NFL Player News

With Alfred Morris sitting out the preseason opener, running back Roy Helu got most of the work with the Redskins' first-team offense Thursday against the Titans.

Helu rushed the ball 13 times for 58 yards in the game, and he did not cede any carries to Evan Royster until midway through the second quarter.

Helu is battling to be the backup running back and third-down option, and he appears to be the first option behind Morris right now. 

With Marshawn Lynch on the bench and Robert Turbin on the PUP list, Seahawks rookie running back Christine Michael made his presence felt as he fell 11 yards shy of the century mark in Thursday's preseason opener against the Chargers.

Michael broke for five rushes of seven-plus yards, including a 24-yard gain early in the fourth quarter He rushed for a team-high 89 yards on 16 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per clip in a 31-10 victory. The rookie from Texas A&M has lined up as the backup to Lynch while Turbin remains on the PUP list during camp.

Titans running back Chris Johnson showed no lingering issues from his ankle injury in Thursday's preseason opener against the Redskins.

Johnson ran the ball just twice in the game, but that was all he needed to rack up 60 yards and a touchdown. Johnson did nearly all of his damage on a  vintage 58-yard touchdown run. 

Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman got the start in Thursday's preseason opener against the 49ers.

Hillman broke for a 5-yard gain in his first carry, but did not make much of an impact the rest of the way. He was pulled from the game after the team's second drive. He rushed for nine yards on three carries and was not involved in the passing game.

Hillman is competing against rookie Montee Ball and Knowshon Moreno for the starting running back job. He rushed for 330 yards and one touchdown on 85 carries last season.

Rams running back Isaiah Pead failed to impress in his work with the first-team offense Thursday, in the team's first preseason game against the Browns.

Pead, who appears to have fallen behind Daryl Richardson in the battle for the team's starting running back spot, lost a fumble on his first touch from scrimmage. He ran the ball just two more times, eventually finishing with three rushes for 18 yards, and he was a non-factor in the passing game as well. 

Rams running back Daryl Richardson received nearly all of the reps with the first-team offense Thursday, in the team's first preseason game against the Browns.

Richardson, who has the inside track on the starting job based on his performance last season, rushed the ball four times for a team-high 24 yards. He also brought in two receptions for 20 yards, while being targeted three times in the game.

With Frank Gore held out and Kendall Hunter on the PUP list, 49ers running back LaMichael James worked with the first-team offense in Thursday's exhibition game against the Broncos.

James broke for five yards or more in each of his first four carries during the team's opening drive. He coughed up the ball but recovered his own fumble in the second drive. He was pulled early in the second quarter and finished with 27 yards on eight carries on the ground and was not involved in the passing game.

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce limped off the field after scoring a 20-yard touchdown in Thursday's preseason opener against the Buccaneers. Fortunately, he was spotted walking on the sidelines shortly after and appears to have avoided any kind of injury.

Pierce finished the game with three carries for 21 yards, and did not appear after the touchdown. He appears to have the backup running back spot locked up for Baltimore. 

Packers coach Mike McCarthy has high hopes for running back DuJuan Harris, who remains on the active/physically unable to perform list because of a knee injury that might keep him out another week or two, reports USA Today. Harris also missed time in the offseason after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from one of his lungs.

"I'm excited to see when DuJuan Harris comes back, because I view him as our starter," McCarthy said. "I want him to get back in there and earn it like he did all of last year. He made an impact in our offense."

Raiders running back Darren McFadden will play in the preseason, reports Comcast Sports Net.

"I've seen it where guys like Darren don't play in the preseason, and I've seen it where those guys do," Allen said. "It's my feeling that guys need to play. The anticipation is we'll play him (each game). In terms of how much we'll play him, we'll evaluate that on a week-to-week basis."

McFadden likes the way the new offensive system in Oakland is coming together in training camp.

"They've done a great job of driving off the line and creating space for me to run," McFadden said. "I'm looking forward to a game situation with those guys and being able to run this offense at full speed."