NFL Player News

McCloud (wrist) is expected to be sidelined for two months after breaking his left wrist at a recent training camp practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The 49ers are optimistic McCloud could return a little earlier than his current eight-week estimation. However, he is expected to be placed on injured reserve after their initial roster cut on Aug. 29, which would make him eligible to return after a minimum of four games. He averaged 10.8 yards per punt return and 23.0 yards per kick return for the team in 2022 and served as their No. 4 wide receiver.

Montgomery (leg) wasn't spotted in warmups ahead of Thursday's preseason opener against the Texans, Chris Mason of The Springfield Republican reports.

Montgomery has been missing practice of late, so his looming absence Thursday isn't surprising. Look for Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor to handle the bulk of the team's backfield snaps versus Houston.

Jefferson isn't slated to suit up for Thursday's preseason opener at Seattle, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has a similar situation, meaning his connection with Jefferson won't be seen until Saturday, Aug. 19 versus the Titans, at the earliest. Meanwhile, first-round rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison will see the field Thursday, but it remains to be seen who will be joining him from the Vikings' receiving corps. Once Week 1 rolls around, Jefferson will be looking to build upon his 128-1,809-8 line on 184 targets in 17 games from last season.

Bateman (foot) has been limited to individual drills since coming off the active/PUP list, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

With regard to Bateman's progress, coach John Harbaugh noted Thursday, "I think we'll see as we go, but it's very promising right now. He looked good to me, and I'm excited to see him out there. Obviously, it's big for us." Either way, the wideout isn't in line to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Eagles, with Baltimore's established starters slated to sit out the contest, according to Hensley.

Palmer (undisclosed) left practice early Thursday after suffering an injury during seven-on-seven drills, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Palmer went straight to the medical tent after the play that caused the injury and seemingly did so under his own power. According to Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times, head coach Brandon Staley had no concrete update on the Tennessee products injury after practice, so for now consider Palmer day-to-day.

McCloud suffered a broken hand during a recent training camp practice and the injury will require surgery, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

McCloud is expected to miss at least eight weeks, which will likely cost him the first four games of the regular season. The Clemson product was expected to handle return duties while also serving as a depth option in the team's receiving corps this year. His absence will now open up an opportunity for someone else to break camp on the 53-man roster, with Ronnie Bell and Willie Snead both currently possible options to seize that role.

Merritt has been experiencing hamstring tightness this week, Ross Jackson of SI.com reports.

It's not clear how much practice time Merritt has missed and if he's just been limited or has been a non-participant. The 26-year-old is working to make the 53-man roster as a running back after spending his first three NFL seasons as a wide receiver.

Wilson (ankle) is participating in team drills at Thursday's practice, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Coach Robert Saleh said early Thursday that Wilson would only participate in individual drills, but it looks like the second-year wideout has progressed quicker than expected. Granted, the Jets went through a light practice load, but it's nonetheless encouraging to see Wilson take another step forward. Saturday's preseason game against the Cardinals could still be too soon for Wilson to suit up, it may not be long until the wideout is back in full.

Wilson (ankle) will be limited to individual drills Thursday, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Wilson remains sidelined from team drills, as has been the case since he injured his ankle roughly two weeks ago. Coach Robert Saleh has expressed optimism that the second-year wideout won't remain out for long, but at this point it seems highly unlikely he'll be available for Saturday's preseason game against the Panthers. After that point, Wilson will have just two more chances to get on the field for preseason game reps prior to the Jets' regular season-opener against the Bills.

Diggs won't play in Saturday's preseason game against the Colts, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Coach Sean McDermott said he'll play most of his starters but not Diggs or QB Josh Allen. They're the team's two most important players and seem to have moved past whatever was responsible for offseason reports of friction between them. Diggs is almost always taken in the first round of fantasy drafts, as one might expect of a player who has recorded no fewer than 103 catches, 1,225 yards and eight touchdowns in three seasons since the Vikings traded him to the Bills. He showed no signs of slowing down last year in his age-28/29 season, scoring a career-high 11 TDs among his 108 receptions.