NFL Player News

The Steelers signed Sims to their practice squad Monday, independent NFL journalist Aaron Wilson reports.

Sims spent the last two seasons in Washington. He appeared in 12 contests and recorded 27 catches for 265 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers only kept five wide receivers on their initial 53-man roster, so Sims will be a likely candidate to get called up during the regular season.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday that he expects McKenzie (shoulder) to be a "full go" for Sunday's season opener versus Pittsburgh, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

With that in mind, McKenzie looks on track to turn in three full practices Wednesday through Friday, which should erase any concerns about the health of the shoulder he injured in an Aug. 24 workout. McKenzie is expected to fill a depth role in Buffalo's wideout corps while also serving as the team's top option in the return game.

Chark (finger) is 100 percent healthy entering Week 1 after sitting out the preseason, John Reid of The Florida Times-Union reports.

It's not a major surprise, as Chark and coach Urban Meyer consistently have indicated the wideout would be ready for the season opener after undergoing surgery in early August for a hairline fracture in his finger. The 24-year-old's status, or lack thereof, on the injury report later this week should provide final confirmation of his outlook for Sunday at Houston.

Miller (elbow) wasn't listed on Monday's injury report.

Miller emerged from preseason Week 3 with a minor tweak of his elbow, but fortunately for the third-year wide receiver he's not considered among the Buccaneers' few injury concerns heading into the season opener Thursday versus the Cowboys. With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown embedded as the team's top three WRs, though, Miller will be vying with Tyler Johnson and perhaps rookie Jaelon Darden for the few targets that linger from Tom Brady.

Aiyuk (hamstring) ran routes and caught passes during the part of Monday's practice open to the media, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Aiyuk didn't suit up for the 49ers' exhibition finale due to a minor hamstring issue. Prior to that, he made just one appearance in the preseason, hauling in one of three targets for three yards Aug. 22 against the Chargers. Last Thursday, Aiyuk was spotted running sprints on a side field, and he now has progressed enough to be a participant in practice. The 49ers will post their first Week 1 injury report Wednesday, at which point his status in advance of the opener will become more clear.

Coach Ron Rivera noted that Samuel (groin) "looked good" and "moved around well" during Monday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

That said, Rivera adds that the team "had a limited amount of plays" for Samuel lined up Monday in order not to overwork the wideout during the session. What Samuel does in Wednesday's practice, and how Washington subsequently lists his participation level, will provide added context with regard to his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Chargers. At this point, Rivera suggests that Samuel's path to the team's lineup hinges largely on his level of conditioning.

Coach Robert Saleh relayed Monday that there's a chance that Crowder, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list, could be cleared to play in Sunday's season opener against the Panthers, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Per Saleh, once Crowder is symptom-free and has two negative COVID tests 24 hours apart, the receiver will be eligible to return. For now, Crowder is considered day-to-day, but if he's unavailable this weekend, rookie Elijah Moore is a candidate to see added reps in the slot for the Jets in Week 1.

Darden will serve as the Buccaneers' primary punt returner in Thursday night's Week1 matchup against the Cowboys, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The rookie's strong performances throughout preseason and his natural skills for the position were enough to secure him a roster spot, essentially at the expense of veteran Jaydon Mickens. Darden will now be trusted with an important role against Dallas despite the fact he never dealt with any of the most difficult return scenarios in preseason, such as having to make a decision on whether to field a punt inside the 20-yard line. "Wow, he's sudden," Buccaneers special-teams coach Keith Armstrong said. "The speed. But sudden and the lateral quickness. He can make the first, the second and maybe even the third man miss. He does a really good job. He catches the ball well. You would've loved to have seen him manage some situations."

Schwartz managed to improve over the course of training camp despite missing significant practice time due to a hamstring injury, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Schwartz was hampered by the hamstring, which he injured during organized team activities, and it extended into training camp. He eventually made it on the practice field in mid-August and played the third and final preseason game against the Falcons. Cabot believes the lack of practice time isn't a deterrent to playing time for the rookie, as he's responded well to the tutelage of receivers coach Chad O'Shea. The likelihood, though, is that there are four bodies ahead of Schwartz on a team that intends to run first. His speed is tantalizing, but it's unclear that it will translate into many snaps on offense. If anything, Schwartz may get some run as a returner.

Beckham (knee) is expected to be available and play Week 1 against Kansas City, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Beckham did not suit up for any preseason games but by most accounts has looked healthy during practice sessions. Most of his preseason work came in individual drills, but he did participate in 11-on-11 drills late in camp. Beckham hasn't engaged in full contact since suffering his injury last October, so there's a level of uncertainty as the Browns approach Week 1. As such, the Browns could curtail the number of snaps he gets, which may be tolerable due to the development of second-year wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones.