NFL Player News

Ford (ankle) is responding well to treatment and may miss only a week or two of game action, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

The right high-ankle sprain Ford suffered in Sunday's 39-38 win over the Colts isn't considered severe, so Cleveland is hopeful he'll avoid a stint on injured reserve, which would keep him out for a minimum of four games. Ford is still in line to miss at least the Browns' Week 8 game in Seattle, leaving Kareem Hunt (thigh) and Pierre Strong as the likely leaders of Cleveland's backfield.

Mostert wasn't on the field for the media-access portion of practice Wednesday, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

He may be dealing with a minor injury, though no prior reports surfaced after Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Eagles that Mostert got hurt during the contest. Miami's healthy backfield options behind Mostert are Salvon Ahmed and Jeff Wilson, a duo that combined for only four touches Sunday.

Moss isn't practicing Wednesday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Moss and Jonathan Taylor worked in a near-even split for the second straight week in Sunday's 39-38 loss to the Browns. The distribution of the snaps and touches between the two backs may look different this Sunday against New Orleans, however, with Taylor coming off his best game of the season (120 total yards) and Moss perhaps nursing an injury. The Colts will release their first official Week 8 injury report later Wednesday, when an explanation for Moss's absence will be provided.

The Buccaneers activated Edmonds (knee) from injured reserve Wednesday.

Edmonds was designated for return at the beginning of the week and listed as a full practice participant both Monday and Tuesday. He appears ready to play Thursday at Buffalo, though it isn't quite clear what his role will be given that starter Rachaad White has been better on passing downs than running downs and thus seems to have strengths that overlap with Edmonds'. Ke'Shawn Vaughn has been Tampa Bay's No. 2 back of late, mostly subbing in for White on early downs and taking a handful of carries per game.

Cleveland signed McCrary to its practice squad Wednesday.

As injuries pile up in the Browns' running backs room, they saw fit to bring McCrary aboard to provide some depth at the position. If starter Jerome Ford can't go, McCrary could be elevated as soon as Sunday at Seattle.

Jones (hamstring) stretched with his teammates Wednesday but then left the field before practice, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Jones has missed three of Green Bay's six games and took a backseat to AJ Dillon in two others, including a 19-17 loss to the Broncos on Sunday. The Packers haven't relayed that Jones suffered a setback Sunday in his recovery from a hamstring injury, but fantasy managers will need to consider the possibility of his workloads being restricted even if he keeps suiting up. Week 8 brings a matchup with the Vikings, fresh off an upset win Monday over San Francisco.

Hunt (thigh) isn't in line to practice Wednesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Hunt's Week 8 status gains added import with lead back Jerome Ford (ankle) expected to miss a week or two due to the injury he suffered in this past Sunday's 39-38 win over the Colts, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. Due to the thigh injury of his own, Hunt was viewed as a game-time decision heading into the Week 7 contest, but he suited up and took 10 carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns while failing to secure his lone target. The Browns likely didn't plan to lean on Hunt as heavily had Ford not exited the contest early, as Hunt ended up splitting snaps with third-stringer Pierre Strong following Ford's departure even though the game was competitive throughout. Hunt now has two more chances to return to practice ahead of this Sunday's game against the Seahawks, though head coach Kevin Stefanski told Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram on Wednesday that he expects Hunt to be available this weekend.

Sanders (shoulder) is on the field for Wednesday's practice and was spotted wearing full pads, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Sanders missed the final game before Carolina's Week 7 bye, allowing Chuba Hubbard to get 79 percent of snaps and 20 touches in a 42-21 loss to the Dolphins on Oct. 15. While Sanders may return to his starting role this Sunday against Houston, he'll likely cede a significant portion of the backfield work to Hubbard, as head coach Frank Reich suggested Monday that he plans to take a committee approach between the two players, per Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today. Sanders has dealt with groin, shoulder and pectoral injuries this season and is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and 5.4 per reception.

Ford (ankle) won't practice Wednesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Kareem Hunt (thigh) will also sit out Wednesday's session, and with Nick Chubb (knee) done for the season and Jake Trotter of ESPN.com having already reported that Ford is expected to miss 1-to-2 weeks, it's not surprising that the Browns signed Nate McCrary and Jordan Wilkins to the practice squad this week to add healthy bodies to a depleted running back room. For now, Pierre Strong profiles as the healthiest back on Cleveland's roster, though Hunt would likely serve as the Browns' lead option Sunday in Seattle if he can overcome his own thigh injury.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said that Johnson (concussion) will return to practice Wednesday but remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports.

Eberflus said Monday that Johnson has "one more hurdle" remaining before exiting the protocol and being deemed good to go for Sunday's game against the Chargers. Johnson's only remaining steps may be to return to full-contact practice and then gain clearance from an independent neurologist, however, and taking the field Wednesday represents noteworthy progress. D'Onta Foreman has looked impressive as the lead man in Chicago's backfield over the last two weeks, but Johnson should be able to carve out a role Week 8 if cleared to play.