NFL Player News

Coach Brian Daboll said Tuesday that Barkley (ankle) "feels a lot better today," and the running back hasn't been ruled out for Thursday's game against the 49ers, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

Daboll said he expects Barkley to be a game-time decision and that the running back has made "considerable progress," per Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site. Still, it would be surprising if Barkley manages to suit up Thursday, considering that he just suffered a right ankle sprain Sunday. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports that such injuries can require about three weeks of recovery. Tuesday's official injury report will provide a more concrete update on Barkley's status, but it looks like his availability for Thursday could come down to the wire.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that Ford will step in as the team's featured running back this weekend versus the Titans, though Cleveland will still look to add another back to the roster after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending left knee injury in Monday's loss to the Steelers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

While a precise diagnosis of Chubb's injury hasn't yet been provided, Stefanski confirmed that the star running back would require season-ending surgery. After Chubb exited two plays into the second quarter of Monday's contest, Ford stepped in capably in his first extended NFL action, carrying 16 times for 106 yards and adding three catches for 25 yards and a touchdown on four targets. A 69-yard run in which he reversed field after encountering a crowd at the line of scrimmage represented the bulk of his production on the ground, as he averaged a more unimpressive 2.5 yards per carry on his other totes. Even so, the long gain was demonstrative of the explosive burst Ford brings to the table, though he can't be expected to match Chubb's effectiveness as an overall runner. Ford has a path to a three-down role Sunday with Pierre Strong being the only other healthy running back on the roster, though the potential addition of a veteran free agent such as Kareem Hunt -- who spent the past four seasons in Cleveland as Chubb's top backup -- makes Ford's long-term outlook a little murkier.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Chubb will undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee after the running back exited Monday's 26-22 loss to the Steelers with the injury, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Chubb carried 10 times for 64 yards before going down with the gruesome injury two plays into the second quarter, when his knee bent awkwardly on a hit by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The star running back was carted off the field, and as anticipated, initial tests on Chubb's knee revealed a season-ending injury. Until the results of Chubb's MRI are read, the Browns may not provide a precise diagnosis for the injury, but the 27-year-old notably dislocated and tore the MCL, PCL and LCL in the same knee in October 2015 during his sophomore season at Georgia. With Chubb lost for the season, Stefanski told Cabot that Jerome Ford will step in as the Browns' new feature back, though the coach suggested that Cleveland will still look to add another back to the 53-man roster.

Gray could pick up his first snaps on offense during Thursday's game in San Francisco with top running back Saquon Barkley dealing with a right ankle sprain that is expected to keep him sidelined at least through Week 3, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

The 2023 fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma has dressed for both of the Giants' first two games, but all 20 of his snaps have come on special teams while he's served as New York's punt returner in addition to holding a role on the coverage units. Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell have both taken snaps at running back ahead of Gray when Barkley has been off the field and are presumably first in line for work Thursday, but the rookie's shiftiness in the open field could at least prompt the Giants to give him a look in a change-of-pace role this week. As Stapleton notes, however, Gray is viewed as a liability in pass protection at this stage of his career, which may hinder his chances of seeing a more extended opportunity even if Barkley is out longer than anticipated.

Hall could be elevated to the 53-man roster after Nick Chubb suffered a knee injury during Monday's 26-22 loss to Pittsburgh.

The Browns fear it's a season-ending knee injury for Chubb, which means a change in the depth chart at running back. Jerome Ford moves to the No. 1 spot, with Pierre Strong becoming the primary backup. That leaves room for Cleveland to bring in another body at the position and that could be Hall, an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech who was with the team during training camp and the preseason.

Strong had two carries for one yard and a touchdown and failed to catch his only target in Monday's 26-22 loss to the Steelers.

Strong, who played only 13 special-teams snaps in Week 1, saw his first action of the season on offense after the Browns lost Nick Chubb to a potentially season-ending knee injury. Jerome Ford will move to the No. 1 spot on the depth chart while Strong becomes the primary backup. The 24-year-old was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and was mainly a special-teams contributor during his rookie season, producing 100 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries over 49 offensive snaps, but he got traded to Cleveland in late August after New England signed Ezekiel Elliott. Ford and Strong could be joined by Hassan Hall, who is currently on the Browns' practice squad.

Warren rushed six times for 20 yards and caught four of six targets for 66 yards in Monday's 26-22 win over the Browns.

Warren struggled to find running room in a tough defensive battle, but he made his impact as a receiver on a couple of crucial drive-extending plays. The Oklahoma State product has tallied 10 receptions through the first two games of the season, in addition to spelling starter Najee Harris (10-43-0). The latter continues to see early-down work, but the backs' total touch shares grew closer with Harris seeing 11 to Warren's 10 on Monday. Expect Warren to continue to be mixed in offensively when the Steelers face the Raiders on Sunday.

Harris rushed 10 times for 43 yards and caught his lone target for no gain in Monday's 26-22 win over Cleveland.

Pittsburgh's offense struggled to move the ball for most of this physical battle between division rivals, needing its defense to score twice in order to secure victory. Part of the blame can be placed on Harris' inability to find running room outside of a 21-yard gain. Harris has now posted two duds to begin the season, but he retains value in his role as Pittsburgh's top backfield option. He will search for better results when the Steelers take on the Raiders in Week 3.

Chubb likely sustained a season-ending left knee injury during Monday's loss at Pittsburgh, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Immediately after he took a helmet to the knee from Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, Chubb was clutching at his left leg, and trainers made their way on the field to tend to him before he was carted off. Chubb is believed to have suffered multiple ligament tears to the same knee that was dislocated and sustained MCL, LCL and PCL tears in October 2015 while at Georgia. While Cleveland will be without Chubb for the rest of the campaign, his likely replacement in the backfield is Jerome Ford, who had 19 touches for 131 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown Monday.

Ford rushed 16 times for 106 yards and brought in three of four targets for 25 yards and a touchdown in the Browns' 26-22 loss to the Steelers on Monday night. He also recorded a two-point conversion rush.

Ford took over lead-back duties once Nick Chubb went down with what Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports could be a season-ending knee injury early in the second quarter. Ford continued to torment the Steelers' defense in much the same manner as Chubb had before exiting, finishing with a career-high yardage total while also flashing his pass-catching chops. The 2022 fifth-round pick is now in line to helm the Browns' ground attack if Chubb's injury is as bad as feared, although a signing of a free-agent veteran such as Kareem Hunt, who is naturally quite familiar with Cleveland's offense, would interfere with those plans to an extent.