NFL Player News

Jones (knee/ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Jones maintained his activity level from Wednesday's walkthrough as he continues to deal with lingering knee and ankle issues. Since initially getting hurt during a Week 9 loss at Detroit, he's had a huge range of outcomes over the last seven games, tallying between eight and 26 touches per week. Friday's practice report ultimately will reveal whether or not Jones goes into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest against the Lions.

Conner (knee/shin) was spotted at practice Thursday, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

After logging a 'DNP' on Wednesday, Conner's presence on the field Thursday suggests that he could be available Sunday against the 49ers. The Cardinals' upcoming injury report will provide clarity with regard to the running back's official participation level.

Vaughn was limited to two snaps from scrimmage during the Buccaneers' 30-24 win over the Panthers in Week 17.

The third-year back logged another 12 on special teams, which continue to be his primary ticket to active status. Vaughn did carry once for six yards versus the Cardinals in Week 16, but with the team's running back corps at full health, meaningful playing time is essentially an impossibility. That said, the upcoming Week 18 finale against the Falcons could very well be a rare exception, as the Buccaneers are expected to eventually give plenty of backups playing time with the team locked into its playoff positioning.

Robinson (knee) wasn't present for Thursday's practice session, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Robinson has now sat out both of the Commanders' first two Week 18 practices, putting his availability in question for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. Even if Robinson demonstrates enough progress in his recovery from the knee injury to suit up this weekend, he could be in store for a more limited role than usual, given that the Commanders have been eliminated from playoff contention and may be reluctant to expose the running back to further injury heading into the offseason. With Washington moving Antonio Gibson (knee/foot) to injured reserve earlier Thursday, the team would be left with Jonathan Williams, Jaret Patterson and practice-squad member Reggie Bonnafon as its available backs if Robinson is sidelined Sunday.

The Commanders signed Patterson from the practice squad to their active roster Thursday, Zach Selby of the team's official site reports.

With fellow running backs Antonio Gibson (knee) and J.D. McKissic (neck) both on injured reserve and Brian Robinson (knee) currently listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Patterson could find himself working in a backfield committee alongside Jonathan Williams in Week 18. The 23-year-old has seen game action on two separate occasions this campaign but has yet to register an offensive rep.

Washington placed Gibson (knee/foot) on injured reserve Thursday, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

Though Gibson's pair of lower-body injuries aren't believed to be long-term concerns, the Commanders will err on the side of caution by holding him out of Sunday's season finale against the Cowboys. By moving Gibson to IR, the Commanders were able to free up a spot on the 53-man roster for practice-squad signee Jaret Patterson, who will add depth to the backfield behind Brian Robinson (knee) and Jonathan Williams. Gibson concludes the 2022 season with 546 rushing yards (on a career-worst 3.7 yards per carry) and three touchdowns to go with 46 catches for 353 yards and two more scores over his 15 appearances.

Dallas (ankle) didn't take part in Wednesday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Dallas sat out Weeks 14 and 15 due to a high-ankle issue, but he's been able to play in both of the last two games, racking up a cumulative nine carries for 53 yards and nine catches (on 10 targets) for 87 yards. His absence to kick off Week 18 prep may be a precaution in order to avoid a setback leading up to the regular-season finale, but with Kenneth Walker (ankle/illness) and Travis Homer (ankle) also sitting out Wednesday, the Seahawks' backfield situation again is up in the air ahead of Sunday's contest against the Rams.

Homer (ankle) didn't participate in practice Wednesday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Homer sprained his ankle Week 16 at Kansas City, which kept him out of on-field work last week and eventually resulted in an inactive status this past Sunday versus the Jets. With no practice reps evident since suffering the injury, he doesn't appear to be in a great spot to play Week 18 against the Rams. Still, because head coach Pete Carroll told John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site on Monday that Homer may be able to return for Sunday's game, the running back's status will be one to watch as the week goes on. Notably, position mates Kenneth Walker (ankle/illness) and DeeJay Dallas (ankle) also sat out Wednesday, so the team's backfield again is in flux.

Walker didn't practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury and an illness, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

The Seahawks have been especially cautious with Walker since he sustained an ankle injury Week 13 at the Rams. He sat out Week 14 against the Panthers, but he's played in each of the last three games despite not logging many, if any, practice reps before those kickoffs. Overall, the rookie second-round pick has racked up 68 touches for 326 yards from scrimmage during that stretch, including back-to-back 100-yard efforts on the ground. Fellow running backs Travis Homer (ankle) and DeeJay Dallas (ankle) also sat out Wednesday's session, so the trio will be watched as the weekend approaches to see how Seattle's backfield may break down Sunday versus the Rams.

Conner was a non-participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice due to shin and knee injuries, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Conner departed this past Sunday's game in Atlanta in the fourth quarter due to the shin issue, ending Week 17 with 19 touches for 110 yards from scrimmage. On Monday, head coach Kliff Kingsbury termed Conner day-to-day but called the running back's injury "nothing major" after X-rays returned negative, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Conner also was listed with a knee concern on Wednesday's practice report, so with a pair of injuries, his activity level will continued to be watched to get a sense of the running back's potential to play Sunday in San Francisco.