NFL Player News

Moss and Chase Brown are expected to split snaps this Sunday against New England, but they won't necessarily have predetermined roles based on situations, Paul Dehner of The Athletic reports.

In other words, it may not be a traditional early/late-down split with one running back getting most of the carries and the other dominating targets. The Bengals may instead use both backs in a variety of situations, perhaps preferring Brown's speed for some passing downs and Moss' superior blocking for others. Moss seems to be the favorite to handle short-yardage work and a majority of the other carries between the tackles, but that doesn't mean he'll dominate early down snaps in a pass-first Cincinnati offense directed by head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow. A slightly better idea about the backfield roles should emerge after Week 1, even if fluidity throughout the season is a strong possibility.

Edwards is listed as a co-starter with J.K. Dobbins on the Chargers' unofficial Week 1 depth chart heading into Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Edwards and Dobbins are both familiar with the rushing scheme of Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, as both running backs previously played under Roman in Baltimore. Dobbins is faster and has better hands, but Edwards should get a steady diet of inside runs and valuable goal-line work after racking up 13 rushing touchdowns with the Ravens in 2023. Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins are listed as the backups at running back.

Sanders is listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice report with a finger injury.

Sanders will have two more opportunities to upgrade to full practice participation before receiving an injury designation for Sunday's regular-season opener against New Orleans. The veteran running back looks in line to handle a depth role behind Chuba Hubbard to begin the season, as long as injuries don't impact his ability to contribute. However, Sanders could slide further down the depth chart once rookie Jonathon Brooks (knee) is ready to come off the reserve/non-football injury list and make his NFL debut.

Dobbins looked healthy in training camp and the preseason and shouldn't face any restrictions heading into Sunday's season opener against the Raiders, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

While he was with the Ravens in 2023, Dobbins tore his Achilles in Week 1 and missed the rest of the season, but he has healed up and has looked spry thus far during his time with the Chargers. Popper believes Dobbins will contribute regularly as a pass catcher, and the running back still has the speed to beat defenders to the edge. Dobbins is expected to begin his Chargers tenure in a timeshare with Gus Edwards. Both running backs previously played under Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman in Baltimore.

Mixon is fully healthy heading into Sunday's season opener against the Colts after being held out of preseason action due to a quadricep injury, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Mixon didn't have any limitations in joint practices near the end of training camp and won't have a cap on his workload in his Texans debut Week 1. The 28-year-old running back exceeded 1,000 rushing yards in four of his seven seasons with the Bengals, and Mixon is projected to lead a Houston backfield that also includes Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, Cam Akers and British Brooks.

Steele could see significant playing time early in the season, starting with Thursday's game against the Ravens, as teammate Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss at least four weeks after being placed on the non-football illness list Monday, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Steele profiles as the third option in Kansas City's backfield behind Isiah Pacheco and Samaje Perine, though Perine has been with the team for only two weeks and thus may not be available in all situations. Steele made the 53-man roster after a strong training camp and preseason.

Ali (neck) is listed as doubtful for Thursday's season opener against the Chiefs.

With Ali trending toward inactive status Thursday, the Ravens' Week 1 backfield depth is thin behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill. The Ravens do, however, have the option to elevate John Kelly or Chris Collier from the practice squad to provide a third backfield option for Thursday.

Scott (undisclosed) was placed on the Steelers' practice squad injured list Wednesday.

Scott signed with Pittsburgh's practice squad Friday after being waived by the Rams. It's not clear what the injury is or how much time he could miss, but his move to the injured list will force him to miss at least four weeks before he's eligible to return to practice.

Pacheco remains in line to serve as the Chiefs' lead back in Thursday's season opener versus the Ravens, Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star reports.

With Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the reserve/non-football illness list and in line to miss at least four games, Samaje Perine and rookie Carson Steele are slated to work in complementary roles behind Pacheco to begin the season. While Perine is an adept pass-catching option and will have an opportunity to carve out a change-of-pace role with Kansas City, the newcomer is still getting up to speed with the team's playbook, so he might not be heavily utilized versus Baltimore. With that in mind, Pacheco is a candidate to see plenty of touches Week 1.

Corum is listed as the Rams' top kick returner on their depth chart ahead of Sunday's season opener versus the Lions, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

Corum is coming off an impressive training camp in which he locked up the No. 2 running back role behind Kyren Williams and subsequently was held out of preseason games. Head coach Sean McVay appears ready and willing to deploy both of his top backs on special teams, saying that Corum "has come in and done an outstanding job" while adding that Williams is the Rams' top punt returner in part due to "confidence in [Corum] and Ronnie Rivers being able to spell [Williams] if need be, per Kyle Austin of MLive.com. It's a bit unorthodox to now have Corum also working in the return game, though DaSilva notes that the rookie third-round pick has some experience in that department, having returned 18 kicks with Michigan between the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Williams is coming off an exceptional 2023 breakout campaign in which he dominated backfield reps, but adding special-teams duties to both his and Corum's workloads could necessitate a shift in the Rams' backfield usage.