NFL Player News

Robinson (heel) didn't practice Wednesday.

Adam Schefter of ESPN previously noted that Robinson escaped a serious injury in the Jaguars' Week 8 loss to the Seahawks, but added that the running back is viewed as day-to-day ahead of Sunday's game against the Bills. Also on Jacksonville's initial Week 9 injury report is No. 2 back Carlos Hyde, who was limited by a calf injury Wednesday.

Carolina head coach Matt Rhule classified McCaffrey (hamstring) as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, David Newton of ESPN.com reports. "I would probably say he was pretty limited, not a ton of plays," Rhule said, when asked about the extent of McCaffrey's activity. "Just trying to begin the process of working him back. We'll see how he looks [Thursday] in terms of this weekend and his availability. See how he responds to this, but no setbacks."

The Panthers officially designated McCaffrey for a return from injured reserve Wednesday, but because he hasn't been activated to the 53-man roster, the team doesn't have to include him on its Week 9 injury report. Rhule at least helped give fantasy managers an idea of where McCaffrey stands in his recovery by labeling him as a limited participant in his first practice since aggravating the injury in a Week 6 workout, after he initially tweaked his hamstring in the team's Week 3 win over the Texans. Carolina isn't ruling McCaffrey out from putting an end to his five-game absence Sunday against New England, but the star running back presumably will need to increase his practice activity the next two days to have a realistic shot at making that a reality. McCaffrey's return to practice Wednesday opened a 21-day window for Carolina to either bring him back from IR or shut him down for the remainder of the season.

Mitchell (ribs) won't practice Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Barrows notes that the hope is Mitchell gets some practice in during the week, so we'll revisit the running back's status no later than Thursday. In the 49ers' Week 8 win over the Bears, Mitchell was on the field for 36 of a possible 56 snaps on offense en route to carrying 18 times for 137 yards and a TD.

Mack wasn't moved to another team ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, despite he and the Colts mutually agreeing to seek a deal elsewhere, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

A quiet market for running backs was ultimately a major factor in Mack remaining in Indianapolis once the deadline passed. After playing just one snap on offense in last week's loss to the Titans, Mack will likely continue to fill a small role on offense unless Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines were to miss time. Mack hasn't given any indications that he'll ask for his release after not being traded.

Barkley (ankle/COVID-19 protocol) didn't practice Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Barkley was among 13 Giants players or staffers that tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, but upon retesting, only running backs coach Burton Burns has a confirmed positive result. Because Barkley is vaccinated, he'll be able to rejoin his teammates if he tests negative again Thursday. Whether he gets back on the practice field is another story as he continues his recovery from a left ankle sprain suffered Week 5, which has resulted in three consecutive missed games. During that time, Devontae Booker and fullback Elijhaa Penny have earned most of the reps out of the Giants backfield.

Barkley (ankle) is among the members of the Giants organization that tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, but the result has yet to be confirmed, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, 13 players or staff members tested positive, but only running backs coach Burton Burns is confirmed to have submitted a second positive result on a retest. Since Rapoport notes that Barkley is vaccinated, the running back would be eligible to rejoin the Giants if he tests negative again 24 hours after the first negative result. Barkley doesn't look like he'll be able to practice Wednesday as a result, but he could be back on the field in some capacity Thursday if he clears all health and safety protocols. Barkley has missed the Giants' last three games with a left ankle sprain, so he'll need to demonstrate enough progress in practice by the end of the week to have a shot to play Sunday against the Raiders.

Ward (concussion) is not practicing Wednesday, Howard Balzer of SI.com reports.

Ward will need to fully clear the league's concussion protocol before returning to game action, making his status for Sunday's game against the 49ers still uncertain. Through the first eight weeks of the season, Ward has primarily contributed on special teams.

Carolina designated McCaffrey (hamstring) to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

As a result, the Panthers have a 21-day window in which to activate McCaffrey or leave him on IR. Assuming McCaffrey experiences no setbacks in practice the next three days, the Panthers could have the star running back available Sunday against the Patriots, but Carolina won't have to officially activate him until Saturday if they intend to have him play this week. Chuba Hubbard has been filling in as the team's lead back in McCaffrey's absence, but he would presumably move into a complementary role in the event that McCaffrey is cleared for the Week 9 matchup.

Perine played only 14 offensive snaps in a Week 8 loss to the Jets without netting a carry, but he did catch both his targets for 16 yards.

This was a bit of a surprise, given Perine's usage the previous week against the Ravens and the absence of Chris Evans against the Jets. It's a sign that the Bengals believe Joe Mixon's ankle is fully healed, as this was the kind of workload Perine was seeing prior to Mixon's injury.

Patrick was released from the 49ers' practice squad Tuesday.

Patrick was waived by San Francisco in mid-October but stuck around the team on the practice squad. With JaMycal Hasty now healthy and back in the fold and Jeff Wilson (knee) nearing his return from the PUP list, the 49ers have plenty of depth at running back for now.