NFL Player News

Whittington (ankle) is regarded as day-to-day as of Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Whittington injured his ankle in Thursday night's 22-20 preseason victory over the Raiders. The running back logged nine carries for 11 yards in the contest, adding two kick returns for 44 yards as well. The undrafted free agent out of Oregon will need to recover quickly to continue making his case for a 53-man roster spot.

McCormick rushed six times for 53 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 41-17 preseason win over the Chargers.

McCormick was the 49ers' leading rusher in the contest despite receiving fewer attempts than Kaelon Black or Zamir White. The running back is currently competing with Black and White to be a potential backup to Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) while Jordan James (ribs) and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) are sidelined with injuries.

Dowdle is suited up for Friday's preseason game versus the Jets, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Dowdle thus is poised to make his Steelers debut after sitting out the team's exhibition opener last Thursday against the Packers. Both Dowdle and Jaylen Warren are in uniform Friday, and the former is looking to build upon the 1,373 yards from scrimmage and seven total TDs he racked up in 17 regular-season games in 2025 as a member of the Panthers.

Warren is in uniform for Friday's preseason game against the Jets, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After sitting out Pittsburgh's exhibition win over Green Bay last Thursday, both Warren and new backfield mate Rico Dowdle are suited up and appear set to get some valuable reps ahead of Week 1. Warren is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he racked up 1,291 yards from scrimmage and eight total TDs on 251 touches in 16 regular-season games.

Montgomery did not play in Houston's preseason game against Las Vegas on Thursday, according to Texans Wire.

The Texans went with a mixed crew of starters and backups to open their second preseason game. It's probably a good sign for Montgomery's Week 1 role that he was among the players rested, though second-string RB Woody Marks took advantage of the opportunity with a 20-yard TD scamper on which he broke two tackles. Montgomery still figures to get the start and most of the carries in a Week 1 home game against Buffalo.

Jeanty was among the Raiders starters who rested in Thursday's 22-20 preseason win over Houston, according to The Associated Press.

With Kirk Cousins, Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers also resting, Jeanty's absence is a good sign for his regular-season workload. Backup running back Mike Washington broke off a long run for the second time in as many preseason games, but it's unclear if he'll be a significant part of the offense come Week 1 against Miami.

Black rushed eight times for 33 yards and wasn't targeted in the 49ers' 41-17 preseason win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

The rookie third-round pick operated as the starting running back with Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) inactive, and Black immediately recorded a five-yard gain on the 49ers' first play from scrimmage. The Indiana product also had eight- and nine-yard runs on San Francisco' second possession as he continued to make a strong case for the No. 2 job to open the regular season. Black saw backfield mate Sincere McCormick put together an impressive 6-53-1 line on the ground Thursday as well, but the former likely has the inside track to serve as McCaffrey's primary backup in a backfield where Jordan James (ribs) and Isaac Guerendo (PUP-pectoral) are also vying for roles.

Mitchell rushed three times for minus-1 yard and brought in his only target for 11 yards in the Chargers' 41-17 preseason loss to the 49ers on Thursday night.

After Omarion Hampton served as the starting running back on the team's opening possession, Mitchell entered the game the second time the Chargers had the ball and played a total of two drives. The speedy offseason addition saw a 21-yard reception wiped out by an illegal formation penalty, but he had a solid 11-yard gain on his one catch that did count. While Mitchell couldn't get anything going on the ground, the fourth-year pro is expected to play a solid complementary role behind Hampton and alongside Kimani Vidal in coordinator Mike McDaniel's creative offensive scheme.

Hampton rushed once for minus-1 yard and wasn't targeted in the Chargers' 41-17 preseason loss to the 49ers on Thursday night.

The second-year pro was the first Chargers running back to touch the ball, and he and the rest of Los Angeles' first-team offense exited the game after that opening possession. Hampton's brief appearance was unsurprising considering his importance to the team's offense, and it remains to be seen if he or any of the rest of the unit's front-line players will see any time during next Thursday night's home preseason finale against the Rams.

Washington rushed nine times for 56 yards while catching two of three targets for 18 yards in Thursday's 22-20 preseason win over the Texans.

Washington has churned out an impressive 119 yards on 15 carries through two preseason games, averaging a robust 7.9 yards per carry thanks to a 56-yard run against the Cardinals in the previous game and a 33-yard run Thursday against the Texans. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Arkansas has shown nice burst in establishing himself as the favorite to back up Ashton Jeanty heading into Vegas' preseason finale against the 49ers next Thursday.