NFL Player News

Wilson (knee) is expected to miss at least the first six weeks of the season, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Wilson was already expected to be sidelined for 4-to-6 months following surgery to repair a torn meniscus at the end of May, but this specific timeline report from Barrows indicates that the running back will be placed on the reserve/PUP list once training camp begins. Raheem Mostert is expected to lead the backfield attack in 2021, with Trey Sermon, Wayne Gallman and Elijah Mitchell (possibly in that order) jockeying for position during camp.

Williams is expected to be the No. 2 running back as a complementary piece to D'Andre Swift, Eric Woodyard of ESPN reports.

With Kerryon Johnson out of the picture, Williams' competition for the backup running back job is no better than seventh-round rookie Jermar Jefferson and undrafted rookie Dedrick Mills. Unless Detroit brings in someone like Todd Gurley before the season, the veteran jack of all trades should be secure in the No. 2 role for the foreseeable future. However, those in dynasty leagues should keep in mind that Detroit could cut Williams rather easily after one year if he doesn't prove to be a good fit.

Dallas will compete with Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer and Alex Collins for depth roles behind Chris Carson in the Seattle backfield, Brandon Gustafson of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

A fourth-round pick last spring, Dallas finished his rookie year with 34/108/2 on the ground and 17/111/1 on 20 targets, playing 12 of 16 regular-season games. He even made starts in Weeks 8 and 9 when both Carson and Carlos Hyde (now with Jacksonville) were injured, with those two games accounting for all three TDs on the year. However, Dallas managed just 72 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards between the two starts, and he averaged only 3.2 YPC for the year. He could now compete with Penny and Collins for carries off the bench, while Homer is the top competition for playing time on passing downs.

Dillon is set to step into the backup job behind Aaron Jones this season, and Dillon believes he and Jones "can be the best running back tandem in the NFL," Bill Huber of SI.com reports.

Dillon served as the Packers' third running back behind Jones and Jamaal Williams in his rookie season, but with Williams moving on to Detroit over the offseason, the Boston College product is set to become the No. 2 back in Year 2. The 23-year-old ran the ball just 46 times last season, but he averaged an impressive 5.3 yards per tote, and in the one game he received more than a handful of carries, he put up 124 yards and two scores on 21 attempts. Dillon will need to produce on a consistent basis in order to put the Packers' backfield in the conversation for "best in the league," but he should get ample opportunities to do so. He figures to assume the bulk of the 10.6 touches Williams averaged on a per-game basis after Matt LaFleur took over as head coach in 2019.

Taylor is expected to remain the primary running back for the Colts in 2021, though head coach Frank Reich still plans to ride the hot hand among Taylor, Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines while also distributing the backfield work based on matchups, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

Keefer speculates that Taylor will get 60 percent of the carries, with Mack checking in at around 25 percent. Much depends on Mack's health, as he's returning from a ruptured right Achilles' tendon. While Reich's comments could just be a matter of coach speak to keep all the backs on the roster motivated, there's a chance Taylor won't get the workload some might expect after he came on strong at the end of his rookie season. Over his final six games, Taylor amassed 741 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

The Raiders' offseason addition of Kenyan Drake could impact Jacobs' playing time, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Jacobs will still be the starter and lead ballcarrier, but Drake's two-year, $11 million contract hints at a larger role than what Devontae Booker handled last season as the No. 2 option out of the backfield. Booker, now with the Giants, averaged 5.1 carries and 1.3 targets in the 15 games both he and Jacobs played. Drake could get more work without negatively impacting Jacobs, but only if the Raiders improve their overall efficiency on offense, particularly in the running game. Jacobs averaged 3.9 yards per carry last season, ranking third in the league in carries (273) but only eighth in rushing yards (1,065). He was one of four players -- along with Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon -- to average more than 18 carries per game.

Barkley's (knee) recent rehab work has included agility drills on sand.

Barkley wasn't available for OTAs or June minicamp practices, and he told reporters earlier this month that he couldn't guarantee he would be ready for Week 1 against the Broncos. However, his rehab from late-October knee surgery seems to be coming along on schedule, with Barkley being able to run, jump and cut at what appears to be full speed. Even if he isn't cleared for the start of training camp, he should make it on to the practice field at some point this summer. The Giants added Devontae Booker, Corey Clement and sixth-round pick Gary Brightwell this offseason, replacing last year's post-Barkley backfield crew of Wayne Gallman, Dion Lewis and Devonta Freeman. Only Gallman has found work elsewhere up to this point in the offseason.

Sanders enters the 2021 season atop the Eagles' depth chart at running back, Glenn Erby of USA Today reports.

Given that he's totaled over 1,000 yards in both of his first two NFL campaigns, Sanders' placement atop the depth chart comes as no surprise. The more interesting battle will be for the No. 2 role out of the Philadelphia backfield. Offseason addition Kerryon Johnson, 2021 fifth-round pick Kenneth Gainwell and last season's No. 2 back, Boston Scott, are all in the mix for top backup duties behind Sanders.

Conner (toe) participated in OTAs in June, according to Jess Root of CardsWire.

Conner had offseason toe surgery and was expected to be healthy at some point in June. It isn't clear if he was a full participant in OTAs, but the ability to practice in any capacity suggests he should be ready for the start of training camp in late July. Signed to a one-year, $1.75 million contract this spring, Conner will compete with Chase Edmonds for snaps and touches out of the Arizona backfield.

Gibson (toe) hasn't shown any limitations during OTAs in June, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Running backs coach Randy Jordan and head coach Ron Rivera both had lofty praise for Gibson, with Jordan even using the term "night and day" to describe the running back's development since last year. However, it wasn't all good news coming out of OTAs, as Gibson revealed he's still receiving treatment for the toe injury that sidelined him for Weeks 14 and 15 of his rookie season. It sounds like a matter of maintenance rather than an acute issue, considering Gibson was a full participant in every workout that was open to the media. There's certainly some risk of re-injury, but the toe shouldn't prevent Gibson from practicing at the start of training camp, where he'll be locked in as Washington's starting running back and lead ball carrier.