NFL Player News

Ward signed with the Ravens' practice squad Monday, Ryan Mink of the team's official site reports.

There wasn't enough room on the Ravens' 53-man roster for Ward, as Baltimore went with Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali as the backup running backs behind Derrick Henry and placed rookie fifth-rounder Adam Randall (undisclosed) on injured reserve. Ward will stick around in Baltimore and would be a top candidate to be elevated to the main roster if the Ravens need more backfield depth. Ward last saw regular-season action in 2024 with the Steelers, when he logged five carries for 22 yards across four games.

The Athletic's Josh Kendall expects Robinson to have a goal-line role for the Falcons this season.

"He has shown a physical style in practice that cements his role as the new Tyler Allgeier," Kendall wrote. "Bijan Robinson fantasy managers may not like how many goal-line carries he gets." Allgeier, of course, was a thorn in the side of Bijan's fantasy investors last season, out-carrying Atlanta's lead back 19 to 17 inside the 10-yard line while matching him with seven carries apiece inside the five-yard line. Allgeier also punched in four of those seven carries for touchdowns, while Bijan scored on just two of his chances. At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, the team's newest Robinson profiles similarly to Allgeier as a short-yardage, between-the-tackles type who can pick up tough yards. It sounds like the former Commander and 49er is going to have some sort of role in those situations for the Falcons this season, which could mute Bijan's touchdown upside.

The Lions placed Pacheco (back) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Pacheco joined Detroit in March on a one-year contract to serve as Jahmyr Gibbs' primary backup. Pacheco initially missed time during training camp due to a sprained MCL before a back injury now will force him to miss at least the first four games of the campaign while on IR. Currently, the Lions roster Sione Vaki, Jacob Saylors and Jabari Small as options to spell Gibbs from Weeks 1-4.

McCaffrey (undisclosed) suited up and went through drills at Tuesday's practice, according to Matt Lively of CBS Sports Bay Area.

McCaffrey was able to run and catch passes Tuesday in full uniform, so it would appear he has not encountered any hiccups since returning to practice a little over a week ago. It has been a while since the last official update on McCaffrey's status, but it would appear he continues trending in the right direction ahead of Week 1.

Tracy (neck) is present at Tuesday's practice in a non-contact jersey, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Tracy suffered a neck stinger in last Friday's preseason finale and avoided a major injury. Despite a rocky preseason and training camp under new coach John Harbaugh and OC Matt Nagy, Tracy still managed to make the Giants' 53-man roster. However, Najee Harris and Devin Singletary are also in the mix behind Cam Skattebo, leaving Tracy's actual role uncertain.

Love (ankle) was spotted at Tuesday's practice but wasn't suited up, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Love has been tending to a high-ankle sprain since the Cardinals' first preseason game and hasn't practiced since. Coach Mike LaFleur told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com on Monday that Love is "progressing really well" toward being available for Week 1, but the rookie running back will need to mix into drills to begin to put questions about his status for the regular-season opener against the Chargers in the rearview mirror.

Miller exited Tuesday's practice alongside trainers with an apparent injury, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

There's been no indication Miller is dealing with a serious injury, but his departure leaves just Audric Estime as the lone healthy running back behind Travis Etienne, as Alvin Kamara is still recovering from a sprained MCL in his knee. A third-round pick in 2023, Miller has appeared in just 21 career regular-season games, rushing 127 times for 497 yards (3.9 YPC) and three touchdowns.

Johnson (lower leg) remains sidelined at Tuesday's practice, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Johnson exited practice in early August and has been dealing with some sort of issue in his leg for the better part of a full month now. He resumed running and sprinting last week. Turning 29 later this month, Johnson has carved out a role on game days with the Bills, but he's more of a nuisance than anything in fantasy. Even if James Cook were to go down with an injury, Johnson's role likely wouldn't change all that much, as Ray Davis is Cook's more direct backup as a rusher. Johnson has averaged just 3.9 touches per game over his 34 regular-season appearances dating back to the start of the 2024 campaign.

Coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Monangai is "week-to-week" due to the right knee injury that he sustained in practice back on Sunday, Aug. 16, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports.

Monangai was tackled from behind by Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Initially, Monangai's right knee was deemed to be structurally sound and the issue was termed a hyperextension, but he has yet to show much progress in his recovery. As a result, Monangai is in danger of being sidelined for the Bears' season opener Sunday, Sept. 13 at Carolina. Roschon Johnson would receive a bump in relevance behind D'Andre Swift in such a scenario.

Coach Ben Johnson believes Swift is "primed for a big year" in 2026, Dan Wiederer of The Athletic reports.

"It's the best I've seen him this time of year," Johnson said last week. "You look back at a year ago, he was very explosive, and yet it takes a little while to gel between him and the offensive line. I think he's accelerating his vision here at this point. I think [RBs] coach [Eric] Studesville has been fantastic for him just with the reads and being able to know the intent of where we're trying to hit things. He bounces it when we're supposed to bounce it. He hits it right on spot when it's there, then he cuts it up. I think he's doing a really good job right now. We just got to get into that first week nice and healthy and ready to go. I think he's primed for a big year, though." With Kyle Monangai (knee) still considered week-to-week 12 days out from the regular season, Swift could have a huge role early in the season. Running behind one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the league and in an offense that wants to score boatloads of points, Swift has big upside as a fantasy RB2.