NFL Player News

Carter rushed four times for 19 yards and caught both of his targets for 34 yards in Saturday's 27-0 preseason win over the Panthers.

Carter got the start, but Zonovan Knight (16 yards on five touches) also mixed in on the team's first possession as both running backs made their respective preseason debuts after sitting out the Hall of Fame Game. A 25-yard catch on the opening possession accounted for almost half of Carter's yardage, which was accrued across the Jets' first two drives. In the event that Breece Hall's (knee) absence lingers into the regular season, Carter and Knight would likely open the season in a timeshare, but Carter's superior receiving skills should allow him to carve out a change-of-pace role even once Hall is healthy. Rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda is also vying for playing time, but he's likely more of a threat to Knight's role than Carter's.

Walker (groin) returned to practice Saturday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Sidelined since the first day of Seahawks training camp due to a minor groin strain, Walker didn't suit up for the team's first preseason contest Thursday, which allowed rookie second-rounder Zach Charbonnet to get some run. Walker was contained to individual work Saturday, so he may need to progress to team drills in order to gain clearance to play in one of the final two exhibitions, the first of which comes Saturday, Aug. 19 against the Cowboys.

Spears ran for 32 yards on six carries in Tennessee's preseason game against Chicago on Saturday.

The third-round pick out of Tulane started for the Titans, adding a four-yard reception on one target in addition to the solid rushing output. Spears might have volume limitations at around 200 pounds and with a concerning knee injury history, but his ability with the football is beyond questioning. Fellow backup prospect Julius Chestnut also did well for himself (seven carries for 46 yards), but given Spears' better pedigree he remains the favorite to back up Derrick Henry in 2023.

Thompson signed with the Raiders on Saturday.

Thompson was let go by Seattle ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft and has been a free agent since. However, the 2019 sixth-round pick becomes the second running back signed by the Raiders this week, as they continue to deal with the absence of Josh Jacobs, who hasn't reported to training camp amid a contract dispute with Las Vegas. Thompson totaled 64 rushing attempts for 225 yards and two scores across his first two NFL seasons (2019 and 2020) with Kansas City but hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since.

Jones (groin/suspension) isn't in uniform ahead of Saturday's preseason game against the Jaguars, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Jones is slated to miss the first two regular-season games of 2023 due to a violation of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, but he's also suffered a groin injury during training camp, which will keep him sidelined for Dallas' preseason opener. With Ezekiel Elliott no longer in the picture, Tony Pollard is slated for a full-time role, but behind him, there appears to be an open competition for snaps between Jones, Malik Davis, rookie Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle.

Johnson ran for 44 yards on 12 carries in Chicago's preseason game against Tennessee on Saturday, adding three receptions for two yards on four targets.

Johnson saw the vast majority of his playing time in the second half, at which point he split some of the workload with Travis Homer. The Bears primarily used starter Khalil Herbert and free agent pickup D'Onta Foreman in the first half. Johnson's poor returns as a pass catcher can probably be ignored -- the targets he saw were low-quality targets that most running backs couldn't do anything with, either -- so it's arguably encouraging that he saw four targets while Herbert (1) and Foreman (zero) operated almost exclusively as runners. The Bears backfield appears headed to a committee approach in 2023, so all of Herbert, Foreman and Johnson could be involved at various points.

Wilkins has signed a contract with the Browns, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

This news comes one day after he worked out with the team, so he clearly made an impression. Cleveland is in the running back market because its No. 2 option, Jerome Ford (hamstring), is currently week-to-week. The 29-year-old Wilkins spent time on the practice squads of both the Colts and Titans in 2022, and he suited up for four games with the former.

Jackson had six carries for 35 yards in Saturday's preseason loss at Buffalo.

Jackson had been sidelined in practice the past few days with a quad injury and wasn't expected to play. Apparently he's back to full strength, as he had some impressive runs while get the starting nod at running back. With top running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle) on the PUP list and Zack Moss out with a broken arm, Jackson could enter the regular season as the top running back. While the Colts may still decide to sign a veteran in that scenario (they were in talks with Kareem Hunt), Jackson gave them reason Saturday to feel confident he can handle the job, at least in the short term.

Ward is considered questionable to return to Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears due to a knee injury, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Ward had accumulated eight yards on two carries prior to exiting the game. He is competing against Tyjae Spears, Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut for the No. 2 running back role behind Derrick Henry entering the season. There is currently no word on the severity of the injury.

Marable has signed a contract with the Patriots, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Marable is a two-time USFL champion with the Stallions. His most recent NFL experience was getting waived by the Bears prior to the 2021 season. After his USFL success, he is now going to get a second chance in New England, where he will look to make a big impression in the preseason.