NFL Player News

The Patriots have placed Stevenson (undisclosed) on the active/Non-Football Injury list, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

It's unclear what's keeping the rookie fourth-round pick off the field, but Stevenson can come off the list and practice at any time during training camp. Once he's deemed fit to rejoin his teammates, Stevenson will look to carve out a role in New England's backfield, which is currently headed by Damien Harris.

Funk will move up the depth chart after teammate Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles, but the rookie still looks to be behind Darrell Henderson and Xavier Jones in the Rams backfield, Kevin Modesti of The Orange County Register reports.

This is the type of situation where a little-known player could make an impact, but as a rookie seventh-round pick, Funk will need to earn a roster spot first and foremost. He was a backup throughout most of his college career at Maryland, before taking 60 carries for 516 yards and three touchdowns in five games his senior season. Funk then boosted his draft stock with a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, ultimately landing in Los Angeles on draft day with the 233rd overall pick. In addition to Henderson, Jones and Funk, the Rams have scatbacks Raymond Calais and Otis Anderson on their roster. The team could still add veteran help, but most reports suggest they'll avoid a big-name addition.

The Rams haven't officially ruled Akers out for the season, but tests confirm he suffered a torn Achilles, Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The injury typically requires surgery and then a recovery timeline of at least eight months, but Akers will gather more information before making anything official. Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network both report the 2020 second-round pick is expected to miss the entire 2021 season, leaving Darrell Henderson as the presumed leader of a thin Rams backfield. Henderson was effective as the lead runner in a committee during the first half of last season, before injuries and Akers' strong play led to a diminished role down the stretch. Henderson might even get a look in a three-down role this year, considering the backfield alternatives on the roster are Xavier Jones, Jake Funk, Raymond Calais and Otis Anderson. The team lost Malcolm Brown to Miami in free agency and hasn't signed a veteran replacement -- at least, not yet.

Akers suffered a torn Achilles while training recently, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Following a strong finish to his rookie campaign, the 2020 second-round pick appeared ready for a starring role in the Los Angeles backfield. Instead, he'll begin a lengthy rehab process, hoping to return to practice next spring/summer. With Akers out for the season, the Rams are left with Darrell Henderson, Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais, Otis Anderson and Jake Funk in the backfield. They'll likely add a running back (or two) via free agency or trade in the coming days.

Mills is competing with Jermar Jefferson and Michael Warren for the No. 3 job at running back, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

With Kerryon Johnson out of the picture, Detroit's remaining depth options at running back will duke it out for snaps behind D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. However, Mills and Warren seem to have an uphill battle to come away with the job considering Jefferson clearly drew the strongest reviews during the offseason program.

Jefferson started to come on strong at the end of the offseason program, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Jefferson apparently was most impressive in the passing game, and it sounds like he has distanced himself from Michael Warren and Dedrick Mills for the Lions' No. 3 running back job ahead of training camp. However, it's hard to imagine that the seventh-round rookie will be challenging D'Andre Swift or Jamaal Williams for a significant role with the first-team offense anytime soon.

Barkley (knee) said Monday that he doesn't know if he'll be ready to practice next week when the Giants start training camp, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Barkley said he doesn't intend to be evasive, yet he's still avoiding any discussion of a timeline for return to practice/play. When asked about Week 1, he echoed his response from earlier in July, reiterating that he still doesn't know. Common sense dictates that he'll be either limited or absent when the Giants begin camp, but that doesn't necessarily mean he won't be ready for the regular-season opener. Barkley is returning from late-October surgery to repair an ACL tear that was accompanied by meniscus and MCL damage in his right knee.

Breida, signed by the Bills to a one-year deal as a free agent this offseason, will need to fend off challenges from Antonio Williams and Christian Wade for the last open spot in the Bills' backfield, Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News reports.

Devin Singletary and Zack Moss are expected to serve as the 1-2 punch to lead the backfield, while Taiwan Jones is expected to make the team simply by way of special teams prowess. Breida is one of the NFL's fastest running backs and has more experience than Williams and Wade, so the No. 3 job would appear to be his to lose. Breida also has more special teams experience than anyone else in the running back corps aside from Jones. With good hands to go with it all, Breida is at least worth keeping an eye on if he does make the team and injuries should strike Singletary or Moss, as was the case last season.

Bears coach Matt Nagy told the Under Center podcast that he'd like Montgomery to get 20 carries per game.

It's a highly optimistic number, given that Montgomery averaged 16.5 last season -- fourth most in the league -- while playing most of the year with Cordarrelle Patterson and Ryan Nall as his (seldom-used) backups. The Bears now have Tarik Cohen coming back from an ACL tear and Damien Williams signed to a one-year contract, but even with the improved depth, Montgomery's strong finish to 2020 leaves no doubt about his status as the starter and lead ballcarrier. His workload on passing downs is more of a question mark, as Cohen has handled most of those snaps whenever he's been healthy throughout his time with the Bears.

Akers said he understands the playbook and blocking schemes better heading into his second season, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN reports.

Being more comfortable heading into Year 2 only strengthens the case for Akers. He's projected to be the primary ball carrier for Los Angeles and finished the 2020 season with 645 rushing yards, 147 receiving yards and four touchdowns through the final seven games of the campaign, including the postseason. The upgrade of having Matthew Stafford under center should also help the entire offense. Akers' numbers could even take a slight hit from the noted seven-game stretch and he'd still be a solid fantasy contributor. Of course, there's also the possibility that's just his floor.