NFL Player News

Patterson had three carries for one yard and caught three of four targets for 11 yards during Monday's 24-10 loss to the Rams. He also returned four kickoffs for 94 yards.

The 29-year-old has now played between 10 and 15 offensive snaps in all seven games this season, and he has 25 carries for 71 yards while catching 11 of 13 targets for 77 yards. It seemed possible Patterson could help fill the void left by Tarik Cohen (torn ACL) after the latter landed on injured reserve, but Patterson has seen no uptick in playing time since the injury Week 3 and is averaging only 17.8 scrimmage yards over that four-game stretch.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said after Tuesday's practice that McCaffrey (ankle) hasn't been ruled out from returning from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game against the Falcons, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Rhule's comments came after Carolina designated McCaffrey to return from IR, a move that allowed the running back to resume practicing for the first time since suffering a high right ankle sprain Sept. 20. While Rhule noted that McCaffrey looked good in his on-field work Tuesday, the Panthers may continue to evaluate him up until game day before deciding on whether to add him back to the 53-man roster in Week 8. If McCaffrey does gain clearance for Thursday's contest, he may not immediately step back into a lead role out of the backfield as the Panthers presumably look to exercise some caution with his usage in his first game back. Mike Davis has filled in admirably as Carolina's three-down back over the past five weeks, averaging 88.4 yards from scrimmage and scoring four touchdowns during that span.

Coach Doug Marrone said Tuesday that Ozigbo's hamstring injury is in the same leg of the injury that kept him out for six weeks, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Ozigbo spent the first six weeks of the season on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury, and upon his return to the lineup, the second-year running back aggravated the injury. It's unclear how severe his current injury is, but there's a good chance he will miss time again due to the recurring nature of this issue. James Robinson and Dare Ogunbowale are currently the only two healthy running backs on Jacksonville's roster because Chris Thompson is on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Jaguars have a Week 8 bye before returning to action against the Texans.

The Panthers designated McCaffrey (ankle) to return from injured reserve Tuesday.

After showing up to practice Tuesday sporting no pads and a red no-contact jersey, McCaffrey initially looked like he would be relegated to working out on the side field. However, shortly after the Panthers announced that McCaffrey was designated to return from IR, David Newton of ESPN.com noted that the running back put on a helmet and swapped his red jersey for a black one. The transaction opens up a 21-day window during which the Panthers can evaluate McCaffrey for a return from IR, and the 24-year-old would seemingly have a chance at being available for Thursday's game against the Falcons. Before determining his status for the Week 8 contest, the Panthers' coaching and training staff will likely assess how McCaffrey's right high-ankle sprain responds to practice activity Tuesday and Wednesday.

McCaffrey (ankle) was spotted at Tuesday's practice donning a red no-contact jersey, suggesting he won't participate with the Panthers' main group during the session, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

The Panthers have yet to officially designate McCaffrey to return from injured reserve, and until that happens, he won't be allowed to take reps alongside the team's other healthy players. Given that McCaffrey has now sported the no-contact jersey in both of the team's first two practices of Week 8, he's looking increasingly unlikely to return to action Thursday against the Falcons. If that's the case, Mike Davis would once again handle a three-down role out of the Carolina backfield.

Williams logged just one offensive snap in Sunday's win versus the Broncos.

Williams had been playing a supplementary role to Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of the backfield but that will change moving forward following the addition of Le'Veon Bell. Williams' one snap should become near commonplace for him as long as both backs ahead of him on the depth chart remain healthy, and even the newly elevated DeAndre Washington could challenge for some snaps.

Akers only played three offensive snaps and his lone carry was negated by a penalty during Monday's 24-10 win over Chicago.

The rookie has now watched in consecutive games while fellow running backs Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown have handled the load for the Rams. Henderson rushed 15 times for 64 yards Monday, and Brown turned 10 carries into 57 yards and a score. Head coach Sean McVay discussed incorporating Akers into the offense more after the rookie piled up 63 yards on just nine carries in Week 5, but it hasn't come to fruition. It might not, either. Henderson and Brown are morphing into a difficult one-two punch to contain, and Los Angeles looks like an NFC contender.

Williams was active for the first time this season Sunday against the Browns, but he only saw action on two special-teams snaps.

Williams is in his second year with the Bengals, but he has yet to record his first NFL regular-season carry. Even though the Bengals are 1-5-1 that still may not happen -- after all, they didn't see fit to give him that chance last year as they were playing out the string.

Perine had one carry for three yards and caught his only target for three yards in Sunday's loss to the Browns.

Perine was on the field for 19 offensive snaps, but most of those were in cases where his role was to block. Even if Joe Mixon sits out again next week, Perine's role will be minimal barring an injury to Giovani Bernard.

Montgomery rushed 14 times for 48 yards and caught all five of his targets for 21 yards in Monday night's 24-10 loss to the Rams.

Montgomery struggled to get much going on the ground against a swarming Los Angeles front seven. Fortunately, the tailback picked up a handful of receptions to bolster his output, including a few with the Bears chasing the game late. Montgomery has now caught at least four passes in three straight outings, but with an average of just 45 rushing yards per game over that span, his production leaves a lot to be desired. However, the sledding doesn't appear any more favorable in Week 8, as he'll be pitted against a Saints defense that's allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game.