NFL Player News

Harris has a chance to be the "dominant back on running downs" in New England's offense after the Patriots traded Sony Michel to the Rams on Wednesday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

Meanwhile, James White remains entrenched as the team's top pass-catching option, with power back Rhamondre Stevenson poised to serve as a backup to Harris when it comes to early down work. Finally, 5-foot-6, 185-pound sparkplug J.J. Taylor -- who has shown flashes of playmaking ability this summer -- is now in a better position to maintain his roster spot. Though Stevenson has been impressive during the preseason, the Patriots have in the past tended to ease rookie backs into the mix, so with Michel having been moved, added opportunities are now available for Harris in what could be a run-heavy attack.

Barkley (knee) will miss Wednesday's practice to attend to a personal matter, but he's expected to participate in live drills when he rejoins the Giants on Thursday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

As expected, the Giants are using joint practices with the Patriots to ramp up Barkley's workload. His absence Wednesday is a small hiccup, with the running back otherwise making steady progress in the two-plus weeks since he was activated from the PUP list. Thursday could be his most rigorous practice since suffering the ACL and MCL tear in his right knee last September.

Homer (calf) passed a physical examination and was activated from the PUP list Tuesday, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Homer suffered the calf injury in the spring and had been sidelined for the past few weeks, but he was able to get back on the practice field Tuesday. The 23-year-old should compete with 2020 fourth-rounder DeeJay Dallas for the No. 3 role at running back now that he's healthy.

Williams could be set for a lead-back role in Week 1 against the 49ers if D'Andre Swift is sidelined or limited due to his current groin injury, Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.

Swift is primed to handle a legitimate No. 1 running back role this coming season, but his lingering groin injury also has the potential to wreak havoc with his conditioning. Chris Burke of The Athletic confirms head coach Dan Campbell is fretting over that possibility, noting "we don't know if he's gonna be out there" with regards to Swift in Week 1, and adding "we don't know, if he is, how much we're going to get out of him." Williams is well equipped to handle a bigger assignment if called upon after he put together three highly efficient efforts of 15 carries or more with the Packers in 2020.

Marable was waived by Chicago on Tuesday, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Marable signed with the Bears as a UDFA out of Coastal Carolina in the spring, but he was unable to earn a spot on the season-opening roster. He had two carries for five yards and one catch for seven yards between the two preseason contests.

Etienne (foot) has been placed on injured reserve, making him ineligible to play in 2021, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Etienne needs surgery on his left foot after suffering a Lisfranc injury during Monday's preseason game against New Orleans. Previous reports suggested he'd miss his entire rookie campaign, and the latest update eliminates any glimmer of hope, as players will only be eligible to return from IR if they're placed on it after 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 31 (the deadline to get down to 53 roster spots). The Jaguars' quick decision is yet another indicator of the severity of Etienne's injury, though he should still have plenty of time to recover before training camp next summer (and possibly much sooner). With the rookie first-round pick stuck on the shelf until next year, James Robinson will lead the Jacksonville backfield again, perhaps getting some help from Carlos Hyde, Dare Ogunbowale and/or Devine Ozigbo.

Robinson's teammate Travis Etienne needs foot surgery that likely will rule him out for the season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Robinson's fantasy stock tumbled when the Jaguars used a first-round pick on a running back despite finding gold in the UDFA pot the previous offseason. The team had even signed Carlos Hyde in March to help with backfield depth, perhaps hinting that Robinson would be spelled on early downs rather than late ones most of the time. But with Etienne now out of the 2021 picture, Robinson is the best pass-catching back on the roster, and he's also the preeminent runner. That doesn't mean he'll match last year's average of 20.6 touches per game, but it's at least within the realistic range of possibilities now that he's sharing snaps with only Hyde instead of Etienne and Hyde. Robinson figures to get the start and plenty of touches Week 1 at Houston.

Etienne (foot) is likely to miss the entire 2021 season after tests revealed he'll need surgery, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The first-round pick was injured in Monday's preseason game against the Saints. He'll reportedly miss multiple months and likely the entire season, leaving James Robinson and Carlos Hyde as the top options in Jacksonville's backfield.

Coach Dan Campbell revealed Tuesday that he's concerned about Swift's conditioning and readiness for Week 1 as he works his way back from a groin injury, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

It sounds like the concern is about workload/endurance more so than availability, but the latter could also come into question if Swift doesn't respond well on the practice field. To that end, he's scheduled for a rigorous practice Tuesday, perhaps getting a chance to ease some of Campbell's doubts. The second-year pro practiced Monday, with Chris Burke of The Athletic reporting afterward that Swift appeared on track for Week 1 against San Francisco.

Robinson's teammate, Travis Etienne, suffered a midfoot sprain during Monday night's preseason game against the Saints, ESPN's Michael DiRocco reports.

The report notes that Etienne's left foot will require further testing, at which time there should be added clarity with regard to how much time he might miss. With the Jaguars' regular-season slate opening Sept. 12, the rookie back's Week 1 status is unclear at this stage. In the event that Etienne is sidelined early on in the 2021 campaign, more touches would be available for Robinson, particularly targets, while Carlos Hyde could also pick up some extra carries.