NFL Player News

Croskey-Merritt (groin) wasn't at Saturday's practice and will not likely be available for Monday night's game against the 49ers, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.

Croskey-Merritt will end up missing all three Week 6 practices while recovering from a groin injury, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him ruled out by the Commanders once the team submits its injury designations following Saturday's session. Rachaad White (shoulder) and Austin Ekeler (chest) are also both working through injuries, so the Commanders may have to dip into their practice squad and elevate one or both of Craig Reynolds or Devin Neal for Monday night's contest.

McNichols (quadriceps) was a full participant in Friday's practice.

McNichols has opened Week 6 prep with back-to-back full practices, which indicates that the veteran running back is in the final stages of his recovery from a quad injury that caused him to open the regular season on injured reserve. He would need to be activated from IR in order to be eligible to play against the 49ers on Monday. McNichols' return could be a crucial one for the Commanders, whose backfield is dealing with injuries to Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin), Rachaad White (shoulder) and Austin Ekeler (chest).

Pierce will be the Eagles' starting running back against the Panthers on Sunday due to the absences of both Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and Will Shipley (foot, IR).

Shipley was placed on injured reserve Friday, and Barkley will miss a second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury that he sustained against the Rams in Week 4. As such, Pierce will be the lead back for Sunday's contest while Carson Steele operates as the backup. Pierce turned 11 carries into 14 yards and added two catches (on five targets) for minus-two yards in a Week 5 loss to the Jaguars. That game in London was the fifth-year pro's debut with the Eagles this season, and with another week of practice under his belt, Pierce will have the chance to produce against a Panthers defense that allows 156.5 rushing yards per game, which is second-most in the NFL only behind the Cowboys (168.4).

Allen will once again operate as the Jets' primary running back for Sunday's game against the Patriots due to the absence of Breece Hall (quadriceps).

Allen had a huge part in the Jets' Week 5 win over the Browns, totalling 116 yards and a touchdown over 24 rushes. The running back is set to reprise his role as one of the team's foremost offensive weapons against the Patriots on Sunday as Breece Hall (quadriceps) continues to recover.

Stevenson's workload against the Jets on Sunday will depend on whether TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) is cleared to play, Evan Lazaar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Henderson was expected to miss multiple weeks due to a high-ankle sprain that he sustained against the Raiders in Week 5. However, the second-year running back was able to practice in a limited capacity in all three Week 6 practices, which was enough for him to draw the questionable tag for Sunday's AFC East showdown. If he's ruled out, then Stevenson would be the Patriots' clear RB1 and take on a sizable workload, with Corey Kiner serving in a rotational role.

Swift will once again absorb a heavier backfield workload after Kyle Monangai (thumb/toe) was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.

Monangai will miss a second consecutive game due to thumb and toe injuries, leaving Swift as the clear RB1 while Roschon Johnson operates in a depth role. Swift had just 13 touches in a Week 5 loss to the Packers, though he finished with 73 yards and a touchdown, which was the Bears' only trip to the end zone. Through five regular-season games, the veteran running back has turned 78 carries into 354 yards (4.5 YPC) and four touchdowns while catching 14 of 16 passes for 114 yards.

The Panthers plan to elevate Tyus to the active roster ahead of Sunday's game against the Eagles, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Tyus is set to be elevated as the team's No. 2 running back behind Chubba Hubbard due to the absence of AJ Dillon (ankle). Sunday will be Tyus' third consecutive game suiting up for the Panthers.

Ekeler (chest) remained limited in Friday's practice.

The Commanders are dealing with injuries throughout the backfield, as Jacory Croskey-Merritt (foot) was DNP for a second straight day while Rachaad White continues to work back to 100 percent from his shoulder injury. Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) also remains on injured reserve, though he's practicing fully this week. In two games back with Washington, Ekeler has rushed seven times for 28 yards, adding two catches for 26 yards on three targets.

Knight will bump up the Cardinals' RB depth chart in Week 6 with Jeremiyah Love (ankle) ruled out, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Knight still will be situated behind Tyler Allgeier, but the former nonetheless is the No. 2 back for as long as Love is sidelined. For his career, Knight has tallied 173 carries for 614 yards (3.5 YPC) and five touchdowns and hauled in 36 of 46 targets for 268 yards and another TD in 26 games.

Allgeier is poised for a leading role out of the Cardinals backfield Sunday at the Rams with Jeremiyah Love (ankle) sidelined in Week 6, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Despite Love being active for each of the first five contests of the season, Allgeier's snap share ranged from 36 to 64 percent weekly, and he averaged 9.4 touches for 32.6 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring one rushing TD. The overall workload thus will increase with Love out, and Allgeier's primary competition for RB reps will be Bam Knight, who has just three carries in 2026.