NFL Player News

Jones has a spot on Kansas City's initial 53-man roster, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

The team will likely start off with four running backs, also rostering Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco. They could still cut that down to three before Week 1, but it appears Jones has a spot for the time being, even if it's possibly at the bottom of the depth chart. The former Buccaneer reportedly was on the bubble but won Kansas City's coaching staff over with a strong showing in the final preseason game.

The Ravens are hosting Drake for a visit, after which he's expected to sign with the team, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Given the degree of uncertainty as to whether J.K. Dobbins (knee) will be ready for Week 1 and the fact Gus Edwards (knee) is out for at least first four games of the season, adding Drake would provide the Ravens with another capable backfield option. Also currently in the team's depth RB mix are Mike Davis, Justice Hill and Tyler Badie.

Laird rushed 12 times for 35 yards and secured all three targets for 19 yards in the Buccaneers' 27-10 preseason loss to the Colts on Saturday night.

Laird was thought to be a borderline camp body when he signed Aug. 15, but the combination of his extended look Saturday and the lingering absence of Giovani Bernard (ankle) arguably leaves open the possibility the Buccaneers are at least contemplating the former as a possible No. 4 back. Greg Auman of The Athletic notes Bernard is guaranteed $895,000 if he's still with the team Week 1, and Laird is also three years younger than his 30-year-old veteran teammate while boasting solid pass-catching skills in his own right. The immediate fate of both players will be known soon enough considering Tuesday's 4pm ET 53-man roster deadline, and Laird is still probably a much likelier candidate for the practice squad than the active roster.

McCrary (knee) netted minus-3 yards on two carries in Baltimore's preseason game Saturday.

McCrary appears to be healthy after leaving the Ravens' previous preseason outing against the Cardinals with a knee injury. However, the undrafted back ultimately saw action on just one drive Saturday, with his second rushing attempt stopped behind the line of scrimmage for a four-yard loss. McCrary's mere 14 offensive snaps don't spell well for his chances to make Baltimore's 53-man roster heading into final cuts Tuesday.

As Week 1 approaches, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle notes that coach Lovie Smith declined Monday to name a starting running back in a Texans backfield that includes Pierce, Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead.

When asked whether Pierce, who has been impressive during the preseason, had done enough to earn the team's starting job, Smith elected not to provide clarity on that front, quite possibly to keep early-season opponents guessing. "Dameon Pierce has played good ball pretty much since he got in the facility," Smith said. "He's a good football player, right amount of power. He'll make you miss in the open field. He can catch the ball. He can do a lot of things that NFL running backs do." Despite Smith's reluctance at this time to share his team's backfield plans, things appear to be trending in Pierce's favor, with DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com suggesting even in the context of a potential committee approach, he'd expect Pierce to get the most touches. With that in mind, the 2022 fourth-rounder out of Florida remains the upside play in fantasy over Mack and Burkhead, a notion that is clearly reflected in his current ADP.

Coach Ron Rivera indicated Monday that there is currently no timeline for Robinson's recovery from gunshot wounds that he sustained Sunday, but he noted that the running back is "doing well" at this stage.

Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site relays that law enforcement reports indicate that Robinson was shot in the leg and glute during an attempted robbery Sunday evening in Washington D.C. Since then, the 2022 third-rounder posted a message on his Instagram account, announcing that his surgery went well. Per John Keim of ESPN.com, a determination on whether to place Robinson on the non-football injury list is expected after the team talks to doctors later Monday. If that occurs, the running back would miss at least the first four games of the upcoming season.

The Jets waived Perine on Monday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

The addition of Breece Hall this offseason pushed all the Jets' returning running backs one spot down the depth chart, so Perine was always a long shot to make the team's initial 53-man roster. The 2020 fourth-round pick totaled 75 touches for 295 yards and two scores as a rookie but appeared in just four games last year.

Akers (undisclosed) practiced fully Monday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

The same applies to Darrell Henderson (undisclosed), which sets the stage for the Rams' top two backs to be available for Week 1 action against the Bills. At that time, Akers is in line to lead the team's ground game out of the gate this coming season, with Henderson available for his share of complementary/change-of-pace touches, while Kyren Williams and Jake Funk are on hand in reserve.

The Dolphins waived White on Monday.

White signed with Miami in May as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, where he totaled 107 touches for 785 yards and five scores. However, he finds himself among the first wave of cuts ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he doesn't know if Dobbins (knee) will be ready for Week 1 against the Jets.

Harbaugh made similar comments a week and a half ago and hasn't said much else about the running back since he was removed from the PUP list Aug. 8. Dobbins has increased his activity level over the past three weeks but still needs to be cleared for contact before the Ravens can truly evaluate his readiness in practice. With Gus Edwards (ACL) ruled out for the first four weeks already, there's an opportunity for Mike Davis and Justice Hill to be involved in the Baltimore offense early in the season.