NFL Player News

Ward (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Amanda Foster of the Colts' official site reports.

Ward has yet to clear concussion protocol since suffering a concussion in pregame warmups ahead of the Colts' Week 6 win over the Cardinals. He will need to do so to have a chance to play against the Titans in Week 8. Mekhi Blackmon could step into a starting role at outside cornerback, while the Colts' banged-up secondary could get a boost with the expected return of nickel cornerback Kenny Moore (Achilles).

Downs (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

The same applies to Ashton Dulin (chest), a context that results in Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce being slated to lead the Colts' Week 7 WR corps. Adonai Mitchell is on track to be active and contribute Sunday, while Anthony Gould is available to mix in. Additionally, Laquon Treadwell and Coleman Owen represent possible practice-squad elevations.

Panthers coach Dave Canales said Friday that Coker (quadriceps) will play against the Jets on Sunday, even though he's listed as questionable and remains on injured reserve, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Coker has been a full practice participant for two weeks now, potentially allowing him to be free of restrictions for his 2025 debut. He's a candidate to start for a WR-needy team, though it's unclear what his role will be this Sunday.

Dulin (chest) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Amanda Foster of the Colts' official site reports.

Adonai Mitchell and Anthony Gould could get additional opportunities in the absences of both Dulin and Josh Downs (concussion). Dulin's next chance to play will come at home against the Titans in Week 8.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Friday that he's already decided between Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard as the lead runner for Sunday's game against the Jets but won't reveal his plan, Steve Reed of The Associated Press reports.

Hubbard missed the previous two games due to a calf injury but has been cleared to return after practicing this week. In Hubbard's absence, Dowdle became one of a handful of running backs in NFL history to exceed 230 yards from scrimmage and score a touchdown in consecutive games. The recent success makes Dowdle at least a slight favorite to lead Carolina's backfield Week 7, though not necessarily beyond that.

Hendrickson (hip) is optimistic that he'll be ready to return against the Jets in Week 8, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Hendrickson was pushing to play in Thursday's 33-31 win over the Steelers before ultimately being deemed inactive. With more than a week to recover, Hendrickson could make his return in Week 8, though his practice participation level will offer insight as to how well-founded the standout pass rusher's optimism is.

Lamb (ankle) said Thursday that he plans to play in Sunday's game against the Commanders without any snap limitations, Clarence Hill Jr. of AllDLLS.com reports.

Lamb said he could've played last week at Carolina but would've been limited. He returned to practice this week, listed as limited Wednesday and Thursday, with the expectation that he'll partake again Friday in some capacity. It remains to be seen if the Cowboys agree with Lamb's optimism about his Week 7 status.

Hubbard (calf) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at the Jets, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

The remaining question is how the Panthers split work between Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, the latter of whom ran for 389 yards over the past two games (both wins) while Hubbard was out. Head coach Dave Canales hasn't been helpful on that front, merely noting that Dowdle has earned the right to maintain a role. Dowdle already had a role, of course, getting between seven and 11 touches in Weeks 2 through 4 when Hubbard was the starter. In light of his consecutive big performances, Dowdle could take on a larger portion of the workload, but the Panthers probably won't provide hints on the specifics before Sunday's game.

Diggs (concussion) won't play Sunday against the Commanders, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Diggs had an incident in his home Thursday night that landed him in concussion protocol. He will need to clear the protocol to have a chance to return against the Broncos in Week 8. Diggs' absence Sunday will make a Cowboys secondary that has been the worst in the league at defending wide receivers even more vulnerable, though Washington may not have the personnel to capitalize given Terry McLaurin's (quadriceps) absence and the uncertainty over Deebo Samuel's (heel) availability.

Bears coach Ben Johnson said Friday morning that Swift's groin injury isn't something new from practice, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

It sounds like Swift's addition to the injury report Thursday (as a limited participant) was a matter of maintenance rather than anything that might impact his Week 7 availability, but it's still worth keeping an eye on the situation unless he avoids a designation on the final injury report Friday afternoon.