NFL Player News

The Jaguars elevated Funk from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.

Funk was unable to make the Lions' 53-man roster at the end of training camp, but he managed to catch on with the Jaguars' practice squad Oct. 1. His elevation to the active roster gives the Jags some insurance in the backfield in case Travis Etienne (hamstring) cannot play Sunday against the Patriots. If Etienne is inactive, Funk would serve as Jacksonville's No. 3 running back behind Tank Bigsby and D'Ernest Johnson.

Hines (knee) was not activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Bengals, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Hines was a full participant in all three practices this week, but he will remain sidelined while in the final stages of his recovery from a torn ACL he suffered in July of 2023. Because his practice window opened Oct. 2, the Browns will need to activate Hines off injured reserve by Wednesday, otherwise he will remain on IR for the rest of the 2024 season. Even without Hines and Jerome Ford (hamstring) for Sunday's game, the Browns are expecting Nick Chubb (knee) to be active, and he will lead the three-man backfield that includes D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong.

Chubb (knee), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the Bengals, was activated off the reserve/PUP list Saturday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Chubb is officially back on the Browns' 53-man roster, and though he's still carrying a designation into Sunday, he's fully expected to play in what will be his first appearance since Week 2 of the 2023 season. It's unclear how much work Chubb will take on his first outing back from a serious left knee injury that required two separate surgeries, but the absence of Jerome Ford (hamstring) might force the Browns' hand somewhat. Expect D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong to both fill depth roles behind Chubb in what's been a moribund Cleveland offense through the first six weeks.

Strong is expected to be one of three running backs available for Sunday's game against the Bengals..

Cleveland ruled out Jerome Ford (hamstring), and head coach Kevin Stefanski told Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site that Nyheim Hines (knee) is "unlikely" to suit up. That leaves Strong, D'Onta Foreman and Nick Chubb (knee), who is expected to come off the PUP list and play. The lingering question is how many snaps/touches the Browns allot to Chubb in his first game since Week 2 of 2023. Depending on Chubb's workload, and the nature of game itself, Strong could build off last week's loss to the Eagles in which he was the backfield leader in scrimmage yards.

Evans (hamstring) is listed as doubtful ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Titans, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.

Evans has missed the Bills' first six games this season after sustaining a hamstring injury in late August. However, the Appalachian State product was designated to return from injured reserve on Oct. 9 and logged a week of full practice sessions, giving himself a small chance to play Sunday. Evans must still be activated to the Bills' active roster in order to suit up in Week 7, but if he's unable to play as expected, Buffalo's running back room will likely consist of James Cook, Ray Davis (calf) and Ty Johnson.

Ali (ankle) didn't practice Friday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Ali appears to be trending toward not playing in Monday night's matchup against the Buccaneers, as he downgraded from limited participation in Thursday's practice to a DNP on Friday. The rookie out of Marshall made his NFL debut in Baltimore's Week 6 win over the Commanders, playing just nine special-teams snaps. He'll likely need to upgrade to at least limited participation Saturday in order to suit up in Week 7.

White (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams after practicing fully Friday.

Following back-to-back limited sessions, White -- who has missed the Raiders' last two games -- upgraded to full participation to close out the week, signaling that he's trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. If White is made active versus Los Angeles, he'll be in a position to reclaim a portion of his team's Week 7 carries in a backfield that also includes Alexander Mattison -- who started while White was sidelined -- and change-of-pace option Ameer Abdullah. In the four games he's played in, White has recorded 49 carries for 152 yards and caught five of his seven targets for 16 yards.

Hines (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Hines, who remains on the reserve/non-football injury list, practiced fully this week, but Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com relays that coach Kevin Stefanski noted Friday that Hines is unlikely to play this weekend. With Jerome Ford out with a hamstring injury, Nick Chubb (reserve/PUP, knee) is expected to return to action Sunday, joining a Cleveland backfield that also includes D'Onta Foreman (groin) and Pierre Strong.

Mason (shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Mason will return to his lead role in the San Francisco backfield after an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder kept him off the field for all but one snap during the second half of last Thursday's win at Seattle. He's been practicing all week, albeit in a a non-contact jersey. That does hint at some risk of complications in-game, but the upside generally outweighs the downside risk when dealing with a player that's provided such strong production. Meanwhile, fellow 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) has yet to resume practicing.

White (foot) was a limited practice participant Friday.

White also was limited Thursday, after missing the final two practices of last week and being inactive for a 51-27 win over the Saints. It sounds like offensive coordinator Liam Coen expects White to play Monday against the Ravens, as Coen said Friday that White, Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving each will get a series early in the game, per Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site. Head coach Todd Bowles made similar comments Thursday, discussing a three-man backfield with a "hot hand" approach. It's certainly possible White makes a bid to retake the lead role, but his days of snap shares in the 70-to-80 percent range are over for the time being.