NFL Player News

Coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Pierce (ankle) "should be good to go" for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Pierce returned to a full practice last week and is nearing 100 percent following ankle surgery earlier in the offseason. While Pierce is expected to play against Baltimore, it's unclear if he'll play his normal allotment of snaps, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. Pierce could be on some sort of snap count, and Ashton Dulin would be in line for additional reps on offense. Pierce is shaping up as a boom-or-bust fantasy bet for Week 1.

Odunze (leg) is not practicing Monday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

After Odunze exited Thursday's practice with an apparent right leg injury, the wide receiver is opening the Week 1 practice week with an absence. The Bears will release an official practice report Wednesday, and it will be a situation to monitor heading into the weekend for Sunday's season opener against the Panthers. If Odunze can't go against Carolina, Luther Burden (groin) and Colston Loveland would likely see expanded target shares, while Kalif Raymond and rookie Zavion Thomas would be in line for elevated snaps.

Bond cleared concussion protocol and resumed practicing Monday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Bond suffered the brain injury in Cleveland's second preseason game but has since cleared all five steps of the protocol, putting him on track to be ready to go for Sunday's season opener in Jacksonville. He's expected to fill the No. 4 receiver role for the Browns behind KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston and veteran Jerry Jeudy. As an undrafted rookie last season, Bond caught just 18 of 44 targets for 338 yards and zero touchdowns in 16 games.

McMillan (knee) was on the field running routes at Monday's practice, PewterReport.com reports.

Both McMillan and Emeka Egbuka (toe) were participating in Monday's session, putting both in good position to play Sunday against the Bengals. McMillan missed most of training camp, but his injury never sounded serious. He's expected to compete with rookie Ted Hurst for WR3 duties behind Egbuka and Chris Godwin this season. McMillan is the favorite to open the campaign in three-wide sets.

Higgins (heel) is in uniform for Monday's practice, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Coach Zac Taylor relayed last Tuesday that Higgins was tending to a bruised heel, which sidelined the wide receiver since then, so his ability to suit up Monday generally is a step in the right direction. Cincinnati will be posting its first injury report of the season Wednesday, after which Higgins' activity level will become clearer as the team preps for Sunday's Week 1 matchup with the Buccaneers.

Chase (knee) is in uniform for Monday's practice, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Chase limped off the practice field Aug. 25 and was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee. Prior to Monday, he hasn't logged any visible on-field work in the meantime, so his ability to suit up indicates he'll at least be able to get involved in individual drills. The Bengals will be posting their first Week 1 injury report Wednesday, at which point his activity level will became known as the team prepares for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

Egbuka (toe) is "participating in warmups and running routes" at Monday's practice, according to Pewter Report.

Egbuka was limited to work on the side last week, and although it's not yet clear how much he will do Monday, it appears he has taken a step forward in his recovery from a toe issue. There has been hope that Egbuka will be available for Week 1, and there remains reason to believe he will be available for Tampa Bay's opener.

Evans (adductor) was spotted on the field in full uniform during the open portion of Monday's practice in Melbourne, Australia, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Wagoner notes that linebacker Nick Bosa (knee) and running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) were the only 49ers players who didn't appear to be mixing into team drills during the open portion of practice, so Evans appears likely to have been at least a limited participant in Monday's session. The 49ers will release their first injury report of the season later Monday, when the extent of Evans' practice participation will be revealed. Evans had his practice activity managed for much of training camp while he contended with a minor quadriceps strain and, more recently, an adductor injury.

Horton was limited at Sunday's practice due to a hamstring injury, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Coach Mike Macdonald relayed Aug. 18 that Horton was dealing with a health concern but wouldn't elaborate further. On Aug. 27, Corbin K. Smith of SI.com reported that Horton's issue was of the long-term variety, but it wasn't until the Seahawks posted their first Week 1 practice report that its nature was revealed. Horton will have two more days to prove his health ahead of Wednesday's regular-season opener versus the Patriots.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Sunday that Nacua (core) is expected to play Thursday against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

According to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, McVay noted earlier in the weekend that Nacua was "making good progress" in his recovery from psoas soreness, and the coach's latest update offers further reassurance that the star wideout will be ready to go for the season opener. Additionally, Nacua's status had been muddled by the NFL actively reviewing his case for a potential violation of the league's personal conduct policy. While Nacua isn't necessarily in the clear of discipline from the league, the NFL typically announces suspensions for players prior to the Aug. 30 roster cutdown deadline. Nacua's recovery from the core injury thus appears to be his chief concern at this juncture rather than any suspension, and if the Rams list him as a full practice participant when they release their first injury report of the season Monday, it would be a firm indication that he'll suit up Thursday.