NFL Player News

Williams left Tuesday's practice early with a groin injury, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Williams signed with the Saints on Aug. 14 as a depth piece for a Saints' backfield that, at the time, was dealing with multiple injuries. He rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in six games last season with the Cardinals before being placed on the team's injured reserve list in November with a hip injury. Williams is aiming to crack the Saints' final roster as a depth piece behind running backs Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller.

During Tuesday's practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com relays that Elliott saw an uptick in work behind Rhamondre Stevenson, notably as a pass-catcher out of the team's backfield.

Elliott was brought in by the Patriots to work in a complementary role behind Stevenson, the team's presumed lead back. In addition to providing New England with another short-yardage option, it looks like Elliott could factor in on passing downs as well. Though he caught just 17 passes in 15 games with the Cowboys last season, he recorded 47 catches in 2021. If given the opportunity in New England, Zeke could take some of the burden off Stevenson, who caught 69 passes in 17 contests in 2022 on top of logging 210 carries in tandem with Damien Harris (106 carries in 11 games), who now plays for the Bills.

Strong (concussion) returned to practice Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Strong is sporting a red, non-contact jersey for Tuesday's session, but this puts him on track to play in the preseason finale Friday against the Titans after he missed last weekend's exhibition. Strong is trying to carve out a pass-catching role in New England's offense behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott.

Abanikanda (thigh) is expected to be sidelined for a couple weeks, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

The rookie running back suffered a thigh contusion in the Jets' third preseason contest against the Bucs last weekend. Through three exhibitions, Abanikanda has rushed 25 times for 113 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and one touchdown, adding five catches for 37 yards on five targets. With Dalvin Cook now in town, Abanikanda is likely to open the year as the Jets' RB4 behind Cook, Breece Hall and Michael Carter.

Hall (knee) logged 11-on-11 work during Tuesday's padless practice, but won't play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Giants, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, Hall seemed to be moving well laterally while participating in team drills Tuesday, which is a positive sign with regard to the running back's chances of being available for Week 1 action. Per Cimini, Dalvin Cook, who is bouncing back from a shoulder injury, also won't play Saturday. The team's backfield carry allotment out of the gate between Hall and Cook remains an open question.

Coach Kevin Stefanski noted Tuesday that Ford (hamstring) won't practice this week but that the running back hasn't been ruled out for the Browns' season opener Sept. 10 against the Bengals, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The report adds that Ford is making progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury, and the hope is that the running back will be ready for Week 1 action. Once he's back in the mix, the 2022 fifth-rounder is slated to back up Nick Chubb, the Browns' clear-cut lead runner. In Ford's absence, added reps are available for Demetric Felton, John Kelly, Hassan Hall and Jordan Wilkins.

Sanders (groin) said Tuesday he "absolutely" will be available Week 1 versus the Falcons, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Sanders returned to practice in full pads Monday, which provides further confidence in his Week 1 availability. The Panthers have said all along that Sanders, who suffered a groin injury Aug. 10, could be sidelined the remainder of the preseason but would be back for the regular season. As such, Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear will likely be left to man the backfield again for Friday's exhibition finale against the Lions, but fantasy managers can expect Sanders will be back on the field for Carolina's season opener.

Cook (shoulder) is not in line to play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Giants, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The same applies to fellow RB Breece Hall, who continues to work his way back from an ACL tear that he suffered last October. With Israel Abanikanda sidelined by a thigh injury, Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and Travis Dye are available to handle carries versus the Giants. Once the regular season begins, Cook -- who is bouncing back from a shoulder issue -- and Hall figure to lead the team's backfield, but how snaps and carries might be distributed between them remains to be seen and could well come down to who gets back to 100 percent more quickly, and who can stay healthy.

The Eagles are leaning toward a committee approach in a backfield that currently includes Gainwell, D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott and Trey Sermon, Zach Berman of the The Athletic suggests.

With Miles Sanders, who led the Eagles with 259 carries in 2022, now with the Panthers, it looks like the team is prepared to roll with a combination of backs on a weekly basis. The Eagles' posted depth chart lists the team's RBs together as a group, and unless a starter is identified ahead of Week 1, a game-by-game approach leaning on the hot hand could be in play out of the gate. While Swift profiles a big-play threat who figures to get his share of touches in the passing game and Penny should also contribute on early downs, Gainwell has been been getting steady work this summer and that could continue into the season. If so, the 2021 fifth-rounder has a chance to earn enough work to emerge as a fantasy sleeper relative to his ADP.

Gordon took eight carries for 34 yards and caught one pass for one yard in Monday's preseason loss to Washington.

J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were held out, while Justice Hill got the start and racked up 38 total yards on the opening drive before the Ravens pulled him from the game. Gordon then entered and struggled initially, including being stuffed on a 3rd-and-1, though he had more luck later on against lesser defenders while playing into the third quarter. Undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell was the third back into the game for Baltimore and took his first carry for 31 yards, but shortly thereafter he left with a shoulder injury (one that isn't believed to be serious, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). Gordon and Mitchell appear to be competing for the No. 4 RB spot, which might only equate to a job on the practice squad.