NFL Player News

McFarland (concussion) is not listed on Thursday's injury report, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

McFarland dealt with a concussion in late August, but he's since managed to fully clear the league's five-step protocol for brain injuries. With a healthy James Conner primed for deployment as Pittsburgh's bell-cow back, McFarland looks set to begin his career in a depth role against the Giants on Monday.

Jacksonville offensive coordinator Jay Gruden confirmed that Robinson would serve as the team's starting running back in Sunday's season opener versus the Colts, John Oesher of the team's official site reports. "I feel good about him," Gruden said Wednesday. "I'm excited to watch him play. I know he's excited. He won't show it, though. I haven't seen him smile but twice the whole time since I've been here."

An undrafted rookie out of FCS Illinois State, Robinson saw his hopes of making Jacksonville's roster improve following the Aug. 31 release of Leonard Fournette. He then made further headway up the depth chart when Ryquell Armstead was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sept. 4 and when Devine Ozigbo (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve. Since neither Armstead nor Ozigbo has much of a track record at the NFL level and because the only other two other backs on the roster (Chris Thompson and Dare Ogunbowale) are better suited for third-down roles, Robinson could cement himself as the Jaguars' top option on the ground if he shines out of the gate in his NFL debut. Ozigbo won't be eligible to return until Week 4, while head coach Doug Marrone recently said Armstead is without a clear timeline to resume playing.

The Texans promoted Phillips from their practice squad Thursday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The undrafted rookie out of Mississippi was among Houston's final roster cuts over the weekend, but it didn't take long for him to earn a callup from the practice squad. For the time being, he'll slot in as the fourth man on the depth chart at running back behind David Johnson, Duke Johnson and Buddy Howell. None of the three are listed on Houston's injury report ahead of Thursday's season opener at Kansas City, so Phillips could find himself among the Texans' seven inactive players for the contest.

Patterson (knee) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

A limited participant in Wednesday's session, Patterson's advancement to full work a day later clears the way for him to suit up in Sunday's season opener at Detroit. For the second straight year, the 29-year-old is slated to serve as Chicago's top kickoff returner while also providing depth at receiver.

Montgomery (groin) practiced fully Thursday, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Montgomery kicked off Week 1 prep with a limited session, the result of a groin strain suffered Aug. 26. He touched on the limitations Thursday, telling Stacey Dales of NFL Network that he "didn't do much in practice yesterday. Wanna be safe." By getting in a full session, Montgomery is ready to lead the Bears backfield Sunday at Detroit, at least on early downs.

Gordon (ribs) isn't listed on the Broncos' Week 1 injury report, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Gordon is thus good to go heading into Monday night's game against the Titans and set to work in tandem with returnee Phillip Lindsay. Though a time-share is to be expected with such a capable duo on hand, it's generally expected that Gordon will take a larger share of Denver's carries this coming season.

Sanders (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

After head coach Doug Pederson labeled him as day-to-day earlier this week, Sanders has proceeded to turn in back-to-back limited practices. Ideally, Sanders will practice fully Friday to clear up some of the concern about his availability for Sunday's game at Washington, but even another limited showing wouldn't close the door on him playing in the season opener. The bigger question is what kind of workload and snap count Sanders might receive Sunday after the hamstring issue cost him significant time during training camp. Boston Scott and Corey Clement (quadriceps) -- who was also limited in Thursday's practice -- are next in line for reps out of the Philadelphia backfield if Sanders ends up sitting out this weekend or faces any sort of restriction with his use.

Evans (hamstring) was limited at practice Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Evans' return to practice Thursday puts him on track to suit up Monday night against the Broncos. The 2020 third-rounder is listed as the Titans' top backup behind clear-cut lead runner Derrick Henry, a context that should land Evans change-of-pace touches out of the gate this season.

Swift (hip) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Though Swift's reps were capped on account of the hip injury for the second day in a row, coach Matt Patricia hasn't suggested the rookie is in any real danger of missing Sunday's season opener versus the Bears. If available, Swift will likely be part of a timeshare in a Detroit backfield that includes Kerryon Johnson, Adrian Peterson and potentially, second-year man Ty Johnson.

Hill (thigh) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

With two absences from practice to begin the week, Hill will likely need to turn in at least a limited showing in Friday's session to garner a questionable designation heading into Sunday's season opener versus the Browns. As a rookie last season, Hill logged 58 carries as the team's No. 3 running back behind Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards, but the Oklahoma State product may have fallen to fourth on the depth chart this season after the Ravens selected another back (J.K. Dobbins) in the second round of April's draft.