NFL Player News

Ngata (ankle) is practicing Tuesday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ngata first missed practice Saturday and has been sidelined since. The Clemson product's quick return to practice should help him stay in contention for a spot on the Eagles' final 53-man roster.

Coach Matt Eberflus said Tuesday that the majority of Chicago's starters, likely including Moore, will sit for Thursday's preseason finale against Kansas City, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Eberflus specified that quarterback Caleb Williams won't play Thursday, and it seems all but assured that Moore will be included in the group of players held out until the regular-season opener against Tennessee. The wideout has spent the offseason developing chemistry with 2024 first overall pick Williams, whose presence under center promises to notably upgrade Chicago's passing game. Even if the additions of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze threaten Moore's ability to replicate his 28.8 percent target share from last season, an improved offense as a whole should represent a net positive for Moore's fantasy prospects in terms of consistency.

Walker (ribs) participated in practice Tuesday, Jonas Shaffer of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Walker, who has been managing a rib issue, didn't practice Monday, but the 2024 fourth-rounder's return to the field a day later bodes well for his chances of seeing action in Saturday's preseason finale against the Packers. As the regular season approaches, Walker is looking to carve out a steady role as a rookie in a WR corps that also includes veterans Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that Cooks (knee) will miss the Cowboys' next two practices for personal reasons, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Cooks, who worked with the rehab group Monday due to lingering knee soreness, will miss sessions Tuesday and Wednesday to fly back to Dallas, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. With CeeDee Lamb (holdout) still away from the team, Cooks' brief absence will provide Jalen Tolbert with another chance to lead the team's wide receiver group during practice.

Thornton, who Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site projects to make the team's 53-man roster, has been running with New England's top offense this summer.

Per Lazar, the 2022 second-rounder, who is playing at 192 pounds these days, looks more sturdy on the field with the added weight. Thornton struggled to stay healthy over his first two years as a pro, but he now has a chance to emerge as a field-stretcher in the Patriots offense. Whether such a role yields enough volume for him to make a fantasy impact remains to be seen, with DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn and Javon Baker also in the mix for targets in New England's re-tooled WR corps.

Waddle (undisclosed) did not practice Tuesday, Barry Jackson and Omar Kelly of The Miami Herald report.

Waddle has missed roughly two weeks of practice due to an undisclosed injury which coach Mike McDaniel labeled as minor. It still doesn't seem like Waddle's status for Week 1 is in jeopardy, but the standout wide receiver could be in danger of missing his final opportunity to log preseason game reps, which will come Friday versus the Buccaneers. Tyreek Hill (hand) didn't participate in catching drills during Tuesday's practice, while Odell Beckham (undisclosed) remains on the active/PUP list and has yet to participate in training camp sessions. In addition, potential No. 3 option River Cracraft (upper body) is expected to miss significant time, so the focus for Miami's receiving corps may be on simply getting healthy before the start of the regular season.

Hill (hand) did not catch any passes at Tuesday's practice and was spotted wearing a brace on his right hand, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Hill appears to be dealing with a minor injury, though as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes, if the star wide receiver were dealing with anything serious he likely wouldn't have participated in individual drills Tuesday. The Dolphins may simply be taking a cautious approach to Hill's health, given that Jaylen Waddle (undisclosed) and Odell Beckham (undisclosed) both remain sidelined while River Cracraft (undisclosed) is expected to miss significant time. Miami could extend that cautious approach to Friday's preseason finale against the Buccaneers, and keep Hill off the field if he's anything less than 100 percent.

Cooper (undisclosed) is expected to return to practice Tuesday, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Cooper exited joint practices with the Vikings last Thursday early due to an undisclosed injury, but it looks like he's now healthy. Coach Kevin Stefanski said that Cleveland's starters "should expect to play Saturday" versus the Seahawks, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, but a decision on Cooper's availability for the Browns' preseason finale won't be made until later in the week.

Keys (leg) was waived/injured by the Bills on Tuesday.

Keys left practice last week with a leg injury and it has ultimately cost him any remote chance of making the Bills' squad this season. The Oregon product will potentially revert to season-ending IR if he goes unclaimed while on waivers.

Polk has been a regular presence on the first-team offense at practice this week, according to Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald.

Polk saw almost all of his playing time with the second-string offense in New England's first two preseason games, but that's not necessarily a bad thing given that it allowed him to work with QB Drake Maye rather than Jacoby Brissett. It's possible both Maye and Polk end up starting Week 1 against the Bengals, and there's not much question they'll end up working together at some point this season even if it doesn't materialize for the opener. The Patriots took Maye with the third overall pick in April and then got Polk at No. 37. Polk caught five of six targets in the first two preseason games, but for only 20 yards.