NFL Player News

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Sermon "is as yolked up as he can be" for the start of training camp, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Shanahan believes the 2021 third-round pick learned some lessons from a disappointing rookie season. Sermon mostly remained buried on the depth chart while fellow rookie Elijah Mitchell emerged as the starting running back, but there's an opportunity for Sermon to earn backup work this summer with the competition mainly consisting of veteran Jeff Wilson and rookie third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price. Sermon seems to be off to a good start, at least when it comes to strength and conditioning. The practice field will be his real challenge, along with preseason games in the coming weeks.

The Chiefs activated Edwards-Helaire (undisclosed) from the active/PUP list Wednesday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Edwards-Helaire's stay on the PUP list to begin training camp ultimately lasted only one day, and he's already resumed practicing Wednesday. The 23-year-old is looking to get the most out of the first full offseason of his NFL career, after COVID-19 protocols made preparations for his rookie campaign mostly virtual, and gall bladder surgery set him back last offseason. Throughout training camp, the 2020 first-round pick should receive plenty of opportunities to solidify himself as the lead option in a revamped backfield that also includes Ronald Jones, Jerick McKinnon, Isiah Pacheco, Derrick Gore and Tayon Fleet-Davis.

The Bengals removed Perine (undisclosed) from the active/PUP list Wednesday and returned him to the active roster.

Perine is ready to go as the Bengals' training camp gets underway Wednesday. He's expected to operate as Joe Mixon's primary backup once again this season, though he'll have to compete with Chris Evans for the role.

White missed a third straight practice Tuesday for unspecified reasons, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

White's ongoing absence won't help his case from taking any work away from veteran starter Josh Jacobs, but the rookie fourth-round pick still has six weeks to make an impression before the beginning of the regular season. The Raiders have White, Kenyan Drake, Brandon Bolden, Ameer Abdullah and Brittain Brown as the backfield alternatives behind Jacobs, with White perhaps being the best fit for short-yardage work and/or early downs.

Green Bay activated Taylor off the PUP list Wednesday, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

It's still unclear why Taylor was placed on the PUP list to begin with, but his term there lasted less than a week. He'll continue to compete for the Packers' third running back spot, and his toughest competition for that role, Kylin Hill, is still on the PUP list himself.

Head coach Ron Rivera said Gibson (hamstring) was held out of practice Wednesday due to "an abundance of caution," with the Commanders planning to ramp up his workload on the side field before he joins his teammates for drills, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.

Gibson injured his hamstring at OTAs and missed some of the later sessions. His absence from early training camp practices leaves more reps for passing-down specialist J.D. McKissic, third-round pick Brian Robinson and second-year pro Jaret Patterson. The Commanders may be extra cautious after last year's experience with Curtis Samuel picking up a soft-tissue injury during the offseason.

Edwards-Helaire (undisclosed) is participating in Wednesday's training camp session, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Edwards-Helaire was added to the active/PUP list Tuesday, but it looks like his stay on the list will be a brief one. The Chiefs haven't yet officially activated Edwards-Helaire, but his participation in practice is a likely indication that such a move is coming. The 2020 first-round pick's fantasy prospects would stand to benefit if he's able to stay healthy and impress during training camp.

Gibson (hamstring) was spotted working out on a side field Wednesday during the first day of Washington's veteran training camp, Pete Hailey of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Gibson may still be nursing the hamstring injury which caused him to miss a bit of time during OTAs, an issue which coach Ron Rivera downplayed at the time. The Commanders aren't yet practicing in pads, so it's too early to raise any alarms, but Gibson's status will warrant monitoring as training camp continues. In the meantime, rookie third-round pick Brian Robinson could continue to see an uptick of first-team reps.

Dallas is expected to compete with Travis Homer for a third-down role following Tuesday's report that Chris Carson (neck) will retire, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Dallas rushed 33 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns and reeled in 21 of 23 targets for 133 yards last season. However, he was out-snapped by Homer, with the latter player's greater reliability in pass protection earning him more work. Until one of the two emerges as the clear-cut top option on passing downs, Homer and Dallas will likely rotate snaps in those scenarios, though neither running back should be counted on for fantasy purposes as long as Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker are active and available.

Homer is expected to compete with DeeJay Dallas for a third-down role following Tuesday's report that Chris Carson (neck) will retire, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

After the Seahawks picked Kenneth Walker in the second round of April's draft, Homer might have been on the roster bubble if Carson managed to gain medical clearance for the start of training camp. However, with Carson now out of the picture, Homer has a much better chance at securing a spot on the roster. Homer is a skilled special-teams player and the Seahawks' best pass protector, while Dallas is considered the better receiver of the two. It wouldn't be surprising for either Homer or Dallas to run away with the third-down job outright, but neither player will be much of a factor on the ground as long as Walker and Rashaad Penny are healthy.