NFL Player News

Coach Kliff Kingsbury relayed that Drake is expected to be utilized more in the Cardinals' passing attack this season, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports. "He's hard to tackle one-on-one in space," Kingsbury said Monday. "So that's an area we'd like to get him more involved in."

Drake was thrown into the fire upon his arrival in Arizona last October, joining the team on a Monday and starting in that Thursday's clash with the 49ers in Week 9. His elevation to No. 1 RB was solidified soon afterward, and he effectively made David Johnson and Chase Edmonds afterthoughts in the offense. Overall, Drake complemented 643 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground with 28 catches and 171 yards as a receiver in eight games. During his time with the Dolphins, he averaged 8.1 yards per reception, as opposed to 6.1 as a Cardinal. The hope is that a more intimate knowledge of the playbook will translate to increased success as a pass catcher.

Swift has impressed as a receiver thus far in training camp, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic reports.

The report notes that Swift has looked like anything but a rookie. Specifically, the Georgia product hasn't had an issue running routes against linebackers or safeties, regardless of whether Swift lines up in the slot, out wide, or out of the backfield. With Kerryon Johnson (undisclosed) missing reps Tuesday -- though possibly for maintenance reasons -- Swift is getting plenty of reps as a runner as well.

Coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Chubb is in the NFL's concussion protocol, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Chubb will thus be held out of practice Tuesday and is considered day-to-day. In his absence, Kareem Hunt figures to take the team's first-team backfield reps.

Evans has looked explosive in camp but has also struggled with fumbles, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Evans has reportedly looked explosive early on in practice, standing out on several occasions. However, he also fumbled twice at practice Sunday, showing some of the inconsistency that can be expected of rookies.

Williams inked a contract with the Lions on Monday.

The 26-year-old failed to earn another contract with the Colts heading into 2020 after he rushed for 235 yards and a touchdown on 49 carries this past season. The Lions have drafted running backs in the second round in two of the past three drafts in Kerryon Johnson (2018) and D'Andre Swift (2020), so it's unlikely that Williams will see any meaningful time this season with the team barring injuries.

Edward-Helaire (dehydration) was a full participant in practice Monday, Andrew Golden of The Wichita Eagle reports.

Edwards-Helaire's reps were impacted Sunday by some minor dehydration problems, but he appears to have used the 24 hours to take in some fluids. The rookie is slated to handle the Chiefs' starting running back role out of the gates following Damien Williams' decision to opt out of the 2020 campaign. Given that Darrel Williams worked with the first-team offense in his stead Sunday, it appears Williams may have an early leg up in the competition for the top backup job due to his experience in the Chiefs offense.

Jones has impressed as both a runner and receiver in early training camp practices, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The third-year pro was recently anointed as the clear-cut lead back by coach Bruce Arians, but Jones is doing anything but resting on his laurels. Vitali had previously reported Jones, who spent plenty of time this offseason working on his receiving skills, looked like he had much surer hands while hauling in some throws from Brady in Sunday's no-contact session, and the USC product also ripped off a long run after breaking free up the middle in Monday's padded practice. Jones naturally won't have preseason games this summer with which to cement his hold on the top job, but he may simply need to maintain his current caliber of performance to ensure he heads into a Week 1 matchup against the Saints at the top of the depth chart.

Snell should have a spot on the regular-season roster, Ed Bouchette of The Athletic reports.

The Steelers enter training camp with a crowded backfield, one where James Conner and rookie fourth-round pick Anthony McFarland can safely be locked in for roster spots. That leaves Snell, Jaylen Samuels, Kerrith Whyte, Wendell Smallwood and Trey Edmunds competing for what likely will be two jobs, but Snell at least seems to have the best odds of that group. The 2019 fourth-round pick failed to stand out as a rookie, averaging 3.9 yards on 108 carries and catching only three passes for 23 yards. His 111 touches produced just five gains of 15-plus yards and none that went for more than 23. Even if Conner were to miss more time, Snell likely would find himself in a committee.

Coach Mike McCarthy said he won't discuss his usage of Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It seems reporters were probing McCarthy about the possibility of Pollard taking on a larger role in his second pro season. It would be a reasonable plan, especially on passing downs, but there's no doubt Elliott will dominate the carries as long as he's healthy. Elliott mentioned that pass catching was his main focus this offseason, perhaps cognizant that he could be in danger of losing some of that work to Pollard. The 2019 fourth-round pick was limited to 15-107-1 on 20 targets as a rookie, but he actually had more receiving yards (1,292) than rushing yards (941) in this three seasons at Memphis. A larger role for Pollard might push Elliott down to mid-to-low-RB1 territory for fantasy purposes, rather than his accustomed high-end RB1 status. Meanwhile, Pollard is one of the more valuable backup running backs, sitting one Zeke injury away from a potential three-down role in a highly promising offense.

The Browns are evaluating Chubb for a possible concussion after he was on the receiving end of a hard tackle from teammate Mack Wilson during Monday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The incident occurred when Chubb reeled in a short pass before being met by Wilson, who hit him around the shoulder area. Chubb walked off the field with a trainer by his side and didn't return to practice, the Browns' first padded session of training camp. He'll presumably go through testing over the next day or two as the Browns look to confirm whether or not he sustained a concussion.