NFL Player News

Williams (foot) is expected to suit up for the Bengals' regular-season opener at Seattle, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Williams appears primed for the No. 3 running back role in Cincinnati with Rodney Anderson (knee) believed to have suffered an ACL tear. The rookie sixth-round pick will likely contribute on special teams in addition to playing a reserve role behind Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard.

The Bengals believe Anderson (knee) suffered another ACL tear, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Anderson suffered the same injury in the same right knee last season at Oklahoma, bringing his injury-plagued college career to an early end. The rookie sixth-round pick will be placed on injured reserve if the ACL tear is confirmed.

Wilson rushed 20 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chargers.

Wilson led all skill position players with 108 all-purpose yards, including an impressive 41-yard touchdown scamper where he cut back against the grain and hit paydirt. The 23-year-old appeared to be on the outside looking in when it came to the 53-man roster, but Jerick McKinnon's (knee) recent setback may open a potential spot for Wilson. We will find out of the second-year back's strong final audition was enough to make it past final roster cuts Saturday.

Newsome rushed six times for 26 yards and a touchdown, adding 32 yards on two receptions in Thursday's preseason win over San Francisco.

Newsome had a strong showing as he vies for a spot on the 53-man roster. Troymaine Pope (three carries for 43 yards) was also impressive, but the fact Newsome was out there with the "starters" in the final preseason contest gives him a slight edge in winning the third back job (assuming Melvin Gordon's contract dispute doesn't get settled before Week 1).

Higdon carried eight times for 25 yards and caught both his targets for an additional 16 yards during Thursday's 22-10 preseason loss to the Rams.

Higdon started and featured several times on the team's long touchdown drive to start the game, but he generated very little in the way of statistics. He alternated drives with Damerea Crockett in the early going, though neither back found much success running the ball. Higdon is in contention to make the regular season roster, and although he's underwhelmed over the last couple of exhibition contests, his odds of doing so went up drastically last week when Lamar Miller suffered a serious knee injury.

Owner Jerry Jones acknowledged Thursday that Elliott (contract dispute) could miss multiple regular-season games, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The deadline for Elliott to come to terms on a new contract and play in Week 1 is drawing closer, and it doesn't sound as though a deal is close to being reached. "I'm operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games," said Jones. "My entire expectation for what we're putting together as a team right now would anticipate with him holding out and not having any training camp and that he's going to miss games. I just accept that." The star back would likely have to sign a deal and be back in practice by Wednesday to have a shot of playing in the season opener against the Giants.

McNichols carried the ball three times for eight yards in the team's preseason finale against the Bears on Thursday. He was targeted once but did not haul in the pass.

McNichols started the game but took part in only three offensive possessions. He did little with his opportunities, but he's showcased his ability both on the ground and as a receiver throughout the preseason. McNichols is competing with Dalyn Dawkins and rookie Alex Barnes for the team's fourth running back role.

Hood gained 71 yards on eight rushes and caught two of three targets for 14 receiving yards during Thursday's 31-12 preseason loss to the Falcons.

The 23-year-old back out of North Carolina heated up as the preseason finale progressed, tearing off a 49-yard carry on his final carry to set up Jacksonville for its only touchdown of the contest -- a 16-yard Alex McGough run three plays later. Despite Hood's impressive outing, he faces an uphill battle for a roster spot with Alfred Blue (ankle), Ryquell Armstead and Thomas Rawls all situated between him and starter Leonard Fournette on the depth chart.

Rodgers carried the ball seven times for 33 yards and a touchdown while catching one of two targets for nine yards in Thursday's preseason loss to the Dolphins.

He led the Saints in carries and was the leading rusher among the RBs, although Taysom Hill actually outgained Rodgers on the ground. The journeyman needed a good performance to unseat Dwayne Washington (concussion) for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, and while his one-yard TD plunge in the fourth quarter was nice, it may not have moved the needle enough for Rodgers.

Perine ran for 13 yards on five carries during Thursday's 20-7 preseason loss to Baltimore.

Perine was quiet for much of Thursday as Washington gave extra opportunities to Byron Marshall and Craig Reynolds, players competing with Perine for the RB4 job, should it even exist. The Oklahoma product saw his usage plummet in 2018 as compared to his rookie season, 197 touches to 11 and that was before Derrius Guice entered the fold while healthy. It wouldn't be too surprising to see his tenure in the coming days.