NFL Player News

Demercado was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a toe injury, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Demercado has been the main beneficiary of James Conner's (knee) stint on injured reserve, turning 41 touches into 171 yards from scrimmage and no touchdowns over the last three games. That said, Demercado yielded some of Arizona's backfield reps this past Sunday against the Ravens to Keaontay Ingram, who logged all 29 of his offensive snaps in the second half. The reason for the switch now has some clarity following Demercado's absence from the first practice of Week 9 prep. With Conner required to sit out at least one more game and Damien Williams (foot) landing on the practice squad injured list this week, Demercado's status will be one to monitor to see if he can put himself in a position to play Sunday at Cleveland. If Demercado isn't available, Ingram would be poised for an expanded role, while Corey Clement, Tony Jones and Hassan Hall would be candidates to be elevated from the practice squad.

Pierce sat out practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.

Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Pierce's status for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers has yet to be determined, with head coach DeMeco Ryans telling Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site that the team plans to "see where [Pierce] is as the week goes on." If Pierce ends up sitting out this weekend, Devin Singletary would be next in line for snaps and touches out of the Houston backfield.

Ford (ankle) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Ford said his ankle feels "pretty good" at this stage of the week, an indication he experienced no setbacks with playing through the injury in this past Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. After suffering the high-ankle sprain in the Browns' Week 7 win over the Colts, Ford initially didn't appear to be in line to play Week 8, but he was ultimately active for the contest despite carrying a questionable designation into Sunday. Ford was more limited than usual against Seattle -- his 23 snaps on offense were his fewest of the season -- but he accounted for 39 yards on 10 touches (nine carries, one reception) and should be ready to handle a larger workload Week 9 against the Cardinals. Even so, Ford will likely still need to return to full participation in practice by Friday to ensure he enters the weekend without a designation.

Nwangwu (illness) was not listed on the Vikings' injury report Wednesday.

Nwangwu was ruled out of Sunday's contest against the Packers with an illness but seems to be on track to return in Week 9 against the Falcons. Nwangwu made his 2023 debut in Week 7 against the 49ers after missing the first six games with a back injury. He contributes to the Vikings more as a kick returner than out of the backfield, despite the struggles of Cam Akers and Alexander Mattison in the running game.

Mixon was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to a chest injury, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

For the first time all season, Mixon is appearing on the Bengals' practice report as anything other than a full participant. He wasn't reported to have suffered an injury during the Bengals' 31-17 win over the 49ers this past Sunday, when he carried 16 times for a season-high 87 yards and a touchdown while hauling in all three of his targets for 23 receiving yards. The fact that Mixon was able to take at least some reps during the Bengals' first Week 9 practice session bodes well for his chances of playing this Sunday against the Bills, but ideally, he'll upgrade to full activity Thursday or Friday and avoid taking an injury designation into the weekend.

Mostert (ankle) was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's practice, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Mostert carried the ankle injury into Week 8 prep, when he sat out Wednesday's practice before being listed as a limited participant Thursday and Friday. He took a questionable tag into the Dolphins' eventual 31-17 win over the Patriots, but Mostert proceeded to suit up and carried 13 times for 46 yards and a touchdown while handling a 55 percent snap share on offense. The Dolphins haven't indicated that Mostert suffered a setback with the ankle coming out of the Week 8 contest, so his absence from practice to begin Week 9 prep could well be maintenance-related. So long as Mostert is able to resume practicing in some capacity by the end of the week, he should once again lead the Miami backfield this Sunday versus the Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany.

Blackshear (groin) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

It's not immediately obvious when Blackshear sustained the groin injury or how severe it might be. In any case, he'll likely need to practice in full Thursday or Friday to avoid carrying an injury designation into the weekend.

Henry (ankle) doesn't carry an injury designation for Thursday's game against the Steelers.

Henry, who was listed as a limited participant Monday and Tuesday, was deemed a full practice participant Wednesday and has been cleared to face the Steelers. He'll be joined in the backfield by rookie quarterback Will Levis, who will make a second straight start while Ryan Tannehill (ankle) remains sidelined once again. Henry, whom the Titans elected not to move prior to Tuesday's trade deadline, is thus set to pace the team's rushing attack versus Pittsburgh. Though Levis authored a four-touchdown performance in his NFL debut last week against the Falcons, Henry was able to enjoy a productive day of his own despite not finding the end zone. The running back finished with 22 carries for 101 yards and caught all four of his targets for 21 yards.

Barkley was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to an ankle issue, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Barkley sat out Weeks 3 through 5 due to a high-ankle sprain, but his practice reps were affected last week by a hyperextended elbow. While the latter concern now is behind him, his current on-field limitations may be maintenance-based to ensure he's as healthy as possible for game day. No matter, Barkley's status should be monitored as the week goes on to make sure his availability isn't up in the air for Sunday's contest at Las Vegas.

The Rams signed Henderson off their practice squad Wednesday.

With Kyren Williams (ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (knee) on injured reserve, Henderson and Royce Freeman have split the reps out of the Rams backfield the last two games. During that stretch, Henderson has turned 34 touches into 151 yards from scrimmage and one rushing score, while Freeman has had 21 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown himself. Expect the breakdown between Henderson and Freeman to continue for as long as Williams and Rivers are sidelined.