NFL Player News

Nwangwu (undisclosed) took part in Wednesday's walk-through practice, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

After taking a seat at sessions Monday and Tuesday, Nwangwu was able to mix into some drills Wednesday. The same can be said for the Vikings' No. 1 running back, Alexander Mattison (undisclosed), who was seen limping near the end of Tuesday's practice. When healthy, Mattison will handle most of the team's backfield reps this season, but Nwangwu also is a candidate for work along with Ty Chandler and rookie seventh-rounder DeWayne McBride.

Miller said Wednesday that his receiving skills were underutilized in college, John DeShazier of the Saints' official website reports. "It's something I've kind of had, but in college I couldn't show it a whole lot," he said. "But in the offseason, when I got cleared I was working on a lot of that stuff."

Miller also mentioned taking route-running advice from Alvin Kamara, who missed Wednesday's practice to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The likelihood of a Kamara suspension increases the chances that Miller will get snaps early in the season, even after the rookie was held out of spring practices due to the MCL injury suffered in the College Football Playoff semifinal. The Saints thought enough of Miller to invest a third-round pick, knowing about the knee injury and knowing they already had Kamara and Jamaal Williams under contract. Miller had only 29 receptions in three seasons at TCU, but he seemingly thinks it won't be long before his passing-down skills are up to NFL standards. He's avoided setbacks with the knee during training camp and should get some run this preseason.

Head coach John Harbaugh spoke with Dobbins (undisclosed) on Tuesday, but at this point there's no timetable for the running back's return to practice, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com relays that in terms of Dobbins' continued absence, Harbaugh acknowledged that "there comes a point in time when it does become a concern." In addition to dealing with an unspecified injury, Dobbins has expressed frustration with his contract situation, not an uncommon theme these days among some of his fellow NFL running backs. As long as Dobbins remains unavailable, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Melvin Gordon are on hand to absorb Baltimore's backfield duties.

Chandler struggled at Tuesday's practice after replacing a banged-up Alexander Mattison, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

With Kene Nwangwu (undisclosed) already absent and Mattison limping off the field Tuesday, the Vikings temporarily were left with Chandler and rookie seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride as their only healthy halfbacks. Chandler took on most of the first-team snaps but may not have gained anything from it, as Lewis reports that the 2022 fifth-round pick "lacked consistency" and lost a fumble. The good news for Minnesota is that Mattison returned to practice Wednesday, albeit for a walk-through session, and there's been no indication Nwangwu's injury is serious. Still, it won't be surprising if the Vikings add another running back at some point this summer, considering none of their four backs was a top-100 pick in his year's draft and the players behind Mattison have combined for 59 NFL snaps on offense. Furthermore, the Vikings are the only team in the NFL with fewer than five halfbacks between their roster and various injury lists.

Williams (knee) didn't participate in team drills during Wednesday's practice, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

James Palmer of NFL Network previously reported that Williams, who continues to recover from a knee injury that ended his 2022 season in Week 4, would be in line to rest Wednesday, so the running back's limitations were presumably a matter of load management. Per Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the pace of Williams' recovery from ACL surgery is highly encouraging thus far, and the Broncos have optimism that the running back can be ready to go for Week 1 in the absence of any setbacks. If the Broncos elect to ease Williams back into the mix early on, however, Samaje Perine is on hand to provide the team with another capable backfield option.

Mattison (undisclosed) is participating in Wednesday's walk-through practice, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

While a walkthrough doesn't entail contact or sprinting, Mattison's participation nonetheless indicates that the injury he suffered Tuesday isn't too serious. He was seen limping near the end of practice, which left Ty Chandler and DeWayne McBride as the only healthy tailbacks, with Kene Nwangwu (undisclosed) already sidelined. Mattison's spot atop the depth chart seems more solid than ever, as the Vikings still haven't signed a veteran running back and reportedly haven't received great performances from their young backups this summer, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic.

McLaughlin is standing out in practice and catching the attention of head coach Sean Payton, Chad Jensen of SI.com reports.

Despite being an undrafted rookie, McLaughlin is turning heads thus far in camp for all of the right reasons. The 5-foot-7, 187-pound running back is impressing in practice, prompting Payton to say, "He has a little burst, and there's some toughness to him." Beyond his play on the field, McLaughlin's dedication has not gone unnoticed by his coach. "He's the first one here," Payton said. "I don't know what time he gets here in the morning, but it's pretty early. He's a guy you root for." McLaughlin totaled over 3,000 yards rushing and receiving while scoring 27 total touchdowns in his last two seasons at Youngstown State. If the 22-year-old can continue to garner positive attention for his play as preseason games get underway, he'll have the chance to compete for a roster spot behind Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine.

McBride picked up some extra reps in Tuesday's practice with Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu both banged up, but none of the backup running backs in Minnesota have made a strong impression so far this summer, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Even with the Vikings providing no indication that Mattison or Nwangwu is tending to a serious injury, there's sure to be more chatter about the Vikings bringing in a veteran running back. They were the only team in the league to enter training camp with fewer than five tailbacks on the roster, and by the end of Tuesday's practice, it was only McBride and Ty Chandler left standing healthy. If nothing else, Minnesota may need to sign someone to share the load with McBride and the other backups this preseason, as Mattison is unlikely to play much during the exhibition slate now that he's locked in as the starter. McBride has a fantastic opportunity by the standards of a rookie seventh-round pick -- a situation in which he can quickly climb to second or third on the depth chart -- though Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has cautioned that it's a tall order for the 22-year-old to learn the ins and outs of his offense this summer.

Pacheco (hand/shoulder) is on track to be cleared for contact by Aug. 20, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

While the significance of the mentioned date is unclear, it would give Pacheco an 18-day grace period before the Chiefs open the regular season against Detroit on Sept. 7. In other words, he'll have plenty of time to ramp up and get in game shape for Week 1 if he does in fact gain clearance for contact on or before Aug. 20. In the meantime, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon have been getting most of the first-team reps at training camp, while undrafted rookie Deneric Price has become the subject of summer hype despite mostly working with the backups. Pacheco still projects as the lead runner of the group on the heels of his solid rookie season, but it could end up being a three- or four-man committee rather than the two-way Pacheco/McKinnon split from the latter portion of last season. Pacheco's shoulder is said to be his lone health concern at this point, while he's made a full recovery from offseason hand surgery.

Jones said Tuesday that his performance-enhancing drugs violation was due to heart medication he's been taking since he entered the league, and that the NFL rejected an appeal of his two-game suspension, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. "We tried to appeal. I asked for a re-test, sample my blood, my health concerns and they didn't really look at it," Jones said. "My family suffers from heart disease. I just want to clear my name in terms of I'm not cheating the game of football. It's literally a prescription medicine."

Jones will still be able to practice with the Cowboys during training camp and the preseason ahead of missing the first two weeks of the regular season, but Malik Davis is now expected to get the first crack at securing the No. 2 spot on the backfield depth chart behind Tony Pollard.