NFL Player News

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.

The Bengals released Anderson (knee) on Monday with a failed physical designation.

Though Anderson missed most of his final season at Oklahoma with a torn ACL, the Bengals thought enough of his potential to select him in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. He was cleared for full activity last August, but he appeared in just two preseason games before he tore the ACL in the same knee again. Anderson has worked hard in his rehab over the past year, but he didn't make enough progress in his recovery to get the green light for training camp. Unless another team puts in a waiver claim for Anderson, he'll revert to the Bengals' injured reserve list and miss at least the first eight weeks of the season.

Elliott focused on pass catching this offseason, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Elliott says he didn't spend much time on backfield work, instead focusing on his technique lining up out wide or in the slot. Perhaps he's feeling some pressure from backfield mate Tony Pollard, who had 1,292 receiving yards in three seasons at Memphis and could eventually be an option to replace Elliott on passing downs. It sounds like Zeke is doing everything in his power to retain a three-down role, following three consecutive seasons with snap share in the 84-89 percent range. It is possible Pollard takes a larger chunk of the snaps in his second pro season, but it'll still be Elliott dominating the rushing workload at the very least. In other news, the 25-year-old seems to have made a complete recovery from his summer bout with COVID-19.

Coach Doug Pederson confirmed Monday that the Eagles have told Sanders he's "the guy" this year, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Running backs coach Duce Staley made similar comments two weeks earlier, saying Sanders is elusive enough to handle large workloads without taking too many big hits. There's no doubt the second-year back will enter Week 1 in the lead role, but Pederson does have a history of preferring committee backfields... or at least he did until Sanders ran wild down the stretch last season. Granted, the big finish to 2019 was partially a product of Jordan Howard -- now in Miami -- missing time with a shoulder injury, and even then the Eagles worked Boston Scott into their offense over the final four weeks of the regular season and the playoffs. Apart from Scott, the candidates for backup work in training camp are fourth-year pro Corey Clement, 2019 UDFA Elijah Holyfield and undrafted rookies Michael Warren and Adrian Killins. Rumors of a veteran addition haven't come to fruition.

Hills was waived by the Lions on Monday, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.

Hills had a short-lived moment of fantasy relevance last fall when numerous injuries to the Lions backfield allowed him to earn a starting nod Week 15. However, he was a healthy scratch in every other 2019 contest, and the Slippery Rock product is now being let go in order for Detroit to sign ex-Colts running back Jonathan Williams.

Gordon says he's struggling with the altitude in Colorado, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

After spending the first five seasons of his career in San Diego and Los Angeles, the veteran back signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Broncos, going from sea level to about one mile above. He's been splitting work evenly with Phillip Lindsay through the first few days of training camp, but it'll likely be Gordon getting the larger share of backfield snaps once the season begins. The adjustment to higher altitude typically takes a few weeks, so Gordon should be fine when the Broncos kick off their season with a home game against the Titans, scheduled for Sept. 14.

Coach Andy Reid called Edwards-Helaire "a bit dehydrated" Sunday, which caused the rookie running back to miss reps in the later stages of practice, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

Edwards-Helaire likely would have been tabbed with "limited" participation if the Chiefs were required to file an injury report. Alas, it is training camp and not the regular season. In Edwards-Helaire's stead, Darrel Williams worked with the first-team offense, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. But Williams' experience in the system may have played a role, as DeAndre Washington, Darwin Thompson and Elijah McGuire also are around in the wake of Damien Williams' decision to opt out of the season.

Jacobs (undisclosed) participated in practice Sunday, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Jacobs was absent from the first three sessions of Raiders camp, but Jon Gruden didn't sound too worried Friday. "They're not out; they're working. You just don't see them," Gruden told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, speaking of Jacobs and right tackle Trent Brown (undisclosed). Tafur noted Jacobs ripped off a "couple nice runs so far" Sunday, so the second-year back seems on track for a typical workload in the near future.

Evans showed explosion during one-on-one drills Friday during practice, Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean reports.

Evans slipped on a cone during one rep of the drill but still managed to recover and beat the defender. It was one example of the explosiveness Evans displayed at Appalachian State, which he followed up with an impressive performance at the 2020 combine. The third-round pick's role as a backup to workhorse Derrick Henry will limit Evans' rushing work, but he could contribute as a receiver out of the backfield immediately.

Patterson has been in running back meetings and may be in line to see an increase on the 17 rushing attempts he had in 2019, reports Cam Ellis of NBCsports.com.

When the Bears signed Patterson in 2018, coach Matt Nagy had creative plays drawn up to utilize Patterson's electrifying speed, but instead, he used him infrequently and on very unimaginative play calls. During his lone year in New England in 2017, he carried the ball 42 times and generated 5.4 yards per carry, so Patterson has shown the ability to have success on the ground. Regardless, he's unlikely to see the type of volume to make him worthy of a draft pick -- aside from leagues that award points for return yardage -- but with Chicago having a razor-thin depth chart at running back, he could be a player to watch on the wavier wire should the team suffer injuries in its backfield.