NFL Player News

Cook started the Bills' preseason opener against the Colts on Saturday, rushing for 20 yards and a touchdown on four carries before exiting with the rest of the first team.

Cook got to work quickly after the Bills' defense gifted the offense with excellent field position by picking off rookie QB Anthony Richardson in Colts' territory. The 23-year-old handled all three rushing attempts on the ensuing drive, with the third being punched in for an eight-yard score. Cook was not targeted as a passer, but he may be forced to show us that part of his game following the announcement that Bills receiving back Nyheim Hines (knee) will miss the entire 2023 season. The other veteran back the front office brought in to compete with Cook, Damien Harris (knee), did not play Saturday and the team has yet to update the status of his knee injury. What once looked like a crowded backfield has suddenly opened up for Cook, which boosts his fantasy value as leagues are gearing to kick off.

Hubbard rushed four times for nine yards and caught his only target for three yards in Saturday's 27-0 preseason loss to the Jets.

Hubbard worked with the first-team offense in the absence of Miles Sanders (groin). None of the team's starters looked particularly impressive in this one, but Hubbard's usage here suggests he's viewed as the primary backup to Sanders. The Panthers are likely to take a cautious approach with Sanders' injury prior to the regular season, so Hubbard's may draw another start in Carolina's second preseason game against the Giants.

Abanikanda rushed 12 times for 56 yards and caught all three of his targets for 31 yards in Saturday's 27-0 preseason win over the Panthers.

Abanikanda came in on the Jets' third possession after Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight split the first two. Abanikanda, a rookie fifth-round pick, is gaining on Knight for the third-string spot, as Abanikanda has impressed in each of the Jets' first two preseason games; he scored a 10-yard touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game the previous week. Abanikanda will have two more preseason games to make his case for surpassing Knight, starting with an Aug. 19 home game against the Buccaneers.

Knight rushed four times for 13 yards and caught one of two targets for three yards in Saturday's 27-0 preseason win over the Panthers.

Knight was almost charged with a fumble at the end of a three-yard catch on New York's opening drive, but he was ruled down on replay. He and Michael Carter both mixed in on New York's first two drives, but Carter was far more effective, with 53 scrimmage yards on six touches. Rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda played the majority of the game after that point and impressed with 87 yards between 12 carries and three catches. The Jets may keep only one of Knight or Abanikanda on the 53-man roster behind Breece Hall (knee) and Carter, though all four running backs could make the team if Hall's recovery from ACL surgery threatens to impact his regular-season availability.

Carter rushed four times for 19 yards and caught both of his targets for 34 yards in Saturday's 27-0 preseason win over the Panthers.

Carter got the start, but Zonovan Knight (16 yards on five touches) also mixed in on the team's first possession as both running backs made their respective preseason debuts after sitting out the Hall of Fame Game. A 25-yard catch on the opening possession accounted for almost half of Carter's yardage, which was accrued across the Jets' first two drives. In the event that Breece Hall's (knee) absence lingers into the regular season, Carter and Knight would likely open the season in a timeshare, but Carter's superior receiving skills should allow him to carve out a change-of-pace role even once Hall is healthy. Rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda is also vying for playing time, but he's likely more of a threat to Knight's role than Carter's.

Walker (groin) returned to practice Saturday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Sidelined since the first day of Seahawks training camp due to a minor groin strain, Walker didn't suit up for the team's first preseason contest Thursday, which allowed rookie second-rounder Zach Charbonnet to get some run. Walker was contained to individual work Saturday, so he may need to progress to team drills in order to gain clearance to play in one of the final two exhibitions, the first of which comes Saturday, Aug. 19 against the Cowboys.

Spears ran for 32 yards on six carries in Tennessee's preseason game against Chicago on Saturday.

The third-round pick out of Tulane started for the Titans, adding a four-yard reception on one target in addition to the solid rushing output. Spears might have volume limitations at around 200 pounds and with a concerning knee injury history, but his ability with the football is beyond questioning. Fellow backup prospect Julius Chestnut also did well for himself (seven carries for 46 yards), but given Spears' better pedigree he remains the favorite to back up Derrick Henry in 2023.

Thompson signed with the Raiders on Saturday.

Thompson was let go by Seattle ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft and has been a free agent since. However, the 2019 sixth-round pick becomes the second running back signed by the Raiders this week, as they continue to deal with the absence of Josh Jacobs, who hasn't reported to training camp amid a contract dispute with Las Vegas. Thompson totaled 64 rushing attempts for 225 yards and two scores across his first two NFL seasons (2019 and 2020) with Kansas City but hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since.

Jones (groin/suspension) isn't in uniform ahead of Saturday's preseason game against the Jaguars, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Jones is slated to miss the first two regular-season games of 2023 due to a violation of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, but he's also suffered a groin injury during training camp, which will keep him sidelined for Dallas' preseason opener. With Ezekiel Elliott no longer in the picture, Tony Pollard is slated for a full-time role, but behind him, there appears to be an open competition for snaps between Jones, Malik Davis, rookie Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle.

Johnson ran for 44 yards on 12 carries in Chicago's preseason game against Tennessee on Saturday, adding three receptions for two yards on four targets.

Johnson saw the vast majority of his playing time in the second half, at which point he split some of the workload with Travis Homer. The Bears primarily used starter Khalil Herbert and free agent pickup D'Onta Foreman in the first half. Johnson's poor returns as a pass catcher can probably be ignored -- the targets he saw were low-quality targets that most running backs couldn't do anything with, either -- so it's arguably encouraging that he saw four targets while Herbert (1) and Foreman (zero) operated almost exclusively as runners. The Bears backfield appears headed to a committee approach in 2023, so all of Herbert, Foreman and Johnson could be involved at various points.