NFL Player News

With Dontrell Hilliard (concussion) returning to practice, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Johnson becomes third on the running back depth chart leading up Week 3 against the Rams.

Johnson was a respectable fill-in last week as the primary backup to Nick Chubb, catching three passes for 42 yards and adding eight yards on the ground. During the Browns' Week 1 loss, when all of their backs were healthy, Johnson was limited to just nine snaps (12 percent).

Coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that the Packers would "like to even out those touches a little bit" between Jones and Jamaal Williams, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

LaFleur's comments come on the heels of Jones receiving a career-high 27 touches, which he turned into 150 yards from scrimmage and one TD run. However, Jones' usage was static from the season opener (59 percent of the snaps on offense) to Week 2 (61), and Williams' workload actually increased as well from 41 to 49 percent of those plays. Despite having a slight lead in work, Jones has more than doubled Williams' touch count (41-19) to date. Considering Jones is averaging 4.3 YPC to Williams' 2.0, LaFleur doesn't have much impetus to change what's been working, health aside. Notably, Jones ended both of his first two campaigns on IR, so upping Williams' number of snaps/touches could help the former stay fresh throughout the season and potentially into the playoffs.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that he wants to "even up" carries between Williams and Aaron Jones, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Williams saw just nine carries for 28 yards while catching three passes for 13 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's win over the Vikings. Meanwhile, Jones logged a career-high 23 rushing attempts and compiled 150 scrimmage yards and a score on 27 touches. LaFleur is hoping to keep Jones fresh for the entire season and could prioritize a more balanced backfield going forward, but the Packers should still turn to the more explosive running back, Jones, in clutch situations.

Barner (ankle) did not practice Wednesday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Barner was a late addition to last week's injury report with an ankle injury, but he still ended up being active for Sunday night's contest against the Eagles. It's unclear at this time if Barner suffered a setback or if the Falcons are just being cautious with the running back.

Jacobs (groin) was limited at practice Wednesday.

We'll continue to track Jacobs' status in the coming days, but ESPN's Paul Gutierrez notes that the rookie back played through his groin issue this past Sunday against the Chiefs. Barring any setbacks, we'd expect Jacobs -- who was quoted afterward as saying "I don't want to be labeled as a soft back" -- to be available this coming weekend against the Vikings.

Conner (knee) didn't practice Wednesday.

Though he didn't practice Wednesday, Conner noted with regard to Sunday's game against the 49ers, "I believe I am going to be good to go." For his part, coach Mike Tomlin said "I'm not ready to say James Conner is not going to be a full participant in this game. We'll let his practice participation be our guide, and then everyone else's division of labor will tier down from there." While the running back can't be considered a lock to play this weekend, there is definitely optimism on that front. That's something that would gain further momentum if Conner practices in some capacity Thursday.

Bolden (hamstring) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Bolden will be ready to play in Sunday's game versus the Jets. Although Bolden is buried on the depth chart, the Patriots are heavy favorites and could deploy him in garbage time if the game ends up a blowout. However, even when the Patriots were far ahead of the Steelers, they opted for Rex Burkhead and Damien Harris first.

Coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that he feels "comfortable" with Thompson receiving more work if he learns his assignments as a pass blocker, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Reid also highlighted Thompson's youth and lack of experience, but he added that the rookie is "getting there." Thompson could be on tap for a significant workload Sunday versus the Ravens, with Damien Williams (knee) and LeSean McCoy (ankle) both managing injuries. The combination of Williams and McCoy have accounted for 92 percent of Kansas City's plays at the running back position, per Teicher, and if they were forced to miss any time, Thompson and Darrel Williams could see a sharp uptick in usage.

Clement (shoulder) is listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

Clement is nursing a shoulder injury suffered during Sunday's loss to the Falcons and is expected to miss at least one week. He was spotted wearing a sling following the Week 2 contest, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but it was reportedly just a precautionary measure. Miles Sanders stands to see work returning kicks as long as Clement is unable to go, with Darren Sproles handling punt returns.

Mack (calf) was listed as a non-participant in what coach Frank Reich classified as a "modified practice" Wednesday, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

The report described the session as an "up-tempo walkthrough." Meanwhile, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star relays that the running back walked through the locker room Tuesday carrying a walking boot (as opposed to wearing it), but told reporters that he'd be fine. Though updates here are worth revisiting Thursday, at this stage his status for Sunday's game against the Falcons does not appear to be in danger.