NFL Player News

Elliott carried the ball 231 times for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns while catching 17 of 23 targets for 92 yards over 15 regular-season games in 2022.

The 27-year-old running back failed to reach 1,000 scrimmage yards for the first time in his career, as Elliott ceded usage as a pass catcher to Tony Pollard (ankle) and saw his overall workload shrink as he also fell short of 250 touches for the first time. Elliott remained the Cowboys' primary option at the goal line, however, allowing him to score double-digit TDs for the fourth time in seven NFL campaigns, but that more limited role also contributed to his career-low 3.8 YPC. Pollard is a free agent this offseason while Elliott remains under contract, but with a dead cap hit of a little under $12 million, it's possible the team will elect to cut the veteran loose -- a move that might make more sense if the Cowboys place the franchise tag on Pollard. Per Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News, Elliott is willing to re-negotiate his current deal and take a pay cut to stay in Dallas.

Mitchell (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Both Mitchell and Christian McCaffrey (calf) were held out of drills Wednesday and Thursday, but only McCaffrey showed enough Friday to be cleared ahead of Sunday's contest. Coach Kyle Shanahan told Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News that Mitchell did take part in Friday's walkthrough, but the 49ers aren't yet ready to afford him the same luxury as McCaffrey after Mitchell logged a third consecutive DNP. Mitchell's status thus won't be known until about 90 minutes before Sunday's 3:00 p.m. ET kickoff. If Mitchell is limited or sidelined, Deebo Samuel (ankle), Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price and practice-squad member Tevin Coleman are the candidates to get reps at running back behind McCaffrey.

McCaffrey (calf) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

The 49ers took it easy on McCaffrey this week as he tended to a bruised right calf, holding him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday. But he was able to return to the field Friday, after which coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey was "full go," according to Omar Ruiz of NFL Network. While McCaffrey's status for Sunday is clear, Elijah Mitchell's (groin) is not, as he's listed as questionable after getting in some minimal work Friday. Look for McCaffrey to handle his usual workload this weekend, with or without Mitchell, which has amounted to 19.5 touches per game for the former during the 49ers' current 12-game winning streak.

Mitchell (groin) wasn't spotted during the media-access portion of Friday's practice, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

If Mitchell eventually goes down as a non-participant for a third straight session, it'll be interesting to see how the 49ers list him ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia. On a positive note for San Francisco, though, Christian McCaffrey (calf) was taking part in drills Friday, one day removed from telling Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that there's "zero" chance he doesn't play this weekend. Assuming McCaffrey eventually is cleared for the contest and some or all of Mitchell's reps are available, Deebo Samuel (ankle), Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price and practice-squad member Tevin Coleman are the candidates to mix in at running back behind McCaffrey.

McCaffrey (calf) returned to practice Friday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

After he sat out the first two sessions of the week due to a bruised right calf, McCaffrey's presence on the field and in drills Friday is a positive sign for his availability ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia. For what it's worth, he relayed to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday that there's "zero" chance he doesn't suit up this weekend, so now the only question appears to be if he'll have a designation for the contest. Meanwhile, fellow running back Elijah Mitchell (groin) again wasn't with his teammates Friday, which allowed practice-squad member Tevin Coleman to take reps directly behind McCaffrey. In the end, the composition of the 49ers backfield remains in flux for the time being.

Pollard (ankle) carried the ball 193 times for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns and caught 39 of 55 targets for 371 yards and an additional three TDs though 16 games in 2022.

The fourth-year running back put together a career-best campaign, setting new personal bests in rushing yards, receiving yards and TDs while averaging better than 5.0 yards per carry for the third time in his four NFL seasons. Pollard suffered a broken fibula and high-ankle sprain in the Cowboys' divisional-round loss to the 49ers, the latter injury which required surgery, but he's expected to be fully recovered from both by the start of training camp. The biggest question for Pollard will be which team he's in the training camp with; he's an unrestricted free agent this offseason, although Dallas could elect to give him the franchise tag if the team can't work out a new contract with him.

McCaffrey (calf), who didn't practice Thursday, told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that there's "zero" chance that he doesn't play in Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia.

McCaffrey emerged from this past Sunday's divisional-round win versus the Cowboys with a bruised right calf. According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, McCaffrey was in uniform and holding a helmet as he left the locker room to hit the practice field Thursday, but he didn't log any official activity for a second straight session, as coach Kyle Shanahan forecast beforehand. Fellow running back Elijah Mitchell (groin) also hasn't mixed into drills this week, while Deebo Samuel (ankle) was limited both Wednesday and Thursday. The 49ers are expected to have all three available this weekend, but Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not McCaffrey enters it with a designation.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Mitchell (groin) won't take part in Thursday's practice, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Both Mitchell and starting running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) have yet to log any on-field work this week, while Deebo Samuel (ankle) so far has managed limited sessions. According to Shanahan, there's an expectation that all three backfield options will be able to suit up for Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, but the entire situation should continue to be monitored to get a sense of who may get the larger share of the snaps at running back this weekend.

Cook finished the regular season with 507 rushing yards on 89 carries (5.7 YPC) and two rushing touchdowns to go with a 21-180-1 line in the receiving game.

The second-round rookie worked his way into almost an even timeshare with starter Devin Singletary by the end of the campaign, and while Cook never really exploded with a giant game, he proved to be useable for those needing to count on modest production from a deeper RB spot. Singletary is an unrestricted free agent, plus the Bills do not expect to have much cap room this offseason, so if Cook's teammate leaves for greener pastures, it could really open things up for him in his second campaign. That said, rostering any Bills running back always comes with the disclosure that Josh Allen is going to eat up some of that position's typical production.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey (calf) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

McCaffrey emerged from this past Sunday's divisional-round win against the Cowboys with a right calf injury, which so far hasn't allowed for any on-field work this week. The same can be said for backup running back Elijah Mitchell (groin), while the do-it-all Deebo Samuel (ankle) has managed back-to-back limited practices. There's an expectation from Shanahan that all three players will be available for Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia, but McCaffrey may enter the weekend with a designation if he's unable to mix into drills at Friday's session.