NFL Player News

Spears (hamstring) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Spears took a step in the right direction after missing three straight practices leading up to his absence in this past Sunday's loss to the Bills. If Spears ultimately gains clearance to suit up Sunday in Detroit, he would likely reclaim a change-of-pace role behind Tony Pollard in Tennessee's backfield.

Irving was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report due to a toe injury, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The Buccaneer opened Week 8 prep with a walk-through practice after losing to the Ravens on Monday, but Irving would have had his reps capped had Tampa Bay held a traditional practice. Irving took 12 touches for 77 yards and a touchdown in the 41-31 loss to Baltimore, playing 36 percent of snaps on offense while splitting playing time with Rachaad White (47 percent snaps, 16 touches) and Sean Tucker (19 percent snaps, six touches).

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Mason will be limited at Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Mason previously was tending to an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder that he sustained Oct. 10 against the Seahawks, but it didn't stop him from dominating work out of the 49ers backfield this past Sunday. In the 49ers' 28-18 loss to the Chiefs, Mason carried 14 times for 58 yards and two catches (on two targets) for 11 yards while logging 86 percent of the snaps on offense. Despite having a new health concern this week, Mason's ability to handle some reps to kick off Week 8 prep is a decent sign that his availability for Sunday's game against the Cowboys isn't in peril. Shanahan said Monday that Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) isn't expected to be available until after the 49ers' Week 9 bye, so Mason is lined up to be the team's primary runner for at least one more contest, assuming he's available this weekend.

Etienne (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Etienne was a limited participant all last week and didn't end up playing in Sunday's win over the Patriots. Head coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday that Etienne is considered day-to-day, with the running back currently limited to individual drills and working with the training staff. Tank Bigsby's success as Jacksonville's lead runner last week makes Etienne unlikely to handle a large workload even if he returns for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Taylor (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Given that Taylor hadn't practiced or played since suffering a right high-ankle sprain Week 4, his return to the field Wednesday suggests that he has a chance to return to action Sunday against the Texans. The running back now has two more chances upgrade to full participation before the Colts' final Week 8 injury report is posted. If Taylor remains out for a fourth straight game this weekend, however, Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson would continue to see added work in the team's backfield.

Jones (hamstring) practiced fully Wednesday and doesn't have a designation for Thursday's game at the Rams, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.

Jones was estimated as a limited participant on Monday's practice report before logging a limited walkthrough Tuesday, so his ability to handle every rep Wednesday indicates the hamstring injury he sustained Week 5 against the Jets in London is behind him. He thus should be poised for his normal workload out of Minnesota's backfield Thursday, which so far has amounted to 17.5 touches per game in six appearances this season.

Brooks (knee) was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Brooks turned in two limited practices last week before sitting out this past Sunday's blowout loss to the Commanders. If the rookie second-round can upgrade to full participation in practice Thursday and/or Friday, he'll have a good chance to return from the non-football injury list to make his NFL debut Sunday versus the Broncos. The Panthers could, however, opt to continue taking a cautious approach with Brooks and hold him out for another game, as his 21-day window to be added to the 53-man roster won't close until the first week of November.

Chicago designated Homer (finger) for return to practice from its injured reserve list Wednesday, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The transaction starts the clock on a 21-day period during which the Bears can officially activate Homer before they'd be required to leave him on injured reserve for the rest of the year. The team's official practice reports during the week will give some insight into his potential availability for Sunday's game at Washington.

Abdullah didn't carry the ball or draw a target while playing 13 of 79 snaps on offense in Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Rams.

After filling a change-of-pace role out of the backfield behind Alexander Mattison the previous two weeks, Abdullah saw his playing time take a significant dip Week 7 while Zamir White (groin) made his return from a two-game absence. Expect Abdullah's opportunities on offense to remain limited while both Mattison and White are healthy.

Williams brought back a kickoff for 21 yards and played all 23 of his snaps on special teams in Sunday's 34-14 loss to the Seahawks.

Though he's listed as a running back, Williams hasn't logged any touches out of the backfield since the 2022 season and is on the Falcons' roster solely due to his role as a kickoff and punt returner. Until Sunday, Jase McClellan had been inactive as the Falcons' No. 4 running back, but the rookie sixth-round pick suited up against the Seahawks and ended up getting five carries in garbage time, rather than Williams, when Atlanta rested top backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier late in the game.