NFL Player News

Hills (undisclosed) reached an injury settlement with the Cardinals on Monday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

The undrafted free agent signed on with the Cardinals in the spring but suffered an undisclosed at some point during training camp. The back will shift his focus to making a full recovery before attempting to sign on with a new team.

The Cowboys and Elliott are getting closer on the guaranteed money on a new contract, but the average annual salary remains a work in progress, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Elliott likely is seeking something in the ballpark of Todd Gurley's $45 million in guarantees and a salary in excess of $13 million per year. Considering there has been progress in recent days on an amended deal, this situation continues to hold intrigue for the Cowboys' Week 1 backfield. While Elliott remains on the Reserve/Did Not Report list, rookie Tony Pollard will serve as the No. 1 RB. That is, until (or if) the 2016 and 2018 NFL rushing champ is back on the 53-man roster.

Barner was one of three players fielding punts for the Falcons during Monday's practice session, Jason Butt of The Athletic reports.

Barner was banged up for a stretch of preseason play with an undisclosed injury and had to sit out two of Atlanta's five exhibition games as a result. He had three return opportunities in total, putting up 38 yards on two kickoff returns and nine yards on his lone punt return chance during the exhibition slate. Justin Hardy had a solid 2018 for the Falcons with 7.7 yards per punt return (17th in NFL), but Barner was better than Atlanta's primary kick returner in putting up 24.4 yards per return for Carolina, compared to Marvin Hall's average of 23.7 on 26 attempts.

Hill enters the season primed for a role in the Baltimore offense.

The rookie fourth-rounder is in the mix for backfield work right away in Baltimore's run-heavy system. Mark Ingram is the No. 1, but Hill has a chance to make a bigger impact than Gus Edwards. Hill has speed unlike any other back on the Baltimore roster, and his pass-catching ability, while not as polished as Mark Ingram's, is superior to that of Edwards', which should help him get some third-down work before long. The Ravens draw a favorable matchup against a Miami team that ranked just 24th against the run in DVOA in 2018.

Kelly signed with the Rams' practice squad Sunday, Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic reports.

Kelly had a quiet preseason with 22 carries for 54 yards and four receptions for 23 yards, but he'll remain in Los Angeles after being waived Saturday. The 22-year-old spent four games on the 53-man roster in 2018, rushing 27 times for 74 yards while catching two passes for 27 yards.

Gordon is sorting through potential trade options, with no plan to report to the Chargers for Week 1, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Gordon and his agents have permission to seek a trade, but he'll otherwise be forced to sit out the season or play under his current contract, as GM Tom Telesco said the Chargers are shutting down extension negotiations until the end of the 2019 campaign. It won't be easy to find a suitable trade, as Gordon needs to find a team that's willing to give him his desired contract and also send something to the Chargers to facilitate a deal. Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will man the Los Angeles backfield in Sunday's season opener against the Colts.

Ellis signed with the Bengals' practice squad on Sunday.

Ellis joined Cincinnati as an undrafted free agent in May but was unable to make it through roster cutdowns. The 23-year-old had a busy preseason with 29 rushes for 95 yards while catching 13 passes for 80 yards and one touchdown in four games.

Coach Jason Garrett said Monday that he's confident in Pollard "as a runner, protector and receiver," Jane Slater of NFL Network reports. "Nothing feels too big for him," Garrett added. "He's been with the 1's a lot."

As mentioned by Garrett, Pollard has been working with the first-team offense during the entirety of Ezekiel Elliott's holdout. Overall, Pollard totaled 15 carries for 84 yards and one TD while hauling in all three targets for 19 yards across three preseason appearances. Such production indicates he'll be able to handle a three-down workload as long as Elliott remains away from the team. If the impasse with Elliott ends and he returns to the Cowboys, owner Jerry Jones has expressed that Elliott and Pollard will be able to coexist, per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News. It's difficult to foresee Pollard cutting into Elliott's typical vast workload from past seasons, but for now he'll have a chance to be the lead back in Dallas.

Hood signed with Jacksonville's practice squad Sunday, John Oehser of the Jaguars' official site reports.

Hood signed with the Jaguars halfway through the preseason and only touched the ball in the exhibition finale, carrying eight times for 71 yards and catching two passes for 14 yards. Despite the limited exposure, the 23-year-old apparently showcased himself well enough to earn a spot on the practice squad.

A source relayed to Jane Slater of NFL Network that while talks with Elliott continued late Sunday, a new deal with the Cowboys is still "not close."

There had been some optimism on that front this past weekend, but as Week 1 approaches, the running back remains on the team's "Reserve/Did Not Report" list, with no deal in hand as the Cowboys' matchup against the Giants on Sunday approaches. With each hour/day that passes, the chances that Tony Pollard heads the team's Week 1 backfield increase. When it comes to these matters, however, things can change in a hurry, and in the case of Elliott, there's at least been recent hope of a resolution, which is more than can be said about Melvin Gordon's contract impasse with the Chargers.