NFL Player News

Jones (ankle) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

The Packers are taking it easy on Jones after he departed the team's Week 9 loss at Detroit in the second half due to a left ankle issue. On a positive note, he's been able to take part in back-to-back sessions, albeit with a cap on his reps, and has one more chance to get back to full before he potentially enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest against the Cowboys. If Jones is limited Week 10, he could cede some RB reps to AJ Dillon and, to a lesser extent, Kylin Hill.

Swift (ankle/shoulder) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

Swift continues to operate with a cap on his practice reps due to lingering ankle and shoulder injuries. He'll have one more opportunity Friday to get back to all activity, at which point the Lions may give him a designation ahead of Sunday's game at Chicago. On Monday, coach Dan Quinn relayed to Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com that the Lions hope to give Swift "a little bit more" work in Week 10. Whether or not Swift will increase his snap share (16 percent) and touch count (five) from this past Sunday versus the Packers remains to be seen, but Jamaal Williams and Justin Jackson are available to Detroit's backfield as long as Swift isn't 100 percent.

Harris could be at risk of losing some snaps and/or touches out of the backfield to rookie Jaylen Warren, though offensive coordinator Matt Canada wouldn't commit to that materializing Week 10 against the Saints, Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site reports. "I think when we're sitting here at 2-6, we're all searching and hunting for why that is," Canada said Thursday. "If you're a competitor, which Najee is, if you're a winner, which Najee is, you're a guy who wants to do all he can to help the team win, which he is, you're going to ultimately look at yourself and say, 'What can I do better?...He's a tremendous talent. Nobody's numbers are what [they would like to be.] Nobody's happy with where we are. But we're going to continue to keep going. He'll start trending in the right direction, as well."

Canada's comments don't shed much light on how the Pittsburgh backfield will shake out in the weeks to come, but the confidence he expressed in Harris suggests that the 2021 first-round pick will continue to start in Sunday's game against the Saints even after head coach Mike Tomlin hinted Tuesday that Warren's profile on offense could expand over the back half of the Steelers' schedule. For his part, Warren told Chris Adamski of TribLive.com that he hasn't seen any increase in his rep counts during practice this week, so fantasy managers that have continued to deploy Harris in lineups amid his disappointing season have at least some reason to hope that he'll remain the preferred option in the backfield. While struggling through a Lisfranc injury in training camp and playing much of the first half of the season with a steel plate in his foot, Harris has yet to miss a game but is averaging a lowly 3.3 yards per carry on 108 totes and has found the end zone just three times. The foot injury and poor offensive line play have played a part in Harris' demise, but he's also seen his value take a hit due to a huge drop in targets. After averaging 5.5 targets per game as a rookie as one of Ben Roethlisberger's favorite check-down options, Harris is down to 3.5 per game in 2022 with either Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett taking the snaps at quarterback.

The Colts signed Funk to the practice squad Thursday.

Funk suited up for five games with the Rams this season but played only one snap on offense, and he recently spent time on the Saints' practice squad. Now, he will get a chance to compete for an emergency reserve role with Indianapolis, replacing Phillip Lindsay on the practice squad.

New Orleans signed Gore to its practice squad Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Gore played in 11 games with Kansas City last season but has yet to see any action in 2022. He logged a healthy 5.0 yards per tote on 51 carries with the Chiefs, but he was waived with an injury settlement in late August after hurting his thumb in a preseason game. With Mark Ingram (knee) expected to miss another game or two and Dwayne Washington currently the only healthy running back behind Alvin Kamara on the active roster, Gore has a chance to be elevated to provide depth at the position.

Elliott (knee) took some reps in team drills Wednesday and was listed as a limited practice participant on the Cowboys' first Week 10 report, but he said he'll need more reps this week to know whether he can play Sunday at Green Bay, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Elliott mentioned wanting to take a long-term view with his health, something that was discussed before the Cowboys' Week 9 bye after he missed a Week 8 win over Chicago. The Cowboys have a more-than-capable backup in Tony Pollard, another factor perhaps pointing toward caution, but it may ultimately come down to how Elliott feels after practicing Thursday and Friday. Another absence would put Pollard in the RB1 picture for fantasy purposes, with Malik Davis on hand for light work in a backup role.

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

Jones didn't play beyond the middle of the third quarter this past Sunday at Detroit due to a left ankle injury. Subsequent tests, including an X-ray, returned negative, putting Jones on a path to play Sunday against the Cowboys. Jones' ability to mix into drills Wednesday generally supports that notion, but his status will continue to be watched to ensure he'll be available this weekend.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that Williams (ankle) has a good shot to play Sunday against the Cardinals, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

The Rams designated the rookie to return from injured reserve Oct. 26, opening a 21-day window where he can either be reinstated to the active roster or ruled out for the rest of the season. The team can technically keep Williams out for another game and then activate him next week, but it sounds like McVay expects the running back to be ready by Sunday. The fifth-round pick makes for an interesting bench stash in fantasy leagues, given the unsettled nature of the Rams' backfield.

Jackson was held out of practice Wednesday with a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Taylor (ankle) returned to practice as a limited participant after missing a 26-3 loss to the Patriots on Sunday. Jackson was the lead back in that game but finished with only 36 yards on 13 touches in an ugly outing for the Indianapolis offense in what turned out to be Frank Reich's final game as head coach. It's possible Jackson gets another start Sunday in Las Vegas, but only if he makes progress later in the week while Taylor heads the other direction.

Taylor (ankle) was listed as a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Taylor was deemed a non-participant at practice last week before being ruled out ahead of Sunday's loss to the Patriots, but his return to a limited session Wednesday suggests that the running back is trending in the right direction ahead of this weekend's game against the Raiders. Meanwhile, Deon Jackson -- who started in place of Taylor in Week 9 -- sat out the Colts' first practice of the week due to a knee issue.