NFL Player News

Cooper (heel) has been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bengals, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Considering that the Browns are locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, it's no surprise that the veteran wideout will be held out of the Week 18 contest while he continues to nurse the heel injury. Cooper will thus target a potential return to action in the team's postseason opener in the wild-card round next week. In his absence this weekend, look for Cleveland's depth receivers to see added snaps, with fellow starter Elijah Moore (concussion) listed as questionable and also profiling as a candidate to be rested by the team.

Samuel (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Dallas, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Samuel was a full practice participant Wednesday, sat out Thursday and then came back Friday. He'll face a tough Dallas secondary to finish out the season, catching passes from QB Sam Howell.

Moore (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Per Petrak, coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Moore is still in the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, but the receiver is trending in the right direction. The Browns are locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC regardless of Sunday's result, so they will likely lean on the side of caution if there's any doubt about Moore's readiness after he exited last Thursday's win over the Jets due to a concussion.

Cooper (heel) remained sidelined at practice Friday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Cooper didn't practice Wednesday and Thursday, and with the Browns locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, the wideout is a candidate to be rested Week 18, in any case. The team's upcoming injury report will be released later Friday and will clarify whether Cooper carries a designation into Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Higgins (hamstring) didn't practice Friday, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Higgins has been a non-participant in practice throughout the week. Head coach Zac Taylor was non-committal about Higgins' status for Sunday's game against the Browns, but the receiver's lack of practice activity doesn't bode well for his chances of playing in the season finale.

Hill (ankle/personal) is in line to practice Friday, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Hill, who has been managing an ankle issue and tending to a personal matter this week, didn't practice Thursday, but the wideout's return to the field Friday has him trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's game against the Bills. The Dolphins' final Week 18 injury report will be released later Friday and will reveal whether Hill approaches Sunday's contest with an injury designation or is fully cleared.

Smith (ankle) isn't practicing Friday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Smith has missed three straight practices and is in danger of being inactive for the first time in his NFL career when the Eagles play at New York on Sunday. The game can only impact Philadelphia's playoff seed if the Cowboys lose to Washington, and both NFC games will be played at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Perry (illness) did not participate in practice Thursday after not even appearing on the injury report Wednesday.

The wide receiver's status for Sunday's game against the Falcons is now uncertain. Perry has nine catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns this season, but he has yet to log more than four targets in a game.

Jennings (concussion) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

While he maintained his activity level from Wednesday's session, Jennings was seen working without a blue non-contact jersey, per Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area, which may be a sign that the wide receiver has nearly made his way through the concussion protocol. Gaining clearance from an independent neurologist will be the final hurdle for the fourth-year pro to play for the first time since Week 15, but Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not Jennings heads into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest against the Rams.

Kirk (groin) was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Since being designated for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Kirk has turned in a pair of limited practice sessions, keeping hope alive that he may be able to put an end to his four-game absence this Sunday in Tennessee. In order for Kirk to be eligible to play in Week 18, however, the Jaguars would first have to add him back to the 53-man roster by no later than 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. Even if Kirk hasn't made enough progress in his recovery from core-muscle surgery to play against Tennessee, he would still have an opportunity to return to action during the wild-card round, should Jacksonville punch its ticket to the postseason with a victory over the Titans.