NFL Player News

Gordon (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Gordon is already handling limited reps after having been forced out of Miami's loss to Baltimore on Thursday due to an ankle injury. The rookie running back is reportedly considered day-to-day, so it wouldn't be out of the question for him to gain clearance in time for Sunday's game against the Bills. Per Furones, he said Wednesday that his ankle is "OK." If Gordon isn't able to play Week 10, however, Jaylen Wright will project to handle No. 2 backfield duties behind De'Von Achane.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said Wednesday that Benson (knee) is "doing well" but isn't ready to practice, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Benson is eligible to return from injured reserve for Sunday's game at Seattle, but it doesn't sound likely without a practice appearance at the start of the week. He's working his way back from arthroscopic surgery on a meniscus injury, with reports at the time (five weeks ago) suggesting a timeline of 4-to-6 weeks. Emari Demercado and Bam Knight split backfield work during Monday's 27-17 win over the Cowboys, while Michael Carter was active but didn't play. None of the bunch has shown much of anything that would stop a healthy Benson from getting another look in the lead role if/when everything checks out with his knee.

Irving (foot/shoulder) didn't practice Wednesday.

Irving thus will continue to sit out drills following the Buccaneers' Week 9 bye, meaning he may be on pace for his fifth consecutive absence due to foot and shoulder issues. He does have two more chances to practice this week, but Friday's injury report may reveal that another DNP is imminent Sunday against the Patriots. Rachaad White is on hand to lead Tampa Bay's backfield if Iriving requires more time to recover.

Taylor (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Taylor had been in contention to replace Justin Fields under center and start Week 8 versus the Bengals, but he was instead ruled out due to a knee injury. That paved the way for Fields to log his best performance of the season in the 39-38 win, potentially reaffirming his grip on the starting job. That said, head coach Aaron Glenn has yet to confirm a No. 1 quarterback for Sunday's game against the Browns, as he was noncommittal about Fields entering the Week 9 bye. It shouldn't be long before Glenn provides further clarification.

Kmet (concussion) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday.

Kmet left this past Sunday's game at Cincinnati in the second quarter and eventually was diagnosed with a concussion. That he's already able to mix into some drills just three days later signifies that he's progressing well through the protocol for head injuries, but he'll still need to gain clearance from an independent neurologist in order to play Sunday against the Giants. Rookie first-round pick Colston Loveland, who broke out with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns Week 9, is poised to have a larger role moving forward no matter when Kmet suits up again.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he's "pretty confident" Aiyuk (knee) will play at some point this season, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

That's probably not what fantasy managers want to hear, though it was already made clear Monday that Aiyuk isn't exactly close to a return. He's still on injured reserve with no designation to return to practice this week, and then he's presumably looking at a multi-week ramp-up whenever he does begin practicing. A game appearance before December would be surprising.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that Thornton will be active for Thursday's road matchup against the Broncos, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

Thornton was a healthy scratch Week 9, but he now rejoins Raiders' the wide receiver rotation following the team's decision to trade Jakobi Meyers to Jacksonville. The rookie fourth-round pick hasn't logged a catch across his last four regular-season appearances despite having drawn seven targets in that span. Across seven career games, Thornton has secured five of 19 targets for 94 yards.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy (toe) will be limited at Wednesday's practice, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Purdy has missed seven of the last eight games due to a nagging turf toe injury, and while he has yet to progress to a full practice, Shanahan told Barrows that the 49ers plan for Purdy to take on more first-team reps this week. It's unclear if that means Purdy has a chance to return to action for the first time since Week 4 on Sunday against the Rams, but if that doesn't come to pass, Mac Jones again would be lined up to lead San Francisco's offense Week 10.

Burden (concussion) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Burden appears to be near gaining clearance from the NFL's concussion protocol, the last step of which involves consultation with an independent neurologist. The rookie second-round pick was unable to suit up Week 9 versus the Bengals due to his injury. Meanwhile, both DJ Moore (hip/groin) and Rome Odunze (ankle/heel) missed Wednesday's practice, though both managed to play through their injuries versus Cincinnati.

Moore (hip/groin) did not practice Wednesday.

Moore and Rome Odunze (ankle/heel) both began Week 9 as non-participants at practice before being cleared for Chicago's upset win over the Bengals, so both wideouts could simply be set to again have their reps capped approaching Sunday's contest against the Giants. He managed to score twice versus Cincinnati, albeit in unorthodox fashion, with one passing touchdown (a connection to Caleb Williams) and one rushing score. Luther Burden (concussion) managed to practice in full Wednesday.