NFL Player News

Head coach Dan Quinn said McLaurin (hamstring) looked good in his return to practice Friday, but his status remains in question for Sunday's game against the Giants, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

After missing last Sunday's game and logging practice absences Wednesday and Thursday, McLaurin appears to have a chance to return for a divisional bout with New York. Washington will make an official injury designation for McLaurin later Friday. The Commanders could really use their No. 1 receiver after Stefon Diggs was ruled out for Week 5 with a hamstring injury of his own. Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown will all be in line for increased roles on offense Sunday.

Diggs (hamstring) won't play Sunday against the Giants, Tashan Reed reports after Commanders coach Dan Quinn provided injury updates Friday.

After missing practice time earlier in the week, Diggs has now been ruled out for Week 5. Terry McLaurin, on the other hand, is expected to play through a hamstring injury, though Quinn wasn't quite ready to guarantee it Friday afternoon. With Diggs definitely out, there will be extra WR snaps available for some combination of Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown.

Chase remains in concussion protocol and will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Miami, Charlie Goldsmith reports.

Chase is practicing Friday but will still need clearance from an independent neurologist. Fellow Bengals wideout Tee Higgins (adductor) isn't practicing Friday and thus appears in more danger of missing Week 5.

Higgins (groin/neck) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Higgins "practiced some" Friday, according to coach Zac Taylor, after the wideout logged back-to-back DNPs Wednesday and Thursday. With Ja'Marr Chase still in the concussion protocol, he's also questionable for Week 5, putting the Bengals' wideout situation in a state of emergency. If neither can go against Miami, Cincinnati will lean on Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley while Chase Brown and Mike Gesicki become focal points of the offense.

Nabers (knee) was on the field for Friday's practice, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

With Nabers having progressed from a non-participant Wednesday to a limited participant Thursday, his presence and involvement Friday is another positive sign for his status ahead of Sunday's game against the Commanders. The Giants' final injury report will determine whether the wide receiver carries a designation into Week 5, but all signs point to Nabers being available Sunday.

Head coach Robert Saleh said Friday that Tate (back) is good to go for Sunday's game against the Texans, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Tate was limited by some back tightness this week, according to Saleh, but the first-round rookie will be out there for his normal role against Houston. After commanding 42.9 percent of the targets in last Sunday's loss to the Ravens, Tate's arrow appears to be pointing upward after a slow first couple weeks of the season. He's the unquestioned No. 1 receiver in Tennessee's anemic offense.

Diggs (hamstring) wasn't spotted at Friday's practice, Tashan Reed reports.

With Diggs having already missed Thursday's practice, his continued absence leaves his status for Sunday's game against the Giants in question. Teammate Terry McLaurin (hamstring) is also uncertain, though he's reportedly present for the start of practice Friday.

Smith (hamstring) is doing rehab work on a side field at Friday's practice, EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It leaves Smith's status in considerable doubt for Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London, but the Eagles will release official injury designations later Friday. With Smith looking likely to miss Week 5, rookie Makai Lemon and Week 4 standout Darius Cooper will once again be in line to handle prominent pass-catching roles. Neither is particularly exciting in a broken Philadelphia offense.

Higgins (groin/neck) was not taking part in Friday's stretching portion of practice, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

After logging a non-participant listing Thursday, Higgins now appears to be trending toward another missed practice. Meanwhile, Ja'Marr Chase (concussion) looks to be participating again.

McLaurin (hamstring) was present for Friday's practice, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.

While McLaurin was in attendance Friday, it's unclear if he's actually participating in practice after logging DNPs Wednesday and Thursday. He's yet to practice since injuring his hamstring in practice last Friday, causing him to miss last Sunday's loss to the Colts. If McLaurin is unable to face the Giants on Sunday, Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown would again be in line for increased snaps and targets.