NFL Player News

Hills was waived by the Lions on Saturday.

Following a slew of injuries to the Lions' backfield, Hills was promoted from the practice squad in 2019 and was active for Week 15's matchup versus the Buccaneers. He ended up rushing 10 times for 21 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught both targets for one yard. He could land back on the practice squad as insurance in case another injury bug lands in Detroit.

The Texans waived Phillips on Saturday.

The undrafted free agent out of Mississippi regressed in his final collegiate season, registering 4.3 yards per carry and five touchdowns after posting respective marks of 6.1 and 12 in 2018. He's flashed potential before, so if he clears waivers, he could be a practice squad candidate.

The Texans waived Higdon on Saturday.

Higdon spent the 2019 campaign on the Texans' practice squad and is likely heading there again this season. If David Johnson, Duke Johnson or Buddy Howell sustains an injury, expect Higdon to be next in line for a promotion.

The Seahawks placed Penny (knee) on the reserve/PUP list Saturday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

This move was expected all along, as Penny's December knee injury revealed damage beyond just a torn ACL. The Seahawks can afford to keep him on the sidelines until he's fully healthy as well since they signed Carlos Hyde (undisclosed) and drafted DeeJay Dallas this offseason. They also have second-year back Travis Homer on the roster. Penny can be activated off the PUP list and begin practicing after Week 6. At that point, he could cut into Chris Carson's workload if he's fully healthy, but first, Carson has five games to establish himself as a bell cow and make coach Pete Carroll forget about his past fumbling issues.

Benjamin won the third and final running back spot on the Cardinals' initial regular-season roster, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Benjamin was selected in the seventh round of this year's draft and entered a competition with holdover D.J. Foster and undrafted rookie Jonathan Ward. With no preseason action to speak of, Benjamin goes into the season as an unknown entity behind starter Kenyan Drake and his direct backup, Chase Edmonds. Looking at his collegiate career, Benjamin ended his time at Arizona State with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns, reeled in 82 of 109 passes (75.2 percent), and scored 31 touchdowns in 34 games.

The Patriots have waived Taylor.

Taylor looked good in training camp, drawing Dion Lewis comparisons. He's a candidate to land on New England's practice squad if he isn't claimed on waivers.

Gore was waived by the Chargers on Saturday.

Gore never really made any noise in training camp and it was always hard to imagine the Chargers keeping more than three running backs on their 53-man roster. Expect to see Gore on the team's practice squad should he pass through waivers.

Williams was let go by the Lions on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The 26-year-old castoff never really had a chance to make an impression with the Lions and thus will see another stint on free agency. Williams has seen time with four different rosters since being drafted in the fifth round by the Bills in 2016.

Robinson was informed Saturday that he's made Jacksonville's regular-season roster, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Robinson saw the path to a backfield gig open up earlier this week when the Jaguars waived Leonard Fournette. With Ryquell Armstead (illness) subsequently having been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the undrafted rookie out of Illinois State could even be facing some early season opportunity. In the event that Armstead isn't able to gain full clearance before Sept. 13's season-opener against the Colts, Robinson could end up in the backfield mix behind Chris Thompson and Devine Ozigbo.

McNichols was waived by the Titans on Saturday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

This transaction should more or less confirm Darrynton Evans' availability to start Week 1, as the rookie third-round pick had missed a number of practices the last couple of weeks due to an undisclosed injury. McNichols has seen stints with every AFC South team except the Texans over the last two years.