NFL Player News

Mixon (foot) won't practice Wednesday, Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Bengals still consider Mixon day-to-day, but missing practice to begin the week isn't a good early sign for his chances of playing Sunday against the Titans. Mixon will still have two more chances to resume practicing before Cincinnati decides whether to give him a designation heading into the weekend. If Mixon is forced to miss another game, Giovani Bernard would be in line to draw a second straight start.

Coach Doug Pederson labeled Sanders (knee) as day-to-day Wednesday, Mike Kaye of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Sanders, who last suited up in Week 6, missed last Thursday's 22-21 win over the Giants, with Boston Scott filling in as the Eagles' lead back. The day-to-day label at least implies that a Week 8 return is plausible for Sanders, though that will clearly hinge on how much and how well he practices this week.

Coach Mike Zimmer said that Cook (groin) will practice Wednesday.

The Vikings won't reveal whether Cook will be limited or full participant until after the workout concludes. Even if Cook is listed as limited to begin the week, Zimmer said he assumes the running back will be ready to play Sunday against the Packers, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Cook was sidelined for the Vikings' Week 6 loss to the Falcons before benefiting from a Week 7 bye.

Ogunbowale fielded six offensive snaps with no touches, also collecting two tackles on 21 special-teams snaps during Sunday's 39-29 loss to the Chargers.

Ogunbowale has yet to garner an offensive touch in his debut campaign with the Jaguars, after logging 35 receptions and 11 rushes for a total of 303 scrimmage yards last year in Tampa Bay. So far in 2020, James Robinson has dominated the running back workload by fielding 107 of the position's 113 carries and 32 of the 51 RB targets. Barring an injury on the depth chart ahead of him, Ogunbowale seems destined for extremely limited offensive usage.

Freeman registered 12 rushing yards on three carries, adding a five-yard reception during Sunday's 43-16 loss to Kansas City.

Freeman fielded 18 offensive snaps in Week 7, as Phillip Lindsay was forced to exit late in the second quarter because of a concussion. If Lindsay were forced to sit out Sunday's upcoming matchup against the Chargers' 14th-ranked rush defense, Freeman would once again be inserted into the No. 2 RB role as a complement to Melvin Gordon. Freeman garnered nine offensive touches Week 6 against the Patriots as Gordon sat out with a case of strep throat, meaning he could be in line for a similar workload against Los Angeles if Lindsay is unable to clear concussion protocol.

Vaughn did not play a single offensive snap during Sunday's 45-20 win against Las Vegas.

With Leonard Fournette fielding 11 carries behind Ronald Jones' team high of 13, the rookie back was afforded no offensive opportunities during Week 7. Vaughn racked up 42 rushing yards on five carries against Green Bay during a Week 6 rout, but with both veteran backs healthy against Las Vegas, the Vanderbilt product was limited to special-teams usage only. Unless Tampa Bay's Week 8 road trip to face the Giants becomes a one-sided affair, Vaughn will likely be relegated to an obsolete role in the offense.

Patterson had three carries for one yard and caught three of four targets for 11 yards during Monday's 24-10 loss to the Rams. He also returned four kickoffs for 94 yards.

The 29-year-old has now played between 10 and 15 offensive snaps in all seven games this season, and he has 25 carries for 71 yards while catching 11 of 13 targets for 77 yards. It seemed possible Patterson could help fill the void left by Tarik Cohen (torn ACL) after the latter landed on injured reserve, but Patterson has seen no uptick in playing time since the injury Week 3 and is averaging only 17.8 scrimmage yards over that four-game stretch.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said after Tuesday's practice that McCaffrey (ankle) hasn't been ruled out from returning from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game against the Falcons, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Rhule's comments came after Carolina designated McCaffrey to return from IR, a move that allowed the running back to resume practicing for the first time since suffering a high right ankle sprain Sept. 20. While Rhule noted that McCaffrey looked good in his on-field work Tuesday, the Panthers may continue to evaluate him up until game day before deciding on whether to add him back to the 53-man roster in Week 8. If McCaffrey does gain clearance for Thursday's contest, he may not immediately step back into a lead role out of the backfield as the Panthers presumably look to exercise some caution with his usage in his first game back. Mike Davis has filled in admirably as Carolina's three-down back over the past five weeks, averaging 88.4 yards from scrimmage and scoring four touchdowns during that span.

Coach Doug Marrone said Tuesday that Ozigbo's hamstring injury is in the same leg of the injury that kept him out for six weeks, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Ozigbo spent the first six weeks of the season on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury, and upon his return to the lineup, the second-year running back aggravated the injury. It's unclear how severe his current injury is, but there's a good chance he will miss time again due to the recurring nature of this issue. James Robinson and Dare Ogunbowale are currently the only two healthy running backs on Jacksonville's roster because Chris Thompson is on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Jaguars have a Week 8 bye before returning to action against the Texans.

The Panthers designated McCaffrey (ankle) to return from injured reserve Tuesday.

After showing up to practice Tuesday sporting no pads and a red no-contact jersey, McCaffrey initially looked like he would be relegated to working out on the side field. However, shortly after the Panthers announced that McCaffrey was designated to return from IR, David Newton of ESPN.com noted that the running back put on a helmet and swapped his red jersey for a black one. The transaction opens up a 21-day window during which the Panthers can evaluate McCaffrey for a return from IR, and the 24-year-old would seemingly have a chance at being available for Thursday's game against the Falcons. Before determining his status for the Week 8 contest, the Panthers' coaching and training staff will likely assess how McCaffrey's right high-ankle sprain responds to practice activity Tuesday and Wednesday.