NFL Player News

Jacksonville signed Wilkins to its practice squad Monday.

The 27-year-old went unclaimed off waivers after being cut loose by Indianapolis following last week's trade deadline, but he didn't take long to find a new home elsewhere. Though he won't immediately be added to the 53-man roster, Wilkins could be a candidate to join the Jaguars in Week 10 for a game against his former team if lead back James Robinson (heel) is sidelined for a second straight contest. Carlos Hyde, Dare Ogunbowale and Devine Ozigbo currently are the healthy backs in Jacksonville.

Washington did not log an offensive snap during Sunday's 27-25 loss to Atlanta.

With Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram locked in atop the depth chart, Washington was only needed for reps on special teams, where he returned two kickoffs for a combined 39 yards.

The Panthers waived Freeman on Monday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

With top back Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) returning from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's loss to the Patriots, Freeman dropped to fourth on the depth chart and was relegated to special-teams work Week 10. Over eight games with Carolina this season, the fourth-year back carried 21 times for 77 yards (3.7 average) and hauled in three of six targets for 15 yards.

Foreman recorded five rushes for 29 yards in Sunday's 28-16 win over the Rams.

After signing with Tennessee earlier in the week, Foreman finished third on the team in carries behind Adrian Peterson and Jeremy McNichols in the absence of Derrick Henry (foot). Foreman was fairly effective in his opportunities, racking up gains of 11 and eight yards on the ground. It's likely that he will remain in line for at least some work going forward, though it appears the Titans are willing to utilize a split between Peterson, McNichols and Foreman out of the backfield.

The Bears activated Montgomery (knee) from injured reserve ahead of Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Larry Mayer of the team's official site reports.

After missing four straight games due to the knee sprain he sustained Oct. 3, Montgomery was designated to return from IR on Thursday and turned in a strong week of practice, according to head coach Matt Nagy. Though Nagy didn't go into specifics regarding what Montgomery's workload will look like in his first game in more than a month, the 24-year-old is expected to displace Khalil Herbert as the Bears' lead back and see the bulk of the team's carries Monday, per Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago. Montgomery totaled 358 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns through Chicago's first four games of the season.

McNichols recorded seven carries for 24 yards in Sunday's 28-16 win over the Rams. He added three receptions for 11 yards.

McNichols finished second on the team in carries, with Adrian Peterson commanding 10 rushing attempts and D'Onta Foreman five. McNichols ripped off a 14-yard gain but was largely held on check on the ground. Similarly, he had one reception that went for nine yards but otherwise was limited as a receiver. Though he did see an increased role on the ground as projected in the absence of Derrick Henry (foot), the Titans backfield appears to have devolved into a three-way timeshare for touches.

Kelly was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.

Kelly has appeared in three games for the Browns this season, but he has only recorded two touches for 13 yards. His absence shouldn't affect Cleveland's backfield rotation.

Herbert is expected to shift into a complementary role Monday against the Steelers with the Bears set to reinstate lead back David Montgomery (knee) from injured reserve prior to the contest, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

When he spoke to the media earlier Monday, head coach Matt Nagy didn't go into detail regarding what Montgomery's workload might look like in his first game back after a one-month absence, but the 24-year-old appears likely to pace the Chicago backfield in snaps and touches against the Steelers following a good week of practice. The Bears could be inclined to ease Montgomery in to some extent rather than having him immediately reclaim the 70-to-80 percent snap shares he routinely handled in 2020 and through the first weeks of the current season, but in any case there likely won't be enough work left over for Herbert to provide meaningful fantasy value. The rookie sixth-round pick at least proved to be a capable replacement over the past four weeks, averaging 4.4 yards per carry on 78 attempts while hauling in nine of 10 targets for 44 yards and scoring a touchdown.

Mattison had four carries for a total of zero yards and one reception on his lone target for three yards in Sunday's 34-31 overtime loss at Baltimore.

Mattison played just nine snaps as he has a limited backup role with Dalvin Cook at full strength. Mattison eclipsed 100 rushing yards in both spot starts when Cook has sat out this season, so he's one of the more valuable backups in the league.

Nwangwu returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown and also had a nine-yard carry for a first down on a fake punt in Sunday's overtime loss at Baltimore.

He also had another kickoff return for 23 yards. Nwangwu has been limited to special teams, but his speed there can make an impact for the Vikings.