NFL Player News

The Saints waived Jones on Saturday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Jones played a prominent role for New Orleans in Weeks 2 and 3, logging over 50 percent of the team's offensive snaps across the two contests and tallying 20 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns along with four receptions for 21 yards. However, with Alvin Kamara returning from a suspension last week, Jones saw just 10 offensive snaps and didn't receive any handoffs or targets. His departure comes as a bit of a surprise considering Jamaal Williams (hamstring) remains on IR and won't be eligible to return until next week, and it likely means that Kendre Miller will have a firmer role as the Saints' No. 2 back behind Kamara on Sunday against the Patriots.

Jones (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Monday's contest against the Raiders, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said Jones maintained the same practice cadence that ultimately saw the Pro Bowl running back active for last Thursday's contest, although Jones received only six touches in the aforementioned return. As a result, it does seem like things are trending in the right direction for Jones to be active come Monday, but more information should arrive prior to the primetime 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Funk was waived by the Colts on Saturday.

The big news in the NFL on Saturday was Indianapolis signing Jonathan Taylor (ankle) to an extension and activating him from the reserve/PUP list, which necessitated a corresponding move to open a roster spot. Funk was the player the Colts chose to part ways with after the four-year vet was limited to special-teams work each of the past three weeks. Funk did get 12 offensive snaps against Jacksonville in Week 1, and he rushed twice for 10 yards while making one reception for 12 yards. He could end up on Indianapolis' practice squad if he clears waivers.

Taylor (ankle), whom the Colts activated from the reserve/PUP list Saturday, agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The deal puts Taylor among the top-three highest paid running backs in the NFL with $26 million coming in guarantees. It's a massive win for both sides after a tumultuous offseason that saw the talented fourth-year running back in a public battle for a pay raise. After being brought back from the PUP list and with a new contract in tow, Taylor will make his season debut Sunday against the Titans. Taylor had been dealing with a high-ankle sprain through large portions of the 2022 season and eventually required surgery in January. Even though he's now on the books through 2026, the Colts could be motivated to ease Taylor back into the mix Sunday, so expect Zack Moss to still see plenty of backup work in Week 5.

Taylor (ankle) was activated off the reserve/PUP list Saturday. The running back does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's contest against the Titans.

It's hard to imagine the Colts activating Taylor off the PUP list and not playing the star running back immediately, but it's absolutely encouraging the fourth-year player does not carry an injury designation. The greater question is the exact workload Taylor will have coming off an ankle injury, and subsequent surgery, that has given him issues dating back to the middle of last season. The emergence of Zack Moss as a consistent option out of the backfield likely mitigates the need for Taylor to receive his full workload immediately, but the exact playing time split hasn't been announced by the team or any relevant sources.

Washington reverted Gore to its practice squad Friday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Gore was elevated to the active roster for Thursday's loss to Chicago and served as the Commanders' third running back in the place of Chris Rodriguez (illness). Gore played seven snaps on offense and 18 on special teams without registering any stats. He could be elevated again to face Atlanta in Week 6 if Rodriguez needs to miss a third straight game.

Williams (hip) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Philadelphia.

Williams hurt his hip in an overtime win over the Colts last week but never was expected to miss Sunday's matchup with the Eagles. He progressed from non-participation Wednesday to limited Thursday to a full practice Friday to close out the week. Ronnie Rivers took 11 touches for 57 yards from scrimmage last week, but overall Williams has dominated his team's RB snaps, carries and targets in a way that few other backs around the league can claim. It's the type of workload that keeps him on the RB1 map even with the Rams potentially down two starting offensive linemen (RG Joe Noteboom - out, LT Alaric Jackson - questionable) against one of the better defensive fronts in the league.

Jones (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Friday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Jones returned from a two-week absence last Thursday and got only six touches for 14 yards in a 34-20 loss to the Lions. He's well on his way to suiting up again this Monday in Las Vegas, where he'll presumably occupy a much larger role. Ryan Wood of USA Today noted Friday that Jones' hamstring injury didn't seem to be slowing him down at practice, with the RB sprinting and running full-speed routes without any sign of an issue.

Williams (quad) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jets after practicing fully Friday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

After missing Wednesday's practice and being limited Thursday, Williams upgraded to full participation Friday, which has the running back trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Look for added context regarding his Week 5 status to arrive late Saturday or early Sunday once national reporters like Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provide their weekly pregame injury updates.

Mitchell (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday night's game against Dallas, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Christian McCaffrey figures to dominate backfield snaps in any case, given that Sunday's game could end up making the difference between a bye week and a wild-card game in January. Mitchell had 19 touches over the first three weeks of the season before the knee injury sidelined him, but even that limited workload largely was earned in the late stages of blowouts. Most of the fantasy appeal at this point is based on what Mitchell might do in the event of a McCaffrey injury, rather than any hope of the San Francisco backfield supporting two fantasy starters at the same time (something that looked possible at one point last winter).