NFL Player News

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Thursday that he's "100 percent" comfortable using Conner as a bell-cow back, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

The Cardinals didn't add any draft picks or veteran free agents to their backfield this offseason, despite having one of the league's thinner depth charts at the position. Conner's ability to both run between the tackles and catch passes allows him to play in all situations without hurting the team, but he's missed multiple games in each of his six NFL seasons and has never been one to rip off long gains. Even accounting for his own shortcomings as well as those of the Arizona offense, Conner is a sensible choice for fantasy managers seeking an RB2 or RB3 after the first five or six rounds of drafts. Despite arguably having one of the better Week 1 volume projections at his position, Conner will enter August with an ADP outside the Top 75 on most sites.

Williams (knee) indicated Thursday that he's been cleared for contact, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Given that Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury (including a torn ACL) in Week 4 last year, we'd expect the Broncos to proceed cautiously with the young running back this summer, but the pace of the 2021 second-rounder's recovery is nonetheless very encouraging. For his part, Williams suggested Thursday that whether he plays in the upcoming preseason will be up to the team's coaching staff.

New York is hosting Cook (shoulder) for a visit this weekend, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Cook, who was released by the Vikings back in June, has popularly been linked to the Jets due to the team's addition of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the ongoing recovery of top running back Breece Hall (knee) from an ACL injury. Rodgers is fresh off agreeing to a re-worked deal with New York on Wednesday, which essentially frees up $33.715 million from the $108.715 million he was owed on his prior deal with the Packers. That pay cut could make it easier for the Jets to maneuver their salary cap to add additional veterans such as Cook, a four-time Pro Bowler and former NFC North division rival of Rodgers.

Nwangwu "appears to be [the No. 2 running back] behind Alexander Mattision," Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports, based on his early observations at training camp.

While it's too early in camp to get a concrete read on the Vikings' running back pecking order, Minnesota at least appears set to hold an open competition for the top backup spot behind Mattison, now that Dalvin Cook is no longer in the mix. With that in mind, Nwangwu -- a 2021 fourth-round pick -- will jostle for slotting with 2022 fifth-round pick Ty Chandler and 2023 seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride. Further context will be revealed once the team's unofficial depth chart is posted, but based on Mizutani's report, Nwangwu is a player to monitor in the coming weeks.

Pacheco (hand/shoulder) sported a non-contact jersey at Wednesday's practice but has been expanding his play count in 7-on-7 drills, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

The fact that Pacheco is already starting to expand his reps early in training camp is a good sign that he'll be cleared before the start of the regular season. The running back is working his way back from offseason surgeries to repair a broken hand and torn labrum. He's likely to play a prominent role once healthy, but it wouldn't be surprising if Pacheco sits out most or all of the preseason.

Davis-Price is still working behind Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason in practice, but the 2022 third-round pick looks "quicker and leaner" than he did last season, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Davis-Price still has time to shake off the "bust" label, but he realistically won't be any higher than third on San Francisco's depth chart if everyone is healthy. Christian McCaffrey is among the two or three best in the league at his position, and Mitchell is one of the NFL's better backups. Challenging Mason for the third spot is a realistic goal but would still leave Davis-Price dependent on injuries to see work outside of garbage time in his second pro season. Mason came in as an undrafted rookie last season and quickly moved ahead of his third-round teammate.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was non-committal Wednesday when asked about the injury that resulted in Dobbins (undisclosed) opening training camp on the active/PUP list, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The active/PUP list is allowed only for players that are recovering from an injury or illness, but there's also been speculation that the running back's continued absence is related to frustration with contract negotiations. Dobbins even hinted that he was displeased with his contract in June when he missed minicamp, one day after Harbaugh had attributed the absence to a soft-tissue injury. Some combination of both is possible, of course, as Dobbins could have a minor injury that he would normally practice through but doesn't want to take that risk without a new contract. Whatever the case, Dobbins finished the 2022 season strong and enters the final year of his rookie contract essentially unchallenged as Baltimore's lead back. The options behind him are Gus Edwards, Melvin Gordon, Justice Hill and two undrafted rookies (Keaton Mitchell and Owen Wright).

Herbert and D'Onta Foreman split most of the first-team reps Wednesday during the first practice of training camp, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

The even breakdown of reps is no major surprise, though it's possible one of the two backs pulls ahead of the other before Week 1, and/or another running back joins the fray. In addition to signing Foreman this offseason, the Bears added fourth-round pick Roschon Johnson and special teamer/passing-down specialist Travis Homer. In other words, there's no lack of competition for Hebert, who averaged 5.7 yards on 129 carries last season but caught only nine passes in 13 games.

Williams (knee) participated in the first day of Denver's training camp Wednesday, but the team plans to bring him along slowly with a mix of limited practices and days off, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

The Broncos have little reason to rush Williams' recovery with six weeks left before the start of the season, but the team is encouraged with his progress as the running back works his way back from a torn ACL suffered Oct. 2 of last year. Williams' ability to practice in any capacity at this point is a positive sign, and he projects to return to the top of the depth chart once deemed 100 percent healthy.

Taylor (ankle) was present at practice Wednesday but spent the entire session standing on the sidelines, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

On the bright side, Taylor didn't have a boot protecting his surgically repaired right ankle. Head coach Shane Steichen refused to provide an updated recovery timeline for Taylor, who is on the active/PUP list. Steichen said Taylor will resume practicing once he's 100 percent healthy, which means the running back has yet to fully cleared at this point.