NFL Player News

The Cardinals signed Jones off their practice squad Thursday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Jones initially joined Arizona in early October, when multiple injuries struck the backfield. As of Thursday, James Conner (knee) still must miss at least one more game while injured reserve, Emari Demercado sat out Wednesday's practice due to a toe injury, and Damien Williams (foot) was placed on the practice squad injured list earlier this week. With this transaction, Jones and Keaontay Ingram now are the only healthy running backs on the Cardinals' active roster.

Pierce (ankle) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Two straight absences from practice to begin Week 9 prep have left Pierce's status uncertain for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. He'll likely need to practice in some fashion Friday to have a shot at playing this weekend, but if Pierce is sidelined Sunday, Devin Singletary would likely step in as the team's lead back. No. 3 back Mike Boone would also have an expanded role behind Singletary.

McKinnon (groin) is slated to return to practice Thursday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

McKinnon was absent Wednesday, but his return to the field in some capacity Thursday puts him on the right track to potentially suit up Sunday against the Dolphins in Germany. On the season, McKinnon has rushed just 11 times for 21 scoreless yards (1.9 YPC) and caught 15 passes for 125 yards and two scores on 21 targets.

Edwards-Helaire (illness) will not practice Thursday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Edwards-Helaire played a season-low two offensive snaps in last Sunday's Week 8 loss to the Broncos, as his role on offense has continued to diminish. On the season, Edwards-Helaire has rushed 33 times for 109 yards (3.3 YPC) and one touchdown.

Mostert (ankle) returned to practice Thursday, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Mostert has been missing practice time with the ankle issue the last two weeks and was DNP Wednesday in Germany. His return to the field Thursday would suggest Mostert is on track to face the Chiefs on Sunday morning. Mostert led the Dolphins with 13 carries last week against New England, rushing for 46 yards and one touchdown. Jeff Wilson handled five, and Salvon Ahmed was next up with two.

Edwards didn't practice Wednesday due to a toe injury.

In the Ravens' 31-24 win over the Cardinals in Week 8, Edwards was on the field for 34 of the team's 65 snaps on offense, finishing the day with 19 carries for 80 yards and three touchdowns to go with two catches for 14 yards. The team hasn't clarified if Edwards' toe injury is something that threatens his status for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, or if his absence Wednesday was maintenance-related. Added context on that front will arrive when the Ravens' injury reports are posted Thursday and Friday. If Edwards ends up sitting out this weekend, Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell would be next in line for touches out of the backfield.

McIntosh (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, head coach Pete Carroll noted Wednesday that McIntosh is practicing at full speed and "could" play Week 9 against the Ravens. He was placed on injured reserve Sept. 9 after sustaining a left knee sprain early in the preseason. The rookie seventh-round pick out of Georgia could be well on his way to making his NFL debut as soon as Sunday in Baltimore.

Mitchell (hamstring) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Mitchell was held out of Sunday's game against the Cardinals due to a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 7 against the Lions. The undrafted rookie out of East Carolina is trending in the right direction to play Week 9 against the Seahawks.

Jones (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Kassidy Hill of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Jones' hamstring issue continues to linger, but the fact he donned a red non-contact jersey Wednesday was a distinct change from his previous practices while he dealt with the injury, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. The Packers have two sessions remaining this week for Jones to return to full participation, but considering he has yet to receive a full workload in any of his four appearances this season, that may not come to fruition.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday that Conner (knee) is "ready to go" and "excited to get back" on the field, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Though he didn't explicitly say that Conner will be cleared to return from injured reserve when first eligible to play Nov. 12 against the Falcons, Gannon's comments would at least seem to imply that the running back has a good chance at having his 21-day practice window opened during Week 10. While Conner misses a fourth consecutive game this Sunday in Cleveland, the Cardinals are expected to lean on rookie Emari Demercado (toe) as their lead option out of the backfield. Demercado has yet to find the end zone in either of Arizona's last two contests, but he's seen plenty of work with 33 rushing attempts (for 136 yards) and five catches (for 18 yards) between those games.