NFL Player News

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Thursday that Nabers (shoulder) will participate in practice, is "good," and that the team has a plan "that we think is best" for the wide receiver, Evan Barnes of Newsday reports.

Daboll's comments appeared to indicate that Nabers will take part in a limited practice Thursday, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. That's certainly a positive development after the star second-year wideout appeared to suffer a left shoulder injury during Tuesday's session, and especially given the fact that he'd already been managing a lingering toe issue. Expect New York to take a cautious approach to Nabers' recovery, but at such an early stage of training camp minor injuries should have little, if any, impact on his ADP as a first-round selection for 2025 fantasy drafts.

Lemonious-Craig (lower body) reverted to Pittsburgh's injured reserve Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Lemonious-Craig was let go by the Steelers on Tuesday but will remain with the team after clearing waivers. The 23-year-old signed with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent in May and will now be forced to miss the entirety of his rookie season unless he's waived with an injury settlement.

Gray (finger) reverted to Philadelphia's injured reserve Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Gray will stick around with the team after clearing waivers, albeit on injured reserve. The 26-year-old spent last season on the Eagles' practice squad and will now be forced to miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign unless he's waived with an injury settlement.

Moore has been getting reps out of the backfield at Bears training camp, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

"He's a physical, run-after-catch, just-get-me-the-ball type of guy," coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday. "There's a number of things that we're looking to do and explore how we get him the ball and get him in space." Moore is no stranger to seeing snaps out of the backfield, as he registered a career-high 14 carries last season, turning them into 75 scoreless yards. The Panthers also used Moore in a similar role during his 2018 rookie season, handing him the ball 13 times for 172 yards. Chicago has a plethora of weapons at Caleb Williams' disposal, and Moore is consistently being taken as a WR2 in fantasy drafts this summer.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday that the Vikings have "zero worry" about Jefferson's (hamstring) availability for a Week 1 road matchup with the Bears on Monday, Sept. 8, Emily Leiker of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Jefferson came out of last Thursday's practice with what was later termed a mild left hamstring strain. In the meantime, he's sat out on-field work but still has been present at all but one session on the schedule, coaching up fellow wide receivers on reps, good and bad. "Rehab's going really well," O'Connell noted. "Already progressing. Could end up being a blessing in disguise in a lot of ways, where Justin's mentally preparing and engaging with his teammates. He's totally and completely present every single day." Minnesota understandably will take a cautious approach with its top skill-position talent on the roster, but it'll be interesting to see if Jefferson and second-year signal-caller J.J. McCarthy log some preseason action together ahead of the regular season.

Bills GM Brandon Beane said Wednesday that Samuel (hamstring) will return to practice "sooner rather than later" but not as quickly as Elijah Moore (leg), who he said may be back on the field Thursday or Friday, Ryan O'Halloran of The Buffalo News reports.

Samuel hasn't practiced since Sunday due to a hamstring injury, and Buffalo is likely taking a cautious approach to his health due to the nature of soft-tissue issues. The veteran wideout is looking to bounce back after a disappointing inaugural campaign with the Bills in which he totaled a 31-253-1 receiving line across 14 regular-season appearances. Samuel is competing with Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer and Moore to establish a pecking order behind top wideout Khalil Shakir.

Bills GM Brandon Beane said Wednesday that Moore (leg) may be able to resume practicing Thursday or Friday, Ryan O'Halloran of The Buffalo News reports.

Moore hasn't practiced since Sunday due to general leg soreness, but it doesn't appear Buffalo anticipates him being sidelined much longer. The 2021 second-round pick inked a one-year, $5 million deal with the Bills in May and appears to be competing for the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver role, though Buffalo's WR corps isn't particularly solidified beyond No. 1 option Khalil Shakir. Meanwhile, Beane said Curtis Samuel (hamstring) could return "sooner rather than later," albeit not as quickly as Moore.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that Flowers (undisclosed) did not practice due to a "camp thing" and is expected to miss only a few days, Jonas Shaffer of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Flowers doesn't appear to be dealing with any sort of serious injury, and it's not likely that he or the rest of Baltimore's starters will be in consideration to suit up for next Thursday's preseason opener against the Colts. The 2023 first-round pick missed both the Ravens' playoff games last season due to a right knee sprain suffered Week 18, but he was back on the field as early as OTAs in May. Until Flowers is back at practice, increased first-team reps behind Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins should be available for Devontez Walker and Tylan Wallace.

Ridley was unable to finish Wednesday's practice due to his right calf cramping up, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Ridley continued to demonstrate a strong rapport with rookie quarterback Cam Ward prior to his departure, which occurred near the end of practice. The No. 1 wideout held his calf after a play and left the field to be evaluated by Tennessee's medical staff, though wide receiver coach Tyke Tolbert confirmed Ridley was dealing only with cramps, per Nick Suss and Nick Gray of the Nashville Tennessean. While it's possible the Titans take precautions and give Ridley a rest day Thursday, the veteran wideout doesn't appear to be dealing with any actual injury. The 30-year-old is locked in as Ward's unquestioned top target this season, putting him in prime position to tally a third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign, with the hope of increased production due to improved O-line and QB play.

San Francisco offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Tuesday that Aiyuk (knee), who remains on the active/PUP list, has been "kind of a coach on the side" throughout the early stages of training camp, Nick Wagoner of ESPN reports.

Kubiak said "it's been awesome" having Aiyuk mentor his positional mates during individual drills and walkthroughs, rather than being "just isolated doing his rehab." A timetable for Aiyuk's return remains undisclosed, but although the 27-year-old wideout has reportedly thrived in his rehab activities, it would likely be unreasonable to expect him to be available Week 1 as he works his way back from right ACL and MCL tears suffered last October. Still, Aiyuk's active mental involvement lends credence to hopes that he'll be able to hit the ground running this season whenever he is cleared to play. Meanwhile, Ricky Pearsall overcame his hamstring injury and was activated from the PUP list Sunday, while Jauan Jennings (calf) is currently sidelined and has been vocal about his desire for a new contract.