NFL Player News

Gainwell (hip) was held out Wednesday due to the injury he sustained against the Panthers, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Gainwell's hip issue cropped up in the win over the Panthers, but he was able to return later in the contest. Even so, he was held out of practice to begin prep for the Week 8 clash with the Falcons. His status will have an impact on the Bucs' running back rotation, seeing as Gainwell has played 35 percent of the offensive snaps thus far this season. Bucky Irving could have a larger role, and Sean Tucker could be more of a factor, if Gainwell is unable to play Sunday.

Spears (knee) didn't practice Wednesday.

After he sat out last week's loss to the Browns, Spears' absence to kick off Week 8 prep doesn't inspire much early confidence in his chances of playing this weekend against the Bengals. Tony Pollard took on a workhorse role while Spears was sidelined in Week 7 and could be ticketed for another sizable workload if Spears needs to miss another game.

Monangai (thumb/toe) was on a stationary bike during warmups but wasn't on the field during the open portion of Wednesday's practice, Adam Jahns of AllCHGO.com reports.

Monangai has missed the last three games due to a turf toe injury, and until he's able to mix into drills in some capacity, he likely isn't a candidate to return to action. Thursday's injury report will reveal his activity level to begin Week 8 prep, but if he doesn't practice, he'll have two more chances to do so ahead of Monday's game at Seattle.

Robinson (hamstring) officially didn't practice Wednesday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Robinson now hasn't practiced since last Wednesday, when he was limited, due to a hamstring injury. He likely will need to mix into drills Thursday and/or Friday to have a chance to play Sunday at Tampa Bay. If Robinson is inhibited or sidelined again this weekend, Khalil Herbert will serve as Atlanta's No. 2 RB behind top option Bijan Robinson.

Robinson (hamstring) wasn't spotted during the open portion of Wednesday's practice, Daniel Flick of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

If Robinson goes down as a non-participant Wednesday, it'll mark his third consecutive session in which he's done so as he deals with a hamstring injury. Until he gets back on the practice field, he seemingly is in line to continue missing game action after being inactive this past Sunday against the 49ers, when Khalil Herbert served as the No. 2 RB behind Bijan Robinson.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell said Jones (knee) won't practice Wednesday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Jones aggravated an existing knee injury this past Sunday against the Colts, and while it isn't deemed to be serious, the running back is considered day-to-day, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. After sitting out Wednesday's session, Jones will have two more chances to mix into drills this week before the Vikings potentially make a ruling on his status for Sunday's game at Detroit. Jordan Mason stands to benefit if Jones is at anything less than 100 percent this weekend.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said that Allen will be a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to ankle injury, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Over the past four games, Allen has filled in for Breece Hall (quadriceps) as the Jets' lead back, but both players will kick off Week 8 prep with limitations in practice. In Allen's case, he may just be a bit banged up after averaging 20.8 touches per contest in Hall's absence, so as long as doesn't take any steps back in terms of practice activity as the week rolls along, Allen should be on track to play Sunday versus the Raiders. The extent of Allen's role will depend on the availability of Hall, who could also suit up this weekend if he responds well to practicing over the next three days.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said that Hall (quadriceps) will be limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Hall has been sidelined for the Jets' last four games, but he'll have a decent shot at putting an end to his absence this Sunday against the Raiders if he can eventually upgrade to full practice participation by the end of the week. If Hall is available this weekend, he'll likely start but could end up working in something of a timeshare with Braelon Allen (ankle), who may have earned himself more playing time after averaging 105.3 yards from scrimmage per game over the last four contests.

The Eagles waived Steele (shoulder) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Steele was waived/injured last week due to a shoulder injury and ultimately ended up on IR. That could have ended his season, but by reaching an injury settlement, the UCLA product will now be able to seek work with another team once he's healthy. Steele played primarily on special teams during his two games with the Eagles this season, though he did log three offensive snaps and caught one of two targets for four yards.

The Cowboys waived Demercado on Tuesday.

It's the second time this season that Demercado has been let go by the Cowboys. He had the chance to establish himself as the team's RB2 after Malik Davis suffered a season-ending hip injury in mid-September, but the backup role was ultimately grabbed from Demercado by Tyler Goodson. Demercado will explore his next options but should garner interest from teams in need of backfield depth.