NFL Player News

Pittman's absence from practice that stems back to last week is due to a hamstring issue, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.

Pittman left practice Saturday, Aug. 8, with some sort of right leg injury and has been sidelined in the meantime, but the nature of the issue wasn't clarified until this week. Meanwhile, fellow WR DK Metcalf also has been tending to an undisclosed health concern during most of that stretch. Pittsburgh likely will continue to take a cautious approach with its top two receivers with a Week 1 matchup against the Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 13, in mind. Per Farabaugh, there's no concern regarding Pittman's status for that contest.

Metcalf (undisclosed) said Wednesday that he's "fine" and isn't concerned about his status for Week 1, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.

Metcalf has missed more than a week of practice due to an undisclosed injury, a stretch that included the Steelers' preseason opener against the Packers last Thursday. At the same time, fellow WR Michael Pittman also has been sidelined with a hamstring issue. Pittsburgh likely will continue to take a cautious approach with its top two pass catchers with the Sept. 13 Week 1 matchup with the Falcons in mind.

With Jayden Higgins having reportedly suffered a torn ACL, Noel (hamstring/finger) is a candidate to see added work in Houston's offense this coming season, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.

Higgins had been slated to serve as the Texans' No. 2 WR behind top option Nico Collins, but in his looming absence, snaps and targets that would have gone his way are up for grabs. Per Bien-Aime, Noel hasn't practiced much throughout training camp as he's dealt with a finger issue and hamstring tightness, while Tank Dell is being eased back in following a knee injury that cost him the entire 2025 campaign. Also in the mix behind Collins is Xavier Hutchinson, but once Noel moves fully past his injury issues, he'll have a chance to claim a role in his team's offense out of the gate this season.

Coach Robert Saleh said Tate's absence from Wednesday's practice was due to stiffness and not the hard hit he took at Monday's session, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

Since being blanked on three targets in his preseason debut last Thursday at San Francisco, Tate hasn't got much on-field work this week, and his status for Sunday's preseason game against the Seahawks now may be up in the air.

With Jayden Higgins having reportedly suffered a season-ending torn ACL, Hutchinson is a candidate to see added work this season behind top WR Nico Collins, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Higgins has been projected to work as the team's No. 2 WR option, but in the wake of his injury, Hutchinson as well as Jaylin Noel, (who has been managing a hamstring issue) and Tank Dell -- who is being eased back from in his return from a serious knee injury -- are candidates to absorb Higgins' vacated snaps and targets. It's also possible the Texans could bring in added wide receiver depth ahead of Week 1, but as things stand, Hutchinson has a chance to be a factor in the team's offense out of the gate this season.

Williams (shoulder) is in uniform for Wednesday's practice, Richard Silva of The Detroit News reports.

Williams was out for only a few days and may quickly return to full participation. It's less clear if he'll play in Saturday's preseason game against Washington, though an absence wouldn't necessarily be for health-related reasons. In any case, Williams is on track for his usual role come Week 1.

Waddle (leg) participated in team drills Tuesday, SI.com's Chad Jensen reports.

Waddle returned to practice Monday for a non-padded session before proving his health Tuesday at a more taxing practice. A quick return to full participation suggests there's no concern about his Week 1 availability, and Waddle may even play in Friday's preseason game against Green Bay.

Stroud and other starters will now be rested for Thursday's preseason game against the Raiders, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday's joint practice with the Raiders gave the starters enough competitive work. He didn't explicitly say so, but his decision likely is related to WR Jayden Higgins suffering an ACL tear during Tuesday's practice. With his No. 2 receiver out for the season, Stroud is looking at a shaky group of pass catchers beyond standout No. 1 Nico Collins.

Higgins was diagnosed Wednesday with an ACL tear, which would rule him out for the 2026 season, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

We'll await confirmation from the team, but after early reports suggested a minor injury, it appears to be just the opposite, leaving Houston shorthanded at wide receiver a few weeks before the start of the regular season. Higgins seemingly was locked in for the No. 2 role, which could now be up for grabs between Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel (hamstring) and Tank Dell (knee). Fantasy interest in Noel and Dell figures to increase significantly now that Higgins is on track to be out of the picture until 2027.

Tate (undisclosed) is absent from Wednesday's practice after taking a hard hit Monday and leaving early, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Coach Robert Saleh downplayed the incident afterward, telling reports that Tate likely avoided a concussion but will require further evaluation. An absence Wednesday confirms the rookie is dealing with some kind of injury, but there haven't been any details yet about the part of his body that's affected.