NFL Player News

The Chargers released Hines from their practice squad Tuesday.

The Chargers had already used their maximum three elevations to the active roster on Hines this season, and rather than promoting him permanently, they decided to cut ties. In his three appearances this year, he recorded two carries for negative two yards.

Reynolds (hamstring) was not available for team drills during Detroit's practice Tuesday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

Reynolds suffered a hamstring injury during the first half in Week 7 versus the Buccaneers, and even with the benefit of a Week 8 bye, it's still bothering him as the Lions begin preparations for Week 9. His participation at practice will be worth noting when Detroit publishes its first official practice report of the week Wednesday.

New York placed Skattebo (ankle) on injured reserve Tuesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

After dislocating his right ankle in Sunday's 38-20 loss to the Eagles, Skattebo underwent season-ending surgery hours later, with head coach Brian Daboll relaying that "all went well" with the operation, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Skattebo has been discharged from the hospital and is able to begin rehabbing right away, but he's without a specific timeline for a return and may not be back to 100 percent health by the start of the 2026 campaign. The fourth-round pick out of Arizona State had emerged as the Giants' lead back prior to suffering the devastating injury, and he'll finish his rookie season with 410 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries to go with a 24-207-2 receiving line on 32 targets over eight games. Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary are slated to fill the void in the New York backfield.

Rodriguez carried once for two yards while playing two of the Commanders' 53 snaps on offense in Monday's 28-7 loss to the Chiefs.

Rodriguez has now played single-digit snaps in three straight games, all of which were Commanders losses. As an early-down specialist, Rodriguez will likely have a role in grinding out the clock when the Commanders are sitting on a lead, but he's been almost entirely phased out of the game plan while Washington has been in tight games or has faced large deficits over the past three weeks.

Smith accrued three rushes for eight yards during Monday's 28-7 win against the Commanders.

Smith remains a depth back for the Chiefs, but his lack of involvement as a receiver out of the backfield is a bit disappointing. Monday's effort marks the first time since Week 1 that Smith wasn't targeted and the first time since Week 3 that he didn't record a reception. The rookie back played just nine offensive snaps Monday but could see a bit more run should Isiah Pacheco's MCL injury cost him some time.

Arizona re-signed Carter to its practice squad Tuesday.

Following a Week 8 bye, the Cardinals released Carter from the 53-man roster on Monday, but the fifth-year running back will end up sticking around in the organization. At the moment, Arizona has only two running backs on its roster -- Bam Knight and Emari Demercado (ankle), the latter of whom sat out a Week 7 loss to the Packers -- so Carter should be elevated from the practice squad ahead of Monday's game in Dallas. Knight still projects to serve as Arizona's lead option on the ground in Week 9.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Carter will take part in Tuesday's practice, indicating that the Cardinals at least have re-signed him to the practice squad, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Arizona released Carter on Monday, a procedural move to open up a spot on the active roster in order to activate first-round pick rookie DT Walter Nolen (calf) from the PUP list. Carter has been serving as the No. 2 RB behind Bam Knight the last two games with James Conner (foot) out for the season and Trey Benson (knee) likely at least a couple weeks away from his return from IR. During that two-game stretch, Carter gained 100 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches.

Pacheco is considered week-to-week due to a right MCL sprain that he suffered during Monday's 28-7 win against the Commanders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The injury undoubtedly stems from a hit to the side of his right knee that he took in the fourth quarter. Pacheco still ended up pacing the team in rushing yards (58), which was a season-high marks for the fourth-year pro. Assuming he does miss time, Kareem Hunt is lined up to lead Kansas City's backfield, while rookie Brashard Smith and potentially Elijah Mitchell are candidates for increased roles in the offense.

Head coach Dave Canales hinted Monday that Hubbard is likely to cede more carries to Rico Dowdle, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports. "Chuba has meant a lot to this organization and certainly to the identity that we want to build and we wanted to give him the opportunity to go out there and to continue to impact our team in a positive way," Canales said. "But we cannot ignore the fact that Rico has been exceptional. ... We love tempo and violence that he is running with. These are things we are looking back on the last four games and really taking a snapshot of what has been successful for us."

Carolina has more of a financial commitment to Hubbard after inking him to a four-year, $33.2 million extension last November, but Dowdle's stellar results over the past four weeks have made it difficult for Canales to justify a two-pronged approach in the backfield. While Hubbard was sidelined in Weeks 5 and 6 with a calf injury, Dowdle racked up 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in wins over the Dolphins and Cowboys. The offseason signing has continued to thrive while being used in a timeshare with Hubbard over the past two games, averaging 5.3 yards on his 25 carries, more than doubling up the incumbent's average of 2.5 yards on 26 totes. Hubbard isn't expected to disappear from Carolina's game plan completely and could even continue to make what amount to ceremonial starts, but Canales' comments indicate that Dowdle is viewed as the team's clear top option on the ground heading into Sunday's game in Green Bay.

Head coach Dave Canales hinted Monday that he's inclined to give Dowdle the bulk of the Panthers' carries rather than having him split work evenly with Chuba Hubbard, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports. "Chuba has meant a lot to this organization and certainly to the identity that we want to build and we wanted to give him the opportunity to go out there and to continue to impact our team in a positive way," Canales said. "But we cannot ignore the fact that Rico has been exceptional... We love tempo and violence that he is running with. These are things we are looking back on the last four games and really taking a snapshot of what has been successful for us."

While Hubbard was sidelined with a calf injury in Weeks 5 and 6, Dowdle took full advantage of his opportunity to serve as Carolina's lead back, amassing 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in wins over the Dolphins and Cowboys. In the two games since Hubbard returned, he alternated series with the offseason signing, but Dowdle has handily been the more productive back, averaging 5.3 yards on 25 carries compared to the incumbent's 2.5 yards on 26 carries. Though Hubbard may be on the field for the first snap Sunday in Green Bay, Canales' comments point to the touches tilting more dramatically in Dowdle's favor.