NFL Player News

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Guerendo (shoulder) is expected to miss a couple weeks, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Guerendo made an early exit from Saturday's practice and apparently won't be back for a while. It sounds like he has a chance to be ready for Week 1, but a preseason appearance probably isn't in the cards. Guerendo's absence could give rookie Jordan James more opportunities to mix in with the first-team offense, especially on days when Christian McCaffrey is rested.

James (knee) returned to practice Monday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

James was back after missing just a few days, while fellow backup running back Isaac Guerendo is out again due to an apparent shoulder injury he suffered Saturday. With Christian McCaffrey resting, James may even get a chunk of the first-team reps Monday as the 49ers prepare for Saturday's preseason opener against Denver.

Walker (foot) is missing a third straight practice Monday, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Walker was healthy for the first eight practices of training camp, having long ago made a full recovery from the ankle injury that ended his 2024 campaign early. He's now bothered by foot soreness, with Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald suggesting this weekend that Walker's injury isn't anything significant or concerning. The bigger immediate concern is chatter about Zach Charbonnet taking more work away from Walker under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.

Head coach Brian Daboll said Monday that the MRI on Skattebo's (hamstring) leg yielded optimistic results, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Daboll added that all of the Giants' injured players are getting better, casting a wide net that includes Skattebo. Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary have been splitting first-team snaps in training camp, though Skattebo had been making a push to join them prior to his injury. Despite the positive update from Daboll, Skattebo may be held out of Saturday's preseason opener against Buffalo.

Ward is signing with the Giants on Monday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

The Giants liked what they saw from Ward in a workout Monday morning and wasted little time in adding him to the roster. The 27-year-old running back has appeared in 46 regular-season NFL games, including four with the Steelers in 2024, but has only 22 carries for 91 yards and six catches for 52 yards and one touchdown on eight targets in his career. Ward will provide depth in a banged-up backfield that's dealing with injuries to Cam Skattebo (hamstring), Eric Gray (undisclosed) and Rushawn Baker (knee).

Pierce (undisclosed) worked off to the side in Monday's practice, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Bien-Aime adds that Pierce's movements looked good. Pierce can't rejoin his teammates at practice until he's activated from the active/PUP list. Once he's cleared for action, Pierce will look to earn a prominent role in a Texans backfield with a murky pecking order among Pierce, veteran Nick Chubb and rookie fourth-round pick Woody Marks behind injured starter Joe Mixon (foot/ankle), who is expected to be evaluated again near the start of the regular season.

Gibson (undisclosed) took part in practice Monday, Brian Hines of SBNation reports.

Gibson had been sidelined since Thursday but is healthy to begin the week of preparation ahead of Friday's preseason game against the Commanders. He's expected to slot into the third spot on the running back depth chart behind rookie second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, and Gibson also could carve out a role as a return man on special teams.

VanSumeren (ankle) returned to practice Monday, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

VanSumeren didn't practice the previous Friday due to an ankle injury but is back in there Monday. He is transitioning to fullback after playing primarily on special teams and at linebacker in his previous two seasons with the Eagles.

Cook is present for Monday's practice but not in uniform as he seeks a new contract, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.

He reported for June minicamp and the start of training camp before switching things up Sunday and seemingly moving to a "hold in" approach -- whereby he shows up to practice and meetings but doesn't do on-field work. When reporters asked him Sunday why he wasn't practicing, Cook simply said "business," a one-word answer that was also his response to the beat writers' other questions. In any case, his absence from practice frees up more first-team reps for Ray Davis and Ty Johnson.

Conner said Saturday that he expects Trey Benson to get a lot of playing time this season, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon also has relayed high expectations for Benson, who averaged 5.3 touches and 10.5 snaps in 13 games last season before an ankle injury sent him to injured reserve in December. Conner, meanwhile, averaged 41.1 snaps and 18.5 touches through Week 16, ranking ninth among RBs in PPR points until a knee injury ruined his final two weeks. Both running backs are healthy now, with the 22-year-old apparently set to take more work from the 30-year-old, although Benson can also capture some of what went to Michael Carter (46 touches) and Emari Demercado (40) last season. For Conner, it probably makes sense to limit fantasy expectations to the RB2 range, rather than the RB1/2 borderline where he's typically resided when healthy for the Cardinals (four straight seasons in the range of 15.5 to 17.2 PPR points per game).