NFL Player News

Barkley (knee) took reps in 7-on-7 drills at Tuesday's practice while wearing a non-contact jersey, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

An hour and a half earlier, Giants coach Joe Judge had said the running back would do a little more this week than he did last week. Sure enough, Barkley took some 7-on-7 reps Tuesday afternoon -- a clear step forward after he was previously limited to individual drills. Reports have mentioned the final week of the preseason (Aug. 23-29) as the target for Barkley to ramp up his practice involvement, though he isn't likely to play in the actual game. Neither team nor player have commented on expectations for Week 1, but Barkley's progress on the practice field would seem to put him on track to play, even if he doesn't see his usual workload.

Barkley (knee) will do a little more this week than he did last week, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Barkley continues to progress, but he's not expected to participate in 11-on-11 drills during joint practices in advance of Sunday's preseason game against Cleveland. It seems safe to assume that the running back won't suit up for that contest, as the Giants are of no mind to rush Barkley leading up to the team's regular-season opener, Sept. 12 against Denver.

Bellamy (ankle) is expected to be sidelined multiple weeks, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Bellamy suffered an ankle injury during Saturday's exhibition game, and it looks like he will be in danger of missing future preseason contests. With Mike Boone (quadriceps) also out multiple weeks, Royce Freeman and Damarea Crockett seem primed to handle increased reps.

Gordon (groin) returned to practice Tuesday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

With that, Gordon is a candidate to suit up for Saturday's preseason contest against the Seahawks. Once the regular season starts, the veteran running back is in line to team up with second-rounder Javonte Williams to form a solid 1-2 backfield punch for Denver, with Royce Freeman slated to serve as the team's No. 3 RB while Mike Boone recovers from a quadriceps injury.

Coach Matt Nagy said Montgomery (undisclosed) is "good to go" for Tuesday's practice, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Montgomery was a limited participant Monday after getting banged up on the first snap of Saturday's preseason win over Miami. It sounds like he'll be healthy enough to play in Saturday's exhibition with the Bills, if that's what Nagy wants. Montgomery is locked in as the lead runner in Chicago, while third-down snaps are more of a question mark, as he, Damien Williams and Tarik Cohen (PUP - knee) all are capable options when healthy.

Sanders has taken a large majority of first-team snaps in recent practices, after splitting the workload with Boston Scott earlier in training camp, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.

Sanders was rested for Thursday's preseason opener against Pittsburgh, while the Eagles' other healthy running backs (including Scott) all played. Reports from the first couple weeks of training camp suggested Sanders was struggling with drops and fumbles, but he nonetheless remains well ahead of the pack in an RB room with tough competition for backup work. It is possible Scott could handle third downs, and the Eagles might even use a goal-line/short-yardage specialist if they keep Jordan Howard or Kerryon Johnson (knee) on the regular-season roster.

Montgomery took part in individual drills but otherwise was a spectator at Monday's practice due to general soreness, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

After his one and only touch (a three-yard carry) during Saturday's preseason win against the Dolphins, Montgomery had a visible limp as he came off the field, but he remained on the sideline and wasn't examined by the training staff. The Bears appear to be exercising caution with one of their key skill-position players, likely with an eye toward the running back being as healthy as possible for Week 1. In the offseason, the RB room was bolstered by the signing of veteran Damien Williams, and Tarik Cohen is reaching the end stages of his recovery from a torn ACL. Even if Montgomery cedes some pass-catching reps to that duo this season, he's the clear No. 1 at the position for the Bears.

Moss (hamstring) participated in team drills Monday, Matt Parrino of syracuse.com reports.

Moss was injured last Tuesday and missed Friday's preseason opener in Detroit, but the Bills hope to have him ready for their second exhibition this Saturday at Chicago. It'll be interesting to see how Moss and Devin Singletary split first-team snaps if they both suit up.

Jones (hamstring) returned to practice Monday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Jones missed practice last week and wasn't available for the preseason opener, but the Packers haven't expressed any real concern about his hamstring. Regardless of his preseason workload -- or lack thereof -- Jones will enter Week 1 as one of the more reliable lead backs in the league, this time ceding work off the bench to 247-pound bruiser AJ Dillon instead of Jamaal Williams. The switch could lead to fewer goal-line carries and more targets, but Jones' excellent work in the red zone in recent years should ensure he isn't frozen out there.

Williams got the first-team backfield work in Friday's preseason loss to Buffalo, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.

With D'Andre Swift (groin) unavailable, Williams seemed to be the only RB the Lions used at the beginning of the game. Other backs obviously got work after the opening minutes, but Williams doesn't appear to have any competition for backup work this year. Swift is nearing a return to practice and should soon give the Detroit backfield a more explosive element after Williams produced just 15 yards on nine carries in his first appearance in a Lions uniform Friday night.