NFL Player News

Williams is emerging as the primary backup to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Early reports out of Chiefs training camp suggested DeAndre Washington might handle the role, but it's apparently been Williams subbing in for more work with the first-team offense. In addition to the benefit of experience in Andy Reid's offense, Williams reportedly has been the best blocker in practice, and he also has a history of handling some work in short-yardage situations and on passing downs. Of course, a role as the No. 2 back doesn't necessarily mean Williams would take on large workloads in the event of an Edwards-Helaire injury, as the Chiefs might instead opt for a committee.

Snell is making a strong case for a role in the Pittsburgh offense, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.

The Steelers have a track record of drafting big running backs and then having them drop weight before their second pro seasons. Snell followed the pattern, reportedly losing 12 pounds this offseason, and it sounds like it's paying off in terms of quickness and agility. James Conner is still locked in as the starter and figures to see more of the receiving work, but Snell could carve out his own role subbing in for some carries. The second-year pro is apparently shining in training camp, while Jaylen Samuels is on the roster bubble and Anthony McFarland is in the concussion protocol.

Singletary has fumbled twice through seven padded practices, Matthew Fairburn and Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

We shouldn't jump to conclusions based on a small sample from practice, but this is at least worth making a note of once Singletary's recent history -- four fumbles last year -- is taken into account. On the other hand, he fumbled only five times on 765 touches at Florida Atlantic, with none of those coming in his final season. Even so, any struggles could encourage the Bills to give more work to third-round rookie Zack Moss, who has yet to fumble in practice and seems to be making a strong impression on the Buffalo beat reporters. It appears both Singletary and Moss could enter Week 1 against the Jets with significant roles.

Wilkins (undisclosed) returned to practice Thursday, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

Wilkins got back out on the field after missing all practices earlier this week. The third-year running back finds himself towards the bottom of the totem pole on the running back depth chart, as he's competing with the likes of Marlon Mack, Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines for valuable reps throughout training camp.

New York signed Feaster to a contract Thursday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Feaster initially signed with Jacksonville after going undrafted back in April, but he was waived by the team earlier this month. The South Carolina product will now get a shot to showcase his abilities for the Giants, where it wouldn't be out of the question for him to emerge as a special-teams asset.

Reynolds re-signed with the Falcons after being waived by the team Aug. 7, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

As Atlanta curtails Todd Gurley's training camp workload to keep him near 15-to-25 touches per game during the regular season, it makes sense that the team would bring in a familiar face in Reynolds. The 24-year-old joined the Falcons' practice squad last December, and he offers ready familiarity with Dirk Koetter's offense. As Qadree Ollison (undisclosed) continues to miss time, Reynolds adds developmental depth to the backup running back committee.

Harris broke off a long TD run on the first snap of Thursday's modified scrimmage, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

Per Callahan, the second-year back took advantage of a big hole on the left side of the line to engineer Thursday's long run. Meanwhile, Sony Michel -- who came of the PUP list Wednesday -- "looked light on his feet again." Now that Michel is back, he can work toward securing a key role in the Patriots' backfield, which he led last season, but given that Harris has been having a strong training camp, a timeshare between the two could be on tap, with the versatile Rex Burkhead, pass-catching specialist James White -- and eventually Lamar Miller (knee) -- also factoring into the mix.

McFarland has been placed in the concussion protocol, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

A fourth-round pick of the Steelers in April, McFarland didn't find himself in a great situation for immediate reps in a backfield led by James Conner and decent enough depth behind him (Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels). Now that he's dealing with a head injury, there's no telling when McFarland will be able to make inroads again on the RB depth chart.

Montgomery (groin) is expected to be out for 2-to-4 weeks, giving him a shot to be ready for Chicago's season opener against Detroit, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

With the opener two an a half weeks away, this timeline suggests Montgomery is more likely to miss the game than suit up. He suffered a groin strain Wednesday, slipping on the practice field while taking a hand-off from Mitchell Trubisky. Initial reports stirred up fear of a knee ligament injury, but it turned out to be something much less serious, albeit still a threat to Montgomery's Week 1 availability. The Bears don't have much depth in their backfield, with passing-down specialist Tarik Cohen joined by Ryan Nall and undrafted rookie Artavis Pierce. Nall was with the team last season, but he played only eight snaps on offense and 137 on special teams. The Bears likely will sign another runner by the end of the week.

Mixon has been absent from practice due to migraines, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Mixon was an observer at practice Monday and Tuesday, while he wasn't spotted at all during Wednesday's session. The absence led to some speculation about his contract situation, which Pelissero says is still a work in progress, with negotiations between the Bengals and Mixon's agent ongoing. In any case, it seems the running back's absence from practice this week is the product of a health issue rather than dissatisfaction with his contract. We've seen a few NFL players over the years struggle with migraines -- including Sterling Shepard and Percy Harvin -- but this is the first instance on record of Mixon being bothered by migraines.