NFL Player News

Saints coach Kellen Moore said Tuesday that Neal (hamstring) will miss "a few weeks" of practice, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Neal appears destined to at least sit out New Orleans' preseason opener against the Chargers on Sunday, and it sounds as though his status for Aug. 17 versus the Jaguars and Aug. 23 against the Broncos could be in jeopardy as well. The rookie sixth-round pick is competing with Kendre Miller, Cam Akers and Clyde Edwards-Helaire for backfield opportunities behind Alvin Kamara.

Davis and Ty Johnson are getting more first-team reps while James Cook (contract) misses practice, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Cook skipped some voluntary offseason sessions, but he was present for mandatory activities and practice sessions early in training camp up until Sunday, when he watched from the sideline without pads and told reports his absence was on account of "business." The most likely outcome is Cook signing an extension at some point before Week 1 and getting back out on the field, but there's always at least a slight risk for fantasy GMs when dealing with a player in a contract dispute. Davis and Johnson both played well when called upon last year, combining for 1,128 total yards and 10 touchdowns on 189 touches while Cook went for 1,267 yards and 18 TDs on 239 touches. Davis was the lead runner in the one game Cook missed, taking 20 carries for 97 yards, plus three catches for 55 yards, in a Week 6 win over the Jets.

Hall (undisclosed) returned to Tuesday's practice a few minutes after leaving the field to talk with trainers, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports.

He apparently avoided a significant injury and will jump back in with the first-team offense ahead of Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. There's been chatter this summer about Allen in particular taking more work away from Hall, but we may have to wait until Week 1 to have a good idea about how that plays out.

Hall left Tuesday's practice early with a trainer, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Hall walked off the practice field Tuesday morning, leaving Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis to handle first-team backfield reps. There's been some chatter this summer about the new coaching staff dividing RB work more evenly, with Allen in particular said to be making a good impression, but Hall still figures to be the starter and lead runner heading into Week 1, assuming Tuesday's issue is nothing serious.

Giddens is listed as the No. 3 running back on the Colts' first unofficial depth chart of the preseason.

He's behind starter Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Goodson. While Giddens is seen having a strong camp so far, Goodson could be given deference as a returning veteran or may be listed as the second back because he could have a role on passing downs if Jonathan Taylor is healthy. Giddens may be the more likely candidate for the bulk of carries if Taylor were to get hurt, though Khalil Herbert also could be in the mix.

Goodson is listed as the No. 2 running back on the Colts' first unofficial depth chart of the preseason.

Goodson is listed ahead of both DJ Giddens and Khalil Herbert. He could be given deference as a returning veteran or may be listed as the second back because he could have a role on passing downs if Jonathan Taylor is healthy. However, Giddens is seen having a stronger camp so far and would likely get the most work if Taylor were to get hurt.

The Lions waived Robichaux (undisclosed) with an injury designation Monday.

Assuming Robichaux clears waivers, he'll revert to the Lions' injured-reserve list and miss the 2025 season unless he's later cut with an injury settlement. Robichaux signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College back in April.

Williams (undisclosed) was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement by the Bucs on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The running back signed a reserve/future contract in January after spending 2024 on Tampa Bay's practice squad. Williams was elevated for one game last year, seeing eight special-teams snaps. He'll now have to look for his next opportunity elsewhere.

Baker (knee) was waived with an injury designation by the Giants on Monday, Patricia Traina of SI.com reports.

If the running back goes unclaimed, he will revert to New York's injured reserve list, at which point he would need to reach an injury settlement with the team to have a chance to play in 2025. Baker suffered the injury during one-on-one route-running drills Saturday. The undrafted free-agent signing out of Elon was competing for a depth spot behind Tyrone Tracy, Devin Singletary and Cam Skattebo.

Pierce (quadriceps) passed a physical Monday and was activated from the active/PUP list, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Pierce opened training camp on the PUP list due to an undisclosed injury, which Wilson revealed to be a strained quad. The running back was described as going high speed on the side during Monday's practice, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com, and that activity was enough for him to pass a physical. Houston's No. 1 RB Joe Mixon currently is on the active/non-football injury list due to the combination of ankle and foot issues, and he's slated to be evaluated again closer to the regular season. If his recovery extends into September, Pierce could be in the mix for touches in Week 1 alongside Nick Chubb and rookie fourth-round pick Woody Marks.