NFL Player News

Charbonnet (oblique) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Charbonnet wasn't able to log any drills Wednesday due to an oblique injury, so his return to some activity one day later is a step in the right direction. Meanwhile, fellow RB Kenneth Walker (calf) practiced Thursday for the first time in more than two weeks, and he was a full participant at that. As a result, Walker appears set to regain the No. 1 role out of the Seahawks backfield Sunday versus the Vikings, which would relegate Charbonnet to backup duties, assuming he's active.

Walker (calf) practiced fully Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

In his first official on-field work since Wednesday, Dec. 4, Walker was uninhibited, while fellow RB Zach Charbonnet (oblique) followed up Wednesday's absence with a limited session one day later. Walker thus seems poised to retake the reins of the Seahawks backfield Sunday against the Vikings. In his 10 appearances this season, he's averaged 18.3 touches for 81.3 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring eight total TDs.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday that he hasn't "shut the door" on the idea of Lloyd (appendix) playing again this season, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

"I never want to shut the door on that," said LaFleur. [Lloyd]'s just gonna focus on continuing to get better and when he can go, he'll go." Lloyd had an appendectomy in mid-November, right when he appeared ready to return from a two-month stint on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. The Packers had to activate him from IR and place him on the non-football injury list to keep him eligible for a return this season -- a move that won't happen for Week 16 but apparently hasn't been ruled out for the very end of the regular season and/or the playoffs.

Davis (back) was limited at practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The same goes for fellow RB Braelon Allen (back), with both players also limited Wednesday. Davis likely will need to practice fully Friday in order to approach Sunday's game against the Rams without an injury designation, but with starter Breece Hall not on the Jets' Week 16 injury report, neither Davis nor Allen have a clear path to ample volume, if available, this weekend.

Allen (back) was limited at practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The same applies to fellow RB Isaiah Davis (back), as both also were limited Wednesday. Allen presumably will need to practice fully Friday in order to approach Sunday's game against the Rams without an injury designation, but with Breece Hall not on the Jets' Week 16 injury report, Allen doesn't have a clear path to volume if he's available this weekend.

The Broncos elevated Watson from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Thursday night's game against the Chargers, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

It's the second time Watson has been elevated from the practice squad this season. The first instance was in Week 5 against the Raiders, and he finished that game with two snaps (one on offense, one on special teams), but didn't otherwise show up on the box score. Watson will serve as Denver's No. 3 running back Thursday behind Javonte Williams and Audric Estime due to Jaleel McLaughlin being ruled out with a quadriceps injury.

Montgomery (knee) is now optimistic he'll avoid surgery and hopes to return during the playoffs, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Previously expected to undergo season-ending surgery for an MCL tear, Montgomery apparently got promising feedback from medical experts and now hopes he can recover with rest. The report suggests he'll still miss the rest of the regular season but may return at some point in January for a Detroit team that's currently battling for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Benson (ankle) didn't practice Thursday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Benson injured his ankle during Sunday's win over the Patriots and never returned. He's now missed consecutive practices and likely would need to participate Friday to have a shot at playing Sunday at Carolina. With Benson in danger of missing the game and Emari Demercado (back) on injured reserve, the Cardinals may give James Conner an even larger workload than usual.

Pollard (ankle) didn't practice Thursday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Pollard hasn't practiced much in recent weeks while managing foot and/or ankle injuries, but he's played in every game this season and finished with no fewer than 29 snaps or nine touches in any contest. There's some extra concern this week, however, as he aggravated his ankle during Sunday's 37-27 loss to the Bengals and may thus be dealing with more discomfort relative to previous weeks. He returned to the game in short order but then took a back seat to Tyjae Spears in the fourth quarter when the Titans were chasing a multi-score deficit. In any case, a return to practice Friday presumably would put Pollard on track to play Sunday against Indianapolis.

Irving (back/hip) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

Irving maintained his activity level from Wednesday's session, giving him one more opportunity to get back to full participation before the Buccaneers potentially tag him with a designation for Sunday's contest at Dallas. In his last five outings in which he's earned at least a 40 percent snap share, he's averaged 19.0 touches for 124.2 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring three rushing TDs.