NFL Player News

Johnson (head/neck) was transferred from Lumen Field to a Seattle area hospital during Thursday's preseason game against the Vikings, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.

It's unclear when Johnson sustained the injury, but he spent some time in the sideline tent before being removed from the field on a stretcher while his head and neck were immobilized. The Seahawks announced that Johnson is in stable condition, so the team appears to be taking the utmost caution with the third-year wide receiver.

Johnson needed a stretcher to get off the field during halftime of Thursday's preseason contest versus the Vikings, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

An unknown Seahawk was in the blue medical tent for about 20 minutes before halftime, at which point Johnson was immobilized and placed on a stretcher, per Henderson. The nature of Johnson's injury is unknown, but the 2021 undrafted free agent was in the running for one of the final spots at wide receiver for Seattle.

Metchie caught his only target for five yards in Thursday's 20-9 preseason-opening win over the Patriots.

Metchie returned to action after missing his rookie year while battling leukemia. He caught a pass on Houston's touchdown drive to end the second quarter. While third-round wideout Tank Dell impressed with five catches for 65 yards and the aforementioned score, Metchie could compete with him for the No. 3 receiver job behind probable starters Nico Collins and Robert Woods.

Dell caught five of eight targets for 65 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 20-9 win over the Patriots in the preseason opener.

Dell's performance was highlighted by a juggling six-yard touchdown reception along the sideline to end the first half. The local third-round pick has drawn praise during camp and had a long gain of 24 yards Thursday, ultimately leading the Texans in all major receiving categories. For good measure, Dell also returned a punt for 13 yards. In a relatively fluid receiving corps behind Nico Collins and Robert Woods, Dell will strive to keep his momentum going in Houston's second preseason game versus Miami next Saturday.

Eskridge (suspension) suffered an apparent right leg injury during the opening kickoff of Thursday's preseason contest against the Vikings, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.

Operating on kick coverage, Eskridge remained on the turf at the end of the play before making his way to the blue sideline tent, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. The nature of Eskridge's injury is unknown, but it could be another setback after the NFL handed him a six-game suspension last week for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

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.