NFL Player News

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.

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.