NFL Player News

Strong has been limited by an undisclosed injury early on in training camp, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

Given that he's able to participate in some capacity, it appears as though Strong's issue isn't anything major, but the sooner the 2022 fourth-rounder can get up to speed the better, with veteran change-of-pace back James White (hip) on the active/PUP list. If White isn't ready for the start of the coming season, Strong is a candidate to carve out a third-down role out of the gate, though second-year power back Rhamondre Stevenson also could see some added opportunities in the passing game in that scenario.

Dowdle (knee) was an active participant at Thursday's training camp session, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dowdle had underwent a knee scope in May and didn't participate at OTAs, but he was back at practice for the first time Thursday. The running back produced 24 yards on seven carries while compiling 152 kick-return yards over 15 games with the Cowboys last season. Dowdle is expected to operate as a reserve option behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard in 2022.

Williams (foot) has a chance to make an appearance late in the preseason, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

The rookie back is recovering from a broken foot he suffered during OTAs, and while he can't participate in drills at the moment because he's on the active/PUP list, he has been keeping tabs on his position group and getting extra feedback from Cam Akers, who returned from a torn Achilles of his own last season. Akers noted, "He'll be back on the field in a couple weeks, I think," which is another positive affirmation that Williams should return to the field in time for preseason action.

Patrick signed a contract with the Bengals on Thursday.

Patrick previously spent time on the Bengals' practice squad during the 2020 season before bouncing around multiple teams' practice squads in 2021. The undrafted free agent was re-signed by Cincinnati after the team placed running back Elijah Holyfield on the reserve/injured list in a corresponding move Thursday. Therefore, Patrick should have an opportunity during training camp to compete with Trayveon Williams for depth slotting behind Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine and Chris Evans.

Early on in training camp, Stevenson has been seeing added third-down reps, Henry McKenna of USA Today reports.

It's clear that Stevenson will be part of the Patriots' early-down mix this season along with Damien Harris, but for now the 2021 fourth-rounder is logging added third-down reps, with veteran change-of-pace back James White (hip) on the active/PUP list and rookie Pierre Strong dealing with an undisclosed injury. For his part, Stevenson notes that he feels "a lot more comfortable running routes and catching the football," adding that he "did a lot of that (during the offseason): running routes, getting better with my hands, pass protection." Meanwhile, the 24-year-old, who the Patriots officially list at 6-foot, 230 pounds, says he's at about 225 pounds these days, and if that helps his quickness at all, it's plausible that the Oklahoma product -- who saw just 18 targets in 12 games last season -- could see some added opportunities in the passing game in 2022, even when his banged-up teammates return to the mix.

Felton worked out with the Browns' wide receivers Wednesday when the team opened its training camps kicked off camp, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Felton is a hybrid running back/wide receiver who doesn't have a clear path to consistent snaps at either position. His inclusion in the receiver room for the start of summer workouts is likely a reaction to rookie wideout David Bell (foot) opening camp on the active/PUP list. As such, Felton could be a beneficiary of Bell's injury should it linger, although Anthony Schwartz ascends to third on the depth chart behind Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones in the short term.

Dobbins (knee) said Wednesday that he believes he's ready to take part in team drills, but he'll remain limited to on-field workouts following practices early on during training camp, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The Ravens evidently want to take things a bit slower than Dobbins that he does, as the running back said last week that he hoped to avoid the active/PUP list. The Ravens placed him on the list ahead of training camp, but he sounds like he'll be activated soon to rejoin his teammates at practice. He appears to be further along in his recovery than fellow running back Gus Edwards, who suffered an ACL tear a couple weeks after Dobbins did. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh recently said he wasn't sure if Edwards would be ready for Week 1.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Sermon "is as yolked up as he can be" for the start of training camp, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Shanahan believes the 2021 third-round pick learned some lessons from a disappointing rookie season. Sermon mostly remained buried on the depth chart while fellow rookie Elijah Mitchell emerged as the starting running back, but there's an opportunity for Sermon to earn backup work this summer with the competition mainly consisting of veteran Jeff Wilson and rookie third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price. Sermon seems to be off to a good start, at least when it comes to strength and conditioning. The practice field will be his real challenge, along with preseason games in the coming weeks.

The Chiefs activated Edwards-Helaire (undisclosed) from the active/PUP list Wednesday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Edwards-Helaire's stay on the PUP list to begin training camp ultimately lasted only one day, and he's already resumed practicing Wednesday. The 23-year-old is looking to get the most out of the first full offseason of his NFL career, after COVID-19 protocols made preparations for his rookie campaign mostly virtual, and gall bladder surgery set him back last offseason. Throughout training camp, the 2020 first-round pick should receive plenty of opportunities to solidify himself as the lead option in a revamped backfield that also includes Ronald Jones, Jerick McKinnon, Isiah Pacheco, Derrick Gore and Tayon Fleet-Davis.

The Bengals removed Perine (undisclosed) from the active/PUP list Wednesday and returned him to the active roster.

Perine is ready to go as the Bengals' training camp gets underway Wednesday. He's expected to operate as Joe Mixon's primary backup once again this season, though he'll have to compete with Chris Evans for the role.