NFL Player News

Vaughn (ribs) was spotted participating in the early portion of Wednesday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn suffered a rib injury during Sunday's win over the Jets, so it's encouraging to see him handling reps to begin Week 18 prep. Later Wednesday, the Buccaneers will release their first official Week 18 injury report, which will reveal whether he was a limited or a full participant. Meanwhile, Ronald Jones (ankle) wasn't present for the early portion of practice.

Mixon (illness) tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Bengals haven't yet officially confirmed Schefter's report, but assuming the test result is confirmed, look for Mixon to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list later Wednesday. Mixon will have the ability to test out of the NFL's COVID-19 protocol prior to Sunday, but since he'll miss some practice time at a minimum, he'll more than likely be out for the regular-season finale, especially with Cincinnati having already clinched a playoff berth. Samaje Perine will stand to inherit the lead role in Cincinnati's backfield if Mixon is indeed ruled out for Week 18, while Chris Evans would also handle a larger role as a change-of-pace option.

Patrick was added to the Ravens' practice squad Tuesday, Clifton Brown from the Ravens' official website reports.

The running back was waived from the Panthers' practice squad Dec. 21, but now has found a new squad prior to the last week of the regular season. Patrick was active for two games with the 49ers this season, operating mostly as a special-teams option in those contests.

Pollard (foot) was listed as a limited participant in Tuesday's walk-through practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

As the Cowboys began preparing for Saturday's regular-season finale with the Eagles, Pollard was likely just getting some extra rest after he sustained a left foot injury on a 58-yard touchdown run against the Saints back in Week 13. He proceeded to sit out the Cowboys' Week 14 win over Washington, but Pollard has been back in the lineup for the past three games and has taken on a role similar to the one he held pre-injury. Since his Week 15 return, Pollard is averaging 10.3 touches and 65.0 yards from scrimmage, though he didn't find the end zone in any of those three games.

Sanders (hand) didn't participate in Tuesday's walk-through practice.

Sanders' listing on the Eagles' first Week 18 practice report comes as little surprise after head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday that he expects the running back to sit out Saturday's regular-season finale versus the Cowboys. The Eagles are tentatively leaving the door open for Sanders to suit up this weekend, but he'll need to practice in some fashion Wednesday or Thursday to make that a reality. With Sanders likely headed for a second straight absence, the Eagles could be woefully short-handed in the backfield Saturday. Boston Scott (illness) and Jordan Howard (illness) were both placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, leaving Kenneth Gainwell as the only healthy back on the roster at the moment.

Johnson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday after he tested positive for the virus, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

According to Jake Trotter of ESPN.com, Johnson is vaccinated, so he'll be eligible to come off the list as soon as he's deemed asymptomatic or is able to turn in consecutive negative test results at least 24 hours apart. He should have a shot at being reinstated to the roster prior to Sunday's game against the Bengals, though he'll almost certainly miss practice time while following the NFL's COVID-19 return-to-play protocols. Even if he gets cleared to suit up in the season finale, Johnson could be in store for a small role out of the backfield if both Nick Chubb (ribs) and Kareem Hunt (ankle) are able to play through their respective injuries.

Henry (foot) is expected to participate in practice Wednesday, though he's viewed as a "long shot" to be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale in Houston, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

Before Henry is eligible to mix into drills with his healthy teammates, the Titans must first designate him to return from IR, a transaction that will open a 21-day window for the team to evaluate him for a spot on the 53-man roster. Henry's impending return to practice was foreshadowed Monday, when he took part in individual drills after he was previously seen jogging around in cleats a week before. Given that he hasn't played since late October after fracturing a bone in his right foot and undergoing surgery, Henry will likely need some time to get his conditioning in order. Moreover, since the heavily favored Titans are in good shape to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs with a win over the 4-12 Texans, the team likely won't push Henry to return at less than 100 percent for the regular-season finale. Ideally though, Henry will be back to full speed or close to it for the start of the playoffs, giving a major boost to a Titans squad that has managed to stay afloat atop the AFC South while the league's reigning rushing leader has been sidelined for the second half of the season.

Williams (knee) was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

For the fourth week in a row, Williams is appearing on the injury report with a lingering knee issue, but head coach Vic Fangio hasn't suggested the rookie is at risk of missing Saturday's season finale against Kansas City. So long as Williams continues to practice in some capacity Wednesday and Thursday, he'll likely be deemed good to go for the Week 18 matchup. As has been the case all season, Williams is expected to once again work in a timeshare out of the backfield with Melvin Gordon (thumb/hip), who was also listed as a limited participant Tuesday.

Denver listed Gordon (thumb/hip) as a limited participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Gordon has appeared on Denver practice reports with at least one of two injuries dating back to Week 13, but he's suited up in each of the past four games while seeing no notable reduction in his snap or touch counts. If he doesn't upgrade beyond limited participation in practice by Thursday, Gordon may carry a questionable designation into Saturday's game against the Chiefs, but he should still play in the season finale.

Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) didn't practice Tuesday, but head coach Andy Reid said the running back still has a chance to play in Saturday's game in Denver, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

In order to have a realistic shot at suiting up this weekend, Edwards-Helaire will almost certainly need to fit in some practice activity, so what he's able to do Wednesday or Thursday will go a long way toward determining his status. While Edwards-Helaire missed his sixth game of the season in the Chiefs' Week 17 loss to Cincinnati, Darrel Williams (14 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns, three catches for 19 yards) filled a lead role out of the backfield.