NFL Player News

Foreman (groin) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

There are a bunch of moving parts in the Cleveland backfield, with Jerome Ford (hamstring) missing a second straight practice Thursday while Nick Chubb (knee) was a full participant again. Foreman lands in the middle, having logged limited practices Wednesday and Thursday, but he may not have much of a role with Chubb on track to return for Sunday's matchup with the Bengals.

Spears (hamstring) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Spears, who also missed Wednesday's session, has one more chance to practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Bills. If Spears is unable to play this weekend, offensive coordinator Nick Holz told Wyatt on Thursday that Tony Pollard would likely get bulk of the Titans' work at running back, with Julius Chestnut and possibly Joshua Kelley also mixing in.

Mixon (ankle) remained limited at practice Thursday.

Mixon logged 13 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown while adding two catches for 30 yards and another score on three targets in his return from a three-game absence in this past Sunday's 41-21 win over the Patriots. Given that there's been no reported setbacks with his ankle since then, the running back's Week 7 status doesn't appear to be in danger, but Mixon will probably need to practice fully Friday in order to approach this weekend's game against the Packers without an injury designation.

Patterson (ankle) did not practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Patterson has been unable to practice this week, and he is in jeopardy of missing a third straight game due to an ankle injury. He'll have to practice in some capacity Friday to give himself a shot to play against the Jets on Sunday. If Patterson is ruled out, Aaron Shampklin would serve as the third-string running back behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.

White (foot) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

White is kicking off Week 7 prep the same way he did last week, but he also didn't practice last Thursday and Friday before being listed as doubtful and eventually inactive this past Sunday at New Orleans. In White's place, Bucky Irving (64 percent of snaps) and Sean Tucker (38 percent) manned the Buccaneers backfield, and both players had highly productive performances. Irving racked up 16 touches for 105 yards from scrimmage and one rushing TD, while Tucker had 17 touches for 192 total yards and two TDs. Coach Todd Bowles relayed to Scott Smith of the team's official site Thursday that Tampa bay will roll with the "hot hand" at running back once White is healthy. As a result, even of White is able to suit up Monday against the Ravens, he may not be the preferred option among the trio.

Jones (hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

What initially was believed to be a hip injury that forced him out of the Vikings' last game Week 5 against the Jets was clarified to be a hamstring issue Wednesday, keeping him sidelined from the first session of Week 7 prep. Friday's practice report may provide some clarity on Jones' status heading into the weekend, but he appears destined to earn a designation ahead of Sunday's showdown with the Lions. If Jones is inhibited or out this weekend, Ty Chandler would be Minnesota's lead back, with Myles Gaskin and Cam Akers on hand for any RB reps that linger.

Achane (concussion) was a full practice participant Thursday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Achane has now logged back-to-back full practices without a non-contract jersey, seemingly putting him in the final stage of concussion protocol, at which point he needs clearance from a neurologist before playing in Sunday's game at Indianapolis. Assuming that happens, he'll step in as the leader of a speedy, talented backfield in which Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright loom as threats to take a portion of the snaps/carries.

Etienne (hamstring) remained limited in practice Thursday.

He's logged consecutive limited practices since coach Doug Pederson deemed the RB week-to-week Monday morning. It's hard to tell exactly where he's at in terms of the probability of playing against New England this Sunday, and there will be major workload concerns if Etienne is active -- not only because of his hamstring but also because Tank Bigsby and D'Ernest Johnson got more involved in the offense the past few weeks. In the event of an Etienne absence, Bigsby would be the favorite to start and take most of the carries, with Johnson handling the obvious passing situations. Johnson took 77 percent of the snaps after Etienne's third-quarter exit in an eventual 35-16 loss to the Bears this past Sunday, but Bigsby presumably would've gotten more playing time if the Jags hadn't been trailing by multiple scores.

Robinson (knee) was limited at Thursday's practice.

Robinson now has back-to-back capped sessions under his belt this week, giving him one more chance to get back to full participation Friday before the Commanders potentially tag him with a designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Panthers. During Robinson's absence this past Sunday versus the Browns, Austin Ekeler handled most of the backfield reps on his way to 13 touches for 68 yards from scrimmage.

Sermon (knee) returned to a limited practice Thursday.

After missing Wednesday's session, Sermon's return to the field, albeit in a limited capacity, a day later has him trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's game against the Dolphins. If Sermon is able to practice fully Friday, he could head into the weekend without an injury designation, with his Week 7 status of particular import due to Jonathan Taylor's (ankle) continued absence from practice.