NFL Player News

Larison appears to the early leader to serve as the Patriots' No. 3 running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Also in the mix for slotting behind the top duo are Terrell Jennings (undisclosed), Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery, but after spending the entire 2025 campaign on IR due to a foot injury, Larison is making a push to claim a complementary backfield role ahead of Week 1. In any case, the back who emerges as New England's No. 3 option has modest fantasy upside as long as Stevenson and Henderson are healthy.

James appears to be operating as the No. 2 running back behind Christian McCaffrey to begin training camp, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

James already looked like the favorite for San Francisco's top backup job, and a strong early camp will only strengthen his case over rookie Kaelon Black and veterans Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) and Patrick Taylor. McCaffrey remains locked in as the 49ers' offensive centerpiece, but James would carry meaningful fantasy value if he secures the No. 2 role outright. A 2025 fifth-round pick, James suited up for only three regular-season game as a rookie.

The 49ers placed Guerendo (pectoral) on the active/PUP list Saturday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Guerendo is still recovering from a torn pectoral he suffered while lifting earlier in the offseason. While the 26-year-old will be unable to practice for now, he is expected to return at some point before the end of training camp.

Conner (foot/ankle) participated in practice Thursday, Jess Root of USA Today reports.

Per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site, Conner has recovered fully from the ankle injury that limited him to three regular-season games in 2025, though it's possible he'll be eased back in as training camp rolls along. The 31-year-old returns to a crowded Arizona backfield that now includes first-rounder Jeremiyah Love and free-agent addition Tyler Allgeier, as well as 2024 third-rounder Trey Benson. With Love and Allgeier destined to see their share of touches, Conner doesn't appear to have a clear path to steady volume in 2026, though that could change if injuries hit.

Benson (knee) participated in practice Thursday, Jess Root of USA Today reports.

As did fellow RB James Conner, who is bouncing back from an ankle injury. Per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site, while the returning backs are ready for camp, the team plans to "be smart" with them out of the gate. Looking ahead, Benson will look to secure slotting in a crowded Arizona backfield that also includes Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, as well as Conner. However, unless injuries hit, Benson doesn't have a path to steady volume in the offense as Week 1 approaches.

Judkins (ankle/fibula) is in line to be full go at the start of training camp, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Judkins, who is bouncing back from a dislocated right ankle and fractured fibula that he suffered in Week 16 last season, had been able to work in team drills this spring, but the fact that the 2025 second-rounder is on track to work without restrictions in training camp positions him to maintain his role as Cleveland's clear-cut top back, a role that carries weekly fantasy utlity. In the mix to log complementary touches behind Judkins this season are Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders and Ahmani Marshall.

Brooks was a full participant in a training camp practice for the first time in his career Thursday and impressed Carolina's coaching staff with his performance, Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today Panthers Wire reports.

"He feels great, he feels strong, he looks fast," head coach Dave Canales said of Brooks, who has been limited to three NFL appearances through two seasons due to a pair of ACL tears. "He looks like the guy that I remember, and I'm really excited for that." Brooks and Trevor Etienne both mixed in with the first-team offense at Thursday's practice, along with Chuba Hubbard, per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. The Panthers selected Brooks out of Texas in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Mixon (foot) has told people close to him that he believes his playing career is likely over, Cole Thompson of Texans Wire reports.

Mixon hasn't played in an NFL game since rushing 18 times for 88 yards and one touchdown in the Texans' divisional-round loss to the Chiefs during the 2024 postseason. He missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign due to a foot injury, and he recently required another operation while also dealing with blood flow issues to the extremity. Mixon will turn 30 years old Friday and was one of the top every-down workhorse backs in his heyday. He produced five 1,000-yard rushing seasons across his eight years in the league prior to being released by Houston earlier this offseason.

Davis will battle Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah in training camp for the top backup job at running back behind starter Javonte Williams, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Dallas added Blue and Mafah in the fifth and seventh rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft last spring, but Davis was able to hold off both players for the No. 2 role once Miles Sanders (knee) went down with a season-ending injury in late September. While handling limited reps behind Williams, Davis averaged 4.8 yards on 52 carries, but he lacks standout traits as a runner and offers little utility as a pass catcher. Though Davis' ability to contribute on special teams should put him in good position to win a roster spot, Archer suggests that the 27-year-old is a "forgotten man" in the backup running back competition, with Blue bringing a more explosive skill set to the table and coming off an excellent offseason program in which the coaching staff touted his dramatic improvement compared to a year ago. The 6-foot-1, 232-pound Mafah, meanwhile, could represent a more ideal candidate than the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Davis to handle reps on early downs if Williams were to miss time at any point.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said Wednesday in an appearance on "The Schrager Hour" podcast that he's "definitely expecting Tuten to have a big year" after the running back had "a really good spring."

Coen's comments only add to the buzz surrounding Tuten heading into training camp, as the second-year back had already been expected to see an enhanced profile in the Jacksonville offense in 2026 after the team let Travis Etienne walk in free agency. As a rookie, Tuten produced seven touchdowns on 93 touches while mainly serving as a short-yardage complement to Etienne, but the 23-year-old ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process and put that explosiveness on display in the Jaguars' playoff loss to the Bills, reeling off three runs for 10-plus yards. The extent to which Tuten's role will evolve in Year 2 is still difficult to project. Jacksonville brought in bruiser Chris Rodriguez (foot) on a two-year deal this offseason, and while he could end up taking most of the snaps on early downs and in short-yardage situations, it might clear the way for Tuten to absorb some of the functions that Etienne had handled in 2025. The usage of Tuten, Rodriguez and to a lesser extent, LeQuint Allen, will all bear monitoring during the preseason to get a sense of how Coen plans to deploy his backs once the regular season gets underway.