NFL Player News

McLaurin (toe) was spotted in pads for practice Wednesday, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

He'll apparently be at least a limited participant in Wednesday's session 16 days after suffering from turf toe in a preseason win over the Ravens. McLaurin missed practice for a couple weeks, but the Commanders consider him day-to-day and seemingly remain hopeful he'll play in Sunday's season opener against Arizona.

Washington signed Crowder to its practice squad Wednesday.

Crowder reunites with the Commanders, where he began his NFL career as a fourth-round pick back in 2015. He spent time in training camp with the Giants but was limited due to a calf injury before being cut loose last week. A broken ankle limited him to just four games with the Bills last season.

McLaurin is said to be progressing in his recovery from turf toe and is considered day-to-day, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

The Commanders are hoping McLaurin will be able to play in Sunday's season opener versus the Cardinals, but his status for Week 1 remains uncertain after he suffered the injury to his right foot in Washington's Aug. 21 preseason win over the Ravens. McLaurin's activity -- or lack thereof -- in practices this week will go a long way toward determining his availability for Sunday, but even if he manages to suit up against Arizona, he could still have his snaps monitored to some degree. Washington will release its first official injury report of the season Wednesday.

Carolina signed Patmon to its practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

A little over a week after being let go from Buffalo's practice squad, Patmon has already found another opportunity with a different organization. On a team with some other unproven options on its active roster at wide receiver, it wouldn't be surprising to see the athletic youngster called on to contribute at some point in the campaign.

Las Vegas signed Cole to its practice squad Tuesday.

A week after being released by the same team, Cole has already found his way back into the fold. Cole appeared in 14 games with the Raiders in 2022, grabbing 10 catches for 141 yards, but barring injury, it doesn't seem likely he'll be elevated to the active roster any time soon.

James (knee) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice.

After being listed as a limited participant on Kansas City's initial Week 1 injury report released Monday, James' ability to take every rep a day later clears up any concern about his health heading into Thursday's season opener versus the Lions. Fellow wideout Kadarius Toney (knee) is also trending toward suiting up despite being limited Tuesday for the second day in a row, while star tight end Travis Kelce's status appears to be more in question after he hyperextended his knee during Tuesday's session. James is expected to fill a minor role in the Kansas City offense when the team is at full strength, but a potential Kelce absence in Week 1 could open up extra targets for several pass catchers, James included.

Toney (knee) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice.

After missing nearly all of training camp and the entirety of the preseason while recovering from surgery to address a torn meniscus, Toney has now opened Week 1 prep with a pair of limited listings on the practice report. Though he has yet to be cleared to play in advance of Thursday's season opener versus the Lions, head coach Andy Reid suggested late last week that the wideout would be "good to go" to begin the campaign. Even if Reid's prediction comes to pass, the 24-year-old could have his snap count managed to some degree against Detroit while he eases his way back from the knee injury.

Downs is listed as the starting slot receiver on Indianapolis' first unofficial depth chart of the regular season.

Downs and Isaiah McKenzie were competing for the No. 3 receiver role during the preseason, but McKenzie was released Wednesday and then re-signed to the roster. Downs showed good chemistry with starting quarterback Anthony Richardson during training camp, but the rookie QB's proficiency on short passes remains in question heading into the regular season. Downs may start slowly and see his production grow later in the year as Richardson gets more comfortable.

General manager John Schneider said Monday he hopes to have Young (groin) return from IR "down the road" this season, Gregg Bell of the News Tribune reports.

Young underwent a groin procedure a week and a half ago, but it sounds like he may not be able to return from IR at his first eligible date. The second-year pro will need to miss a minimum of four games, and with the Seahawks having a Week 5 bye, his earliest possible return date would be Week 6. Jake Bobo and Cody Thompson (shoulder) should handle expanded depth roles to open the season.

Watson is expected to receive more playing time than rookie Rashee Rice and second-year wideout Justyn Ross early on during the 2023 season, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Teicher notes that based on how Kansas City utilized its receivers in training camp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Watson will see the most snaps out of the gate, and Kadarius Toney (knee) should also factor into that mix if he's available to play in Thursday's season opener versus the Lions. Though Rice led the team with 14 catches in the preseason, and the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Ross profiles as a red-zone threat, the former had issues with drops and the latter spent the entire 2022 season recovering from a foot injury. As such, Kansas City is expected to hand the two young wideouts only limited roles early on, paving the way for Watson and some of the more established receivers to pick up more playing time. Watson handled snap shares north of 50 percent in all but one of the defending Super Bowl champions' final nine games of the 2022 regular season, but he generated just nine catches for 214 yards and no touchdowns on 20 targets over that stretch. Kansas City appears to value the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Watson mainly for his blocking prowess and special-teams contributions rather than as a high-priority target in the passing game.