NFL Player News

Perine (undisclosed) appears to be ahead of Chris Evans in the competition to secure the backup job behind Joe Mixon, Chris Roling of the USA Today reports.

With that in mind, coach Zac Taylor recently noted that "(Perine's) certainly got a leg up right now in that battle, but that's what training camp is for. Plenty of times, guys step up and have huge growth. We'll see where it goes." Either way, Evans -- a 2021 sixth-rounder -- has a chance to factor in, particularly in passing situations, but as long as Perine can stay healthy, he'll be in the mix for early-down touches that don't go to Mixon. To that point, it's worth noting that trainers had a look at Perine during practice Tuesday after he came up lame on punt drill, according to Jay Morrison of The Athletic.

Williams has been getting some of the first-team reps in training camp, but he could face more competition for playing time following Detroit's recent signing of Justin Jackson, MLive.com's Kyle Meinke reports.

Jackson is an experienced but oft-injured backup, while Williams is the former but not the latter, having played 73 of a possible 81 games through five pro seasons. Williams did miss four games last year, accounting for half his career total, though two of the absences were caused by COVID-19. He's still a solid favorite to enter Week 1 as the Lions' No. 2 back behind D'Andre Swift, whose workload is being managed throughout training camp to keep him ready for the regular season. It remains to be seen how much of the workload Swift cedes to the other backs, including Williams, come September, October and beyond.

Foreman appeared to suffer a foot or ankle injury at Tuesday's practice and rode a bike on the side after exiting the session, Augusta Stone of panthers.com reports.

It's a good sign Foreman stayed on the sideline and was able to move around under his own power, perhaps hinting at a bruise or minor sprain rather than something more serious. He and Chuba Hubbard are competing for backup roles behind do-it-all back Christian McCaffrey, who made only 10 appearances total the past two seasons after starting his career with three straight 16-game campaigns.

Coach Sean McVay recently said Akers has been "getting more comfortable" and "caught up to speed" following his Achilles tear last year, ESPN's Sarah Barshop reports.

Akers surprisingly made it back for the playoffs after tearing his Achilles in mid-July, but he didn't look like the same player that ran for 221 yards and two TDs in two playoff games the previous year. The strong finish to his rookie season had Akers going in the second round of fantasy drafts before his injury last summer, and he still has the potential to justify that price tag if he can handle a three-down role in McVay's offense. On the other hand, he'll lose a lot of work to Darrell Henderson and/or other backs if he looks like he did in January and February.

Nwangwu is considered day-to-day with a soft-tissue injury in his leg, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Nwangwu didn't practice Tuesday but is expected back in the not-too-distant future. His value on special teams should ensure the 2021 fourth-round pick of a roster spot, but earning work on offense will be a challenge in a backfield that also has Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison and rookie fifth-round pick Ty Chandler. Nwangwu's absence from practice should leave more reps for Chandler, in particular.

Harris (foot) isn't practicing Tuesday, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Coach Mike Tomlin noted Monday that the Steelers' top back had his foot stepped on during practice, but indicated it "shouldn't be a major deal." With that in mind, consider Harris day-to-day. Next up on the team's backfield depth chart are Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Jeremy McNichols (shoulder) and Mataeo Durant.

Robinson (Achilles) ran routes during a drill at Monday's practice, James Johnson of Jaguars Wire reports.

The Jaguars are easing the third-year pro into action after last year's Achilles tear. Coach Doug Pederson suggested Robinson could be at full strength by mid-August, which sounds optimistic but not necessarily impossible. His rehab thus far seems to have gone as well as anyone could've hoped, but fellow running back Travis Etienne has been one of the stars of training camp after missing his rookie year with a Lisfranc injury. There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Robinson despite his strong work through two pro seasons.

Carter is dealing with a minor ankle injury, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

He was limited in Tuesday's practice but not held out entirely, suggesting his ankle injury isn't too much of a concern. Carter will be stuck in a backup role after the Jets drafted Breece Hall in the second round of the 2022 draft, but there will still be snaps available for the second-year UNC product, especially on passing downs.

Mack is competing with Rex Burkhead, Dameon Pierce and other running backs for roles in the Houston backfield, Drew Dougherty of houstontexans.com reports.

Pierce reportedly is making a strong impression, but it seems like a wide-open competition, and Mack is the only one with experience working as an NFL lead back. That was years ago, of course, and he's taken only 28 regular-season carries since suffering an Achilles tear in Week 1 of 2020 with the Colts. Mack did run for 908 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018 (195 carries - 4.7 YPC), followed by 1,091 yards and eight TDs in 2019 (247 carries - 4.4 YPC).

Edwards-Helaire has taken the first rep on almost every series at training camp, with Jerick McKinnon typically next through the rotation with the first-team offense, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Sweeney notes that Ronald Jones, Isiah Pacheco and Derrick Gore have mixed in "from time to time" with the starters. Edwards-Helaire was on the PUP list to start camp, but only for a day, and he's still on track for a Week 1 start for the third time in three pro seasons. There are questions about his ability to hold on to that role, with Jones providing competition for early downs and goal-line work, while McKinnon may be preferred in obvious passing situations. McKinnon outsnapped CEH three-to-one in KC's final two playoff games last season, albeit with Edwards-Helaire's ailing shoulder a considerable factor in that distribution. The 2020 first-round pick is still the favorite to lead the Chiefs in carries this year, even if the dreams of a three-down workhorse role are all but gone.