NFL Player News

Shakir (ribs) won't practice Thursday, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

With Shakir dealing with a rib issue, the 2022 fifth-rounder could be held out of Saturday's preseason finale against the Bears. Once Shakir is back in action, he'll continue to compete with Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty for slotting behind the Bills' clear-cut top WR duo of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.

Cobb had already been seeing significant targets in practice, and his role is set to increase even more with fellow wide receiver Corey Davis stepping away from football, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Cobb's firmly locked in as a top-four receiver for the Jets, along with Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard (shoulder) and Mecole Hardman. Rosenblatt notes that Cobb's usage had been trending up even before Davis' announcement, as Cobb has been getting snaps in the slot over Hardman recently. Cobb's precise route running and chemistry with quarterback Aaron Rodgers should allow him to carve out a prominent role, though the speedier Hardman should also see plenty of playing time out of the slot.

Milne recently suffered a groin injury and is being monitored this week, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

It's not clear if the injury is keeping Milne off the practice field or when it occurred. However, according to head coach Ron Rivera, the injury wouldn't impact the team's final 53-man roster. Considering Milne is likely inside the bubble at the moment, that should be good news for the BYU product.

Coach Sean McDermott relayed Thursday that the Bills' starters will play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Bears. In last weekend's exhibition loss to the Steelers, Diggs logged 13 snaps en route to recording two catches (on five targets) for 22 yards.

Though Buffalo's starters are on track to see action versus Chicago, chances are Diggs and company won't see extensive action Saturday. Once the wideout gets his reps in, his focus will shift to preparing for the team's regular-season opener against the Jets. As the coming campaign approaches, Diggs remains entrenched as the Bills' No. 1 option in a WR corps that also features Gabe Davis, with Khalil Shakir, Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty also in the mix.

Shaheed (groin) returned for a portion of practice Thursday, making his first appearance since Aug. 5, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Shaheed still figures to miss a third straight preseason game when the Saints host the Texans on Sunday, but he still has more than two weeks to prepare for a Sept. 10 season opener against Tennessee. He'll likely be the Saints' No. 3 receiver when healthy, following a rookie season in which he progressed from being an undrafted free agent to a return specialist to a trick-play weapon to a productive starter. Shaheed never drew more than six targets in a game, but he did close out the year with five straight games (all starts) with at least four, catching 20 of 23 passes for 324 yards and a TD in that stretch.

Waddle (abdomen) is present at Thursday's practice, but he isn't wearing pads and isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against Jacksonville, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

The Dolphins reportedly are optimistic he'll be ready for Week 1 against the Chargers, and it's a good sign that he's hanging around the main practice field rather than staying indoors or being restricted to the rehab field. The Miami offense remains hugely dependent on Waddle and Tyreek Hill, with shaky depth at WR and no established receiving threat at TE or RB.

Lazard will miss practice Thursday with an AC joint injury in his shoulder, but he's expected to be fine for Week 1, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

The report notes that Lazard's status for a preseason game against the Giants on Saturday is unclear following his injury during Thursday's practice. It'll be surprising if he ends up playing given the low stakes, especially after Corey Davis' recent, surprise retirement took a chunk out of the Jets' WR depth. Lazard and Garrett Wilson are the top two, with Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb perhaps competing for the third spot and a hoard of undrafted players fighting for one or two depth roles behind them.

Sherfield continues to have a good summer and drew more praise from offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey this week, Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News reports. "I just didn't know how good Trent could be when he first got here," Dorsey said. "I really didn't. I thought he'd be a great piece for us, and a guy who would compete for a spot and everything.

Sherfield, who posted a 30-417-2 line for the Dolphins last season, profiles as a good candidate for snaps as a middle-of-the-field guy. The Bills are settled at the top two spots with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, but there's no clear-cut pecking order after that. Sherfield looks like a good bet for a roster spot at this stage, and he could work his way all the way up to the No. 3 role (one that might turn into more of a committee) if he continues to shine.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Grant will return kickoffs and punts during Saturday's preseason game against the Chiefs, Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Grant has not yet appeared in any of the Browns' preseason games while he was brought along slowly from an Achilles' injury. Despite not appearing in game action, Grant has been a full practice participant and often taken the first (and sometimes only) reps as the returner. Stefanski said he doesn't need to see Grant on offense before making a roster decision, so it appears that Grant will secure a roster spot heading into the regular season, if he comes out of Saturday's game in good health. The back end of the wideout depth chart remains murky in terms of health and the number of wideouts the team plans to keep. Marquise Goodwin (illness), Jaelon Darden (leg) and Anthony Schwartz (hamstring) are iffy heading into Saturday's preseason finale.

Durden (knee) suffered a non-contact knee injury during Wednesday's practice, and there is concern he may have suffered a torn ACL, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Durden was carted off the practice field with a knee injury Wednesday, and the wideout will undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the issue. Gehlken reports that multiple people familiar with the situation are concerned that Durden's ACL may not be intact. The 24-year-old has impressed as an undrafted free agent rookie in camp thus far. A serious knee injury would be a major blow for Durden, as the receiver seemed like a good bet to make the Cowboys' practice squad to start the season at the very least.