NFL Player News

Evans beat out Trayveon Williams for the third running back job on the Bengals' season-opening roster.

Beginning at rookie minicamps this summer, Evans impressed the team with his pass-catching skills and general athletic ability. He's old for a rookie, turning 24 in October, but he has some third-down upside and could expand his role in the offense if Joe Mixon were to get hurt.

Phillips is one of five running backs to make Houston's 53-man roster out of camp, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Phillips led the Texans in rushing during the preseason, primarily facing reserve defensive units, but the team's decision-makers were impressed with his powerful running style. He averaged 4.28 yards after contact during the preseason, per Pro Football Focus. "That guy earned a spot on this roster," Houston head coach David Culley said. Phillips, who started on the practice squad last season and played sparingly in eight games, may not get many touches to start the season, but his story recalls that of the franchise's all-time leading rusher, Arian Foster -- both were undrafted free agents that started on the team's practice squad.

Thompson signed with the Buccaneers' practice squad Thursday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Thompson is a relatively high-profile signing by practice squad standards, considering he logged 26 games of regular-season action with the Chiefs over the last two campaigns, even drawing one start over that span. Thompson lost out on a roster spot this summer due to Kansas City's deep backfield, but the Utah State product will now garner a closer look from the defending champions.

Herbert is part of Chicago's three-player backfield to start the regular season according to the Bears' official website.

After an impressive preseason, Herbert enters the season as the No. 3 running back behind David Montgomery and Damien Williams while the team will be without Tarik Cohen (knee) for at least the first six weeks of the season due to his placement on the PUP list. Although Herbert is on the roster, he may not see many touches unless one of the other backs ahead of him misses time.

The Falcons have waived Ollison.

With Ollison on the way out, Wayne Gallman was signed by the Falcons to provide added depth behind starter Mike Davis. Ollison will now look to resurface on a roster in short order, either as a depth option or practice squad member.

Evans (knee) has been placed on IR by the Titans.

Evans, who had been dealing with a knee issue, will thus miss at least the first three games of the regular season. Now that he's unavailable to the team, at least early on, Mekhi Sargent's profile in the offense behind undisputed top back Derrick Henry should expand, while Jeremy McNichols remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list. In that context, we wouldn't be surprised to see Tennessee add backfield depth in short order as NFL rosters continue to shuffle in the wake of initial cut-downs.

The Panthers have claimed Freeman off waivers from the Broncos.

In a corresponding move, the Panthers waived fellow running back Trenton Cannon. Freeman, who spent the last three seasons with the Broncos after being taken in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, gives Carolina some valuable depth and experience behind star back, Christian McCaffrey. Also in the team's backfield mix is rookie fourth-rounder Chuba Hubbard.

Barkley (knee) took hits during Thursday's practice, but he didn't elaborate on the extent or significance, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that the running back has a "strong chance" to play Week 1 against the Broncos. Barkley returned to 11-on-11s last Thursday, donning a non-contact jersey for a joint practice with the Patriots. He's now progressed to some form of contact, though perhaps not in full-team sessions.

Barkley (knee) has a strong chance to play Week 1 against Denver, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Barkley has been trending in this direction for a few weeks now, but the Giants will wait until the final days before their Sept. 12 opener to make a decision, as they first want to see him in full-team practices without a non-contact jersey. The running back is on the field for the start of Thursday's practice, per Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York, though it isn't clear exactly what he'll be doing. Barkley returned to full-team drills last week during joint practices with the Patriots, albeit in a non-contact jersey. It may be tough to judge his activity level this week, as media access is reduced at the end of the preseason and the Giants' first injury report isn't due until Wednesday (Sept. 8).

Coach Sean McDermott told Ashly Holder of WGRZ this week that Singletary looks great entering this season. "He's got burst to him this year, pass protection is on point and every time he touches the ball he makes something happen," said the coach.

It's not like McDermott is going to say bad things about his running back, but Singletary is coming off a strong preseason that followed a productive offseason, where teammates and the coaching staff have continually stated how strong and sharp he looks. He'll enter the season as the No. 1 running back in a high-powered offense, though it always comes with the caveat that it's hard to picture him getting into the end zone a ton considering that's a role more played by Josh Allen and Zack Moss in the running game, plus numerous targets in the red-zone passing game. Moss will also see the field a lot in normal packages, with the Bills using more of a "hot-hand" approach in recent times. In other words, Singletary needs to produce once the real action starts in order to keep his current high status.