NFL Player News

Ekeler (ankle) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

Ekeler, who has missed two straight games, was also limited Wednesday in his return to practice, with his status for Sunday's game against the Raiders to be determined. Per Kris Rhim of ESPN.com Ekeler noted after Wednesday's session that a return to action this weekend is a "possibility." Friday's final injury report will reveal Ekeler's Week 4 injury designation, but if there's any doubt about the soundness of his ankle heading into Sunday, the Chargers could opt to err on the side of caution and hold him out for another contest with a Week 5 bye on tap.

Hall (knee) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

After tearing his ACL in addition to suffering a meniscus injury last October, Hall has made a clean recovery and has gained clearance ahead of each of the Jets' first three games by turning in at least one full practice every week. He appears to be getting healthier as the weeks roll along, as Thursday marks the first time that he's put in a full practice before the Jets' third session of a given week. Whether that translates to an increased workload Sunday against the Chiefs is uncertain, but Hall's playing time seems to be on an upward trajectory. After logging 32 percent of the offensive snaps in both of the Jets' first two games, Hall took on a 48 percent share in this past Sunday's loss to the Patriots.

Rodriguez (illness) did not practice Thursday.

Rodriguez logged a limited practice Wednesday while dealing with an illness but suffered a downturn Thursday. This seems to be a move in the wrong direction for the Kentucky product ahead of the team's Week 4 game against the Eagles. However, the 23-year-old still has a couple more days to recover and is still considered questionable for the divisional matchup.

Scott (concussion) was again a full participant in Thursday's practice.

It remains unclear if Scott has formally cleared the concussion protocol, but it sounds like he's extremely close to a return after missing Week 3's contest against the Bucs. Scott's return would likely send Rashaad Penny back to the inactive list.

Ford (shoulder) was a full practice participant Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Ford was limited in the Browns' first Week 4 practice session Wednesday, but the running back's return to a full activity Thursday paves the way for him to lead the backfield Sunday against the Ravens. Even with the Browns re-signing Kareem Hunt (ribs/groin) and making him active for this past Sunday's win over the Titans, Ford still handled a majority of the snaps (55 percent) on offense and accounted for two total touchdowns and 51 yards on 12 touches.

Hunt (ribs/groin) returned to a limited practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hunt was listed as DNP Wednesday following his season debut in Week 3, but coach Kevin Stefanski has already stated he believes Hunt will play Sunday against the Ravens. The veteran back rushed five times for 13 yards and caught two of three targets for 22 yards versus Tennessee last week.

Patterson (thigh) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Patterson maintained his activity level for a second straight day as he continues to be plagued by the thigh issue that has followed him since mid-August. The Falcons backfield is in good hands with the young duo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, so the team may be exercising caution with Patterson to ensure he's 100 percent before getting him involved in the offense. Patterson is still waiting to make his season debut.

Foreman is a full participant in practice this week ahead of Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Foreman has been inactive for the Bears' last two games, but an injury isn't in play, as he's simply fallen behind rookie Roschon Johnson on the depth chart. Meanwhile, No. 3 running back and core special-teams player Travis Homer (ankle) was added to the Bears' injury report Thursday as a limited participant in practice, so Foreman could re-enter the backfield mix Week 4 if Homer isn't available.

Barkley (ankle) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Although head coach Brian Daboll acknowledged prior to the session that Barkley was scheduled to take part in individual drills for the first time since suffering a right ankle sprain Week 2 versus the Cardinals, the running back apparently felt well enough to take at least some additional reps with the team. Barkley's limited participation Thursday doesn't guarantee his availability for Monday's game against the Seahawks, as the Giants will continue to monitor his health over the final two practices of Week 4 before updating his status. While Barkley was sidelined for last Thursday's loss to the 49ers, the Giants ended up abandoning the run early, resulting in fill-in starter Matt Breida being limited to just four carries despite playing 80 percent of the snaps on offense.

Sanders (groin) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Sanders had his practice reps capped for the second day in a row, but Carolina hasn't suggested that his groin injury is anything that will threaten his availability for Sunday's game against the Vikings. The Panthers will see if Sanders can upgrade to full participation in Friday's practice before deciding whether he'll carry an injury designation into the weekend.