NFL Player News

Steele logged two carries for three yards during Thursday's 27-20 win over the Ravens.

Steele also returned one kickoff for 28 yards. The undrafted rookie played just five offensive snaps Week 1 despite Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) not being available behind starter Isaiah Pacheco, but there's room for Steele's involvement to grow as he better acclimates to the Chiefs offense. Edwards-Helaire won't be eligible to come off the reserve/non-football injury list until at least Week 5, so Steele will get another opportunity to handle a key depth role Week 2 versus the Bengals.

GM John Lynch said Friday morning that he expects McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) to play Monday against the Jets, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

"Obviously we want to see him progress through the week," Lynch said. "We had confidence he'd be ready. ... He'll be out there and ready to go." The GM's comments suggest McCaffrey will play so long as he avoids a setback, after the 49ers listed him as a limited participant Thursday on their first official injury report of the season. He suffered a calf strain in early August and didn't return to practice until Tuesday, leaving Jordan Mason as San Francisco's top running back for much of training camp and the preseason.

Perine secured one of two targets for 10 yards during Thursday's 27-20 win over the Ravens. He did not log a rushing attempt.

Perine, who signed with the Chiefs just over a week and a half ago, played eight offensive snaps in his team debut, an indication that he hasn't yet fully acclimated to coach Andy Reid's offensive scheme. Still, the one target Perine failed to haul in seemed like a hint of better things to come. If he'd secured that short dump-off from Patrick Mahomes in the third quarter, there was only open field standing between Perine and a touchdown. The pass-catching specialist will work to increase his involvement behind Isaiah Pacheco versus the Bengals in Week 2.

Spears is expected to split snaps evenly with Tony Pollard in the Titans' Week 1 matchup against the Bears, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

The Titans have consistently stated that Spears and Pollard are viewed as interchangeable, and offensive coordinator Nick Holz reiterated that again Wednesday. He did note that both backs have plays specifically installed in the offense for them, with preseason usage suggesting that the team prefers Pollard in short-yardage situations. That could hurt Spears' ability to find the end zone, though he'll likely have the opportunity to make up for that with his playmaking ability as a pass catcher.

Pollard is expected to split time evenly with Tyjae Spears to begin the season, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Offensive coordinator Nick Holz said that he expects the backs to split snaps evenly and that each has plays specifically tailored to them in the offense. Pollard suffered through a surprisingly inefficient 2023 season with the Cowboys, but he's now roughly 18 months removed from suffering a fractured leg and showed explosiveness as both a runner and pass catcher during preseason action.

Pacheco rushed 15 times for 45 yards and a touchdown and caught two of three targets for 33 yards in the Chiefs' 27-20 win over the Ravens on Thursday night.

The hard-charging running back scored his first touchdown of the season from one yard out in the third quarter on what seemed to be a third effort after the Ravens initially stopped him short of the goal line. Pacheco later displayed his never-say-die style on a 10-yard reception where he balanced himself on the back of a defender and then continued running for a fist down. He took 17 of Kansas City's 20 RB touches, with Samaje Perine and Carson Steele only taking occasional snaps, which suggests Pacheco should be busy again Week 2 against the Bengals.

Henry rushed 13 times for 46 yards and a touchdown and failed to catch either of his two targets in the Ravens' 27-20 loss to the Chiefs on Thursday.

Henry was featured on his first regular-season drive as a Raven, taking the first touch of the night from scrimmage for a two-yard run and eventually capping off the opening possession with a five-yard touchdown rush for the first points of the new season. The veteran offseason addition was sparsely utilized after that point, however, logging only eight more carries the rest of the way, in part due to game script. Henry did resemble the explosive power back he established himself as over the last several seasons in Tennessee, but a much better picture of where he fits within Baltimore's offense will become clearer in games in which he can handle a much more conventional workload.

Johnson (toe) remained limited in Thursday's practice.

Johnson missed the Bears' final three preseason games after appearing in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 1. Even if Johnson is active for Sunday's Week 1 opener against the Titans, he appears to be firmly behind D'Andre Swift and Khalil Herbert on the backfield depth chart. Johnson has minimal redraft fantasy value at the moment.

Vidal is expected to handle some of the third-down duties out of the Chargers' backfield this season, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

It makes all of the sense in the world, as both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are prototypical between-the-tackles, early-down grinders. Vidal beat out Isaiah Spiller for a roster spot in Los Angeles, and only Hassan Haskins rounds out the depth chart. Haskins is another early-down thumper. Vidal is unlikely to come into any meaningful fantasy value unless one of Dobbins or Edwards gets hurt and opens up more playing time.

Guerendo (groin) is practicing on a limited basis Thursday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Guerendo spent the early portion of training camp sidelined due to a hamstring injury, and he then tweaked his groin after returning for San Francisco's preseason finale. The rookie fourth-round pick will have two more chances to upgrade to full participation in practice ahead of Monday's regular-season opener against the Jets. Meanwhile, top running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) will also be limited Thursday, though he's expected to be available Week 1.