NFL Player News

Edwards tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the first 10 days of training camp, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

If he doesn't have symptoms, Edwards could still practice before Baltimore's preseason opener Aug. 14 against the Saints. He signed a two-year, $10 million extension in June, and appears locked in as the team's No. 2 running back behind 2020 second-round pick J.K. Dobbins. With Edwards now temporarily unavailable, Justice Hill figures to step into that No. 2 role for the first couple weeks of camp.

Wilson (knee) is on the PUP list to start training camp, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Most players on preseason PUP lists will be removed before the regular season, but that won't necessarily be the case with Wilson, who had surgery in late May to repair a torn meniscus. The rehab timeline was estimated at four-to-six months, with one report suggesting Wilson likely would stay on the PUP list for the beginning of the regular season, ruling him out for the first six games. He can still avoid that fate if his rehab trends toward the front end of the timeline, but Wilson isn't likely to make it back on the field at any point during training camp. Raheem Mostert, Trey Sermon and Wayne Gallman will compete for San Francisco's first- and second-team reps at running back, with Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty mixing in behind.

Taylor (foot) was placed on the PUP list Saturday, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

Taylor has battled this foot injury for over two years now. It's discouraging that he has still been unable to shake the injury, though the 23-year-old running back still has time to get healthy before the start of the season.

Mack (Achilles) will be ready to participate fully in practice at the start of training camp according to GM Chris Ballard, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

Mack participated in activities with the Colts during voluntary offseason workouts but wasn't involved in practice. He suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon Week 1 last year and missed the remainder of the season. If he's back to his pre-injury form, his role will be something to watch this summer, as it's not clear how the touches will be distributed in the Indy backfield other than Jonathan Taylor being the clear lead back.

Harris is listed as the Steelers' starting running back on their initial depth chart, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

While initial depth charts usually don't carry much weight, it's not very surprising to see Harris listed as the Steelers' top running back after the team selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 23-year-old has impressed during the first several days of camp, as he's been seen constantly working with the coaching staff during down time and has been effective as a receiver, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports. The 230-pound Alabama standout shouldn't face much competition for the starting job from Benny Snell, Kalen Ballage or Anthony McFarland ahead of the regular season.

McNichols (undisclosed) was added to the team's PUP list Saturday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

It's unclear what type of injury McNichols might be suffering from, but given the lack of additional information provided in the announcement, it's likely not a serious issue. McNichols emerged as Tennessee's preferred backup behind Derrick Henry last season, but a healthy Darrynton Evans and newly signed Brian Hill each could make a case for the role if McNichols misses extended time throughout the preseason.

Williams signed his rookie contract with the Broncos on Saturday.

With the formality now complete, the 2021 second-round pick is thus set to showcase his skillset during Denver's training camp. While there's still plenty of ambiguity regarding Williams' week-to-week role ahead of his rookie campaign, it seems all but certain a tandem of Melvin Gordon and Williams will dominate the backfield touches provided both stay healthy.

Assistant head coach Duce Staley made it sound like Swift's role could significantly grow in 2021, suggesting that the "star" and "three-down back" could have 25 touches per game, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.

Staley's comments are clearly an exaggeration considering no running back reached 25 touches per game in 2020. The only one who came close to reaching that feat, Derrick Henry, wasn't sharing time with another running back like Swift probably will be with Jamaal Williams, who was guaranteed over $3 million by Detroit in free agency this spring. However, given how many high-value touches Swift is expected to see in the passing game and around the goal line this year, the second-year pro probably won't need to see Henry-level usage to pay off his rising third-round ADP. After all, someone like Alvin Kamara -- who Swift is regularly compared to -- became a fantasy stalwart without ever topping 18.4 touches per game in any one season.

Barkley (knee) will begin training camp on the Giants' preseason PUP list, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Given that Barkley is bouncing back from late-October surgery last year to repair an ACL tear, it's no surprise that he'll be eased back into the mix this summer. Per the report, the Giants' star running back continues to make progress and will be eligible to be activated by the team at any point once training camp gets going.

Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady said McCaffrey's injuries from last season shouldn't affect his 2021 workload, Jonathan Alexander of the Charlotte Observer reports.

McCaffrey had a strong track record of durability prior to last year, and he returned healthy for the offseason program this spring after battling a series of injuries in 2020. The Panthers did use a fourth-round pick on running back Chuba Hubbard, but they also let Mike Davis sign with the division-rival Falcons, leaving McCaffrey as the only running back on the roster with significant NFL experience. It sounds like he'll be in his usual three-down role Week 1, locked in as a high-end RB1 for fantasy managers.