NFL Player News

Elliot said he'll likely play the first possession of the Cowboys' third preseason game Sunday, Aug. 26 against the Cardinals, Kate Hairopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

In essence, Elliot expects to replicate his exhibition workload from a season ago. The decision comes down to one of health as he prepares to handle a massive workload for the third consecutive season. In the first two, he averaged 23.6 and 26.8 touches per game, so his bell-cow status really isn't in question.

McKinnon was removed from Sunday's practice due to a possible knee injury, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McKinnon watched the remaining drills and wasn't being looked at by the 49ers' medical team, but the issue will be one to watch with one running back (Matt Breida) already out of commission for awhile due to a shoulder separation.

Jones (hamstring) participated in practice Sunday, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Absent from practice for more than two weeks due to a hamstring injury, Jones appears ready to reenter the battle for backfield touches. While he'll miss the first two games of the season due to a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, he'll be a part of a committee, at least, with Jamaal Williams and Ty Montgomery once Week 3 of the regular season rolls around.

Williams left Sunday's practice early due to a shoulder injury, Brooke Pryor of The Kansas City Star reports.

Williams had offseason shoulder surgery prior to joining the Chiefs, and it's unclear if his current shoulder ailment is an aggravation of that. Look for Charcandrick West to get some extra reps if Williams misses any time.

Newsome carried the ball four times for three yards and a touchdown, and also caught four passes for 34 yards in a 24-17 preseason loss to the Cardinals on Saturday.

Newsome struggled to gain much traction Saturday, ripping off a carry for six yards but otherwise finding himself stuck in the backfield. Given that Newsome's competition for the No. 3 role, Russell Hansbrough, tallied three carries for 21 yards, it wasn't a great night for the undrafted rookie. With Justin Jackson (hamstring) looming in the background as another candidate for the aforementioned spot on the depth chart, Newsome will need a better performance against Seattle next Saturday.

Edmonds took five carries for 11 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 24-17 preseason win over the Chargers.

Edmonds was the first running back in the game after David Johnson, who was taken out for good after ripping off back-to-back 14-yard gains on Arizona's first two snaps. Edmonds handled the rest of the opening drive, including a second-effort touchdown on a 4th-and-goal from the two-yard line. Despite averaging just 2.2 yards per carry, the rookie did a nice job with situational running, picking up four yards on a 2nd-and-3 and then three yards on a 1st-and-goal from the 6-yard line. More important, Edmonds got his work before D.J. Foster and T.J. Logan -- an early hint that the fourth-round pick is on track for the No. 2 RB job. Foster and Logan combined for just 18 yards on 11 touches during Saturday's game.

Clement (undisclosed) remained on the sidelines for Sunday's practice, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com reports.

Given that he also sat out Saturday's practice, the second-year back likely picked up an injury during the Eagles' preseason opener Thursday against Pittsburgh. According to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Clement was wearing a sleeve on his right leg, which suggests that could be the location of the injury. The Eagles haven't commented on the injury, so it's simply a situation to keep an eye on for now.

Davis is signing with the Bears, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Even with Jordan Howard (knee) a bit banged up, Davis is a long shot to crack the 53-man roster in Chicago. He was released by the Steelers at the end of the preseason last year and never caught on with another team. Best known for running a 4.37 40-yard dash at 227 pounds back in 2013, the 26-year-old will need to make a strong impression on special teams to have any shot at sticking around.

Ekeler had five carries for 22 yards and two receptions for 42 yards in Saturday's preseason loss to Arizona.

Ekeler looks set to begin the season as the No. 2 running back with Justin Jackson struggling with a hamstring injury. Melvin Gordon is locked in as the workhorse for early downs, but he may cede a few more snaps to Ekeler in passing situations this season.

Freeman had four carries for 38 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown, in Saturday's preseason loss to Minnesota.

Devontae Booker got the first carries with the offense, but Freeman outplayed him as Booker had just two carries for seven yards. While Freeman's touchdown came later in the game against the second-team defense, his performance will put pressure on Booker in the battle for the starting job.