NFL Player News

Head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that the Buccaneers "will try and lessen the load" on Irving following their Week 10 bye, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though he hasn't shown any signs of wearing down while he's averaged a healthy 4.9 yards per tote through the Buccaneers' first nine games, Irving has already amassed 167 carries -- fourth-most in the NFL -- and would be on pace for a career-high 315 over the course of a 17-game schedule. Given the success they've found on the ground in recent weeks, the Buccaneers could continue to embrace a run-first attack, but expect Irving to cede a bit more work to backups Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker as Tampa Bay aims to keep their top back healthy for the long haul.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday that Goodson is expected to miss time after injuring his knee in Sunday's 27-23 win over the Colts, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Goodson has emerged as the Cowboys' clear No. 2 back in recent games and turned in his best performance of the season against his former Colts squad in Week 9, carrying 12 times for 77 yards while failing to corral his lone target. The running back injured his knee at some point along the way, and though he was able to check back into the contest, Goodson may have been running on adrenaline. He'll presumably undergo further testing before the Cowboys provide an update on the extent of his injury, but with Goodman on track to miss at least next Sunday's game versus the 49ers, Dallas could turn to practice-squad members Israel Abanikanda and Jashaun Corbin to serve in backup roles behind lead back Javonte Williams.

Coach Dave Canales said Monday that the Panthers will spend the next two days discussing the status of Brooks (core), Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Brooks, who remains on IR, was seen working off to the side during the Panthers' unofficial practice last Tuesday, perJoe Person of The Athletic, perhaps signalling some progress for the oft-injured RB, who last saw game action in Week 2. In Brooks' absence, Chuba Hubbard has dominated Carolina's backfield touches.

Giants head coach John Harbaugh said that Skattebo (hamstring) should be "full go" for Thursday's game against the Commanders, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

After tweaking his hamstring in an Oct. 25 overtime win over the Texans, Skattebo wasn't able to fully shake the injury coming out of a Week 8 bye and ended up missing his first game of the season Sunday in the Giants' 19-11 win over the Eagles. The second-year back was at least able to close Week 9 prep as a limited participant in practice, and Harbaugh noted that Skattebo was close to playing against the Eagles before the team ultimately chose to hold him out as a matter of caution. Though the Giants will face a quick turnaround for Week 10, Skattebo looks on track to reclaim a leading role out of the backfield against Washington, barring a setback with his hamstring during the team's limited practice time leading up to the contest.

Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that the Patriots are awaiting MRI results on Stevenson's knee, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.

Stevenson was forced out of Sunday's loss to the Packers and didn't return to the contest after sustaining his knee injury. With TreVeyon Henderson (illness) out for an undermined amount of time, Corey Kiner, followed by Lan Larison, would be next up for the Patriots' backfield work in Week 10 if Stevenson is unable to play this coming weekend against the Lions.

Titans head coach Robert Saleh said Monday that Singleton is "getting better," and the rookie running back could be a candidate to see added opportunities in the second half of the season if lead back Tony Pollard is dealt ahead of Tuesday's deadline, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

A fifth-round pick out of Penn State, Singleton was a healthy inactive for four of the Titans' first eight games prior to a Week 9 bye and has logged more snaps on special teams than offense thus far during his rookie season. However, with the 29-year-old Pollard set to become a free agent after the season and likely not part of the 1-7 Titans' rebuilding effort, playing time could become up for grabs in the backfield if Tennessee receives an appealing trade offer for the veteran. Along with Singleton, Tyjae Spears (knee) and Michael Carter would be vying for reps in the event Pollard is traded, while Julius Chestnut is another option in the backfield but has been utilized almost exclusively on special teams.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged after Sunday's 45-27 win over the Patriots that Jacobs' (finger) availability for the team's Week 10 matchup with the Vikings is uncertain, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. "Hopefully we can do something to allow him to go out there," LaFleur said of Jacobs. "But he was just having a hard time gripping the ball."

Jacobs was limited to just 10 snaps before leaving Sunday's game in the first quarter after fracturing his right ring finger while attempting to stiff-arm a defender at the end of his fourth and final carry of the day. He made two trips to the locker room with the hope of adding enough protection to his hand to enable him to return to the game, but the Packers ultimately determined that Jacobs wouldn't have been able to securely grip the football if he had checked back in. With MarShawn Lloyd (knee) inactive against the Patriots and Jacobs leaving early, Kaleb Johnson (14 carries for 68 yards) ended up finishing as the Packers' rushing leader on the day.

Gainwell rushed five times for 16 yards and caught all three of his targets for 60 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Bears.

Most of Gainwell's 76 scrimmage yards came on a 44-yard catch. He has 304 scrimmage yards over the past three games after recording just 122 scrimmage yards across his first six outings for the Buccaneers. Bucky Irving rushed for two touchdowns Sunday and remains the top option in Tampa Bay's backfield, but Gainwell has started to make the most of his change-of-pace role in the Buccaneers' run-heavy offense. Gainwell will try to pick up where he left off in Week 11 against the Lions after a Week 10 bye.

Swift rushed 12 times for 31 yards and didn't catch his lone target in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Buccaneers.

Swift was bottled up by an elite Buccaneers run defense that came into Week 9 allowing a league-low 80 rushing yards per game. He nearly had a fumble in the fourth quarter but was ruled down by contact on a play that the Buccaneers unsuccessfully challenged. Swift's momentum came to an abrupt halt with this season-worst performance, as he failed to reach 70 scrimmage yards for the first time all season after racking up seven touchdowns in the preceding four games. After Chicago's Week 10 bye, Swift could be back to sharing the backfield with Kyle Monangai (thumb/toe), who hasn't played since Week 4 but recently returned to practice.

Irving rushed 20 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns while catching four of five targets for 28 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Bears.

Irving kept rolling against Chicago's stout run defense, notching his sixth and seventh touchdowns over the past five games on a two-yard run in the third quarter and a six-yard run in the fourth. His second TD and Baker Mayfield's ensuing two-point conversion tied the score at 24-24 with 2:51 remaining, but Chicago answered with a field goal on the game's final play to drop Tampa Bay to 3-6. Irving has 629 scrimmage yards during his five-game heater, 584 of which have come on the ground. With a Week 10 bye to freshen up after handling at least 21 touches in five consecutive games, Irving should reprise his role as the focal point of Tampa Bay's run-heavy offense in Week 11 against the Lions.