NFL Player News

The Panthers placed Brooks (core) on injured reserve Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

As a result of the transaction, Brooks won't be eligible to play in any of the Panthers' next four games, but he's expected to miss additional time beyond that. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported earlier Wednesday that the running back will require surgery to repair a core muscle, which will keep him out for at least six weeks. With Brooks joining Trevor Etienne (ankle) on IR, AJ Dillon is left as the only reserve option on the 53-man roster behind lead back Chuba Hubbard. Carolina has Ahmani Marshall and Anthony Tyus on its practice squad, and the team will work out veteran Austin Ekeler on Wednesday and potentially sign him to bolster its running-back room, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.

Brooks is expected to undergo surgery Wednesday to repair a core-muscle injury and is likely to miss at least six weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Brooks is expected to be officially placed on injured reserve in the coming days after he exited this past Sunday's 34-3 win over the Falcons due to what had previously been labeled as a groin injury. With Brooks set to miss time, Chuba Hubbard should be further insulated as the Panthers' No. 1 back, while AJ Dillon is lone healthy backup option on the 53-man roster. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston relays that the Panthers plan to work out veteran Austin Ekeler on Wednesday, and he could eventually be signed to provide further depth in the backfield.

Vidal didn't get a touch during Sunday's 26-14 loss to Las Vegas.

Vidal logged four offensive snaps in a 26-14 loss to Arizona in Week 1 and was only slightly more involved in Week 2 with seven snaps, and he went without a rushing attempt for a second straight game. The 25-year-old had some productive outings during 2025 thanks to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, finishing with 643 rushing yards and three touchdowns off 155 carries while adding 16 receptions for 136 yards and one touchdown. However, it's been a different story in 2026, with Vidal spending most of his time on special teams. His fantasy outlook doesn't look promising as long as Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell are available.

Abdullah carried the ball three times for 11 yards and caught his only target for two yards during Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Broncos.

The 30-year-old was most involved on special teams and saw just six of the Jaguars' 59 offensive snaps, finishing behind Bhayshul Tuten (30), Chris Rodriguez (13) and LeQuint Allen (nine) in the backfield. Abdullah should continue to see a similar workload as long as the RBs ahead of him on the depth chart remain healthy.

Badie rushed one time for one yard in Denver's 20-13 win over the Jaguars on Sunday. He added two catches for 28 yards on three targets.

With RJ Harvey (hamstring) inactive against Jacksonville and J.K. Dobbins suffering a hamstring injury of his own in the game, Badie saw 16 offensive snaps behind rookie Jonah Coleman. Badie also returned three kickoffs for 84 yards on special teams.

Allen played nine offensive snaps and saw one target in Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Broncos.

Allen saw 21 fewer offensive snaps than Bhayshul Tuten and four fewer than Chris Rodriguez in Sunday's loss. The No. 3 running back could conceivably eat into Rodriguez's opportunities over the course of the season, but that still isn't likely to afford him much more opportunity.

McLaughlin logged one carry for three yards and could not catch his sole target in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Buccaneers.

McLaughlin saw just eight offensive snaps in Sunday's win. The running back was signed to the active roster from the practice squad last Tuesday after Dylan Sampson (knee) was placed on injured reserve. McLaughlin appears set to fill a depth role behind Quinshon Judkins and Raheim Sanders until Sampson is able to return.

Sanders caught his sole target for seven yards, had two rushes for four yards and returned two kickoffs for 50 yards in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Buccaneers.

Sanders played 11 offensive snaps and six special-teams snaps in Sunday's contest. Despite the small snap share, Sanders found plenty to do in Cleveland's first win of the season, making key plays for both the offensive and special-teams units.

Shipley turned seven carries into 24 yards and caught both of his targets for five yards during the Eagles' 24-20 win over the Titans on Sunday.

Both Shipley and Tank Bigsby operated in larger roles in the Eagles' backfield after Saquon Barkley left in the first quarter due to a shoulder stinger. During that time that Barkley was off the field, Shipley operated as the clear RB2 behind Bigsby, with his seven carries being his most in a game since 2024. If Barkley is not cleared to play in Week 3, Shipley would split the backfield workload with Bigsby.

Dillon handled three carries for minus-3 yards during Sunday's 34-3 win at Atlanta. He also recorded a tackle in punt coverage.

Dillon once again was not really involved in Week 2 until the game was well in hand, although this time the lopsided result was in the Panthers' favor, and the Falcons evidently knew the run was coming. Carolina may have to lean on him more in Week 3 if 2024 second-rounder Jonathon Brooks (groin) ends up being unavailable.