NFL Player News

The Colts released Drake on Sunday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

With Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and Zack Moss (arm) potentially unavailable for Week 1, Drake's release comes as a bit of a surprise. The 2016 third-round pick latched on with the Colts at the beginning of August and appeared to be in a good position to carve out a role in Indianapolis' depleted running back room. However, it looks like the team didn't see enough from Drake and have opted to roll with Deon Jackson, Evan Hull, Jason Huntley and Jake Funk instead. Drake has bounced around the league since 2019 and is always a candidate to join an injury-riddled team midseason.

The Giants waived Robinson on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The 2020 UDFA was a productive back during his first two years in Jacksonville but suffered an Achilles injury in December 2021. Since then, Robinson has spent time with the Jets, Patriots and Giants, but he's never looked like the dynamic back he was early in his career. The 25-year-old is now free to join another team, but the days of him being a coveted free agent are likely over.

McLaughlin rushed 10 times for 48 yards and a touchdown and brought in four of five targets for 13 yards in the Broncos' 41-0 preseason win over the Rams on Saturday night.

McLaughlin was the first Broncos running back to log a touch and finished as the team leader in rushing yards. The undrafted rookie has been a pleasant surprise this summer, wrapping up the exhibition slate with 21 carries for 113 yards and three scores while adding seven catches for 33 yards and a touchdown. Consequently, McLaughlin could well have earned a No. 4 running back job, considering he arguably outperformed Tony Jones and Tyler Badie.

Luepke rushed the ball 15 times for 58 yards in Saturday's 31-16 preseason win over the Raiders. He added five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Luepke joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. With much of the team's backfield resting in the preseason finale, he got the opportunity to shoulder a heavy workload and was the first back to record a carry. Luepke averaged only 3.9 yards per carry, though his work as a pass catcher may convince the Cowboys to consider him for a spot on the practice squad.

Freeman rushed four times for 14 yards, brought in two of three targets for seven yards and returned one kickoff for 15 yards in the Rams' 41-0 preseason loss to the Broncos on Saturday night.

The veteran was the second running back to log a touch behind Ronnie Rivers and enjoyed a versatile role. Freeman wraps up the exhibition slate with a modest 46 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, adding four receptions for 10 yards. He may have arguably outperformed rookie sixth-round pick Zach Evans yet didn't do as much as Rivers, but Freeman's ability to play special teams could be his ticket to a potential No. 4 running back role.

Rivers rushed six times for 32 yards in the Rams' 41-0 preseason loss to the Broncos on Saturday night.

Rivers was the first Rams running back to log a touch and generated consistent gains on his six carries. The undrafted second-year pro from Fresno State has potentially done enough to secure a roster spot after amassing 105 rushing yards on 21 carries through three preseason games, as he's certainly outperformed rookie sixth-round pick Zach Evans and veteran Royce Freeman.

Davis carried the ball 10 times for 42 yards in Saturday's 31-16 preseason win over the Raiders.

None of Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle or Deuce Vaughn played in the contest, leaving Davis as the second back to take the field. Davis worked behind fullback Hunter Luepke, though he still managed to put together his best performance of the preseason on the strength of a 13-yard run. The emergence of Vaughn this preseason hasn't done Davis any favors, and he seems to have tumbled to the bottom of the running back depth chart in Dallas.

Evans rushed seven times for 23 yards and brought in his only target for six yards in the Rams' 41-0 preseason loss to the Broncos on Saturday night.

Evans worked in behind Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman, garnering his first touch in the third quarter. The rookie sixth-round pick had an unremarkable preseason that saw him net just 77 yards on 23 carries while also recording a pair of receptions for 13 yards. Whether that's enough to make the active roster remains to be seen, considering Rivers seemingly outperformed him, and Cam Akers and Kyren Williams are already locked into the top two spots on the depth chart.

Bigsby rushed six times for 37 yards and lost a fumble in the Jaguars' 31-18 preseason win over the Dolphins on Saturday night.

Bigsby took the third carry of the game for the Jaguars after Travis Etienne unsurprisingly logged the first two, and the former was impressive on a per-touch basis. However, the rookie made a critical mistake when he was stripped of the ball at the shadow of the goal line to short-circuit the Jaguars' first drive. Bigsby saw just one more carry after the miscue, but he did parlay that into a 14-yard gain. Despite the costly turnover, Bigsby averaged 5.7 yards per carry over three preseason contests and should serve as Etienne's primary backup beginning with a Week 1 road matchup against the Colts on Sunday, Sept. 10.

Etienne rushed eight times for 39 yards and a touchdown in the Jaguars' 31-18 preseason win over the Dolphins on Saturday night.

Etienne finished the Jaguars' second drive with a three-yard touchdown run, putting a cap on a successful preseason. The 2021 first-round pick should be the focal point of Jacksonville's ground attack right from the start of the season after racking up 1,125 rushing yards and five touchdowns and adding 316 receiving yards over 17 games a year ago, although rookie Tank Bigsby should also enjoy a solid complementary role.