NFL Player News

Hubbard (ankle) isn't practicing Thursday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Though previous reports suggested that Hubbard could have returned to last Sunday's win over the Buccaneers if needed after he sprained his ankle during the contest, the running back's absence from the Panthers' first two Week 8 practices suggests his injury may be more of a concern than originally believed. Hubbard will have a chance to factor into the Panthers' backfield rotation this Sunday in Atlanta if he's able to practice in some capacity Friday, but another missed workout would likely take him out of the mix. If Hubbard is sidelined Week 8, D'Onta Foreman would presumably have a clear path to the lead role on the ground as the Panthers play their second game since trading Christian McCaffrey away to San Francisco.

Elliott (knee/thigh) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Instead, Elliott will take part in rehab work off on the side while he manages an MCL sprain in his right knee in addition to a thigh bruise. The historically durable Elliott won't necessarily need to practice to suit up Sunday against the Bears, but his lack of practice activity on consecutive days doesn't bode well for his chances of handling a normal workload even if he gains clearance for the Week 8 matchup. If that ends up being the case, Tony Pollard could be in line for his biggest workload of the campaign Sunday after having previously set season highs in snap share (63 percent) and touches (14) in Dallas' Week 7 win over Detroit.

Johnson's role with the Browns could change as rumors pick up about the team trading Kareem Hunt before next Tuesday's 4:00 pm trade deadline, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The report doesn't get into specific trade partners interested in Hunt, but Cleveland is reportedly seeking a fourth-round draft pick as a starting point for discussions. Both Johnson and Hunt are on expiring contracts, making each of them a possible trade piece. Hunt's role has dwindled the last two weeks -- he has a total of 10 touches Weeks 6 and 7 after averaging more than 11 per game over the first five weeks. If the Browns trade Hunt, Johnson would move up to second on the depth chart. If Johnson is traded, the team trading for him presumably would have a bigger role waiting for him. Per usual, Johnson is listed as third at running back on the Browns' unofficial depth chart and as the primary kickoff returner for Monday night's game against the Bengals.

Jacobs was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a foot injury, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.

Jacobs is one of eight players listed as limited participants on the Raiders' first Week 8 practice report, but so far there's been nothing to suggest that his status for Sunday's game against the Saints is in danger. The lead back is coming off a big game Week 7 in which he ran 20 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns to go with three catches for 12 yards in a 38-20 win over the Texans.

Williams (knee) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Along with Williams, No. 1 running back James Conner (ribs) also returned to practice as a limited participant, indicating the position group is getting close to being back to full strength. An active Conner on Sunday in Minnesota likely would be Arizona's lead runner, but he could yield reps to Williams (if active) and Eno Benjamin. In five appearances this season, Williams averaged 5.9 yards per carry on his 16 rushes while scoring one touchdown.

Conner (ribs) practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

The appearance on the field marked Conner's first since injuring his ribs Week 5 against the Eagles. He's missed two games as a result, but the limited showing may be a sign that he's inching toward a return to action. Fellow running back Darrel Williams (knee) also was limited Wednesday, meaning the Cardinals backfield is slowly getting back to full strength. If Conner gets the green light to play Sunday at Minnesota, he likely will reclaim lead-back duties from Eno Benjamin, though the latter (and potentially Williams) also may be in the mix for touches.

Robinson (knee) isn't listed Wednesday on the Jets' initial Week 8 injury report, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

In his final game with the Jaguars this past weekend, Robinson logged only 12 snaps, with the team indicating that the running back was dealing with some "knee soreness." However, Robinson said Wednesday that he's healthy at this stage, likely setting him up to make his Jets debut in Sunday's matchup with the Patriots, according to Cimini. Assuming Robinson is able to get up to speed with his new team's playbook, he'll likely work in a timeshare out of the backfield with Michael Carter after the Jets lost star rookie Breece Hall (knee) to a season-ending injury Week 7.

Edwards (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Thursday's game in Tampa Bay, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The Ravens have eight players listed as questionable, making it tough to get a read on whose availability is actually in doubt. Edwards seems better than a 50-50 bet to play after being listed as a limited practice participant Monday through Wednesday, but there would still be some chance of a workload restriction with his second game back from an ACL tear coming only four days after the first. Edwards drew the start and took 16 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns last Sunday against Cleveland, making the most of his 23 snaps (36 percent) while splitting time with Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill. Those two would see more work Thursday night in the event Edwards is on the inactive list ahead of the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.

Akers (personal) won't practice with the Rams this week, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Akers' continued absence from the team all but rules him out for Sunday's game against the 49ers, an outcome Sean McVay hinted at earlier in the week. Darrell Henderson is expected to work as the Rams' lead back, with Malcolm Brown in reserve and Kyren Williams (ankle) nearing a return from injured reserve. Akers, meanwhile, remains a candidate to be traded.

Swift (ankle/shoulder) was a full practice participant Wednesday.

Swift wasn't cleared to play in last Sunday's loss to the Cowboys after putting in three consecutive limited sessions following a bye week, but with a full practice already under his belt, he appears poised to make his first appearance since Week 3 this Sunday against the Dolphins. In three contests this season, he averaged a whopping 8.6 yards per carry on his 27 rushes and also hauled in eight of 12 targets for 77 yards, so he's a must-start player in his return to the lineup.