NFL Player News

The Saints waived Neal (hamstring) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Thursday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Neal picked up a hamstring injury in early August, and while he returned to practice Aug. 19 and suited up for preseason Week 2 on Aug. 22, he left that contest due to a likely aggravation of that issue, ending up on IR on cut-down day. The terms of his injury settlement aren't known, but once they're met, he'll be eligible to sign with a team.

Johnson currently is the only healthy running back on the Bears' active roster after D'Andre Swift (abdomen) exited Thursday's practice due to an injury, Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports.

With Kyle Monangai still in recovery mode from a hyperextended knee, Swift was the unquestioned top healthy back in Chicago before he was seen holding at his midsection as he left the field Thursday. Following cutdown day and its aftermath, Johnson now is the lone player at the position who isn't banged up, while Salvon Ahmed is the sole RB on the practice squad. Since the Bears used a fourth-round pick on Johnson in 2023, his role on offense has dwindled in each subsequent campaign, including just two carries and no targets in seven appearances last season.

Swift left Thursday's practice with an apparent injury and "appeared to be in significant discomfort," Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The initial report did not provide further specifics, but per Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune, Swift exited the field holding his "midsection or core area." Backfield mate Kyle Monangai is already working back from a knee issue, so the top two running backs on the depth chart for the Bears will head into the weekend with an injury designation, and Roschon Johnson will be the only ball carrier on the roster without one.

Dillon secured the third running back spot on Carolina's 53-man roster, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Dillon had been in a preseason battle with Trevor Etienne (ankle) for the third spot on the depth chart, but Etienne was placed on injured reserve Sunday with a designation to return, ruling Etienne out for the first four games of the regular season at minimum. Dillon is behind Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) and Jonathon Brooks (soreness) in the backfield pecking order, but Dillon would have a clear path to playing time early in the season if either of the top two running backs missed any game action.

Hall (groin) is expected to be ready for Week 1 against the Titans on Sunday, Sept. 13, Jack Bell of the Jets' official site reports.

Hall is still nursing the groin injury he suffered 17 days ago, but he was originally given a return timetable of 2-to-3 weeks and was spotted running without any noticeable issues on a side field last week. Barring any setbacks, it sounds like Hall should be fine for the season opener. Whether he sees his normal workload is another question, as Braelon Allen has looked the part in practice and during limited preseason action, where he rushed seven times for 48 yards (6.9 YPC) and one touchdown.

Achane is set to lead a Dolphins backfield in 2026 that will also include Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon (ribs), based on Miami's initial 53-man roster.

The Dolphins traded for Jarquez Hunter shortly before cutdown day, but he ultimately didn't make the 53-man roster, though Hunter remains in the organization as part of the practice squad. Fullback D.J. Herman is also listed as a running back, but the team's backfield is otherwise unchanged from 2025, when Achane produced a career-high 1,838 scrimmage yards. The team around Achane went through an offseason overhaul, including the addition of mobile QB Malik Willis, but Achane projects to maintain a prominent role as the centerpiece of an otherwise unproven offense.

Johnson is one of three running backs on Chicago's initial 53-man roster, along with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai (knee).

Johnson beat out Salvon Ahmed, Brittain Brown and Coleman Bennett for a spot on the 53-man roster. Head coach Ben Johnson described Monangai as "week-to-week" Tuesday, per Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com, so Monangai's status for Week 1 remains up in the air. If Monangai isn't ready to face the Panthers on Sept. 13, Johnson could be in line for change-of-pace work behind D'Andre Swift, with no alternatives currently on the roster at running back.

Henderson (ankle) wasn't present for Thursday's practice, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Henderson has been sidelined for the last 10 days, and while there's been no indication he's dealing with a serious injury, it's starting to get close to the wire for Henderson to play in next Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Seahawks. Henderson will almost certainly need to return to practice before Monday to have a chance to face Seattle. If he can't go in Week 1, Rhamondre Stevenson would get a huge fantasy boost as a surefire RB2 based on volume projection.

Spears is among the four running backs that made the Titans' initial 53-man roster.

Based on preseason usage, Spears is firmly entrenched as the team's top alternative to Tony Pollard in the backfield. Spears produced 536 scrimmage yards in 2024 and 547 scrimmage yards in 2025 while filling such a role. His 838-yard rookie season in 2023 came prior to Pollard's arrival in Tennessee. Rookie fifth-round pick Nicholas Singleton didn't show anything during preseason action that would indicate he's an immediate threat to Spears' role, while Julius Chestnut is likely ticketed for a role on special teams.

Mitchell (undisclosed) remained a non-participant in Thursday's practice, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

With Mitchell now having missed six straight practices, his status for Week 1 against the Cardinals is starting to come into question. If he's unable to go against Arizona, Kimani Vidal would settle in as the likely RB2 behind Omarion Hampton. Mitchell will need to get back on the field in some capacity next week if he's going to have a chance to suit up for the regular-season opener.