NFL Player News

Vaughn rushed nine times for 36 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target during the Buccaneers' 27-10 preseason loss to the Colts on Saturday night.

Vaughn made a second consecutive strong case for the No. 2 running back job after producing a 10-54 line on the ground in last Saturday's loss to the Titans. The third-year back capped off a nine-play, 81-yard drive early in the second quarter with a one-yard touchdown run, his fourth consecutive carry of the possession. Rachaad White, Vaughn's competition for the primary backup role to Leonard Fournette, did enter the game ahead of Vaughn, and there's a possibility the two manage the job in a timeshare of sorts to open the campaign.

White rushed six times for nine yards, secured his only target for three yards and returned one kickoff for 22 yards in the Buccaneers' 27-10 preseason loss to the Colts on Saturday night.

White was outplayed by his competition for the No. 2 running back job, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who netted 36 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Neither player has an easy task at the moment trying to find running lanes behind an increasingly thin offensive line, as evidenced by White netting minus-7 yards on his first two carries when he entered the game on the Buccaneers' second possession. With each player having their moments this summer, both Vaughn and White could potentially work in an fairly even timeshare in the No. 2 role behind Leonard Fournette to start the season, or head coach Todd Bowles may opt to go with the hotter hand from week to week unless and until one of the two backs separates himself.

Herbert (undisclosed) ran for 14 yards on four carries in Chicago's preseason game against Cleveland on Saturday.

Herbert's undisclosed injury was evidently of minimal concern, and his four carries for 14 yards give reason to think he'll be ready to go as the top backup to David Montgomery when the Bears open their regular season schedule.

Montgomery (undisclosed) ran for 28 yards on nine carries in Chicago's preseason game against Cleveland on Saturday.

Montgomery's undisclosed issue seems to be of minimal concern at this point, or else it would be odd for Chicago to give him nine carries in this game. Khalil Herbert looks like a competent backup to Montgomery, but Montgomery should be the lead man in a run-heavy Bears offense in 2022.

Williams rushed seven times for 22 yards and caught all four of his targets for 40 yards in Saturday's 16-7 preseason win over the Rams.

Williams had a quiet preseason opener but came on over the next two games, racking up 93 scrimmage yards and a touchdown over those two contests. Whether that's enough to make the team remains to be seen, as Williams was used after Chris Evans in this one and remains blocked by Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine and Evans on the depth chart.

Evans rushed five times for 10 yards and caught both of his targets for nine yards in Saturday's 16-7 preseason win over the Rams.

Evans started once again with Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine continuing to sit, but the second-year running back struggled once again on the ground. Evans finishes the preseason with just 10 rushing yards on 18 attempts, so his contributions in the regular season will likely be limited to special teams and passing situations on offense.

Funk rushed 12 times for 32 yards and caught his only target for five yards in Saturday's 16-7 preseason loss to the Bengals. He also lost a fumble.

Funk played in all four quarters, splitting work with Trey Ragas while the Rams gave rookie Kyren Williams the night off. Williams seems to have secured the third-string running back spot over Funk, who did little to improve his standing in the competition Saturday. Funk could still make the team, especially if the Rams have any uncertainty over the availability of Cam Akers (undisclosed) or Darrell Henderson (undisclosed) moving forward.

Williams (foot) took warmups but didn't play in the Rams' third preseason game Saturday against the Bengals, Rams broadcaster J.B. Long reports.

The likeliest explanation for Williams' absence is that the Rams opted to hold the rookie out following a strong camp because he's already done enough to secure a roster spot. Confirmation on that front won't come until the Rams officially trim their roster down to 53 players, but assuming he makes the team, Williams could play a key role out of the gate if either Cam Akers (undisclosed) or Darrell Henderson (undisclosed) still isn't ready to play by the team's Sept. 8 season opener against Buffalo.

Coach Sean McVay relayed after Saturday's preseason game at Cincinnati that Akers (undisclosed) hasn't reached the point where he can do a full-speed workout, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

At the same time, McVay said fellow running back Darrell Henderson (undisclosed) fit in such a workout Saturday, indicating he's drawing closer to a return to practice. The Rams have less than two weeks remaining before a Week 1 matchup with the Bills on Thursday, Sept. 8, so the sooner Akers and Henderson mix into drills, the better for their prospects to play. Behind that RB duo, Kyren Williams and Jake Funk are the next players up in L.A.'s backfield.

Ollison rushed nine times for 30 yards and a touchdown while catching one of two targets for 12 yards in Saturday's 28-12 preseason win over the Jaguars.

Ollison and Caleb Huntley both mixed in early on behind Tyler Allgeier, who started and scored two touchdowns while neither Damien Williams nor Cordarrelle Patterson dressed for the preseason finale. If Ollison makes the team, he could wind up carving out a role in a Falcons backfield with no clear lead option at this point. He helped his case by punching in a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter Saturday.