NFL Player News

Coach Sean Payton noted Thursday that Williams (knee) will play some snaps during the preseason, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

The report notes that the Broncos may wait until the team's second exhibition game to get Williams in action, but either way, the mere fact that the running back has already progressed to this point is a major step in his recovery from a knee injury that ended his 2022 season in Week 4. Assuming Williams does in fact log preseason snaps as planned, he'd be on track to be available for Denver's regular-season opener, barring any setbacks. In such a scenario, should the team elect to ease the 2021 second-rounder back into the mix out of the gate, Samaje Perine is available to serve as another capable backfield option.

Jaguars running back coach Bernie Parmalee indicates that he's seen improvements from Etienne as the 2023 season approaches, Alessandra Pontbriand of news4jax.com reports. "Really his all-around game (has improved)," Parmalee noted Wednesday of the 2021 first-rounder. "His reads, which he has done a phenomenal job this year. Pass (protection), he has really taken that to a new level."

After missing his entire rookie campaign due to a foot injury, Etienne played in all 17 regular-season games in 2022 en route to logging 220 carries for 1,125 yards and five TDs to go along with 35 catches (on 45 targets) for 316 yards. This coming season, the 24-year-old remains entrenched atop a Jacksonville RB depth chart that also includes rookie third-rounder Tank Bigsby, JaMycal Hasty, D'Ernest Johnson and Snoop Conner. In that context, an uptick in production from Etienne in his third year as a pro is plausible, considering his big-play potential in the team's Trevor Lawrence-helmed offense.

Williams was diagnosed Thursday with a mild right ankle sprain and is expectd to miss a couple of weeks, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Williams, who entered training camp in contention for the top backup role behind starting back Joe Mixon, thus is in line to miss the Bengals' preseason opener, at a minimum. In his looming absence, added backfield reps will be available for Chase Brown and Chris Evans.

Dowdle is in the mix to win the top backup job behind Tony Pollard in the Cowboys' backfield, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The 25-year-old has just seven NFL carries since being signed as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2020, as injuries have disrupted his career so far, but Dowdle is drawing high marks in training camp for his football IQ and blocking ability. His value as a special-teams player could secure him a spot on the 53-man roster regardless of how much usage he sees on offense, but with Ronald Jones (suspension) set to miss the first two games of the regular season, the door is open for Dowdle to push Malik Davis for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.

Coach Shane Steichen told reporters Thursday that he has no update on Taylor, who officially remains on the active/PUP list due to an ankle issue, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

An ongoing contract dispute and recent trade request have led to speculation that Taylor is healthy enough to practice, though Steichen suggested Monday that the running back hasn't actually been cleared by the medical staff. Taylor hasn't said much publicly, other than denying a report from Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis that said the 24-year-old suffered a back injury while working out on his own and thus might be placed on the non-football injury list. It's a complicated situation with no clear solution in sight, and it's certainly possible a slower-than-hoped-for recovery from offseason ankle surgery remains a factor in Taylor's absence. The running back was present for Thursday's practice, watching from the sideline as he has for the past week-plus.

Offensive coordinator Dave Canales expects White to be "fantastic" and recently told reporters the running back is "so natural" and has a well-rounded skillset, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com reports.

It's an optimistic outlook given that White's rookie season was a mixed bag, in which he played all 17 games (eight starts) and caught 50 of 58 targets (86.2 percent) but averaged only 5.8 yards per reception and 3.7 yards per carry (129/481/1 rushing line). On the other hand, Canales seemingly isn't the only one in the organization with this level of optimism, considering the Bucs didn't draft a running back and brought in only Chase Edmonds and Patrick Laird as veteran additions. Both are more likely to get snaps on late downs than early downs, if they even make the team and earn roles, while the competition for carries may come from 2020 third-round pick Ke'Shawn Vaughn and undrafted rookie Sean Tucker. It sets up White for a wide range of outcomes, as he still has a lot to prove but could end up operating as a three-down workhorse if the Bucs like what they see throughout summer and into the season. Few teams, if any, look weaker in the backfield on paper right now, though the Bucs seem cautiously optimistic White alone can change that.

Chubb and fellow running back Jerome Ford aren't expected to receive many, if any snaps in Thursday's preseason opener against the Jets, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports.

The Browns have little reason to expose Chubb or any of their other top skill players to contact in the exhibition opener, so expect the lead back to be a spectator Thursday. In that scenario, look for Demetric Felton, John Kelly, Nate McCrary and Hassan Hall to handle most of the backfield touches versus the Jets and make their case for depth slotting. Assuming he can stay healthy, Chubb has a clear path to a heavy workload for Cleveland out of the gate once the regular season starts.

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.