NFL Player News

Pacheco will enter the preseason as Kansas City's top kick returner, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

The news is positive for his fantasy outlook in the sense that it improves Pacheco's odds of overcoming his first challenge: earning a spot on the Week 1 roster. He's of more interest than a typical seventh-round pick, having landed in a top offense after running a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at 216 pounds during the pre-draft process. Pacheco's college production was far less impressive, but that's largely on account of playing for overmatched teams at Rutgers, where Pacheco won 11 games (and lost 35) in four seasons. He'll have a much better setup in Kansas City if he can eventually find his way onto the field. For now, he's working behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, Ronald Jones and Derrick Gore in practice, though Gore's roster spot in particular appears vulnerable.

Mattison (finger) practiced Wednesday, Arif Hasan of The Athletic reports.

Mattison and Dalvin Cook (hand) both returned to the field after suffering minor injuries Tuesday. The pecking order in Minnesota's backfield appears to be the same as ever, though a new coaching staff could mix things up a little by giving Kene Nwangwu or Ty Chandler a few looks. Still, it's mostly the same deal for Mattison in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, with his fantasy value largely tied to Cook's health.

Cook (hand) practiced Wednesday, Arif Hasan of The Athletic reports.

Cook was removed from Tuesday's practice but won't miss any additional time. Alexander Mattison also practiced Wednesday after hurting his hand earlier in the week, while tight end Irv Smith recently had thumb surgery. Cook is locked in as a must-start option whenever healthy, with the downside being that he's missed multiple games every season and is especially at risk for injuries to the right shoulder that he's torn and/or dislocated multiple times.

Pittsburgh placed McNichols (shoulder) on injured reserve Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

McNichols signed with the Steelers to compete for a depth role in the backfield, but he lasted less than a week into camp before suffering what was apparently a severe shoulder injury. The Steelers signed Master Teague in a corresponding move to restore numbers in the backfield heading into the preseason.

Teague signed a deal with the Steelers prior to Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Teague signed with the Steelers to provide added depth at the running back position. The signing comes after Jeremy McNichols was placed on IR with a shoulder injury. Teague, an undrafted free agent, was signed by the Bears in May, however, he was waived after only a week. The 22-year-old rookie rushed for 1,757 yards and 17 touchdowns in 31 games while at Ohio State, and he'll now compete for a spot on Pittsburgh's roster ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Conner is listed as the Jaguars' No. 3 running back on the first unofficial depth chart of training camp, James Johnson of USA Today reports.

The rookie fifth-round pick has made a strong impression early in camp and has come out ahead of Ryquell Armstead. James Robinson (Achilles) and Travis Etienne (illness) are unsurprisingly listed as Jacksonville's top tailbacks, but neither is expected to play Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game versus the Raiders. Conner could see extensive run in his first action of the preseason.

Montgomery has been seeing reps both at running back and on special teams during training camp practices, Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic report.

Given that he's been a three-down back when healthy over the last few years, Montgomery's presence on the Bears' kick-return unit has been somewhat surprising. Although his involvement on special teams may not mean that Montgomery's status as the Bears' clear top back is in question, it at least has to be considered a possibility that he could yield more work with Khalil Herbert in 2022.

Hill is making a case to crack Baltimore's 53-man roster to begin the season, Kevin Eck of the Ravens' official site reports. "[Hill has] looked quick, showing no signs of the Achilles tear that sidelined him all last season," Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

With J.K. Dobbins (knee) and Gus Edwards (knee) still on the mend, the door has been opened for Hill to make an impression early in camp. Mike Davis and rookie Tyler Badie add competition for limited roster spots in the Baltimore backfield once Dobbins and Edwards return. Hill, who has fully recovered from his own season-ending injury, appears to be making the most of his chances thus far.

Taylor (groin) missed practice Wednesday, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Just as soon as Taylor returned to practice after being activated from the PUP list a week ago, he's again away from practice. There's still competition for Green Bay's third running back spot, but until either Taylor or Kylin Hill return to camp, that competition will be between Tyler Goodson and B.J. Baylor.

Strong remains limited in training camp due to an undisclosed injury, Henry McKenna of USA Today reports.

Though it's not optimal that the rookie fourth-round pick isn't practicing fully at this stage, that he's able to work in some capacity suggests that his injury issue isn't a major concern. Given that veteran change-of-pace back James White (hip) is on the active/PUP list and isn't a lock to be at full strength by Week 1, Strong -- once fully up to speed -- is a candidate to carve out a third-down role for the Patriots out of the gate.