NFL Player News

Mitchell (ribs) was limited at Thursday's practice, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

After not practicing at all Wednesday, Mitchell was on the field one day later wearing a blue non-contact jersey, which signaled the 49ers were capping his reps as he deals with a rib issue. Indeed, he operated under practice limitations, giving him one more chance to put in a full showing before week's end. Elsewhere in the backfield, JaMycal Hasty, Trey Sermon and Trenton Cannon avoided the injury report this week, while Jeff Wilson (knee) was designated to return from the reserve/PUP list. No matter, if Mitchell is available this Sunday, he'll be the 49ers' lead runner against the Cardinals.

Mitchell (ribs) was present at the portion of Thursday's practice open to the media, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Mitchell was donning a non-contact blue jersey, so if he fits in some work he likely won't be more than a limited participant. He's working his way through a rib issue, making it understandable for the 49ers to avoid any unnecessary dings on the practice field. In any case, Friday's injury report will be telling as it pertains to Mitchell's status for a Week 9 matchup with the Cardinals.

Williams (knee) didn't practice Thursday.

Williams hasn't been a huge beneficiary of David Montgomery's stint on injured reserve due to a sprained left knee, earning 21 carries for 66 yards and one touchdown and hauling in three of four targets for 23 yards in three appearances over the last four games. During the Bears' Week 8 loss to the 49ers, Williams exited early with a knee injury, and his lack of activity Thursday doesn't bode well for upcoming game action. If Montgomery, who was designated to return from IR on Thursday, is cleared to return Monday in Pittsburgh, a decision on Williams' availability may be made easier for coach Matt Nagy.

Washington (neck) practiced in full Thursday.

Washington was limited in practice Wednesday but was able to give it a full go on Thursday. He hasn't seen the field since Week 5 against The Football Team, when he was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit while on punt coverage. With the recent addition of Mark Ingram, it is likely Washington will primarily be relegated to special teams if he suits up Sunday against the Falcons.

Brightwell didn't practice Thursday and is in the COVID-19 protocol, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Brightwell was seemingly one of several Giants players and test members that tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, but following subsequent retesting, only running backs coach Burton Burns has had his positive result confirmed. Meanwhile, running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) and safety Xavier McKinney were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, though New York seemingly has hope that both will be cleared upon further follow-up testing. Brightwell's ability to avoid landing on the list thus far suggests the Giants have less concern about his status than Barkley's or McKinney's, but Brightwell's absence from practice suggests he's not completely out of the woods yet. Assuming Brightwell is cleared ahead of Sunday's game against the Raiders, he'll likely be limited to a special-teams role behind Devontae Booker and Elijhaa Penny, the Giants' preferred options for backfield work while Barkley is on the mend from the ankle injury.

Taylor signed a contract with the Packers on Thursday.

Taylor was waived by Green Bay at the end of August and has spent time on the team's practice squad to begin the regular season. The 23-year-old hasn't yet made his regular-season debut in the NFL but will serve as the Packers' No. 3 running back after Kylin Hill suffered a torn ACL last week.

Robinson (heel) remained sidelined at practice Thursday.

Per John Oehser of the Jaguars' official site, coach Urban Meyer indicated Wednesday that Robinson, who's considered day-to-day, has a chance to play Sunday against the Bills. However, after having logged back-to-back absences from practice, the running back presumably will have to work in some capacity Friday in order to have a chance to suit up this weekend. If Robinson ends up out or limited versus Buffalo, Carlos Hyde (calf), who returned to a full practice Thursday, would be in line for an expanded workload Week 9, with Dare Ogunbowale also in the mix for added touches.

Blasingame (knee) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Blasingame missed last week's win over the Colts with a knee injury, and he's been unable to take the field for the first two days of practice ahead of Week 9. If he hopes to play Sunday against the Rams, he'll presumably need to practice in some capacity Friday.

Singletary carried seven times for 28 yards and reeled in his lone target for a one-yard gain Sunday in the Bills' 26-11 win over the Dolphins.

Though Singletary received the start and wasn't far behind Zack Moss (14) in terms of touches, the former trailed more significantly in snap share. Moss was on the field for 47 of the Bills' 73 offensive snaps (64 percent), while Singletary received 24 snaps (34 percent). Since being a surprise healthy scratch Week 1, Moss has now out-snapped Singletary in each of the Bills' last five games, a clear indication Buffalo views the former as its top option out of the backfield. Singletary should at least remain a factor in a change-of-pace role, and he could actually see an uptick in work this weekend in Jacksonville. The 5-2 Bills will enter the contest as one of Week 9's heaviest favorites against the 1-6 Jaguars, and if Buffalo races out to an early lead, the distribution of snaps and touches between Moss and Singletary may become more even.

Murray (ankle) remained sidelined during Thursday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Back-to-back absences from practice cloud Murray's status for Sunday's game against the Vikings, and he'll presumably need to practice in some capacity Friday in order to have a chance to play this weekend. If he remains out, however, Devonta Freeman, Le'Veon Bell and Ty'Son Williams would be in line to continue to form a backfield committee for Baltimore in Week 9.