NFL Player News

Jones carried 13 times for 49 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 35-14 win over the Bears.

The rookie was pressed into action after both Ty Montgomery (ribs) and Jamaal Williams (knee) suffered in-game injuries. He plowed in from two yards out for his first NFL touchdown in the second quarter after a 58-yard connection between Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson opened the drive. The 13 carries were Jones' first in the NFL, as the UTEP product had only been active as an emergency option in Week 2. Jones, who racked up 1,773 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in his final college campaign, may find himself helming the Packers backfield in a Week 5 road showdown versus the Cowboys if neither of his teammates is able to suit up.

Williams (knee) is out for the remainder of Thursday's contest against the Packers.

Williams' designation leaves Aaron Jones and Aaron Ripkowski as the Packers' only remaining active running backs. Out of that duo, Jones is the most likely to receive a bulk of the work, as he has already recorded a touchdown and four carries on the night. Green Bay will be hoping that Williams avoided a major injury, as the team will need depth if reports regarding starter Ty Montgomery's possible broken ribs are correct.

Williams is questionable to return to Thursday's game due to a knee injury.

Williams was next in line in the Packers backfield after Ty Montgomery (ribs) was declared out, but only received four carries after being injured himself. As long as Williams is off the field, Green Bay only has two running backs active in Aaron Ripkowski and rookie Aaron Jones, with Jones the more likely candidate to see work in the run game. More updates should come to light regarding Williams' injury as Thursday's contest goes on.

Gordon (knee) was listed as a limited practice participant Thursday.

While it remains to be seen if Gordon, who was held out of practice Wednesday, draws an official questionable designation for Sunday's game against the Eagles or is removed from the Chargers' injury report Friday, the running back is expected to be available for Week 4 action.

Perine (hand) practiced in full Thursday, Rich Tandler of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

In the fourth quarter of Sunday's win against the Raiders, Perine lost a fumble on a huge hit and was eventually diagnosed with a bruised hand. Fortunately for the rookie, the ailment didn't hinder his ability to take part in the first practice of Week 4 prep. The same can't be said for backfield mate Rob Kelley (ribs), who remained limited for a second consecutive week. It should be noted that head coach Jay Gruden considers Kelley to be his lead back, when healthy. However, if Kelley doesn't make the requisite progress over the next few days, he may yield running back to some combination of Perine and Chris Thompson yet again.

Washington didn't participate in the Lions' practice Thursday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Washington's second straight absence from practice this week supports what was assumed all along: that he's not on track to play Sunday against the Vikings. In the likely event that Washington is inactive for a second straight contest, Zach Zenner would step in as the Lions' third running back. In the team's Week 3 loss to the Falcons, Zenner picked up five yards on three carries.

Kelley (ribs) was limited at Thursday's practice, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Among other activities, Kelley participated in running back drills, as did fellow RB Samaje Perine (hand), per JP Dinlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic. When healthy, Kelley is considered the Redskins' top option out of the backfield by head coach Jay Gruden, but a rib cartilage injury is capping his practice reps for the second week in a row. Kelley has two sessions remaining to prove himself in advance of Monday's game at Kansas City. An absence, though, would ensure Perine and Chris Thompson receive a healthy dose of touches in Week 4.

Vereen (calf) was absent from Thursday's practice.

Vereen's lack of participation for the second straight day of practice puts his availability up in the air for Sunday's contest against the Buccaneers. He'll still have one more opportunity Friday to prove he's made progress from the calf injury before the Giants make a formal declaration on his status heading into Sunday, but Vereen looks like he could be at serious risk of sitting out for the first time all season. If that's the case, the Giants would likely make rookie Wayne Gallman active for the contest, and he could assume many of the snaps that would typically fall to Vereen on passing downs.

Mack (shoulder) donned a non-contact jersey and took part in drills during Thursday's practice, Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis Star reports.

It's a step in the right direction for Mack, but unless he's cleared to take contact during the team's final practice of the week Friday, his chances of suiting up in Week 4 against the Seahawks appear slim. Mack's probable absence would result in Robert Turbin serving as starter Frank Gore's primary backup, while the recently promoted Matt Jones would function as the team's No. 3 running back for the second straight week.

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said Thursday that Gordon's knee injury isn't a concern and that the running back is in line to play Sunday against the Eagles, SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

The knee injury, which is believed to be a minor bone bruise, limited Gordon's participation in practice Wednesday, but Lynn insinuated that the third-year player would do more work on the field during Thursday's session. Gordon ended up being forced out briefly during the Week 3 loss to the Chiefs due to the knee issue, but still only played 49 percent of the team's snaps in the contest. Assuming Gordon checks out OK during practices Thursday and Friday, he should be in store for a heftier workload in Week 4, though it's expected that backup Branden Oliver could be rotated in somewhat liberally.