NFL Player News

Evans (hamstring) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

A hamstring injury forced Evans out early in the Buccaneers' Week 4 win over the Saints, and despite having a Week 5 bye to continue healing, the wideout still isn't fully healthy. He's now missed both of the Buccaneers' first two practices of Week 6, though head coach Todd Bowles said that what Evans is able to do Friday in terms of running will be more telling with regard to his chances of playing Sunday against the Lions. If Evans needs more time to recover from the injury and sits out Sunday, Chris Godwin would be locked in as the Buccaneers' No. 1 wide receiver, while tight end Cade Otton, running back Rachaad White and wideouts Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins and Rakim Jarrett could benefit from expanded pass-catching roles.

Eskridge (suspension) was present at the Seahawks' facility Wednesday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Eskridge still has two more weeks before he can return to the field after he was handed a six-game suspension in August for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, but the wide receiver is allowed to be back in the building. Once active, Eskridge will operate as a depth option at receiver behind the likes of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Thornton (shoulder) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

After being designated for return from injured reserve Tuesday, Thornton took part in practice a day later for the first time during the regular season. The Patriots will have 21 days to evaluate Thornton for a return from injured reserve, and though he may have a chance to play this Sunday at Las Vegas, he would likely need to practice fully by Friday in order to do so. As a rookie last season, Thornton caught 22 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns on 45 targets and carried three times for 16 yards and one score in 13 games.

Chisena signed with the Vikings' practice squad Wednesday, Craig Peters of the team's official site reports.

Chisena will return to Minnesota where he spent time throughout the past three seasons playing mainly on special teams. The 26-year-old should serve as an extra depth option at receiver with Justin Jefferson (hamstring) now on injured reserve and Jordan Addison (ankle) also dealing with an injury.

The Raiders signed Flowers to their practice squad Wednesday.

Flowers will now get another opportunity to catch on with a team after being waived by Seattle as part of its final roster cuts. The rookie undrafted free agent will now join the third different team of his young career and should serve as an insurance option as Davante Adams (shoulder), Jakobi Meyers (wrist) and Tre Tucker (knee) are all currently dealing with injuries.

The Falcons released Saunders from their practice squad Wednesday, Tori McElhany of the team's official site reports.

Saunders was let go alongside Zay Malone to make room for Andre Smith and Keilahn Harris on Atlanta's practice squad. The 27-year-old will now look to try to catch on with another team.

Brown didn't practice Wednesday due to an illness, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Brown is no stranger to injury reports in his career, and his Week 6 status now is up in the air. Fortunately for Brown, he has chances to practice Thursday and Friday before the Cardinals potentially give him a designation ahead of Sunday's road matchup with the Rams. Brown has been working with quarterback Joshua Dobbs for the entire season, but the wide receiver's production has been on point, resulting in 25 catches (on 42 targets) for 300 yards and three touchdowns in five games.

Metcalf (ribs) didn't take part in practice Wednesday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Metcalf has been tending to a rib injury since suffering the Seahawks' Week 2 win at Detroit, but he's been able to play through the pain and entered the Week 5 bye with an 18-268-2 receiving line on 23 targets through four games. He spoke about the injury Wednesday, telling Brady Henderson of ESPN.com that "it hasn't been" difficult to play through the pain. Metcalf logged smaller snap shares than normal Weeks 3 (72 percent) and 4 (71 percent), so the decreased workloads may have been team-imposed rather than him needing more rest than usual. In any case, he opened Week 6 prep with an absence, giving him two more chances to mix into drills before the weekend.

The Broncos released Humphrey on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Since playing a 71 percent of the snaps on offense in the Broncos' Week 1 loss to the Raiders, Humphrey has seen his playing time steadily decline. He's logged snap shares ranging from 12 to 31 percent over the Broncos' subsequent four contests, garnering just three targets during that stretch. His release leaves Denver with just four wideouts on the 53-man roster.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that he doesn't believe Jefferson's hamstring injury to be a season-ending one, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

O'Connell didn't divulge the grade of Jefferson's right hamstring strain, but the injury is severe enough for him to miss at least the team's next four games while on injured reserve. While Jefferson is sidelined, Minnesota's passing attack may become more balanced between tight end T.J. Hockenson, wideouts K.J. Osborn and Jordan Addison and running back Alexander Mattison. However, Addison was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury, potentially removing another key pass catcher from the mix if he's unable to overcome the issue ahead of Sunday's game in Chicago.