NFL Player News

The Jets waived Walter (undisclosed) from IR with an injury settlement Thursday, independent NFL journalist Aaron Wilson reports.

Walter reverted to IR after going unclaimed on waivers last week, but his 2021 season won't officially have to come to an end. When healthy, the 25-year-old will be eligible to search for a depth role elsewhere.

The Cowboys restructured Elliott's contract Friday to convert $8.6 million of his salary for 2021 into a signing bonus, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The move provides Dallas with increased salary cap flexibility for 2021 and 2022, but it doesn't notably impact Elliott's status for those seasons, as he was already effectively guaranteed to remain part of the roster. However, per Gehlken, Dallas does now have slightly increased financial incentives to keep Elliott around beyond the 2022 season, as cutting him in future years will now result in heightened dead cap penalties. In any case, Elliott will head into the 2021 campaign ready to play out the third season of his six-year, $90 million contract as the Cowboys' workhorse running back.

Barkley (knee) said he felt good Thursday in his return to live drills, adding that he didn't feel hesitant at all and "hated" wearing a no-contact jersey, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Barkley took four reps in 7-on-7s and four more in 11-on-11s, catching a trio of passes in the process. A larger workload will be his next big step, followed by the ceremonial shedding of the no-contact jersey -- something that needs to happen before the running back is cleared to play in games, according to Giants coach Joe Judge (per the Associated Press). Both team and player have avoided commenting on a timeline or potential return date, but Judge at least has explained what needs to happen, even if he still won't say much about when he actually expects it to happen. Barkley thus remains uncertain for Week 1 against Denver, though he'll have 17 days to gear up between Thursday's return to live drills and the Sept. 12 season opener.

Jones says he'll enter the season healthy after dealing with a hamstring injury early in training camp, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Jones has been back at practice since Aug. 16 and likely would've been healthy enough to play in one or two preseason games if the Packers hadn't decided to rest their star players anyway. He should get plenty of touches Week 1 in New Orleans, though it remains to be seen if Jones benefits or suffers from the new backup situation with AJ Dillon replacing Jamaal Williams in the No. 2 role. Relative to Williams, the 247-pound Dillon seems like more of a threat to steal short rushing TDs but less of a threat to poach targets.

Barkley (knee) is taking snaps in 11-on-11 drills at Thursday's joint practice with the Patriots, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

After missing Wednesday's practice to deal with a personal matter, Barkley took a big step forward Thursday morning, albeit in a red, no-contact jersey. He also did some 7-on-7 work at Thursday's practice, and it sounds like he's been getting plenty of touches on his snaps, particularly as a pass catcher. It's still probably best to treat Barkley as uncertain for Week 1 against Denver, but this is a significant step in the right direction.

The Lions plan to give Reynolds more reps on special teams in Friday's preseason finale as they assess whether to keep him on the final roster, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After reportedly having to introduce himself to teammates in the huddle during Detroit's preseason opener before rushing for 49 yards and a score, Reynolds again led the Lions in rushing while again finding the end zone in last weekend's preseason tilt against Pittsburgh. It's not clear if the 25-year-old could be threatening Jermar Jefferson for the No. 3 job at running back, but Reynolds may have a leg up on Dedrick Mills and Godwin Igwebuike for a possible No. 4 role, especially if he can contribute on special teams.

Mitchell (hip) returned to practice Wednesday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mitchell was scratched prior to the 49ers' preseason opener against the Chiefs and had been sidelined until his return to the field Wednesday. He's currently buried on the team's depth chart, but he projects as an intriguing prospect. He was the second back taken by San Francisco in the 2021 NFL Draft, after third-round selection Trey Sermon.

Sermon (ankle) took part in practice Wednesday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Sermon sat out the team's preseason contest Sunday versus the Chargers while tending to the ankle issue, but he looks to be in good physical condition a few days later. Given his absence from the last preseason contest, there's a chance Sermon is part of the 49ers' backfield mix for the preseason finale Sunday against the Raiders to get him some sort of a tuneup ahead of the regular season.

Stevenson took the second handoff in each practice period Wednesday after former teammate Sony Michel was traded to the Rams, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

Stevenson was third through the line for most of the summer behind Michel and lead runner Damien Harris. The Patriots also have passing-down back James White, so while Stevenson now may be the second choice for ground work, he'll likely be No. 3 when it comes to snaps this September, if he gets any at all. The rookie fourth-round pick may have played a role in Michel being traded, with excellent work this preseason (193 rushing yards, four touchdowns) making his teammate expendable.

Dowdle was placed on IR due to a hip injury Wednesday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dowdle is set to spend the entire 2021 campaign on IR, unless he can reach an injury settlement with the Cowboys. After having played a regular role on special teams as a rookie in 2020, Dowdle will now set his sights toward making a full recovery for the 2022 season.