NFL Player News

Abanikanda hasn't pushed Michael Carter or Zonovan Knight for reps early on during training camp, as the Jets coaching staff is looking for a greater sense of urgency from the rookie fifth-round pick, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

According to head coach Robert Saleh, Breece Hall needed a similar ramp-up period as a rookie last season to learn how to run through contact in NFL practices. With Hall recovering from a torn ACL, Abanikanda should get plenty of opportunities in camp, and the rookie took a step in the right direction with a 50-yard touchdown run in Tuesday's session.

Gibson said Wednesday that he'll be in a "third-down back" role with Washington in 2023, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

Meanwhile, Brian Robinson profiles as the top option on early downs, with most of Gibson's usage expected to come on passing downs. While suiting up for 15 games in 2022, Gibson produced 546 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 149 carries while also catching a career-high 46 passes for 353 yards and two scores.

Pollard said Wednesday that the Cowboys' plan is for him to be eased into training camp, but he noted that he feels "pretty much at 100 percent," Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Pollard has been medically cleared for the start of camp, but the Cowboys will take a cautious approach to his initial practice workload. The standout back underwent surgery in January to address a broken fibula and high-ankle sprain, but the team seemingly doesn't have any concerns about his availability for Week 1. Pollard looks primed to operate as a focal point of the Cowboys offense while playing out the 2023 campaign on the franchise tag, but in the early portion of camp, some additional first-team reps could be up for grabs among Malik Davis, Ronald Jones and Deuce Vaughn.

Ford has received a steady dose of reps at running back over the first few practices at training camp, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports.

This should not come as a surprise, as the Browns let Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson walk during the offseason, paving the way for Ford to become the top backup to starter Nick Chubb. Of note, Poisal points out Ford is getting a chance to show off his receiving ability out of the backfield. "A big reason that we drafted him in '22 was because of his ability as a receiver, and we think that he'll be able to play that role really well," Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry said. Ford also worked with kick returners Tuesday.

Carter is optimistic that he will bounce back in 2023 after a tough sophomore season, Andy Vasquez of NJ.com reports.

Carter worked in a change-of-pace role behind Breece Hall early in 2022 but failed to step up after Hall suffered a season-ending ACL tear. The Jets faced stacked boxes due to their poor quarterback play, and Carter found minimal room to showcase his speed, dropping from 964 scrimmage yards in 14 games as a rookie to 690 in 16 appearances in his second season. Hall's still recovering from his knee injury but the Jets drafted Israel Abanikanda in the fifth round in 2023 as additional depth alongside second-year back Zonovan Knight. Even if Hall is healthy by Week 1, Carter's receiving ability should keep him involved in the game plan.

Taylor (ankle) was placed on the active/PUP list Tuesday, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

The 24-year-old missed six games last season, including the final three, and had arthroscopic debridement surgery on his right ankle in January. It was thought that Taylor would be ready for the start of training camp, so this could be just a procedural move to ease him back into action. However, GM Chris Ballard did not mention Taylor as a PUP candidate earlier Tuesday, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports, so there could be something more at play.

The Bills placed Hines (knee) on the reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday.

Hines was injured in a jet ski accident last weekend and is expected to miss the season after suffering an ACL injury. It's a horrible break for Hines. In the wake of the injury, the Bills have signed veteran RB Darrynton Evans to compete for a job behind James Cook, Damien Harris and Latavius Murray.

Pollard (ankle) is medically cleared for the start of training camp, Patrick Walker of the Cowboys' official site reports.

The Cowboys were confident enough in Pollard's recovery to give him a $10.1 million franchise tag in early March, less than two months after he'd suffered a broken fibula and high-ankle sprain. The running back signed his tag a couple weeks later and doesn't sound too upset that subsequent negotiations never yielded a long-term contract, essentially betting on himself to rebound from the injury and have another big year. The Cowboys certainly seem to be counting on it given that Ronald Jones is the only veteran RB they've brought in since releasing Ezekiel Elliott, who had 231 carries and 12 TDs last year even as Pollard took on a larger role. The Cowboys hope the Memphis product can now take on more volume without losing too much off his excellent efficiency stats (career averages of 5.1 yards per carry and 8.3 yards per catch).

Saints coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday that he doesn't know if or when Kamara will be suspended, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reports.

A suspension has long been expected for Kamara's involvement in a Feb. 2022 incident, and it could be coming fairly soon after the running back agreed July 11 to plead no contest to a misdemeanor in exchange for having felony charges dropped. Then again, the NFL isn't always quick to decide these things even after a legal case wraps up, so the Saints will need to be prepared for various scenarios this summer. They signed Jamaal Williams in March and then drafted Kendre Miller in the third round in April, devoting significant resources to backfield depth for the first time since Kamara's first couple years in the league.

The Bills have signed Evans, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Evans provides the Bills with added backfield depth in the wake of Nyheim Hines having sustained a knee injury that is expected to sideline him this season. James Cook, Damien Harris and Latavius Murray currently head the team's running back corps, so Evans doesn't have a clear path to steady carries, but the 2020 third-rounder does at least have a chance to absorb some of the change-of-pace work that Hines was slated to handle.