NFL Player News

Mason and Aaron Jones are listed as co-starting running backs on the Vikings' unofficial depth chart following cutdown day Sunday, Rob Kleifield of the team's official site reports.

The 49ers dealt Mason to Minnesota in March 2025, and the pairing of him and Jones meant a split backfield last season, with the former getting 173 touches to the latter's 160 along the way. Jones did play in four fewer games than Mason (12 vs. 16), but Mason handled far more carries inside the 20-yard line (29 vs. 14), finishing with six TDs to Jones' three. A similar breakdown of work is expected for the duo in 2026, meaning Mason may have the safer fantasy floor of the two.

Jones and Jordan Mason are listed as co-starting running backs on the Vikings' unofficial depth chart following cut-down day Sunday, Rob Kleifield of the team's official site reports.

Jones and Mason effectively split Minnesota's backfield in 2025, with the former earning 160 touches in 12 regular-season games and the latter getting 173 in 16 such appearances. Mason's goal-line work (29 rushes inside the 20-yard line) helped him total six TDs, while Jones (14 such carries) ended up with only three end-zone visits, which matched the lowest of his career for a campaign. The duo should have a similar breakdown of reps this season, but Jones' age (31) and injury history seemingly make him the riskier of the two to roster for fantasy purposes.

The Vikings signed Dallas to the practice squad Wednesday, Rob Kleifield reports.

The Jaguars released Dallas during Sunday's cut-down day. The running back cleared waivers and has found a new home with the Vikings. Dallas appeared in six games last year, totalling three rush attempts for 21 yards between the Panthers and Jaguars rosters.

The Eagles waived Jackson (undisclosed) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Jackson's tenure in Philadelphia has come to an end less than a month after first signing with the team. The 24-year-old will now look to get healthy and catch on with another team.

The Lions waived Small on Wednesday.

Small suffered a concussion during the Lions' preseason loss to the Commanders on Aug. 22. The running back was waived without an injury designation or settlement, meaning he has fully recovered from the injury. If Small clears waivers, he will become a free agent able to sign with any organization.

Barkley didn't see any action during the Eagles' three-game preseason slate.

At this point in his standout career, Barkley doesn't require exhibition reps to be his usual self once the games begin to count, so it's understandable that coach Nick Sirianni opted to rest Philadelphia's No. 1 RB and other key starters. After reeling off 2,005 rushing yards in 2024 and winning a Super Bowl, Barkley took a step back last season, but he still notched 1,413 yards from scrimmage and nine total TDs on 317 touches in 16 regular-season games. Sirianni has passed off play-calling duties to new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, so it remains to be seen how effective Barkley will be in the new scheme.

Davis (knee) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Davis continues to recover from a knee injury that he sustained in a training camp practice in early August. He's been limited to side work and has yet to be cleared for team drills, and his practice participation next week will provide a better sense of whether he'll be available for the Jets' regular-season opener against the Titans on Sunday, Sept. 13. Breece Hall (groin) is also nursing an injury, leaving Braelon Allen and Kene Nwangwu as the two healthy running backs on the Jets' 53-man roster.

Head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that Dobbins is "moving well" and on track to play Week 1 against the Chiefs on Monday, Sept. 14, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.

Dobbins' practice participation in training camp was limited by a soft-tissue injury, which also caused the veteran running back to be held out of all three of the Broncos' preseason games out of caution. There's no indication that the issue is long-term, and Dobbins heads into Week 1 leading a backfield group that also consists of RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie and rookie fourth-rounder Jonah Coleman. Dobbins signed a two-year deal with the Broncos in March following his 2025 campaign with the Chargers, when he turned 153 carries into 772 yards (5.0 YPC) and four touchdowns while adding 11 catches (on 14 targets) for 37 yards across 10 regular-season games.

Robinson said Thursday that he's noticed an emphasis from the Falcons' new coaching staff in scheming up ways to create running room and help him reach the second level more quickly, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports. "We have a lot of different variations," Robinson said. "But, for me, it's to create space for yourself. [Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees] does a really good job of being intentional in trying to get us to the second level as fast as possible because when we get to the second level, I feel like that's where we're super dangerous as runners."

Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards in 2025, with the 24-year-old doing much of his damage on outside runs in former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's wide-zone running scheme. The Falcons won't completely abandon those zone concepts during the upcoming season, but the new coaching staff plans to implement more gap and power-style run plays that it believes will help Robinson to maintain effectiveness while still allowing him to put his explosiveness in the open field on display. Rees and head coach Kevin Stefanski also plan to keep Robinson heavily involved in the screen game, after he led all running backs with 20 receptions on screens last season. While working with a less talented Browns running-back room in 2025, Stefanski and Rees helped Cleveland generate 413 yards on screen plays, second-most in the NFL.

Fellow RB D'Andre Swift said Monangai (knee) "looked good" while running Wednesday, Adam Hoge of AllCHGO.com reports.

Since hyperextending his right knee in practice Aug. 16, Monangai has been described as "week-to-week" on multiple occasions by coach Ben Johnson, including as recently as Tuesday, according to Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com. Swift's view of Monangai one day later likely means the latter ran on the side versus in any drills, but it's at least the first positive sign that he's making progress in his recovery. If Monangai ends up being limited or even sidelined to begin the season, Swift likely would be a bellcow in the Bears offense, with Roschon Johnson on hand for any RB reps that linger.