NFL Player News

Thomas has been signed from the Jaguars' practice squad, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Thomas had been placed on the Jaguars' practice squad after injuring his knee during the 2018 preseason. He'll act as depth along the offensive line.

Coach Pete Carroll didn't sound optimistic about Penny (knee) being able to play Sunday against the Chiefs, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports. "We're holding out hope that maybe on gameday [Penny] can do something," Carroll said Friday. "We'll find out. He did a little bit of work [Friday] for the first time this week and his recovery is going really well."

Although he referred to Penny as a game-day decision, Carroll doesn't seem to have any expectation that the rookie will be able to play. Penny returned to practice Friday as a limited participant, logging his first activity of any kind since Week 14. An absence Sunday would free up a few extra touches for Mike Davis and Chris Carson, with J.D. McKissic potentially getting the occasional snap.

Penny is viewed as a game-day decision for Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Per Boyle, Penny is listed as questionable on the Seahawks' final injury report after returning to practice Friday as a limited participant. His availability shouldn't have a huge impact on the Seahawks' game plan, as they can simply allow Chris Carson and/or Mike Davis to take a few more carries if the rookie isn't available. Davis handled the vacated snaps in last week's 26-23 loss to the 49ers, but Carson might be the beneficiary if Seattle were to play with a lead this time around.

With Kerryon Johnson (knee) on injured reserve and LeGarrette Blount (calf) listed as questionable, Zenner and Theo Riddick are the Lions' only healthy running backs heading into Sunday's game against Minnesota, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Zenner already appeared to usurp Blount for the lead role during last week's 14-13 loss at Buffalo, getting the start and posting a 10-45-1 rushing line while the 32-year-old produced just nine yards on seven carries. Of course, Riddick contributed 47 yards on eight carries and nine yards on two receptions, so a timeshare will likely still be in the works even if Blount doesn't play Sunday. The prospect of sharing with one player instead of two obviously boosts Zenner's fantasy outlook, but there's no guarantee it comes to fruition and also no guarantee the injury-riddled Lions have any success against a tough Minnesota defense.

Williams is positioned for a sizable workload Sunday against the Seahawks with teammate Spencer Ware (hamstring) listed as doubtful for the contest, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Williams took full advantage of the same situation in last week's 29-28 loss to the Chargers, piling up 123 scrimmage yards and two scores on 16 touches while handling a 73 percent snap share. He'll now take aim at a defense that has allowed running backs to produce 4.6 yards per carry and 7.4 per target, though Seattle did a much better job containing opposing backfields the past three weeks (zero touchdowns, 222 rushing yards). Williams' career mark of 3.6 YPC isn't encouraging, but there's a lot to be said for handling the lead back role in an offense led by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.

Kelly is expected to work as the backup to C.J. Anderson in the event Todd Gurley (knee) and Justin Davis (shoulder) are unavailable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Kelly, a sixth-round pick out of Tennessee, exhibited some explosiveness during his opportunities in the preseason, but he's largely been an afterthought for the Rams since the regular season began. In fact, Kelly didn't dress for a game until Week 14, when Malcolm Brown's season-ending collarbone injury bumped him up a spot on the depth chart. It appeared the door might have open for Kelly to claim a three-down role when Gurley and Davis both came out of the Week 15 loss to the Eagles with injuries, but the recent addition of Anderson has put somewhat of a damper on the rookie's prospects. Instead, Kelly now looks like a better bet to serve as a change-of-pace option if Gurley and Davis are sidelined, taking on the bulk of the snaps on passing downs while the more experienced Anderson works as the primary ballcarrier. Regardless of how the Rams' running-back situation plays out in Week 16, there probably won't be much clarity until the team releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior the 4:05 p.m. EST kickoff.

Anderson is expected to earn the start at running back Sunday against the Cardinals if Todd Gurley (knee) is unable to play, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Per Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News, coach Sean McVay said that Gurley will go through a pregame workout before a decision on his status is made shortly before the Rams release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 4:05 p.m. EST kickoff. Along with Gurley, fellow back Justin Davis (shoulder) is listed as questionable, but Davis is more of a special-teams contributor and likely wouldn't have much of a role on offense if available. That leaves the newly signed Anderson and rookie John Kelly as the top candidates for touches in the event Gurley sits, with the former apparently ranking as the Rams' preferred backfield option due to his larger body of NFL experience. Because Anderson has been a member of the Rams for less than a week, however, there's still some risk of him losing work on passing downs and handling a limited snap share, making him somewhat of a low-upside handcuff for Gurley.

Breida (ankle) doesn't have a designation on the 49ers' final injury report for Sunday's game against the Bears.

Breida will continue playing through the same ankle injury that has bothered him for most of the season, hoping to avoid an in-game setback like the one he suffered during overtime of last week's 26-23 win over the Seahawks. He led the Niners in both carries (17) and receptions (five) during that contest, while Jeff Wilson was limited to seven touches. It's possible the team evens out the distribution this weekend in an effort to limit the strain on Breida's ankle.

Patterson (illness) was removed from the Patriots' Week 16 injury report after returning to practice Friday.

Patterson logged just five snaps in the Week 15 loss to the Steelers, but he should see more work Sunday against the Bills with Josh Gordon (suspension) no longer available. The same applies to both Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett, with the team likely to fill the passing-game void created by Gordon's absence with a committee approach.

Penny (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Penny didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, but he might be listed as a limited participant Friday once the Seahawks update their final injury report. A limited session could set Penny up a game-time decision ahead of Sunday's 8:20 p.m. EST kickoff.