NFL Player News

Lloyd (hip) took part in team drills Wednesday, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

After missing the early portion of training camp, Lloyd returned to individual drills Tuesday and then progressed to team work Wednesday. He'll start off fairly low on Green Bay's backfield depth chart, but the rookie third-round pick may get a chance to push AJ Dillon for the No. 2 role behind starter Josh Jacobs.

Stevenson said Tuesday that he believes that he will benefit from the outside zone scheme for Patriots running backs that new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is implementing this season, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports. "Yeah, it could benefit any running back. It's my favorite scheme, to be honest with you," Stevenson said. "Outside zones, that's what I like and that's what were running."

Stevenson notes that Van Pelt's scheme is the same one he worked in while in college at Oklahoma. As the regular season approaches, Stevenson -- who was slowed by injuries last season -- is healthy and looks rejuvenated, according to Daniels. While working in a scheme that he's comfortable in, and with the Patriots likely to lean heavily on the run with the team transitioning at the quarterback position, Stevenson could be poised for a bounce back in 2024, as the focal point of a backfield that's been bolstered by free-agent addition Antonio Gibson.

Vidal has been working with backups in training camp while J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards have been receiving first-team reps, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

It shouldn't really be a surprise that a rookie sixth-round pick isn't getting first-team reps when the team has two backs with NFL starting experience under the current offensive coordinator (Greg Roman, who held the same job in Baltimore from 2019 to 2022). The good news for Vidal is that he has a few viable paths to playing time, potentially aided by Dobbins' lengthy medical record (43 missed games in four seasons) and Edwards' history of minimal receiving contributions (30 catches in 69 career games). It's also worth noting that Vidal has a strong prospect profile relative to most Day 3 picks, having run a 4.46-second 40-yard dash time at 5-foot-8 and 213 pounds, after amassing 4,010 yards rushing yards and 33 touchdowns in four seasons at Troy. The first step for Vidal is to push ahead of 2022 fourth-round pick Isaiah Spiller and lock down the third spot on the depth chart.

Edward took part in 11-on-11 drills for the first time in training camp Tuesday, splitting reps evenly with J.K. Dobbins, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Dobbins previously got most of the first-team reps while Edwards was eased into camp after undergoing an undisclosed procedure this offseason. Both backs picked up five snaps with the starting offense in full-team drills Tuesday, potentially setting the stage for a timeshare come Week 1. Rookie sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal still has time to make an impression but has been working with the backups so far.

Edwards-Helaire (illness) returned to practice Wednesday, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Edwards-Helaire is the only running back behind Isiah Pacheco with considerable NFL starting experience, but reports from the first week of training camp suggested that 2023 undrafted free agent Deneric Prince was repping ahead of Edwards-Helaire during run periods. While it remains to be seen if Prince is truly pushing ahead of Edwards-Helaire on the depth chart, it should at least be taken as a hint that the latter wouldn't take over all of Pacheco's workload in the event Kansas City's starting back missed time with an injury. In any case, missing a couple practices with an illness shouldn't have any impact on the depth-chart slotting.

Bawden was released by the Jets on Tuesday.

Bawden was just activated off the PUP list Monday after dealing with an undisclosed injury but will now head to free agency. The 2018 seventh-round pick will look to catch on with another team after carrying the ball two times for four yards and a touchdown across 16 games for the Jets last season.

Jordan and Dameon Pierce are expected to play extensively in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Bears, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans plans to sit several key starters, including lead back Joe Mixon, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. Wilson adds that Jordan has had a string of good practices in which he's shown some skill as a pass-catching back. His background and feel for a zone-scheme rushing attack from his college days could push Pierce, who had difficulty adjusting to the offense in 2023, for the second spot on the depth chart.

Sanders and Chuba Hubbard both have taken a lot of first-team reps at training camp, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Sanders became a forgotten man in fantasy circles following a disastrous first year in Carolina, with his value taking yet another hit in April when the Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks (knee) 46th overall. Kaye refers to Hubbard as "the leader in the clubhouse" for the starting job but also notes that there's "legitimate competition" for backfield roles. Brooks is still on the non-football injury list after an ACL tear brought his college career to an early conclusion, while Sanders is back at full strength after a heel injury limited him during June minicamp. As bad as Sanders was last season, the Panthers have incentive to give him a second chance in light of his 2024 base salary ($4.02 million) being fully guaranteed. There's no major financial incentive to part ways with Sanders before next offseason, so a new coaching staff and front office in Carolina will at least give him a fair shake rather than handing things over to Hubbard (and eventually Brooks) without a challenge.

White is entrenched as the Raiders' top running back, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

He won't necessarily keep the role long if he struggles come September, but every indication out of Las Vegas this spring and summer has been that White will enter Week 1 as the team's lead runner. It helps that the Raiders don't have much behind him, with the most noteworthy alternatives being Vikings castoff Alexander Mattison, 2024 sixth-round pick Dylan Laube and third-down specialist Ameer Abdullah. Laube apparently has been mixing in with the first-team offense during camp, but only in clear passing situations. White started the final four games of last season, averaging 21.0 carries for 99.3 yards and 0.25 TDs plus 2.3 catches for 5.0 yards on 3.3 targets.

Shipley and Kenneth Gainwell split first-team reps Monday when Saquon Barkley missed practice for personal reasons, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Gainwell was the first to sub in for Barkley at the start of training camp and the first to take first-team reps Monday, but it sounds like the split between him and Shipley was pretty even throughout practice. The two are competing for the second spot on the depth chart, which presumably won't entail many snaps or touches unless Barkley suffers an injury. Shipley is the upside play for fantasy as a 2024 fourth-round pick, with Gainwell already having an extensive NFL track record that suggests he's no better than mediocre as a ballcarrier. That said, Gainwell has ample experience under coach Nick Sirianni, including a history of taking snaps in clear passing situations.