6 bye.

Kupp (ankle) was spotted working with the Rams' strength and conditioning staff off to the side during Wednesday's practice and is no longer wearing a cast, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Kupp, who has already been ruled out for Sunday's game in Chicago, was rehabbing off to the side Wednesday along with Puka Nacua (knee), who remains on injured reserve. Kupp seems to be making progress in his recovery, though with the Rams scheduled for a Week 6 bye, it wouldn't be surprising to see him remain out through the team's Week 5 matchup against the Packers. Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, Tyler Johnson and Jordan Whittington appear in line to lead the Rams' wide receiver corps against the Bears.

Addison (ankle) was listed as limited participant Wednesday on the Vikings' first Week 4 injury report.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com that Addison was a candidate to take part in Wednesday's walkthrough, which has come to pass. Addison is working his way back from a sprained right ankle that he suffered Week 1, and his return to the practice field is the first step as the team ramps up for Sunday's visit to Green Bay. Whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation for that contest will be revealed when Minnesota posts its final report of Week 4 on Friday.

Allen (heel) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Allen's official listing on Wednesday's practice report is confirmation of what head coach Matt Eberflus said earlier in the day, when he noted that the veteran wideout would resume practicing as a partial participant. Eberflus also said he's "hopeful" Allen will be able to both return to the field for Sunday's game against the Rams, after having missed the Bears' previous two contests. Allen will have two more opportunities to upgrade to full participation in practice prior to Sunday's contest.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel (calf) won't practice Wednesday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Samuel will be listed as a non-participant on a fourth consecutive practice report due to the right hamstring strain that he sustained late in the fourth quarter of a Week 2 loss at Minnesota. There's an expectation that he'll miss a few games as a result of the injury, and with one missed game under his belt already, he seems destined to be ruled out for Sunday's matchup with the Patriots at some point. Having said that, if Samuel returns to drills in some capacity Thursday or Friday, there's a chance he enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest. In any case, Jauan Jennings stands to benefit in the 49ers offense as long as Samuel is sidelined.

Chase was listed as limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report due to a shoulder injury, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

The Bengals held a walk-through session Wednesday, but if they had actually practiced, Chase's reps would have been capped. More information about the wideout's status should emerge when the Bengals practice again Thursday, but so far, no reports have suggested that Chase is in danger of missing Sunday's game against the Panthers.

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

Reynolds has been managing an Achilles injury in the early part of the season, but it hasn't stopped him from suiting up on Sundays while posting a team-leading 174 receiving yards through three weeks. While Reynolds' practice reps may continue to be capped this week, he doesn't seem to be in any danger of sitting out Sunday against the Jets.

Jefferson (eye) didn't appear on the Steelers' first Week 4 injury report released Wednesday, Dale Lolley of the team's official site reports.

Jefferson exited Sunday's 20-10 win over the Chargers due to an eye injury, but he has recovered and practiced without limitations Wednesday. He will look to build on his season stat line of three catches for 15 yards on five targets when the Steelers travel to Indianapolis on Sunday.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans labeled Dell as day-to-day after the receiver sat out practice Wednesday with a chest injury, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Dell appeared to suffer from sore ribs as well as an injury to his hand or wrist during Sunday's 34-7 loss to the Vikings, but his absence from practice Wednesday was attributed to a chest injury. In any case, Dell will have two more opportunities to resume practicing before a favorable home matchup against a leaky Jacksonville secondary that allowed four first-half passing touchdowns to the Bills in a blowout loss Monday.

Smith (concussion) is not participating in Wednesday's walk-through practice, Olivia Reiner of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Since suffering a head injury in this past Sunday's win over the Saints, Smith hasn't made enough progress through the NFL's five-step concussion protocol to resume practicing in any capacity. With A.J. Brown (hamstring) also not practicing Wednesday, Philadelphia could be without its top two wideouts for this Sunday's road matchup against the Buccaneers. In order to have a chance at playing Sunday, Brown will likely need to practice in some fashion Thursday and/or Friday and then gain clearance from an independent neurologist before exiting the protocol. Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson and practice squad player Parris Campbell will have to lead Philadelphia's wide receiver room if both Smith and Brown are unable to go Week 4.