NFL Player News

Ward (concussion) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Ward landed on the COVID list in late November but has now cleared the health and safety protocols. He hasn't seen the field since Week 8 after suffering a concussion but should be available for Arizona this weekend.

Pollard believes he'll be a game-time decision for Sunday's contest in Washington after tearing the plantar fascia of his left foot in the Cowboys' Week 13 win over the Saints, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Pollard wasn't known to be dealing with an injury until he was listed on a non-participant Wednesday on the Cowboys' initial Week 14 practice report. More information about his injury was provided Thursday, with head coach Mike McCarthy telling Gehlken that Pollard sprained his foot on a 58-yard touchdown run against New Orleans. Pollard confirmed he was hurt on the same play, though he classified the foot injury differently than McCarthy and was non-committal about suiting up Sunday. Gehlken notes that despite the injury, Pollard was spotted rehabbing on a side field Thursday while donning full pads, but it's unclear if he was able to upgrade to limited participation in the closed portion of the practice. Later Thursday, the Cowboys will release their second report of the week, which will clarify whether Pollard took a step forward in activity from Wednesday.

Head coach Vic Fangio said Gordon (hip/shoulder) will be a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

That level of practice activity represents no change from what Gordon was able to do Wednesday, but the fact that he's on the field for consecutive days to begin Week 14 prep bodes well for his chances of returning from a one-game absence and playing Sunday against the Lions. Even if Gordon enters the weekend without a designation, he won't necessarily be a lock to step back in as Option 1A in what has been a relatively even timeshare out of the backfield with Javonte Williams this season. While Gordon was out of the lineup for last week's loss to the Chiefs, the rookie delivered a head-turning performance in his first look as Denver's lead back, carrying 23 times for 102 yards while adding six receptions for 76 yards and a score on nine targets.

Mixon (illness) wasn't seen warming up Thursday and will go down as a non-participant on the Bengals' official practice report, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Mixon wasn't in attendance for Wednesday's session either due to a non-COVID-19-related illness, so he'll likely need to get back on the field in some capacity Friday to avoid taking a designation into Sunday's game against the 49ers. Since the Bengals' Week 10 bye, Mixon has handled heavy workloads in each of the subsequent three contests, averaging 27 touches per game during that stretch. Samaje Perine is the next man up out of the backfield if Mixon ends up sitting out or is limited in any capacity Sunday.

Robinson (heel/knee) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, John Reid of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Robinson logged a limited session Wednesday, but his absence the following day is evidently not indicative of a setback, with Mark Long of the Associated Press noting that the running back is expected to get every Thursday off for the rest of the season with an eye toward managing his practice workload. As long as Robinson practices in any capacity Friday, he'll be in line to suit up Sunday versus the Titans, though he'll probably need to work fully in order to avoid a Week 14 injury designation.

The Vikings are regarding Cook (shoulder), who is listed as questionable for Thursday's contest against the Steelers, as a game-time decision, Josina Anderson of USA Today reports.

Anderson's report implies that Cook's availability is more up in the air for Week 14 after Tom Pelissero of NFL Network relayed earlier Thursday that the running back was "trending toward" making his return from a one-game absence due to a dislocated left shoulder. Ultimately, a decision on Cook's status will likely come down to how he fares in a pregame warmup, with feedback from both the running back and team doctors likely to weigh heavily into the matter. More reports regarding which direction Cook is trending could come in as the day progresses, but a final word on his status one way or the other won't arrive until Minnesota releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.

Arizona designated Edmonds (ankle) for return from injured reserve Thursday, opening up a 21-day practice window in which he can be evaluated for a return to the 53-man roster, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Edmonds will be eligible to play as soon as Monday's game against the Rams, after he already missed the requisite three games while on IR due to a high-ankle sprain suffered Nov. 7 against the 49ers. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury suggested the running back will have a fair chance at returning to action Week 14, but the Cardinals will likely delay any decision about Edmonds' availability until seeing how he checks out during practices Thursday through Saturday. Whether he's reinstated from IR this week or later down the road, Edmonds will likely step back into a timeshare out of the backfield with James Conner, who has taken on a three-down role while the former has been sidelined for the past month.

Cook (shoulder), who is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Steelers, is considered likely to play, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

When Cook first dislocated his left shoulder in a Nov. 28 loss to the 49ers, he appeared destined to miss two games, but he's apparently coming along better than expected in his recovery from the injury. After not practicing in any capacity Week 13 before sitting out the Vikings' loss to the Lions, Cook was listed as a limited participant on the team's Tuesday and Wednesday practice reports to take the questionable designation into the Week 14 matchup. According to Pelissero, Cook has gotten first-team reps the past two days and wants to give it a go Thursday, though he'll likely be wearing a harness or some sort of protection on his shoulder. If the medical staff clears Cook to play, he'll likely start as he normally does, though he could cede more work to No. 2 back Alexander Mattison than usual.

Evans (ankle) was listed as a non-participant in practice Wednesday, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Evans missed last week's matchup against the Chargers with an ankle injury. The running back has been used sparingly on offense (52 snaps in 11 games) this season, instead contributing a bit more on special teams (94 plays). Trayveon Williams should once again fill in as the Bengals' third option at running back behind Joe Mixon (illness) and Samaje Perine if Evans is unavailable this coming Sunday versus the 49ers.

Homer practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday due to calf and hamstring injuries, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

With Alex Collins (abdomen) out of the lineup this past Sunday against the 49ers, Homer earned his second-largest workload in a game this season, playing 30 percent of the snaps on offense. Homer took advantage of the opportunity and ripped off a career-long 73-yard touchdown run from a direct snap on a fake punt. That play aside, he managed 11 total yards on six more touches, while fellow backs Rashaad Penny (40 percent, 11 touches) and Adrian Peterson (27 percent, 11 carries) saw similar levels of involvement. Both Collins and Homer have practice limitations to begin Week 14, so the Seahawks backfield again has some question marks as the team prepares for a visit to Houston.