NFL Player News

Kirk (hamstring) isn't practicing Thursday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Kirk remains sidelined by the hamstring injury he aggravated prior to Monday's 27-19 loss to Seattle. Nico Collins (concussion) has also started Week 8 prep with two straight missed practices, so rookies Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins could be set for expanded roles Sunday against the 49ers, along with fellow wideouts Xavier Hutchinson and Braxton Berrios.

McCutcheon signed with Tennessee's practice squad Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

McCutcheon has had some impressive preseason performances, but the 26-year-old wide receiver hasn't caught any of his five regular-season targets, spread across 10 games with the Rams in 2022. If Calvin Ridley (hamstring) remains sidelined and another injury strikes Tennessee's receiving corps, McCutcheon could get a chance to play.

The Giants signed McCloud to the practice squad Thursday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.

McCloud will provide New York with depth at wide receiver after having been cut by the Falcons on Friday. He could also contribute in the return game. While McCloud is technically eligible to be promoted for game action as early as Sunday's divisional matchup against the Eagles, it seems likely that he'll need at least a week or two to acclimate to his new offensive scheme.

Wilson (knee) wasn't spotted on the field at Thursday's practice, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Wilson suffered a hyperextended knee late in the Jets' Week 6 loss to the Broncos in London and hasn't practiced since then. The star wideout thus has one more chance to get some work in before the Jets assign injury designations ahead of Sunday's game against the Bengals. If Wilson remains out this weekend, Josh Reynolds, Arian Smith and Allen Lazard would continue to lead the team's receiving corps.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that Wicks (calf) isn't in line to practice this week, Zach Kruse of USA Today reports.

Though LaFleur didn't definitively rule Wicks out for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, the third-year wideout is highly unlikely to play while he continues to manage a calf injury he sustained in last week's win over Arizona. Wicks' expected absence could be offset by the potential return of fellow wideout Christian Watson (knee), who is in the midst of his third week of practicing with the team and may be activated from the PUP list ahead of Sunday's contest.

Miller secured his only target for 14 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-9 loss to the Lions on Monday night.

Miller logged nine snaps on offense, as Chris Godwin's (fibula) absence and Mike Evans' in-game injuries -- a broken collarbone and concussion -- opened some opportunities down the Buccaneers' receiver depth chart. While Evans and Godwin are both already ruled out for Sunday's Week 8 road matchup against the Saints, Miller looks likely to remain in a fairly insignificant reserve role.

Johnson failed to bring in his only target over 15 snaps but returned four kickoffs for 95 yards and ran back three punts for 34 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-9 loss to the Lions on Monday night.

One week after Johnson posted a career-best 4-64-1 receiving line, the second-year wideout was back to being a nonfactor on offense. Johnson did continue to offer solid production on returns, which included a season high on kickoff-return yardage. However, with Mike Evans (IR, collarbone/concussion) and Chris Godwin (fibula) guaranteed to be unavailable in Week 8 against the Saints, Johnson will at least have a chance to continue filling a reserve role on offense.

The Broncos signed Rowan to their practice squad Wednesday, Jon Heath of Broncos Wire reports.

Rowan originally signed with Denver as an undrafted free agent back in May but he ultimately was waived during August roster cuts. Now he's back with the team as a member of the practice squad but probably won't get see snaps anytime soon barring an injury to a wideout on the active roster.

Brown missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury, but he's on track to play this Sunday against the Giants, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A return to practice Thursday would support the notion that Brown's hamstring injury is minor. There was no sign of trouble in Sunday's win at Minnesota, with Brown catching four passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns while playing 92 percent of snaps and handling a 100 percent route share.

Jones (ribs) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Jones was cleared of a rib injury to play in the Bengals' Week 7 win over the Steelers, when he played two snaps on special teams and recorded a fair catch on a punt. He's still nursing the injury, but a full practice Thursday or Friday would put him on track toward being available for Sunday's game against the Jets.