NFL Player News

Moss (hamstring) is expected to work on the side at Sunday's practice with the aim to have him ready to play Saturday at Chicago, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Moss sustained a hamstring injury Wednesday that has kept him out in the meantime, including from Friday's exhibition opener at Detroit. Assuming he's able to make it all the way back next weekend, he likely would split the RB reps given to the first-teamers with Devin Singletary, with newcomer Matt Breida serving in a change-of-pace role.

Coach Joe Judge said Sunday that he doesn't expect Barkley (knee) to be a part of live drills during upcoming joint practices with the Browns, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Since the Giants activated Barkley from the PUP list last Monday, he's been limited to individual work on the field, which he's "responded well" to, according to Judge. Judge relayed he'll meet with the medical staff later Sunday to discuss the next step in Barkley's recovery, per Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site, but it clearly won't involve any specific drills with his teammates just yet. The team has two exhibitions left on the schedule -- Sunday, Aug. 22 at Cleveland and Sunday, Aug. 29 versus the Patriots -- but Barkley seems far more likely to suit up in the regular season, barring a change in Judge's tone surrounding the stud running back.

Hines, who suffered a leg injury at Thursday's practice, was in uniform fielding kicks prior to Sunday's preseason opener against the Panthers, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Hines previously relayed that he was fine following his early exit from Thursday's session, a notion confirmed by his presence on the field Sunday. It remains to be seen, however, how much work the change-of-pace back might see versus Carolina, given that the Colts are expected to rest a number of key players, per Erickson.

Taylor isn't expected to play in Sunday's preseason game against the Panthers, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

There's little reason for coach Frank Reich to put the engine of the Colts offense in danger in the team's very first exhibition, especially with jockeying taking place for spots on the depth chart behind Taylor. It's unclear if veteran running back Marlon Mack will join Taylor, but with Nyheim Hines (leg) tending to an injury Indy may ride Jordan Wilkins, Benny LeMay, Deon Jackson and Darius Anderson out of the backfield Sunday.

Johnson had five carries for 14 yards and caught two of three targets for 28 yards in Saturday's 23-13 win over Jacksonville in preseason Week 1.

Neither Nick Chubb nor Kareem Hunt played the exhibition opener, so Johnson got the start for the Browns, which is understandable as the team's third back on the depth chart. Notably, Johnson didn't return kicks or punts, but that could be attributed to Johnson having to play a heavy load (for preseason) on offense.

Dillon gained one yard on one carry and caught his only target for four yards in Saturday's preseason loss to the Texans.

With Aaron Jones (hamstring) getting the night off, Dillon started in the Packers' backfield alongside Jordan Love (shoulder), but the second-year RB made a quick exit after a couple possessions. Dillon is locked into the No. 2 spot on the Green Bay depth chart, but if Jones has trouble staying healthy -- he's played all 16 games only once in four seasons -- his understudy has the talent to make an impact with significant touches.

Jones gained zero yards on his only carry in Saturday's preseason loss to the Bengals.

All three of the Bucs' top running backs (Jones, Leonard Fournette and former Bengal Giovani Bernard) saw snaps on Tampa Bay's first possession of the night while Tom Brady was under center, and all three quickly came out of the game afterward, offering little clarity on how coach Bruce Arians plans to deploy the trio come Week 1. Jones racked up four 100-yard games in 2020 and just missed recording his first 1,000-yard campaign, but he took a back seat to Fournette in the postseason. If that usage pattern from last year is any indication, Arians will alternately ride the hot hand and stick someone in his doghouse, making it difficult to predict which RB might go off in any given week.

Evans carried the ball 12 times for 25 yards and a touchdown while catching all four of his targets for 33 yards in Saturday's preseason win over the Buccaneers.

A sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft, Evans is competing for the passing-down role vacated by Giovani Bernard, and the rookie made a good impression in his first game action for the Bengals. Evans was the third running back into the game for Cincinnati after Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, an indication that Evans is perhaps in the lead for that No. 3 spot on the depth chart.

Perine gained five yards on three carries in Saturday's preseason win over the Buccaneers.

The 25-year-old handled only the Bengals' second possession after Joe Mixon was on the field for the first, and the fact that Perine didn't see more snaps is a good sign he's locked into the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Perine had a big finish to 2020 but would need another Mixon injury to see significant touches during the regular season.

Funk rushed five times for 12 yards and brought in his only target for minus-5 yards in the Rams' 13-6 preseason loss to the Chargers on Saturday night.

The rookie recently received praise from head coach Sean McVay for his work in training camp thus far, but he was unable to validate the accolades much Saturday with an inefficient performance. Funk should still have an inside track to a roster spot with Cam Akers' Achilles injury opening up a clearer path to such, and he'll look to acquit himself more impressively against the Raiders in next Saturday night's preseason clash.