NFL Player News

Hodge has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Also landing on the list was guard Joel Bitonio, with both players slated to miss Sunday's playoff opener against the Steelers after testing positive for COVID-19, Jake Trotter of ESPN reports. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, 10 Cleveland players are on the reserve/COVID-19 list as of Tuesday.

Coach Bruce Arians relayed that Evans (knee) participated fully in Tuesday's walk-through, but the coach noted the wideout wouldn't have taken part in a full-speed practice, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

That Evans was on the field Tuesday after hurting his knee Sunday is a step in the right direction, with Arians indicating that he's hopeful the team will have the pass catcher available for Saturday night's playoff opener against Washington. What Evans is able to do at practice Wednesday and how he responds to any reps he gets in the process should help begin to clarify his chances of suiting up this weekend.

McKenzie (ankle) was listed as limited for Tuesday's walkthrough practice.

Perhaps McKenzie's ankle is simply sore after he ran up and down the field all afternoon against the Dolphins in the regular-season finale, scoring three touchdowns by the time the rout was over. We'll see if McKenzie can upgrade his status when the team has full practices Wednesday and Thursday, but we'd be pretty surprised if he isn't out there for Saturday's playoff opener against the Colts.

Cain reverted to the Steelers' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Cain made his season debut in Sunday's loss to the Browns, and he wasn't targeted over six snaps on offense. Barring an injury, he's unlikely to be promoted to the active roster again.

Diggs (oblique) was listed as limited for Tuesday's walkthrough practice.

This is the first we've heard of an injury to the team's best receiver, but it also has the sound of being something minor, considering Diggs was on the field to some degree Tuesday and still saw a decent amount of action during Sunday's blowout win over the Dolphins.

Beasley (knee) did not participate in Tuesday's walkthrough practice.

Coach Sean McDermott called the valuable slot man "week-to-week" in his Monday statements, so Beasley's status for Saturday's playoff opener is in serious jeopardy at this stage, a belief augmented by the team signing several receivers to its practice squad the past few days. If Beasley's knee does start to rally, the fact that the Bills play the opening game of this weekend's six-game playoff slate adds one final challenge, though perhaps that at least will make the decision on whether to use Beasley easier for playoff pool managers.

Humphrey reverted to the Saints' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Humphrey logged 23 snaps on offense and reeled in his lone target for a 17-yard gain. The 22-year-old wideout served as depth for the final three games of the year, and he could be summoned again in the playoffs if Michael Thomas (ankle) and Tre'Quan Smith (ankle) are unavailable.

Evans (knee) was at Tuesday's walkthrough practice, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's encouraging news after coach Bruce Arians revealed Monday that Evans avoided structural knee damage and is considered day-to-day. While it's unclear what his participation level was, the team should issue an official practice report at some point Tuesday, with Saturday's wild-card game against Washington on the horizon.

Proche played 25 offensive snaps as a rookie for the Ravens, recording one catch for 14 yards on three targets. He added 198 yards on punt returns.

The SMU product did not crack the receiver rotation in his first season with the Ravens. Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews and Willie Snead combined for 60 percent of the targets, while players like Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay and late-season addition Dez Bryant saw modest roles in the passing game. As a sixth-round pick with below-average athletic measurables, it's not entirely surprising that Proche was lightly used as a rookie. His 2020 season should be considered more of an incomplete grade than an outright disappointment. If Willie Snead is not retained, Proche could have a path to slot snaps in 2021. He did catch 111 passes and 15 touchdowns in his last collegiate season.

Hodge has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 and won't be available for Sunday's playoff game against the Steelers, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

As a result, Hodge is in line to land on the reserve/COVID-19 list later Tuesday. With Hodge out and Donovan Peoples-Jones dealing with a concussion, Marvin Hall and Alexander Hollins could see added snaps behind Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins this weekend.