NFL Player News

Mathews (concussion) did not practice Tuesday, but he was present and able to observe the session, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

While Mathews was still unable to get back on the field Tuesday, his presence at practice represents a step forward in the concussion protocol. Mathews may have a chance to return to action in Week 13, but he will need to be fully cleared in order to do so.

Herron will be the backup running back to Frank Gore with Ahmad Bradshaw being placed on IR due to a wrist injury, ESPN reports.

Herron was with the Colts until he was released in September. He then signed with Buffalo until he was released by the Bills in November. He re-signed with the Colts last week and is now the No. 2 running back. It's possible he could split any backup carries with Zurlon Tipton however.

Johnson (fractured tibia) is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 Phoenix reports.

The diagnosis of a fractured tibia hasn't been confirmed by the Cardinals, but assuming the reports are accurate, Johnson will miss the rest of the regular season. With Andre Ellington (turf toe) also likely to miss time, rookie David Johnson is set to lead the Arizona backfield. The Cardinals likely still hope to have Chris Johnson back at some point during the playoffs.

Sims was in on 30 snaps in Tampa's Week 12 loss to the Colts, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Bucs' backup tailback received some extra playing time in the fourth quarter due to Tampa playing from behind, but ironically received his least amount of carries on the season (four). Sims continued to produce through the air however, totaling 30 yards on three receptions. The second-year pro is putting together a solid season in his relatively limited playing time, averaging 4.4 yards on 80 carries and totaling three touchdown receptions through the first 11 games.

Martin was in on 37 snaps in Tampa's Week 12 loss to the Colts, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Martin received under 20 carries for the third time in four weeks, once again largely as a result of game flow in the second half. He did put together an impressive encore performance to his stellar 235-yard outing in Week 11 versus the Eagles, ripping off another long run (56 yards), which played an integral part in Martin averaging 6.9 yards a carry. The 97-yard outing helped Martin eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since his 2012 rookie season. The fourth-year pro will attempt to extend his recent success in Week 13 against a Falcons run defense that was gashed by Adrian Peterson on Sunday.

Cunningham rushed twice for 12 yards and caught a pass for five yards in Sunday's 31-7 loss to Cincinnati.

Cunningham saw a lot of his touches taken away by Tre Mason, surprisingly enough, as Mason had seven catches in the game. Cunningham has virtually no value unless Todd Gurley gets hurt.

Johnson has been diagnosed with a fractured tibia in his left leg, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports.

Johnson was knocked out of Sunday's game in San Francisco, after his left knee has hit by an opposing player's helmet. The initial diagnosis of a bone bruise indicated a short absence was in store, but Glazer's bombshell says otherwise. The Cardinals will explore if there's a chance that he can return at some point, but the running back corps could be down to David Johnson and Stepfan Taylor in the short term due to Andre Ellington's bout with turf toe.

As of Monday, Mathews has yet to be cleared under the NFL's concussion protocol, CSN Philly reports.

Mathews is thus no lock to return to action Sunday against the Patriots, with DeMarco Murray, Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner currently the Eagles' top healthy backfield options.

Brown had three carries for two yards and did not catch either of the two passes thrown his way in Sunday's win at Jacksonville.

Serving as the number three running back behind Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead, Brown is not expected to make much of an impact unless one of the primary guys suffers an injury.

Johnson (knee contusion) is slated to undergo an MRI, Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 Phoenix reports.

Meanwhile, fellow RB Andre Ellington is dealing with turf toe, with the duo's status for this Sunday's game against the Rams yet to be determined. Next up for the Cardinals' carries if either (or both) miss time are David Johnson, Stepfan Taylor and perhaps Kerwynn Williams, who is currently on the team's practice squad.