NFL Player News

Strong, who had been limited in training camp by an undisclosed injury, practiced fully Thursday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

The 2022 fourth-rounder's return to a full session is notable, with veteran change-of-pace back James White still bouncing back from hip surgery and no lock to be full strength by Week 1. If White ends up out or limited early on this season, Strong presumably would be a candidate to earn a portion of the Patriots' third-down back responsibilities out of the gate in 2022.

Swift got the day off Wednesday, seemingly as part of Detroit's plan to keep him healthy throughout the season, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Between his four missed games with a shoulder injury late last season and the presence of two experienced backups (Jamaal Williams, Justin Jackson) on Detroit's roster, there's been talk of Swift's workload being scaled back. Reduced reps in camp may feed into that discussion, but it mostly just seems to be a matter of keeping Swift healthy and fresh. He's unquestioned as Detroit's lead back, though it is fair to question how much work he'll cede to his backups. Last year he played 67 percent of snaps in his 13 active games and averaged 11.6 carries and 4.8 receptions per contest, totaling 1,069 yards and seven TDs. In terms of per-game production, he was RB20 for standard leagues and RB10 for full PPR. The split shouldn't be as wide this year, though it won't be surprising if he continues to be spelled on early downs rather than late downs for the most part. Swift said he's feeling good and expects to return to practice in short order.

Dowdle will miss the remainder of this week's training camp practices after testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dowdle is going through a rough stretch, having missed the 2021 season with a hip fracture and then getting his knee scoped in May, which led to his absence from OTAs. He'll now have to remain away from the team until he receives medical clearance. Dowdle joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2020 and saw the field for 15 contests in his rookie season, but he mostly just contributed on special teams. Dowdle is currently No. 3 on Dallas' running back positional depth chart, firmly behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

Pollard could be used as more than just a receiving option out of the backfield, Patrik Walker of the Cowboys' official website reports. "He's not going to run just the RB route tree. He can go vertically and put defenders in tough spots as to how they wanna cover him," offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Wednesday.

The fact that Moore suggested Pollard would be used "vertically" is a strong sign he'll be running something more than typical RB routes. Dallas' wide receiver depth will be tested early in the season with Michael Gallup (knee) and James Washington (foot) both sidelined, but signs continue to build that Pollard will be one of the players relied upon to take on some of those targets. The 25-year-old set career highs with 39 catches on 46 targets for 337 receiving yards last season, but he could blow those numbers out of the water if he sees consistent snaps in the slot and split out wide.

Borghi signed with the Broncos on Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Borghi participated in rookie minicamp with the Broncos in June. While he didn't receive a contract at the time, the team opted to bring Borghi in as a depth option after Damarea Crockett (knee) tore his ACL on Tuesday. Borghi rushed for 880 yards with 12 touchdowns in his senior season at Washington State in 2021.

Pacheco will enter the preseason as Kansas City's top kick returner, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

The news is positive for his fantasy outlook in the sense that it improves Pacheco's odds of overcoming his first challenge: earning a spot on the Week 1 roster. He's of more interest than a typical seventh-round pick, having landed in a top offense after running a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at 216 pounds during the pre-draft process. Pacheco's college production was far less impressive, but that's largely on account of playing for overmatched teams at Rutgers, where Pacheco won 11 games (and lost 35) in four seasons. He'll have a much better setup in Kansas City if he can eventually find his way onto the field. For now, he's working behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, Ronald Jones and Derrick Gore in practice, though Gore's roster spot in particular appears vulnerable.

Mattison (finger) practiced Wednesday, Arif Hasan of The Athletic reports.

Mattison and Dalvin Cook (hand) both returned to the field after suffering minor injuries Tuesday. The pecking order in Minnesota's backfield appears to be the same as ever, though a new coaching staff could mix things up a little by giving Kene Nwangwu or Ty Chandler a few looks. Still, it's mostly the same deal for Mattison in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, with his fantasy value largely tied to Cook's health.

Cook (hand) practiced Wednesday, Arif Hasan of The Athletic reports.

Cook was removed from Tuesday's practice but won't miss any additional time. Alexander Mattison also practiced Wednesday after hurting his hand earlier in the week, while tight end Irv Smith recently had thumb surgery. Cook is locked in as a must-start option whenever healthy, with the downside being that he's missed multiple games every season and is especially at risk for injuries to the right shoulder that he's torn and/or dislocated multiple times.

Pittsburgh placed McNichols (shoulder) on injured reserve Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

McNichols signed with the Steelers to compete for a depth role in the backfield, but he lasted less than a week into camp before suffering what was apparently a severe shoulder injury. The Steelers signed Master Teague in a corresponding move to restore numbers in the backfield heading into the preseason.

Teague signed a deal with the Steelers prior to Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Teague signed with the Steelers to provide added depth at the running back position. The signing comes after Jeremy McNichols was placed on IR with a shoulder injury. Teague, an undrafted free agent, was signed by the Bears in May, however, he was waived after only a week. The 22-year-old rookie rushed for 1,757 yards and 17 touchdowns in 31 games while at Ohio State, and he'll now compete for a spot on Pittsburgh's roster ahead of the 2022 campaign.