NFL Player News

West (calf) isn't on Wednesday's injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Lions.

West's inactive status the past couple weeks seemingly had more to do with his role than his calf injury. He may now have an opening to rejoin the Baltimore backfield, as Alex Collins missed Wednesday's practice with a calf issue of his own. West likely would be returning to a limited role if active, however, as he hasn't played since Week 5 and didn't do much early in the season.

Washington (hip) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Washington missed the past two games due to the hip issue and also missed four games with a quadriceps injury earlier this season. He suffered a concussion in between, but cleared the protocol in time to avoid an absence. Washington has taken 20 carries for 44 yards and two catches for 14 yards in his five appearances, mostly settling for special-teams snaps and occasional short-yardage work while operating as the No. 3 back behind Ameer Abdullah (neck) and Theo Riddick. With Washington on track to return for Sunday's game in Baltimore, the Lions probably won't have a spot for Zach Zenner in the backfield unless Abdullah's injury turns out to be serious. Washington likely would be the favorite for early down carries if Abdullah were to miss the game, though the matchup would seem to dictate a larger role for Riddick.

Abdullah was held out of practice Wednesday due to a neck injury.

Abdullah's production has waned in recent weeks, as evidenced by a combined 17 carries for 36 yards, five receptions (on seven targets) for 42 yards and one touchdown over the last two games. His missed practice Wednesday marks his first of the season, so it could be maintenance-related. That said, his status will be monitored closely in the coming days to make sure an appearance is possible Sunday at Baltimore.

McCaffrey was unable to practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury, Max Henson of the Panthers' official site reports.

The release of the Panthers' first Week 13 injury report revealed McCaffrey's injury, which stems from Sunday's win over the Jets. According to Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer, head coach Ron Rivera said that McCaffrey was on the receiving end of "a hit" in the contest. While McCaffrey doesn't necessarily need to make an appearance at practice Thursday, he may need to show a degree of progress with the training staff.

The Buccaneers signed Ogunbowale to their practice squad Wednesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Tampa Bay promoted a number of players to the 53-man roster after injuries left the team depleted at a number of positions, so Ogunbowale will fill the void left on the practice squad. Ogunbowale, an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin, had previously been a member of Houston's practice squad before being released Oct. 6.

The 49ers promoted McNichols from their practice squad Wednesday.

After placing Raheem Mostert (knee) on injured reserve, the 49ers required another body in the backfield, and McNichols was the obvious candidate as the only running back on the practice squad. A 2017 fifth-round pick, McNichols was surprisingly cut by the Buccaneers at the end of the preseason slate, despite the team not having lead back Doug Martin available for the first three games while the veteran served a suspension. With the 49ers, McNichols will have a difficult time earning offensive snaps due to the presence of Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida.

Radcliff signed with the Dolphins' practice squad Wednesday, Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

With Damien Williams (shoulder) and Senorise Perry (concussion) both in danger of missing Sunday's game against Denver, it isn't out of the question that Radcliff gets a promotion to the active roster by the end of the week. The undrafted rookie out of Louisville signed with the Titans in August and was waived at final cuts. Radcliff likely will just provide emergency depth behind Kenyan Drake and De'Veon Smith if he does join the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday's game.

Jones (knee) was limited to rehab work Wednesday, but the Packers still hope to have him back at practice by the end of the week, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Jones' timeline was estimated at 3-to-6 weeks when he was first diagnosed with a sprained MCL after exiting early in a Week 10 win over the Bears. He'll be three weeks removed from the injury when the Packers face the Buccaneers on Sunday, and while Week 14 in Cleveland is probably the more likely return date, Jones could have a shot to avoid any further missed time if he's back at practice Thursday or Friday. Ty Montgomery (ribs) was also with the rehab group at Wednesday's practice, potentially setting up Jamaal Williams for another hefty workload as the Packers' lead back this weekend.

Williams (shoulder) won't practice Wednesday, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

The Dolphins are officially listing Williams as day-to-day and have yet to rule him out for Sunday's game against the Broncos, but an absence seems inevitable after the running back dislocated his shoulder in the third quarter of Miami's Week 12 loss to New England. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, injuries similar to Williams' typically require 2-to-3 weeks to heal, so there's reason to think the tailback may miss the Dec. 11 rematch with the Patriots as well. Kenyan Drake will serve as the Dolphins' clear lead back for the duration of Williams' absence, with the team signing De'Veon Smith from the practice squad to provide additional depth in the backfield while third-string option Senorise Perry remains in the concussion protocol.

The Dolphins promoted Smith from their practice squad to the active roster Wednesday.

Smith's addition seemed inevitable after the Dolphins' co-starting running back, Damien Williams, dislocated his shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Patriots, while third-string back Senorise Perry exited with a concussion. It's looking like the Dolphins will be without both players for the Week 13 matchup with the Broncos, so Smith could be called upon to fill the top backup role behind Kenyan Drake, the only other healthy back on the roster. It's expected that Drake will handle a three-down workload during the contest, so Smith may only be summoned on offense when Drake requires a breather.