NFL Player News

The Commanders signed Rodriguez from their practice squad to their active roster Saturday.

Rodriguez had been elevated from the practice squad three times prior to Saturday, including in Week 9 against the Giants, when he logged his first offensive snaps of the campaign and led Washington with 52 rushing yards on 11 carries. His opportunity in that game came as a result of Brian Robinson sitting out due to a hamstring injury, and Rodriguez will perhaps play a significant role again this Sunday versus Pittsburgh with Robinson set to be sidelined again. To make room on the roster for Rodriguez, the Commanders placed tight end Colson Yankoff (hamstring) on injured reserve.

McCaffrey (Achilles) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

This was a procedural move considering McCaffrey was already confirmed to play in Sunday's contest earlier this week. The All-Pro running back is expected to be immediately inserted into the lineup, although the exact playing time split appears to be undetermined. Both head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have been coy about McCaffrey's usage, and it doesn't seem as if fantasy managers will have any resolution to the question until after the Week 10 contest against the Buccaneers.

The Steelers cut Ward on Saturday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Ward played primarily on special teams during his four games with Pittsburgh this season, though he did log five carries for 22 yards on offense. Since he was cut after the trade deadline, the veteran running back will be subject to waivers. The Steelers also cut safety Terrell Edmunds (illness) on Saturday while activating receiver Ben Skowronek (shoulder) and linebacker Tyler Matakevich (hamstring) from IR.

Taylor is expected to be on the active roster for Sunday night's game against Detroit, as Dameon Pierce has been ruled out for Week 10.

Taylor was signed to the 53-man roster ahead of last week's contest, in which Pierce was inactive, and had three carries for 23 yards in a loss to the Jets. He's expected to be third on the depth chart behind Joe Mixon and Dare Ogunbowale.

Ogunbowale is expected to serve as the top backup to Joe Mixon in Week 10, as Dameon Pierce (hamstring) has been ruled out of Sunday night's game against the Lions.

Pierce will miss a second consecutive week, ceding the depth spots in the backfield to Ogunbowale and J.J. Taylor. There may not be much for either back to do, unless Mixon sustains an injury; in the Week 9 loss to the Jets, Ogunbowale and Taylor combined for four touches and three targets (no catches).

Herbert didn't record a carry or a target in Thursday's Week 10 loss to Baltimore.

Herbert joined Cincinnati in a trade between the Bengals and Bears on Tuesday, and he was able to suit up just two days later. However, Herbert didn't make the best first impression, as he couldn't grasp the ball on a handoff from QB Joe Burrow in the second quarter. The fumble was questionably charged to Burrow, and Herbert was credited with the recovery after he fell on top of the ball, but that was essentially the extent of Herbert's involvement in the contest (he logged just one other snap). The fourth-year running back has a chance to grow into a significantly larger role once he gets more accustomed to the Bengals' playbook, especially with Zack Moss (neck) landing on injured reserve Tuesday, but Chase Brown figures to remain heavily involved after tallying 94 total yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown in Thursday's loss.

The 49ers waived Taylor on Friday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

With Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) expected to return for San Francisco's Week 10 matchup against the Buccaneers, Taylor has been dropped from the active roster. The Memphis product appeared in eight games this season, logging seven carries for 25 yards and one reception for 12 yards across 95 total snaps (18 offensive and 77 on special teams). Taylor could find his way back onto the 49ers' practice squad if he clears waivers.

Edwards (ankle) practiced fully Friday and carries a questionable game status for Sunday's contest against the Titans.

The Chargers designated Edwards for return from injured reserve Wednesday, and the running back could resume action as soon as this weekend if the team elects to activate him by Saturday afternoon. If Edwards does rejoin the mix in Week 10, in his return he'd presumably work in a complementary role in a Los Angeles backfield that's led by J.K. Dobbins and also includes sixth-round rookie Kimani Vidal.

Spears (hamstring) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game at the Chargers.

Sidelined since injuring his hamstring Week 6 against the Colts, Spears put himself in a position to return to action with back-to-back full sessions to end Week 10 prep. He'll thus be available Sunday behind the Titans' No. 1 RB Tony Pollard (foot), who followed a LP-DNP-LP practice regimen this week but also doesn't carry a designation into the weekend. Prior to his three-game absence, Spears averaged 9.0 touches for 38.0 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring one rushing TD in five outings this season.

Ekeler may be in line to lead the Commanders backfield Sunday against the Steelers due to Brian Robinson (hamstring) being ruled out for the contest, Zach Selby of the team's official site reports.

With Robinson sidelined Week 9 at the Giants, Ekeler started and paced Washington running backs with 47 percent of the snaps, while Jeremy McNichols took 39 percent and Chris Rodriguez handled 32 percent. The breakdown of touches was a different story, at least for the reserves. Ekeler earned 11 touches (for 83 yards from scrimmage and a rushing TD) to Rodriguez's 11 (all carries for 52 yards) and McNichols' eight (all rushes for 20 yards). Rodriguez has been elevated three times this season, so he'll need to be signed to the active roster Saturday in order to vie with Ekeler and McNichols for work Sunday.