NFL Player News

Barkley (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game at San Francisco, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Barkley sprained his right ankle in the last few minutes of this past Sunday's 31-28 win in Arizona. After he was listed as a non-participant on the Giants' first two Week 3 practice reports, the team has opted to hold him out Thursday, likely due to the short turnaround between games. Barkley thus will have more than two weeks to recover from the initial injury before New York next takes the field Oct. 2 against the Seahawks. In the meantime, Matt Breida is expected to lead the Giants backfield, with Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray and practice-squad member Taiwan Jones on hand for any reps out of the backfield that linger.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated Wednesday that he still views Ford as the team's lead back after the Browns re-signed Kareem Hunt, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

At this point in his career, Hunt is more of a threat to poach targets and passing-down snaps than anything else, though his combination of NFL experience and scheme familiarity could help him earn some carries as well. The lead ball carrier role is Ford's to lose after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the early returns were good with the second-year pro running for 106 yards and scoring a receiving touchdown in Monday's 26-22 loss to Pittsburgh. It's unclear if Hunt will be active this Sunday against the Titans, and even if he is, Ford will be a comfortable favorite to lead the team in carries.

Hill wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday and may be nursing an injury, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Hill wasn't reported to be dealing with an injury during or after Sunday's 27-24 win over the Bengals, but the Ravens will release their first Week 3 injury report later Wednesday, when it'll become known why the running back was off the field. His absence Wednesday combined with the addition of Kenyan Drake to the practice squad suggests Hill is banged up. Hill took 14 touches for 53 yards this past Sunday, with Gus Edwards recording 10 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Bolden played all 14 of his snaps on special teams Sunday in the Raiders' 38-10 loss to the Bills.

Bolden has dressed for both of the Raiders' first two games and should continue to avoid the weekly inactive list thanks to his status as a core special-teams contributor. However, so long as both Josh Jacobs and Zamir White are healthy, Bolden likely won't have any opportunities to pick up snaps out of the backfield.

Edwards-Helaire carried once for zero yards and secured his two targets for 17 receiving yards in Sunday's 17-9 win over the Jaguars.

For the second week in a row, Edwards-Helaire finished a distant third behind Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon among the Chiefs' running backs in both snaps (10) and touches (three). Edwards-Helaire is unlikely to move up the pecking order while all three backs are available, but he could have a chance at securing a larger role if the hamstring injury that is keeping Pacheco out of practice Wednesday prevents him from playing this weekend against the Bears.

Jones (hamstring) isn't practicing Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Jones stretched with teammates but then sat out individual drills. He didn't practice at all last week and ended up missing a 25-24 loss to Atlanta, leaving AJ Dillon as the featured back while Patrick Taylor and Emanuel Wilson both received playing time off the bench. Jones still has a couple more chances to practice before Sunday's matchup with New Orleans.

Montgomery (thigh) isn't practicing Wednesday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

Montgomery said Sunday he might need "a couple weeks" to recover from his thigh bruise, while head coach Dan Campbell used the term "day-to-day" to describe the running back less than 24 hours later. Either way, Montgomery was never expected to practice Wednesday, and his potential absence Sunday against Atlanta positions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs to serve as Detroit's top back while Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight serve as depth option. Gibbs will most likely dominate the snaps if Montgomery sits out Sunday, with Reynolds likely subbing in for some carries and perhaps a target or two.

Koback signed with the Eagles' practice squad Wednesday.

Koback was cut from the Seahawks' practice squad Sept. 4 after he had joined the team in May. The Toledo product has consistently found work since going undrafted in 2022, but he's yet to make his NFL debut and will now try to do so with Philadelphia.

Sanders was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to a pectoral injury.

Sanders likely picked up the injury during Monday's loss to the Saints, but it's at least encouraging that he was on the field as a limited participant two days later. The Panthers hosted a walk-through practice Wednesday, however, so Sanders' activity at Thursday's practice will probably be more telling with regard to his chances of suiting up Sunday versus the Seahawks. Backup Chuba Hubbard would benefit from increased touches if Sanders is hampered at all.

Pacheco won't practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, head coach Andy Reid noted that Pacheco isn't dealing with a hamstring tear, and the running back is viewed as day-to-day ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears. If Pacheco ends up sitting out this weekend or is available only in a limited capacity, Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire could work in a timeshare out of the backfield.