Injury Expectations | Wednesday Update | Week 4

Photo: Isaiah J. Downing, USA Today Sports

KEY WEDNESDAY MEDIA UPDATES

***Melvin Gordon did not practice Wednesday and the team plans to limit his reps this week as he recovers from soreness from a bone bruise suffered before Week 3. The injury limited him in the second half last week but Gordon was said to be trying to return to the game. He told reporters earlier this week his knee injury was not significant. I'll watch his practice participation and media comments through the week but he is currently expected to play.

***Doug Baldwin will also be limited in practice this week. The Seahawks commonly rest injured veterans during the week so it may prove difficult to gauge how injured Baldwin may be. But the wide receiver has been optimistic since his Sunday injury and reports on his MRI all suggest a low-grade injury.

***Julio Jones is limted with a back injury considered to be minor. Jones is usually an easy read. If he returns to a full Friday practice, he's a full go. If not, it will spark a debate on how limited he may be this week. For now, there's little concern around the team.

***Carlos Hyde returned to play effectively last week after first showing frustration about his hip injury. He'll have over a week of recovery time and has already proven able to participate in some practice drills this week. He's anticipated to play.

***The first practice participation report on Jordan Reed won't come until Thursday as Washington prepares for this week's Monday night game. Practice participation will be important but the tone of Reed's media comments will be the critical data point. Last week, Reed was able take part in some practice reps but was never optimistic about his pain control or prospects to play. We should get a good idea of his Week 4 status after Thursday's practice.

***Michael Crabtree took a hard hit to his chest Monday night but was cleared to travel with the Raiders that night. Although he did relatively little, he was dressed for practice on Wednesday. I think he's likely to play.

***The Panthers allowed Kelvin Benjamin to take a few light positional reps on Wednesday but still listed him as a DNP. Reports on his MRI earlier this week were reassuring, with no indication of a structural injury. Benjamin seems to be trending positively but he's not yet guaranteed to be active.

***C.J. Prosise suffered an ankle injury last week that will reportedly keep him inactive at least this week.

***As discussed in our Sunday pregame show and the Monday injury rounds article, the Wednesday practice report would define what Sam Bradford was told by Dr. James Andrews. Either the Vikings would continue to allow Bradford to rehab while practicing and monitor his status carefully or Bradford would be shut down until he's able to practice with the intent of returning to play. We now know it's the second option. Bradford did not practice today and I don't expect him to practice this week.

***Andrew Luck was not cleared to practice this week. That almost certainly rules out a Week 6 return as speculated by Ian Rapoport last weekend. Expect Luck to need a minimum of three total weeks of light positional work and team drills in anticipation of clearance for live game action. It looks like the home game in Week 7 may be the earliest target now.

THURSDAY NIGHT INJURY EXPECTATIONS

Here are the key offensive players listed on the practice participation or game status report for Thursday Night Football:

Randall Cobb | Chest | Not lIsted

Ty Montgomery | Wrist | Not Listed

It now appears the Packers were targeting the Week 4 game for Randall Cobb's return, knowing he'd have ten days after his injury and ten days after this Thursday night game to recover from his painful shoulder injury. Cobb fully practiced by midweek and is not on the game status report. He told reporters he was optimistic he would return but the practice participation makes his return a near certainty. He may be at risk of an in-game aggravation but looks ready to take his usual number of snaps. Ty Montgomery is also off the injury report after a near 100% share of his team's offensive snaps last week.

Bryan Bulaga | Ankle | Doubtful

David Bakhtiari | Hamstring | Doubtful

The news isn't nearly as promising on the Green Bay offensive line. Bryan Bulaga is doubtful after struggling through 67% of the Packers' snaps last week. David Bakhtiari is also at least a week away from returning. The continued absence of both tackles will put stress on all facets of the Green Bay offense.

EARLY WEEK PRACTICE PARTICIPATION REPORT AND EARLY EXPECTATIONS

The Wednesday and Thursday practice participation reports are our first chance to see which players each NFL team are limiting in practice after the previous week's games. Players limited in mid-week practice aren't necessarily in danger of missing that week's game. But they all need to be watched closely.

*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday

Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.