NFL Player News

Barkley (ankle) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's injury report, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Once again, the Giants are capping Barkley's practice reps due to the ankle issue that has plagued him for much of the season. He's coming off his first 100-yard rushing performance of the campaign from this past Sunday's loss to Chicago, pushing him to averages of 17.3 touches for 68.9 yards from scrimmage per game across seven contests since he returned Week 11 from a stint on injured reserve. There's been no indication that the team intends to shut down Barkley in Week 18 against Washington, but his status nonetheless should be monitored to ensure he's out there Sunday.

Gibson was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a hip injury, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Gibson has dealt with toe and hip injuries of late after playing through a shin stress fracture for most of the season, but his only absence of the campaign came in the Week 17 loss to Philadelphia after he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Jaret Patterson stepped up with Gibson out last Sunday, taking 17 touches for 98 yards and a touchdown while playing 62 percent of snaps on offense. After being activated from the list earlier Wednesday, Gibson tentatively appears on track to play Week 18 against the Giants, though he could cede more work to Patterson as the Football Team aims to preserve his health heading into the offseason.

Head coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that Jones (ankle) is using a walking boot and won't try to run until later this week, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Jones isn't practicing Wednesday, and based on Arians' comments, the running back doesn't seem especially likely to make it back on the field Thursday or Friday. Meanwhile, Ke'Shawn Vaughn's rib injury is said to be minor, potentially making him the lead back for Sunday's game against Carolina. The Bucs also have Le'Veon Bell, and possibly Giovani Bernard (knee), as options at running back for Week 18. Looking further ahead, the Bucs reportedly are optimistic Leonard Fournette (hamstring) will be back from injured reserve for the opening round of the playoffs, per Dianna Russini of ESPN.

Tennessee designated Henry (foot) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Dianna Russini of ESPN reported Tuesday that Henry was expected to make his long-awaited return to practice Wednesday, and the transaction now makes the matter official. The Titans now have a 21-day window to evaluate Henry's health in practice while not having him count toward the 53-man roster until he's officially activated from IR. Henry hasn't played since Oct. 31, when he suffered a broken bone in his right foot in a win over the Colts that required surgery days later. According to Russini, Henry is a "long shot" to make it back for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Texans, but if the Titans are able to clinch the AFC's No. 1 overall seed with a win, the star running back will have a good chance at being available for Tennessee's first playoff game in the divisional round.

The Steelers activated McFarland (undisclosed) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

McFarland was forced to miss the last two games after being placed on the COVID-19 list, but he'll now be able to return to practice. The 22-year-old should continue to see minimal work out of Pittsburgh's backfield in Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Ravens.

Washington activated Gibson (hip) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Gibson can now return to team facilities and begin preparing for Washington's season finale Sunday against the Giants. Though he's overcome his bout with the virus, Gibson's lingering hip injury could still complicate his Week 18 availability, so his participation in practices Wednesday through Friday will need to be monitored closely. The Football Team also has rookie Jaret Patterson available, after he served as the lead back in the Week 17 loss to the Eagles while Gibson was out of the lineup.

Jones (ankle) isn't participating in the early portion of Wednesday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

The Buccaneers have yet to disclose the results of the recent MRI that Jones underwent after he suffered the ankle injury in the team's Week 17 win over the Jets. Meanwhile, Ke'Shawn Vaughn (ribs) was spotted on the practice field Wednesday, but veteran Le'Veon Bell may be the only fully healthy running back currently on Tampa Bay's roster.

Vaughn (ribs) was spotted participating in the early portion of Wednesday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn suffered a rib injury during Sunday's win over the Jets, so it's encouraging to see him handling reps to begin Week 18 prep. Later Wednesday, the Buccaneers will release their first official Week 18 injury report, which will reveal whether he was a limited or a full participant. Meanwhile, Ronald Jones (ankle) wasn't present for the early portion of practice.

Mixon (illness) tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Bengals haven't yet officially confirmed Schefter's report, but assuming the test result is confirmed, look for Mixon to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list later Wednesday. Mixon will have the ability to test out of the NFL's COVID-19 protocol prior to Sunday, but since he'll miss some practice time at a minimum, he'll more than likely be out for the regular-season finale, especially with Cincinnati having already clinched a playoff berth. Samaje Perine will stand to inherit the lead role in Cincinnati's backfield if Mixon is indeed ruled out for Week 18, while Chris Evans would also handle a larger role as a change-of-pace option.

Patrick was added to the Ravens' practice squad Tuesday, Clifton Brown from the Ravens' official website reports.

The running back was waived from the Panthers' practice squad Dec. 21, but now has found a new squad prior to the last week of the regular season. Patrick was active for two games with the 49ers this season, operating mostly as a special-teams option in those contests.