NFL Player News

Cook (shoulder) observed practice and attended meetings Wednesday after officially signing with the Jets earlier in the day, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Cimini notes that Cook will soon fly home to South Florida for the birth of his first child, then return to the team next week. The report adds that the running back won't practice for about a week as he continues to recover from February shoulder surgery. Cimini previously relayed that the Jets plan to limit the early-season workload of Breece Hall (knee), and in such a scenario, the team wold lean more heavily on Cook over the first few weeks. Beyond Cook and Hall, the Jets also have Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and rookie Israel Abanikanda on hand at running back.

Harris (knee) returned to practice Wednesday, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.

Harris had been dealing with some knee soreness, but now that he's back on the field, the 26-year-old will look to solidify his role in a Buffalo backfield that is expected to be led by second-year player James Cook. Fellow veteran Latavius Murray appears to be Harris' main competition for the top backup gig behind Cook. Though Harris may not be in store for a high volume of touches to begin the season, if he's able to carve out a steady role in short-yardage situations, he could yield fantasy utility in formats that weigh touchdowns more heavily.

Head coach Frank Reich said Wednesday that Sanders (groin) won't suit up for Friday's exhibition against the Giants and may miss the rest of the preseason, Augusta Stone of the Panthers' official site reports.

Reich said Sanders' injury is "getting better," per David Newton of ESPN.com, but it will nonetheless be a significant red flag if the starting running back isn't able to suit up for any more preseason action. The Panthers may simply be taking a cautious approach to Sanders' health, which would be warranted with only the likes of Chuba Hubbard, Raheem Blackshear, Spencer Brown and Camerun Peoples behind him on the depth chart. Regardless, Sanders' status will warrant close monitoring by fantasy managers. Sanders hasn't practiced since suffering a groin injury last Wednesday.

Head coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday that Patterson (undisclosed) is likely to miss the remainder of the preseason, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Smith said more information about Patterson's status will be made available ahead of Week 1, but for now the veteran running back's status looks to be truly up in the air. Patterson is nursing an undisclosed soft-tissue injury. When healthy, Patterson could play a versatile role for the Falcons, contributing out of the backfield behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier and in the receiving game behind Drake London and Kyle Pitts.

Harris is expected to compete for a depth role behind Rhamondre Stevenson along with Pierre Strong (undisclosed) and Ty Montgomery (leg) after the Patriots signed Ezekiel Elliott on Tuesday.

Prior to the addition of Elliott, Harris was a candidate to secure early-down work when Stevenson needed a breather. However, with the proven veteran back now on board, Harris will now need to battle with Strong, Montgomery and even J.J. Taylor to earn complementary touches in New England's backfield to begin the season. Harris is thus off the fantasy lineup radar as long as both Stevenson and Elliott are healthy and available.

Miller, who suffered a right knee sprain in Sunday's preseason game against the Chiefs, will accompany the team to this week's joint practices with the Chargers, John DeShazier of the Saints' official site reports.

Regarding Miller's status, head coach Dennis Allen noted Tuesday that he doesn't expect the rookie third-round pick "to be out for any [significant] length of time," while adding that "there's a chance that he might be available" for Sunday's preseason game against the Chargers. With that in mind, Miller doesn't look to be in any real danger of sitting out the Week 1 matchup with the Titans. With Alvin Kamara suspended for the first three games of the regular season, Miller has a chance to secure a role out of the gate alongside Jamaal Williams, who will likely serve as the team's lead back for the duration of Kamara's absence.

Hall (knee) participated in light individual drills in his return to practice Tuesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Hall, who suffered a torn ACL on Oct. 23 last season, was activated off the PUP list Tuesday and is unsurprisingly is being eased back into the mix. While head coach Robert Saleh said that the Jets are "very confident" Hall will be ready for Week 1, Cimini suggests that the team's plan is to limit the second-year back's workload early on in the season while leaning more heavily on newcomer Dalvin Cook, whose signing with New York became official Tuesday. How much work Hall sees out of the gate in 2023 presumably hinges on how he looks as he ramps up his practice activity in the coming days and weeks, but the addition of Cook to a running back room that also includes Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and rookie Israel Abanikanda allows the team to proceed deliberately with Hall. In seven regular-season games last season before suffering the knee injury, Hall averaged 5.8 yards per carry and totaled five touchdowns.

Knight's chances of making the Jets' roster took a hit Monday, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that New York has agreed to a one-year contract with Dalvin Cook (shoulder).

With Breece Hall (knee) and Cook likely locked into the top two spots on the depth chart when healthy, the Jets are unlikely to keep all three of Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda and Knight, and it wouldn't be surprising if only one of the latter three made the team. Carter was a fourth-round pick in 2021 and Abanikanda was a fifth-round pick in 2023, so the team has the least draft capital invested in Knight, who appeared in seven games for the Jets last season after signing as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina State.

Abanikanda's path to playing time as a rookie got substantially narrower Monday, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that the Jets have agreed to a one-year contract with Dalvin Cook (shoulder).

Abanikanda has performed well in the preseason, but the 2023 fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh has been working behind Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight in practice. All three of those healthy running backs are expected to be behind Breece Hall (knee) and Cook once they are healthy, so Abanikanda now faces an uphill climb just to make the roster in 2023, let alone contribute meaningfully in his rookie year.

Carter's expected to be the Jets' No. 3 running back this season, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that the team has agreed to a one-year contract with Dalvin Cook (shoulder).

Both Cook and Breece Hall (knee) are recovering from injuries, but New York's optimistic that they will both be available come Week 1. Carter has been working ahead of Zonovan Knight and rookie firth-round pick Israel Abanikanda in training camp, so the 2021 fourth-round pick remains likely to secure a roster spot in New York's deep backfield. Barring a setback or new injury for one of Cook or Hall, however, Carter's role is expected to be limited. Hall and Cook have career averages of 5.8 and 4.7 yards per carry, respectively, well above Carter's 4.0 YPC, although the third-year back does have 77 career receptions in 30 NFL games.