NFL Player News

The Patriots cut Barner on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Barner didn't contribute much to the Patriots in his five games with the club, logging just 42 offensive snaps and racking up 71 yards on 19 carries. With Rex Burkhead (neck) on the recovery trail, New England elected to use the roster spot to evaluate a player at a different position. Barner is now free to sign with another team.

Sims worked out for the Titans on Tuesday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Tennessee is in the market for a No. 3 running back after David Fluellen injured his knee in Sunday's win over the Patriots. While unlikely to match Fluellen's contributions on special teams, Sims could provide passing-down insurance for Dion Lewis, whose recent uptick in workload creates a higher risk of injury. Selected 69th overall in the 2014 draft, Sims averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and 6.7 yards per target while playing 47 of 64 games in his four seasons with Tampa Bay. He hasn't been a useful player since 2015.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the team needs to continue giving Jones opportunities, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Rodgers should get his wish without much question after Jones took 15 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns while handling a 74 percent snap share in Sunday's 31-12 win over Miami. Jamaal Williams poached just three carries on 14 snaps and Tra Carson strictly played special teams. With his supremacy in the Green Bay backfield safely established, Jones is gearing up for Thursday's road game against a Seattle defense ranked 29th in yards allowed per carry (5.0) and t-18th in rushing yards allowed per game (118.6). To be fair, the Seahawks have already faced some impressive running backs, including Todd Gurley (twice), Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott.

Conner is still in the concussion protocol, but coach Mike Tomlin expects the running back to practice Wednesday, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Conner has three extra days to make it through the protocol after suffering a brain injury in last Thursday's 52-21 win over the Panthers. Even if he's a limited participant, Conner's presence on the practice field Wednesday would put him on track to avoid an absence Sunday at Jacksonville. With Le'Veon Bell not expected to join the team, Conner is positioned for a massive workload over the final seven weeks of the season.

Breida rushed 17 times for 101 yards and a touchdown and caught three of four targets for 31 yards and another score in Monday night's 27-23 loss to the Giants.

Breida was again San Francisco's standout offensive player, doing damage both on the ground and through the air. The second-year back struck first with a three-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter, then hauled in an 11-yard score shortly after halftime. Overall, Breida's 132 scrimmage yards marked his second-most this season, offering a resurgence following 104 total yards and zero touchdowns in his previous three games combined. Seemingly back to his healthy self, Breida now enters the Niners' bye week for extra rest ahead of a Week 12 matchup with the Buccaneers.

Barkley rushed 20 times for 67 yards and caught four of five targets for 33 yards in Monday night's 27-23 win over the 49ers.

Barkley was bottled up in the running game, where over a quarter of his total came on a long rush of 18 yards. The prized rookie has now gone for under 3.5 yards per carry in three straight games, and in four of his last five outings. While the Giants will need to improve their run blocking to help Barkley out, he again made an impact through the air, particularly with a 23-yard reception to set up New York's go-ahead touchdown with under a minute left. In doing so, Barkley hit an even 100 yards from scrimmage, giving him another nice all-around outing.

Foreman (Achilles) "definitely" expects the Texans to open his 21-day window to be activated from the PUP list this week, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In the wake of a bye week, the Texans held an unofficial practice Monday, but Foreman wasn't participating in the part open to the media, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. When discussing the prospect of Foreman returning to the field, coach Bill O'Brien was non-committal but told Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site "sooner, rather than later." Once Foreman gains clearance from the relevant authorities, the team will have a three-week period to monitor whether his left Achilles is up the challenge. If he rejoins the 53-man roster, he'll have to contend with the RB duo of Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue for touches.

Walton did not record a single carry or target during Sunday's 51-14 loss to the Saints.

Walton saw only two offensive snaps during the Week 10 loss. With both Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard healthy for the first time since Week 2, Walton no longer appears to possess a notable role in Cincinnati's offense. The rookie fourth-round pick is expected to see most of his snaps on special teams going forward.

Anderson was waived by the Panthers on Monday, Max Henson of the Panthers' official site reports.

With Christian McCaffrey handling a 96.3 percent snap share, Anderson presumably was frustrated with a role much smaller than what he signed up for in the offseason. The 27-year-old shouldn't have much trouble finding work, as he averaged 4.3 yards on 24 carries for the Panthers after producing the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career with the Broncos in 2017. Anderson might provide an immediate upgrade in the backfield for Philadelphia or Tampa Bay.

Coach Vance Joseph reiterated Monday that he expects Freeman (ankle) to return to practice this week, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Freeman did get in one limited practice Friday of Week 9, but he never seemed to have much chance of playing in an eventual loss to the Texans. Coming out of a Week 10 bye, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him listed as a full participant at Wednesday's practice, though a limited session is also possible. Freeman will be a full month removed from suffering a high-ankle sprain when the Broncos travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers on Sunday. His return would be bad news for anyone invested in Phillip Lindsay, who posted his top two carry totals (18 and 17) in the two games Freeman missed. Devontae Booker benefited to a lesser extent, receiving 12 carries and eight targets over two weeks.