NFL Player News

Hunt won't practice Wednesday due to a thigh injury, Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Hunt set a season high with 12 carries in last week's win over the 49ers and also found the end zone, but he opens up Week 7 prep with an absence at practice. The veteran running back will have two more opportunities to return to practice this week, and if Hunt is ultimately able to play Sunday against the Colts, he'll likely fill a change-of-pace role behind Jerome Ford in the Browns backfield.

The Cardinals waived Jones on Wednesday, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Arizona claimed Jones off waivers last week after losing James Conner to a knee injury, but Jones was a healthy scratch for Sunday's loss to the Rams while each of Keaontay Ingram, Emari Demercado and Damien Williams picked up snaps out of the backfield. If he clears waivers this time around, Jones will look to find a practice-squad opportunity with another organization.

Dallas hauled in his lone target for minus-1 yard Sunday in the Seahawks' 17-13 loss to the Bengals.

Dallas took the field for just four of the Seahawks' 74 snaps on offense, with starter Kenneth Walker (56 snaps) and Zach Charbonnet (18 snaps) handily outpacing him in playing time. Both Walker and Charbonnet should remain the clear-cut top two options out of the backfield while they're healthy, limiting Dallas to little more than spot duty out of the backfield. Even though the Seahawks don't have much of a need for him on offense, Dallas should continue to avoid the inactive list due to his status as the team's kick and punt returner.

The Vikings reinstated Nwangwu (back) from injured reserve Wednesday.

Nwangwu has regained health and is poised to make his season debut Monday against the 49ers. Though he'll fortify a backfield that also includes Alexander Mattison, Cam Akers and Ty Chandler, Nwangwu is expected to see most of his snaps on special teams. The 25-year-old has been one of the league's top kick returners since entering the NFL in 2021, taking three kicks back for touchdowns while averaging 28.3 yards per return.

Gray played one snap on offense and gained two yards on his lone carry in Sunday's 14-9 loss to the Bills.

After gaining 26 yards on 13 touches (12 carries, one reception) in the Giants' loss to the Dolphins in Week 5, Gray unsurprisingly saw his playing time take a drastic hit while New York welcomed lead back Saquon Barkley (ankle) back from a three-game absence. The Giants didn't attempt to ease Barkley back in, as he took on a 79 percent snap share and 28 touches. With Barkley seemingly having come out of Sunday's game without any setbacks, he should serve as the Giants' bell cow moving forward, leaving few snaps available for the likes of Gray, Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell.

Harris (concussion/neck) won't participate in Wednesday's walk-through practice, Matt Parrino of The Syracuse Post-Standard reports.

Per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com, Harris is dealing with a concussion and a sprained neck after he was stretched off the field into an ambulance and transported to the hospital during Sunday's win over the Giants. If the running back is sidelined this weekend against the Patriots, James Cook and Latavius Murray could be in line for a few more carries than usual.

Evans appears to be first in line to serve as the Rams' starting running back Sunday against the Steelers with Kyren Williams (ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (knee) trending toward multi-game absences, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports. "Obviously you saw Zach Evans get the first carries [after Williams and Rivers exited Sunday's 26-9 win over the Cardinals]," McVay said Monday. "We've got Royce Freeman on our practice squad, and there'll be some different things that we're in the midst of working through right now."

The Rams have since signed Freeman to the roster and also re-signed Darrell Henderson -- who appeared in 50 games with the team from 2019 through 2022 -- to replace Freeman on the practice squad. Additionally, the Rams signed Myles Gaskin off the Vikings' practice squad, leaving him, Evans and Freeman as the team's likely backfield options for at least Week 7. Gaskin and Freeman both have more extensive NFL experience than Evans, a sixth-round pick out of Ole Miss, but the rookie was active for the last two games over Freeman, who stayed on the practice squad in Weeks 5 and 6. Evans gained a modest 10 yards on his four carries in the fourth quarter this past Sunday, but he was a blue-chip recruit coming out of high school and an efficient runner during his time in college (career 6.9 yards per carry). He could end up serving as the Rams' lead option on the ground against the Steelers while Freeman and/or Gaskin handle change-of-pace duties. The possibility also exists that McVay could opt for more of a committee approach with two or three of the backs sans Williams and Rivers, making Evans a risky lineup option for Week 7. Even so, since he's less of a known commodity than NFL journeymen like Freeman and Gaskin, Evans probably represents the most intriguing waiver-wire pickup of the lot.

Williams (ankle) is expected to miss multiple contests but should return to action after the Rams' Week 10 bye at the latest, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Adam Schefter of ESPN previously reported Monday that Williams was likely to miss the Rams' Week 7 game against the Steelers due to the sprained ankle he sustained late in this past Sunday's 26-9 victory against the Cardinals, but Fowler suggests the running back could be in line to miss more time beyond this week. If Williams is in sidelined through the Rams' bye, he would be in line to miss three games before returning to action Nov. 19 against the Seahawks. With backup Ronnie Rivers (knee) expected to miss 4-to-5 weeks due to an injury of his own, the Rams' lead backfield role could thus be up for grabs with matchups against the Steelers, Cowboys and Packers on deck. Though head coach Sean McVay hasn't revealed his plans for the backfield, he intimated that rookie sixth-round pick Zach Evans may get the first chance to start, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports. Even so, Evans may not be handed a clear lead role, as the Rams signed Royce Freeman off their practice squad and Myles Gaskin off Minnesota's practice squad to bolster their backfield. The team also added veteran Darrell Henderson to the practice squad.

Dowdle rushed three times for 12 yards in Monday's 20-17 win over the Chargers.

Dowdle played just 10 of the Cowboys' 64 offensive snaps Monday while starter Tony Pollard saw 51 snaps in the contest. Though Dowdle has shown some burst in the ground game, the veteran running back is not being used enough to maintain consistent production. With that said, Dowdle would be an intriguing fantasy option if Pollard were to miss time during the season. Barring an injury, the 25-year-old should remain in consideration as a solid handcuff with little stand-alone value heading into the Cowboys' Week 7 bye.

Brown rushed once for four yards and secured his only target for eight yards in Sunday's 17-13 win over the Seahawks.

Brown operated as Cincinnati's No. 3 back, playing just four of the Bengals' 54 offensive snaps Sunday. The rookie's one rushing attempt was his first since Week 2 while he has earned just one target through the air in each of the last three games. Barring an injury to starter Joe Mixon or primary backup Trayveon Williams, Brown will likely continue to see extremely limited usage in the Bengals' offense. Cincinnati heads into a Week 7 bye before returning to visit the 49ers in Week 8.