NFL Player News

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

Since fracturing his hand in the Eagles' Week 16 win over the Giants, Sanders has missed two straight games and hasn't put in a full practice. He's at least taken a step forward in terms of activity as the Eagles prepare for Sunday's wild-card game in Tampa Bay, as Sanders has now turned in consecutive limited practices to begin the week. Another limited showing wouldn't necessarily close the door on him playing Sunday, but he'll likely need to upgrade to full activity to avoid taking a designation into the weekend. If the Eagles decide Sanders' hand hasn't healed enough for him to play against the Buccaneers, the team would likely turn to a combination of Boston Scott and Jordan Howard to carry the load on the ground, while rookie Kenneth Gainwell serves as a change-of-pace option.

Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Edwards-Helaire was a limited participant Wednesday in the Chiefs' first practice of the week, so his absence a day later suggests the running back either received some extra maintenance or experienced a setback with his injured shoulder. If it's the latter case, Edwards-Helaire would likely be at major risk of missing his third straight game Sunday, when the Chiefs host the Steelers in the wild-card round. On a positive note, Darrel Williams (toe) was on the practice field again Thursday after joining Edwards-Helaire as a limited participant at Wednesday's session, so Kansas City should have at least one of its top two backs available for the start of the postseason.

Harris (elbow) remained a spectator for Thursday's practice, but head coach Mike Tomlin said the running back will be back on the field for Friday's session, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Tomlin mentioned that how Harris fares in Friday's workout will be telling for the rookie's availability for Sunday's wild-card game in Kansas City. Harris proved supremely durable during the regular season, approaching each of the Steelers' 17 contests without an injury designation while finishing with a league-high 381 touches (307 carries, 74 catches). However, after injuring his elbow early in Pittsburgh's Week 18 win over Baltimore, Harris could be at risk of taking a questionable tag into the playoff opener if he's anything less than a full participant at Friday's practice.

Thompson has been released from the Buccaneers' practice squad.

The move frees up a spot for the team's addition of wideout John Brown to the practice squad. Thompson had given the Bucs some added running back depth down the stretch, but he's the odd man out now that Leonard Fournette (hamstring) and Giovani Bernard (hip) appear to be nearing a return to action ahead of Tampa Bay's postseason run.

Ahmed appeared in 12 contests in 2021, recording 54 carries for 149 yards without a touchdown. He also secured 12 of 19 targets for 117 yards.

Ahmed was the least efficient member of Miami's regular backfield rotation (2.8 YPC), and he found himself a heathy scratch during the final four games of the year. As an exclusive rights free agent this offseason and with a new coaching staff eventually coming in, Ahmed's time with the team could well be nearing an end.

Homer rushed 21 times for 177 yards and a touchdown and caught 16 of 20 targets for 161 yards over 14 games during the 2021 season.

Homer mostly played on special teams this season. Both he and DeeJay Dallas rarely played on offense; Chris Carson (neck) and Alex Collins (abdomen) handled most of the reps through the first 11 games while Rashaad Penny hit his stride over the final five games. Head coach Pete Carroll doesn't seem to trust either Homer or Dallas with a consistent role, meaning both running backs will likely face competition in training camp if Penny walks in free agency and Carson isn't 100 percent for the start of the 2022 campaign.

Dallas finished the 2021 season with 33 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns and 21 catches (23 targets) for 133 yards through 17 games. He also recorded 764 yards on 33 kick returns.

Dallas played more than 40 percent of the offensive snaps just twice this season, and he averaged a mere 8.9 snaps per game. The second-year running back had a chance to secure an increased role when Chris Carson (neck) and Alex Collins (abdomen) suffered injuries. Instead, Rashaad Penny burst onto the scene over the final five weeks with 671 rushing yards (7.3 YPC) and six rushing touchdowns. Penny will be an unrestricted free agent in March but could be re-signed by the Seahawks, and Carson is expected to be back for training camp. Even if both Penny and Carson are out of the picture, the Seahawks will almost certainly bring in competition for Dallas and Travis Homer.

Harris (hamstring) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

Haris could be limited again Thursday and listed as questionable ahead of Saturday's playoff opener against the Bills, but there's been nothing to suggest that the running back will sit out the game. Assuming Harris is active, Rhamondre Stevenson would also be in line to see a portion of the team's early-down work, while Brandon Bolden would handle change-of-pace snaps.

Stevenson (head) doesn't appear on the Patriots' injury report ahead of Saturday's wild-card game against the Bills.

Per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, Stevenson was limited to just nine snaps in the Patriots' Week 18 loss to the Dolphins on account of the head injury. Fortunately, Stevenson was able to check back into the contest, which suggested he passed all concussion tests. With no limitations Wednesday in the Patriots' first practice of the week, Stevenson is poised to continue to share early-down work this weekend with Damien Harris.

Williams (toe) was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) was also limited, with head coach Andy Reid noting that both backs "looked good" in practice, per Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star. While Reid added that the team will continue to evaluate both Edwards-Helaire and Williams in the coming days, the Chiefs should have a decent chance at having their top two backs available for Sunday's wild-card game against the Steelers.