NFL Player News

Brown (undisclosed) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, John Glennon of BroadwaySportsMedia.com reports.

Brown, who's been managing a knee issue of late, has also missed the Titans' last two Thursday practices before practicing fully Friday, so there's a solid chance this his absence this time around is maintenance-related.

Shepard (shoulder/toe) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Shepard has logged back-to-back capped sessions, likely for maintenance reasons due to the lingering effects of a turf toe injury and shoulder issue. Despite the health concerns, he's put up 14 receptions (on 18 targets) for 133 yards and one touchdown over the last two games. Friday's injury report likely will bring some clarity to Shepard's availability for Sunday's game in Washington.

Harry (concussion) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Harry still has a couple of chances to resume practicing in advance of Monday's game against the Jets, but if he's unable to gain clearance for the contest, Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd would once again head New England's wide receiver corps Week 9.

Though Perriman remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, he'll be able to practice in a limited fashion Thursday, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the wideout has moved on to the next stage of the protocol, which offers hope that Perriman could be medically cleared in time to play Monday night against the Patriots.

Crowder (groin) won't practice Thursday, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

On the plus side, Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record notes that the hope is for Crowder to practice in some capacity Friday. The Jets don't play until Monday night against the Patriots, which gives Crowder an extra day of preparation as he tries to return to action Week 9 after missing two straight games.

Bourne (illness) tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday, but he'll remain out for the 49ers' game against the Packers later in the day, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, Bourne believes that his COVID-19 test result from Wednesday was a false positive, as he and the three other individuals that live with him all tested negative a day later. Even so, NFL protocols won't afford Bourne enough time to gain clearance for Thursday's game, leaving the 49ers extremely thin at wide receiver with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk also on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Considering Samuel and Aiyuk were placed on the list due to being high-risk close contacts of Bourne, Chan notes that all players likely would have removed from the list had the 49ers been playing a Sunday or Monday game this week. With that in mind, Bourne should be ready to go for the 49ers' Week 10 game Nov. 15 in New Orleans.

Pettis (shoulder), whom the Giants claimed off waivers Wednesday, won't be eligible to play in Sunday's game at Washington while he waits to clear the NFL's COVID-19 protocol, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

All players moving from one organization to another must self-isolate for five days before reporting to work with their new clubs, so Pettis won't have enough time to get settled in with the Giants before Sunday's game. Pettis should be ready to join the Giants when the team begins Week 10 prep, and he'll likely have a clearer path to playing time in New York than he did in San Francisco. While Pettis likely won't be much more than a depth option at receiver so long as Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate are all available, special teams coach Thomas McGaughey said Wednesday that he thinks Pettis could take over as the team's punt returner.

Lazard (core) joined the Packers for their flight to San Francisco ahead of Thursday's game against the 49ers, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Lazard underwent core-muscle surgery Oct. 1, and the Packers placed him on injured reserve not long after. The team opened his 21-day window to return to the active roster last Wednesday, and after putting in a week's worth of reps, he may be ready to give the Green Bay passing game a boost. Of course, the Packers will need to activate Lazard by 4 p.m. ET on Thursday for him to rejoin his teammates. Prior to his surgery, Lazard piled up 13 catches (on 17 targets) for 254 yards and two touchdowns through the first three contests of the campaign.

Edwards (foot/ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Edwards practiced last week for the first time since injuring his foot and ankle Week 3, but three consecutive limited showings weren't enough for the Raiders to clear the rookie third-round pick for action. He's kicking off this week in the same fashion, so it'll be interesting to see if he can elevate to full activity by Friday. If Edwards is unable to make the requisite progress, Henry Ruggs, Nelson Agholor and Hunter Renfrow will be the team's most utilized wide receivers Sunday against the Chargers.

The 49ers placed Samuel (hamstring) on the reserve/ COVID-19 list Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Samuel already was ruled out for Thursday's game against the Packers with the hamstring injury, but after fellow wide receiver Kendrick Bourne landed on the COVID-19 list Wednesday, contact tracing went into effect, and the former was deemed to be in the "high-risk" category. Brandon Aiyuk is in the same boat, meaning the 49ers may be down to two wide receivers (Trent Taylor and Richie James) in Week 9.