NFL Player News

The Green Bay PackersPackers activated running back <player idref= from the PUP list and he practiced Monday, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Coach Mike McCarthy said last week that Harris, who was out with a knee injury, "made an impact in our offense last year."

McCarthy went further, saying he views Harris "as our starter." Harris played in four games last season, running for 157 yards.

Cardinals rookie running back Andre Ellington has been missing from practice because of a concussion, reports the Arizona Republic.

Ellington also missed the preseason opener against the Packers. He is competing for playing time behind starter Rashard Mendenhall this year.

Browns running back Trent Richardson said he's 100 percent healthy and wants to play Thursday night in the second preseason game against the Lions, reports the Akron Beacon-Journal.

But Richardson isn't going to rush back for a preseason game because of his shin injury when his goal is to be 100 percent for Week 1. Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said he hasn’t decided yet whether Richardson will face the Lions after sitting out the exhibition opener last week against the Rams.

"The ultimate goal is to make it to Miami, but it's one day at a time," Richardson said. "You don't want to do nothing too crazy to get hurt. At the same time, you want to be on time with everything, with your timing, the game conditioning and everything like that. Coach [Rob Chudzinski] lets me take my reps in practice here and there and we're just seeing how everything goes through with my shin. I wanted to be out there [in the preseason opener]. Coach makes the decisions. They just told me they were going to sit me down, and that was that. There were no words other than that. Coach made a decision, and it happened like that."

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce, who suffered a sprained left knee when he was hit in the end zone following a 20-yard touchdown run against Tampa Bay in the preseason opener, could play in the second preseason game agains the Falcons, reports the Baltimore Sun.

An MRI revealed no structural damage, and coach John Harbaugh said the injury is "not serious."

Pierce expressed relief that the injury isn't a long-term situation.

"It's not a serious thing at all," Pierce said. "It's just a little minor sprain, thank God. I'll be back fast."

An MRI on Bernard Pierce's left knee showed no structural damage, and the '" data-canon="Baltimore Ravens" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0"> No. 2 running back could return in a few days, reports the Baltimore Sun. Pierce sprained his knee when he was hit after reaching the end zone Thursday against the Buccaneers.

Pierce limped off the field after the 20-yard touchdown run.

Seahawks rookie Christine Michael, who ran 16 times for 89 yards Thursday against the Chargers, sat out Sunday's practice with back spasms. Coach Pete Carroll told the Seattle Times "it might be a little bit before we get him back out."

Running back Robert Turbin, who's recovered from a foot injury, got a lot of work and hit the holes hard, the paper said.

Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman called the battle for the starting tailback job between Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas "pretty close," reports the Miami Herald. Miller carried two times for six yards against Jacksonville but is widely expected to beat out Thomas, who's not nearly as quick or explosive.

"It's obvious Lamar Miller is the presumed starter but he hasn't exactly wowed yet despite enormous potential to do so," the Herald said.

Roy Helu and Evan Royster combined to run for 119 yards on 27 carries in the Redskins' preseason opener, leaving coach Mike Shanahan "really impressed."

“It was nice to see Roy do a good job," Shanahan said, via the Washington Post. "I thought he handled himself well. I thought Royster did a great job when he was in there. I’ve got to take a look at film, but my initial thoughts were I’m very impressed with both.”

With starter Alfred Morris sitting out, Helu got most of the work with the first-team offense, gaining 57 yards on 13 carries. Royster entered midway through the second quarter and gained 62 yards on 14 carries. Neither back caught a pass.

In the Rams' backfield competition, Daryl Richardson "looks to be the leader in the clubhouse as he and [Isaiah] Pead enter their second NFL seasons," reports ESPN.com. Rookies Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham and second-year back Terrance Ganaway "are also trying to work their way into the mix," the report said.

Richardson ran for a team-high 24 yards on four carries in the preseason opener, adding two catches for 20 yards.

Browns running back Trent Richardson returned to practice Saturday after missing Thursday's preseason opener with a shin injury. Head coach Rob Chudzinski believes he'll be healthy enough to play Thursday against the Lions, according to The Plain Dealer.

"I think we'll have a number of guys that'll be back practicing within the next couple days that were out for this game, and we'll obviously have to see how that goes," said Chudzinski. "But I'm expecting Trent to practice and then we'll see as far as getting him some rep time and getting him some work in the game."