NFL Player News

Mostert will be joined by backups De'Von Achane (shoulder) and Salvon Ahmed (neck) -- both of whom practiced in full Wednesday -- as the Dolphins' backfield options for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Chargers, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Mostert still has a clear path to the lead role for Miami following the placement of Jeff Wilson (abdomen) on injured reserve, but the Dolphins having both Achane and Ahmed healthy could limit Mostert's potential to serve as a true workhorse. Of course, at age 31, Mostert can probably be utilized optimally without approaching double-digit touches. He still projects as the Dolphins' clear top back, but the distribution of opportunities between Achane and Ahmed remains uncertain. Ahmed's familiarity with Miami's system and strong training camp could give him the upper hand, but Achane, a rookie third-round pick, boasts the more intriguing skill set and has recent draft capital working in his favor.

Mason (foot) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Mason emerged from the 49ers' preseason finale with a sprained foot, but his return to drills Wednesday indicates that he's making progress in his recovery effort. The 49ers backfield is paced by the do-it-all Christian McCaffrey, whose direct backup, Elijah Mitchell, will also get touches on game days as long as he's healthy. As a result, if Mason isn't ready for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, Tyrion Davis-Price may be the team's third active running back in that contest.

Edmonds (undisclosed) wasn't listed on the Buccaneers' first Week 1 injury report Wednesday.

Edmonds was held out of the Buccaneers' final preseason game with an unknown injury, but it won't affect his availability for Sunday's season opener at Minnesota. While the Buccaneers backfield is paced by a clear No. 1 option in Rachaad White, the breakdown of the reps behind him is up in the air. At the moment, Ke'Shawn Vaughn is away from the team for personal reasons, leaving undrafted rookie Sean Tucker as the sole competition for Edmonds. In his five-year career between the Cardinals, Dolphins and Broncos, Edmonds has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and hauled in 76.6 percent of his 188 targets in 70 games.

Brightwell (knee) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

Brightwell has been sidelined since the middle of August but was able to make the 53-man roster thanks in large part to his experience on special teams as the lead kick returner. Getting in a limited session in practice should improve Brightwell's chances of suiting up Week 1 against the Cowboys this Sunday.

Patterson practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday due to a thigh injury, Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site reports.

The Falcons finally provided clarity for the soft-tissue injury that Patterson has been dealing with since at least Aug. 14, labeling it as a thigh issue on their first practice report of Week 1 prep. Assuming the team clears him to play Sunday versus the Panthers, Patterson will be serving in the newly revealed "Joker" role, per the team's official depth chart. Working alongside receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier may not leave many touches for Patterson, but the presence of all of them may result in less defensive attention for the 11-year pro.

Ahmed (back) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Ahmed missed about a week of practice with a back/neck injury suffered in the Dolphins' final preseason game. He could be anywhere between second and fourth on the depth chart for Sunday's opener against the Chargers, as there's no clear order behind starting running back Raheem Mostert with Jeff Wilson (abdomen) on injured reserve. Ahmed can at least be considered a slight favorite for the No. 2 role, considering that's where he's listed on the Dolphins' unofficial depth chart after repping ahead of De'Von Achane and Chris Brooks for most of training camp and the preseason.

Achane (shoulder) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Achane is practicing without limitations 18 days after being carted off to the locker room during a preseason game. Though Achane seems to have received a clean bill of health, he may not be in store for a significant role Sunday against Los Angeles in his NFL debut. Raheem Mostert is expected to start and veteran backup Salvon Ahmed (back) also managed full practice participation Wednesday.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that Williams will have a "big role" this Sunday against the Raiders, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

A busy Week 1 as Denver's lead back looked like a remote possibility for Williams back in the spring, but he's made a surprisingly smooth recovery from surgery to address ACL and LCL tears to his right knee, which he suffered last October. Fears that Williams may open the season on the PUP list have now morphed into hopes that he can deliver big-time production in September, though offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi acknowledged two weeks ago that the Broncos might start Williams off with something less than what eventually will be his full workload. Denver signed Samaje Perine this offseason to handle whatever snaps Williams can't take on -- and perhaps the lion's share of the snaps in obvious passing situations -- but thoughts of Perine being a locked-in fantasy starter for the first few weeks of the season have seemingly evaporated. It'll be interesting to see the workload split between Williams and Perine this Sunday, even that breakdown isn't necessarily indicative of how they'll share snaps and touches throughout the season.

Williams (ankle) wasn't listed Wednesday on the Bengals' initial Week 1 injury report.

Williams missed a few weeks of practice and preseason action after spraining his ankle Aug. 1. He's now ready to play in Sunday's game in Cleveland, though even as part of a shaky Cincinnati backfield he'll probably be a healthy inactive or restricted to special teams rather than handling a significant role on offense. Chris Evans and Chase Brown both are more likely to get playing time off the bench behind Joe Mixon.

Moss (arm) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Moss wasn't sporting a non-contact jersey in his return to practice, though the running back won't necessarily play Sunday against the Jaguars after he had been off the field for the past five weeks while recovering from a broken arm. Deon Jackson and Evan Hull are the other running backs on Indianapolis' 53-man roster at the moment, though one of Jake Funk and Jason Huntley could be elevated from the practice squad to add depth if Moss can't play Week 1. Even if he's sidelined for the opener, Moss appears on track to play Week 2.