NFL Player News

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that he's "not even sweating" Gibbs' absence from training camp amidst contract negotiations, though Campbell also noted that the running back is dealing with minor back discomfort, ESPN.com's Eric Woodyard reports.

Multiple reports point to the contract situation as the impetus for Gibbs' absence through the first two days of training camp. The back injury is something to keep in mind, but it doesn't sound serious and might heal in a hurry with a new contract in hand. The Lions have Gibbs under team control for two more years after picking up his fifth-year option for 2027 ($14.3 million). A prolonged hold-in is possible if the two sides can't reach an agreement, but the current CBA essentially guarantees that no player on a rookie contract will hold out from actual games. Still, it'd be a minor ding to Gibbs' immense fantasy value if the situation were to drag on and affect his practice participation well into August.

Stevenson (undisclosed) is participating in Thursday's padded practice, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Stevenson left Tuesday's practice early, but his exit appears to have been precautionary since he's practicing Thursday in the Patriots' first full-pad practice of training camp. He's splitting first-team reps with TreVeyon Henderson on Thursday, and that arrangement is expected to linger throughout the season as long as both running backs are healthy.

Gibbs (contract) remained absent from practice Thursday, Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit reports.

Entering the fourth year of his rookie contract, Gibbs is unable to stage a true holdout but seems to be opting for a hold-in, at least for the time being. The Lions picked up his fifth-year option this spring, keeping him under contract for 2027 at a bargain price of $14.3 million. Gibbs clearly wants a long-term deal, but he's unlikely to approach his open-market value when the Lions still have two years of team control. There's minimal chance of the situation impacting Week 1 availability, but it could affect Gibbs' preparation in the lead up to the regular season.

Brooks is on the Packers' active/non-football injury list during training camp due to a hamstring injury, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Brooks sustained the injury after the 2025 campaign wrapped up, but its severity is still unknown at this point. In his absence, Pierre Strong and 2025 seventh-rounder Damien Martinez could get more looks out of the backfield in practice.

New coach Joe Brady acknowledged this week that Cook's workload was high after the running back took 309 carries over 17 regular-season games, and the coach discussed the potential of sharing the load a bit more this season, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports. Said Brady, "I don't think you ever go into each game with a mindset of, 'This is how many carries he's going to have.' But it does pile up throughout the season, and I give him a lot of credit. I would love to be able to get Ray (Davis), Ty (Johnson), Frank (Gore Jr.) those guys involved and I hope those opportunities come up this year. James was just playing at such a high level last year. And this year again we're looking at everything."

Cook won the league rushing title last season, but it's worth noting the last five NFL rushing title winners have seen their totals decrease significantly the following season, and only two players this century (Derrick Henry and LaDainian Tomlinson) have won back-to-back titles. That's not to say Cook can't achieve high totals again, just that it's incredibly difficult to do so. In fact, his regular-season carries increased by 102 from a mostly healthy prior season. While Cook is an attractive fantasy option in this offense -- which hasn't changed much from last season and remains elite -- this is a team with its sights set on a deep playoff run, not winning another individual rushing title. Also, Brady might be inclined to throw the ball a bit more this season, as he's now the head coach instead of the offensive coordinator. The bottom line is that Cook is a great piece for any fantasy team, but the Bills may look for angles to work in his capable backups this season.

McIntosh (knee) was listed as passing his physical and going unclaimed on waivers Wednesday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

McIntosh was not picked up by another club after being waived by Seattle on Monday, but he's evidently healthy and ready to suit up for any team willing to sign him. He missed the entire 2025 season due to a torn ACL he suffered during training camp last year.

Miller (knee) is doing full-team drills at Wednesday's practice, Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports reports.

Miller sustained a torn ACL in Week 7 last season but is 100 percent healthy to begin camp and is competing with Devin Neal for the RB3 role behind Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara. Miller carried the ball 47 times for 193 yards (4.1 YPC) and one touchdown across seven regular-season appearances in 2025.

Neal (undisclosed) is practicing at the start of training camp this week, Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports reports.

Neal dealt with an undisclosed issue during the spring but is past the injury and working alongside Kendre Miller with the Saints' second-team offense. The two are competing for roles behind Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara in the New Orleans backfield.

Conner (foot) isn't yet doing full-team drills at training camp, Darren Urban of azcardinals.com reports.

Coming back from season-ending foot surgery, Conner didn't do much during the offseason program but took part in the opening practices of training camp. Now that 11-on-11 drills are starting up, Conner has been forced to watch from the sideline while Tyler Allgeier and Jeremiyah Love take first-team reps. There will be concern for Conner's Week 1 availability if he doesn't begin full-team work within the next week or two.

Black has an opportunity to handle the bulk of No. 2 running back role behind Christian McCaffrey early in training camp after Jordan James suffered a fractured rib on Tuesday, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

Black will look to make the most of his immediate opportunities at camp, with Vic Tafur of The Athletic noting that the rookie third-rounder had already gotten off to a strong start. While James should still be ready in advance of Week 1, his grasp on the No. 2 backfield role could lessen if Black is able to continue stringing together momentum. Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) also began training camp on the active/PUP list, leaving Patrick Taylor and Sincere McCormick as Black's main current competition for reps. Given these developments, Black's average fantasy draft position will figure to rise in advance of the preseason.