NFL Player News

Kamara will be fined $200,000 for his unexcused absences through the last four days of practice, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports.

Kamara's absence was attributed to an epidural shot in his back by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, which seemed to put the blame on an injury, but the fact he's being fined confirms his days off were unexcused by the team. The 25-year-old is expected to rejoin teammates on the field Wednesday, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Kamara and the team will continue to discuss a new contract.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Tuesday that Drake (foot) is close to a return to all activity at practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

As a precaution, Drake spent much of last week in a walking boot due to the "normal nicks and bruises" from camp. While he didn't return to drills Friday, he was seen jogging without the aforementioned protective boot. In the end, the goal is to have Drake as healthy as possible and "comfortable with the game plan" before Week 1, so his practice reps could be capped when he returns to the practice field.

Huntley impressed as a between-the-tackles runner during Saturday's scrimmage, Rob Beard of The Detroit News reports.

Given the presence of Kerryon Johnson, D'Andre Swift and Bo Scarbrough, a role in the passing game remains Huntley's easiest path toward seeing the field on offense in 2020. However, Saturday's performance suggests it might not be accurate to pigeon-hole the 5-foot-9 rookie as a scatback, especially after Huntley topped 1,000 yards rushing at 7.1 yards per carry during his final season at New Mexico State in 2019. Should the injury bug strike the top of the depth chart, it's seemingly increasingly possible Huntley could gain fantasy relevance at some point this year.

Kamara is expected to return to practice Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Kamara has not participated in practice since Friday due reasons that were initially called contract-related, but Pelissero now notes that his absence was due to an epidural shot in his back. In any case, if Kamara does rejoin teammates Wednesday it could indicate that he and the team have made some progress in talks. The star running back's decision to resume practicing follows a report by Josina Anderson of ESPN that the Saints would be open to trading Kamara if the two sides can't agree on a long-term deal.

Homer (undisclosed) participated in practice Tuesday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Just two days removed from sitting out Sunday, Homer rejoined his backfield mates, or at least the healthy bodies in Chris Carson and DeeJay Dallas. Homer himself may be limited, so it's difficult to say whether he can make inroads on Carlos Hyde, who also is dealing with an unknown injury at the moment.

The Saints are open to trading Kamara, Josina Anderson reports.

The news from Anderson is purely speculative at this point, but given Kamara's recent "contract-related" absences from Saints practice, it's certainly a situation to monitor closely. If Kamara were traded, Latavius Murray would likely vault into a starting role, with pass-catching specialist Ty Montgomery backing him up.

Mixon (head) and the Bengals have reached agreement on a four-year contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports the contract is worth $48 million over four years, keeping the 2017 second-round pick under team control through 2024. With that out of the way, Mixon won't have any issue taking on a large workload this season, hoping to pick up where he left off over the second half of last year. Migraines have kept him out of practice for more than a week now, but he has made some appearances as an observer from the sidelines.

Moss (neck) isn't wearing a no-contact jersey Tuesday, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

It appears the rookie's neck injury was minor, as he's been cleared for contact work after only a few days of being limited. Devin Singletary remains the favorite to start in the backfield Week 1 against the Jets, but Moss also figures to have a significant role in the Buffalo offense.

Coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday that he expects Dobbins to have a significant role on offense, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Harbaugh generally lets his coordinators and position coaches make decisions on playing time, but there's no doubt he has a pretty good idea how things will break down. While Mark Ingram is expected to remain the starter, it's certainly possible Dobbins gets more work than Gus Edwards did last season. Everything coming out of training camp on the second-round pick has been positive, including reports on his work as a pass catcher. It's hard to say if Dobbins will get five carries or 15 in the season opener against Cleveland, but it does seem pretty clear he'll be involved in the offense.

Ozigbo could have a role in the Jacksonville backfield Week 1 against the Colts, SI.com's John Shipley reports.

Ryquell Armstead emerged as the favorite to serve as the lead ball carrier after Leonard Fournette was waived Monday, but there's also been some talk of Ozigbo and undrafted rookie James Robinson getting touches, along with veteran passing-down specialist Chris Thompson. Part of the reasoning is that Armstead missed time in August while he was on the reserve/COVID-19 list, allowing Ozigbo and Robinson to make good impressions in practice. Ozigbo was undrafted out of Nebraska last year, initially catching on with the Saints before spending most of the season as a healthy scratch with the Jaguars. It sounds like the 2019 roster stash could translate to some 2020 work.