NFL Player News

Cooper (ankle) returned to practice Wednesday after missing Tuesday's session, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Cooper tweaked his ankle Monday, temporarily depleting a wideout group that's already missing rookie third-round pick David Bell (foot) and 2021 third-round pick Anthony Schwartz (knee). The lack of experience behind Cooper should lead him to a considerable target share as the Browns' obvious No. 1 receiver, though he's coming off a mediocre season in Dallas and likely won't be catching passes from Deshaun Watson (suspension) until at least Week 7.

Houston drew praise from both head coach Mike McCarthy and teammate CeeDee Lamb on Tuesday, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News reports.

In the wake of a foot injury to James Washington that could keep him sidelined until mid-October, the Cowboys' depth chart at wide receiver suddenly seems perilously thin behind Lamb. Team owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday he was "satisfied" with the team's depth and felt "no urgency" to go out and sign a veteran, however, and Houston's emergence may have something to do with that. The undrafted rookie out of Western Illinois has been standing out to the coaching staff since OTAs, and Lamb has noticed too, noting how "smooth he is in and out of his breaks" Houston isn't likely to force his way into a starting role, but he appears to be doing everything necessary to win a roster spot.

Brown will get an opportunity in training camp to prove the Cowboys don't need to bring in veteran help at wide receiver, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News reports.

James Washington's foot injury bumps Brown up to the No. 3 spot on the Dallas depth chart behind CeeDee Lamb and 2022 third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, and owner Jerry Jones made it clear Tuesday the team wasn't going to rush out and sign a veteran. The team could certainly change course after seeing how that depth looks in the preseason, but for now, Brown will get a chance to prove he can handle a regular role in the passing game after spending the first four seasons of his NFL career seeing as much time on special teams as on offense.

Tolbert remains in line to open the season as a starting receiver for the Cowboys, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The third-round rookie out of South Alabama already appeared to be one of the favorites for a Week 1 starting spot opposite CeeDee Lamb heading into training camp, but James Washington's foot injury removes Tolbert's top competition from the equation. Team owner Jerry Jones also indicated in the wake of Washington's injury that the team wouldn't rush out and sign a veteran wideout to replace him, although the Cowboys could change direction after seeing how depth wideout options like Noah Brown and undrafted rookie Dennis Houston look in the preseason. Eventually, Washington and Michael Gallup (knee) will both be back in the mix, so Tolbert will need to have a quick start to the season to maintain his snaps and targets.

Irwin (undisclosed) was fielding punts at practice Wednesday, Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media reports.

Irwin was working on the rebab field during minicamp, but it appears he's now a full participant in training camp. The 26-year-old appeared in seven games for the Bengals last season, recording two catches on five targets for 34 yards.

Foster (undisclosed) missed practice Wednesday after suffering an injury Tuesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Foster was injured making a diving catch and needed to be carted off the field. Although he was probably a longshot to make the roster, Foster does have history with head coach Brian Daboll, playing for him in Alabama and also spending 2018 and 2019 with the Bills. A speedy return to the practice field would also certainly help his chances.

Samuel took part in team drills Wednesday and even caught passes on back-to-back snaps, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

Samuel's participation in the early portion of training camp has been limited, with Commanders head coach Ron Rivera mentioning "football conditioning" issues Monday. The wide receiver was also limited during the offseason program, which was believed to be a matter of maintenance rather than an injury or conditioning concern. Rivera said Samuel didn't have any lingering problems this offseason after an injury-plagued 2021.

Head coach Dan Campbell doesn't think the leg injury Cephus suffered in Tuesday's practice is serious, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. "[Cephus] will be down for we feel like a short period of time, but I think he's going to be OK," Campbell said.

Cephus was helped off the practice field Tuesday, slowing his momentum in what's otherwise been a strong offseason by all accounts. The 2020 fifth-round pick missed most of last season with a broken collarbone, then saw the Lions add DJ Chark and Jameson Williams (knee) to their receiving corps this spring. Still, there's an opportunity for Cephus to win the third or fourth receiver spot to start the season, especially with Williams unlikely to be available following his ACL tear in January,

Washington is impressing coaches with his performance in training camp thus far, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Talking to the media Tuesday, coach Nathaniel Hackett said of Washington, "He's grasping a lot and he's made a bunch of good plays around here." Hackett also mentioned that the rookie wideout has worked very hard and that quarterback Russell Wilson has "latched on to and really tried to push" Washington. With teammate Tim Patrick suffering a season-ending knee injury Tuesday, the competition for roster spots in the receiver room is likely to heat up going forward. Washington has a chance to carve out a role as a depth option in Denver's passing attack, especially if he continues to impress Wilson and the Broncos' coaching staff.

Jeudy may have a clearer path to additional targets after fellow wideout Tim Patrick (knee) suffered a season-ending injury Tuesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Jeudy was already poised to handle a regular role in three-receiver sets, but his target volume could become even greater than anticipated now that Patrick is out of the mix for 2022 after tearing his ACL. The 23-year-old Jeudy finished the 2021 season with 38 catches for 467 yards and no touchdowns in 10 games, a disappointing level of production that was influenced in part by poor quarterback play. Teammate Courtland Sutton will also look to make strides this season, while KJ Hamler profiles as the No. 3 wideout on the depth chart moving forward. All three should benefit not only from Patrick being out of the picture, but also from Denver making a dramatic upgrade at quarterback with the blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson.