NFL Player News

Henry's absence from practice Thursday was attributed to a combination of his toe issue and rest, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Henry was a limited participant Wednesday, and the running back's listed reasons for his absence Thursday suggest that he was likely having his practice reps managed ahead of Sunday's game agains the Browns. Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not Henry approaches the Week 3 contest with an injury designation, or if he's fully cleared to play.

Cook missed Thursday's practice due to a personal matter, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com, Cook missed the practice in anticipation of the birth of his child. The Bills will release their final Week 3 injury report following practice Friday, when it'll be known whether Cook rejoined the team. In the team's Week 2 win over the Raiders, Cook carried 17 times for 123 yards and caught four passes for 36 yards.

Akers passed a physical Thursday, completing the trade made between the Vikings and Rams on Wednesday.

Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Akers will be present at Thursday's practice, giving him two chances to get some on-field work with his new team ahead of Sunday's game against the Chargers. It remains to be seen how much Akers may be utilized out of the Vikings backfield this weekend, assuming he's active. If he does suit up, he'll likely play second fiddle to Alexander Mattison off the bat as he vies with Ty Chandler for secondary RB reps. Still, Akers' experience working with coach Kevin O'Connell in 2020 and 2021 in L.A. should serve him well in his transition to Minnesota.

Ekeler (ankle) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

With Ekeler having now missed the Chargers' first two Week 3 practices, his activity at Friday's session will be crucial with regard to his chances of playing Sunday against the Vikings. If the running back remains out this weekend, Joshua Kelley would once again be in line to lead the Chargers backfield in Week 3.

Williams (hamstring) isn't taking part in practice Thursday, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

After sitting out Wednesday's walk-through and going down as a non-participant on the Saints' estimated practice report, Williams doesn't look as though he'll take a step forward in terms of activity while New Orleans holds a more traditional practice session Thursday. The 28-year-old appears to be trending toward sitting out Sunday in Green Bay, with his likely absence leaving Kendre Miller, Tony Jones and Taysom Hill as the Saints' main ballcarriers for Week 3.

Sanders (pectoral) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Sanders' reps were capped for the second day in a row while he continues to nurse a pectoral injury that he may have picked up in Monday's 20-17 loss to the Saints. The running back should still be in good shape to play this weekend in Seattle if he continues to practice in some capacity Friday, though he could end up carrying a designation into Sunday. If Sanders ultimately gets the green light to play, he will likely be taking handoffs from a new quarterback in Andy Dalton, who is expected to start Week 3 with Bryce Young (ankle) considered unlikely to play.

Henry (toe), who was a limited participant Wednesday, didn't practice Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Henry's downgrade in practice participation makes the running back's status worth monitoring closely as Sunday's game against the Browns approaches. It's possible that Henry's absence was maintenance-related rather than indicative of a setback, but either way, Friday's injury report should provide added clarity with regard to his Week 3 status. If Henry is limited to any extent this weekend, Tyjae Spears and Julius Chestnut would be next up for added touches in the Titans backfield.

Scott (concussion) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

Scott remains in the NFL's concussion protocol after he exited the Eagles' Week 2 win over the Vikings on Sept. 14. While the running back might have made progress through the five-step protocol on some level in the ensuing week, Scott evidently didn't show enough improvement to get back on the practice field. He'll have two more chances to fit in some practice activity and potentially clear the protocol before the Eagles will have to give him a designation for Monday's game at Tampa Bay.

Gainwell (rib) was spotted on the field for the portion of Thursday's practice that was open to the media, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

After sitting out the Eagles' Week 2 win over the Vikings on Sept. 14 due to a rib injury, Gainwell appears to have at least made some progress in his recovery. While the extent of his practice activity won't be known until the Eagles release their first official Week 3 injury report later Thursday, the fact that Gainwell is on the field in any capacity bodes well for his chances of playing Monday against the Buccaneers. Gainwell served as the Eagles' lead back in the team's season-opening win over the Patriots, but it's unclear how big of a role he might handle if he's fully cleared for Monday's contest. While Gainwell was sidelined Week 2, D'Andre Swift erupted for 28 carries for 175 yards and a touchdown to go with three catches for six yards. On the heels of the big performance, Swift may have made a case to poach work from Gainwell on both early downs and passing downs.

Pacheco (hamstring) was spotted on the field for the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Pacheco was sidelined for the Chiefs' first Week 3 practice Wednesday, but he looks poised to get in some work Thursday. The Chiefs will release their second practice report of the week later in the day, when it will become known whether Pacheco was a limited or full practice participant.