NFL Player News

Perine didn't get any touches but played four of 15 snaps with the first-team offense in Thursday's preseason opener at Philadelphia, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.

Chase Brown played the other 11 first-team snaps and took eight touches for 48 yards. Neither Brooks nor Perine appeared to play after the second drive, with rookie Tahj Brooks taking over and dominating carries into the second half. This seems like a decent preview of what to expect during the regular season -- namely, Perine getting some playing time on pass plays but not seeing much of the ball. The question is whether he or Brooks would have more value in the event of a Brown injury.

Dillon took five carries for 27 yards and three catches for 27 yards in Thursday's preseason opener against Cincinnati.

Dillon repped ahead of Shipley in the first practice of training camp, but it seems the 2024 fourth-round pick has already moved ahead of the 27-year-old. While Dillon played well and got all his work in the first half, he didn't have any touches until Shipley had already finished his day (with eight touches for 52 yards on the first two drives). If there's any consolation for Dillon's backup case, it's the fact that Shipley didn't have much luck apart from a 38-yard gain on a perfectly blocked play, otherwise getting stuffed near the line.

Shipley started Thursday's preseason game against the Bengals, taking seven carries for 48 yards and one catch for four yards.

All eight touches came on the first two drives, including a 38-yard carry, before AJ Dillon took over for the third series and played the rest of the first half. Dillon also had a solid night, with five carries for 27 yards and three catches for 27 yards, but both the rotation order and Shipley's strong performance suggest Shipley is on track for the No. 2 RB role in Philadelphia -- a spot that could equate to immense fantasy value in the event of a Saquon Barkley injury.

Ali took nine carries for 37 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason game against Indianapolis.

The stat line looks good, but Keaton Mitchell got the start and put up a 9-68-1 rushing line, taking five carries to Ali's one over the first two drives while second-string QB Cooper Rush was still in the game. Ali then got more work with the third unit, reinforcing the notion that he's stuck behind Derrick Henry, Justice Hill and Mitchell on Baltimore's depth chart. The Ravens may still try to keep Ali around, either on the roster or practice squad, considering Mitchell and Hill both weigh less than 200 pounds.

Mitchell took nine carries for 68 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason game against the Colts.

With Derrick Henry and Justice Hill resting, Mitchell got the start and the first carry. He then went wild on Baltimore's second drive, starting it with a 25-yard kickoff return before taking carries of five, two, 23 and 22 (TD) yards. Rasheen Ali mixed in for one carry on the drive, and later scored a TD of his own, but both the rotation and the caliber of Mitchell's performance suggest he's safely ahead of Ali. The question now is whether Mitchell will chip away at some of the snaps that went to Hill (or even Henry) in 2024.

Goodson started Thursday's preseason opener at Baltimore and took four carries for 11 yards.

Goodson got the start, but rookie fifth-round pick DJ Giddens played more snaps in the first half, finishing with six carries for 17 yards (and one incomplete target). Khalil Herbert then took over in the third quarter and scored a TD, but only after entering halftime without a touch. The trio will continue competing for backup roles behind Jonathan Taylor, who was held out Thursday night along with most of the other starters.

Giddens took six carries for 17 yards and had one incomplete target in Thursday's preseason opener at Baltimore.

With Jonathan Taylor and most other starters rested, RB Tyler Goodson got the start and the first carry, but it was Giddens who took most of the snaps in the first half after Daniel Jones replaced an injured Anthony Richardson (finger) at quarterback. Neither Giddens nor Goodson made much of an impression, but they at least worked ahead of Khalil Herbert, who got zero touches in the first half and then scored a TD in the third quarter. As a rookie fifth-round pick, Giddens likely will be kept on the Week 1 roster even if the Colts settle on Goodson or Herbert as their No. 2 RB.

Brown took five carries for 23 yards and three catches for 25 yards in Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles.

He was the only RB to get a touch on the first-team offense's two drives, getting the ball eight times on 15 plays, although Samaje Perine did take four snaps, per Jay Morrison of SI.com. It was a reminder of what Brown did last season in Weeks 9-17, recording eight straight games with at least 15 touches, 50 snaps and 91 total yards. The Bengals may ideally want Perine and Tahj Brooks to take some of the load off Brown's shoulders this season, but Brown could still end up dominating the touches if coach Zac Taylor decides there's too much of a drop off between the starter and his backups.

Blue said after Thursday's practice that he sustained an ankle injury, but he's "fine," Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports

Blue made an early departure Thursday due to an apparent lower-body injury and visited the sideline tent before walking off the field under his own power. The nature of the issue has been confirmed, but his status ahead of Saturday's preseason game against the Rams now is up in the air. Blue has been mixing into drills with the first-team offense in training camp, but the rookie fifth-round pick may begin to fall behind in the competition for RB reps with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders if he misses an extended period of time.

Taylor is not in line to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Ravens, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

The same applies to starting WRs Michael Pittman and Josh Downs, among others, though the Colts do plan to give their top two QBs, Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, reps in the contest. Taylor's next chance to see game action will be Saturday, Aug. 16 against the Packers.