NFL Player News

Anderson's injury has been confirmed as a torn ACL in his right knee, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Anderson tore the same ligament last September at Oklahoma, marking his third season-ending injury in four collegiate campaigns. He managed just nine yards on 13 carries during the preseason, but he showed some aptitude in the passing game with five catches for 58 yards on six targets. Once viewed as a potential first-round pick, Anderson was selected in the sixth round and now will miss his entire rookie season.

Rawls was released by the Jaguars on Friday, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Rawls missed time in training camp due to a hamstring injury and struggled to make an impact after retaking the field, totaling just eight carries for 24 yards and three catches for 19 yards in two preseason appearances. The 26-year-old running back flashed in 2015 when he broke out in Seattle, but he has not surpassed 500 scrimmage yards or 4.0 YPC in a season since. In Rawls' absence, Elijah Hood and Devante Mays (ankle) will face slightly better odds of making the initial 53-man roster.

The Titans cut Barnes on Friday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Barnes latched on with the Titans in late April and saw heavy usage during the preseason, but he ultimately didn't show well enough to earn a spot on the initial 53-man roster. The Kansas State product boasts impressive measurables and rushed for 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns on 256 carries in his final collegiate season. He shouldn't have much difficulty earning a chance for a depth spot elsewhere in the league.

McKinnon (knee) is expected to be placed on injured reserve and may have to undergo surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

General manager John Lynch said Wednesday that McKinnon had suffered a setback during practice Tuesday, and it now looks like surgery may be on tap for the running back. His season is not officially over, as Rapoport reports that the 49ers are still open to McKinnon returning eventually, but the tailback is now slated to miss a significant amount of time. Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida are now the clear top options in San Francisco's backfield to open the season.

Williams (foot) is expected to suit up for the Bengals' regular-season opener at Seattle, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Williams appears primed for the No. 3 running back role in Cincinnati with Rodney Anderson (knee) believed to have suffered an ACL tear. The rookie sixth-round pick will likely contribute on special teams in addition to playing a reserve role behind Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard.

The Bengals believe Anderson (knee) suffered another ACL tear, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Anderson suffered the same injury in the same right knee last season at Oklahoma, bringing his injury-plagued college career to an early end. The rookie sixth-round pick will be placed on injured reserve if the ACL tear is confirmed.

Wilson rushed 20 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chargers.

Wilson led all skill position players with 108 all-purpose yards, including an impressive 41-yard touchdown scamper where he cut back against the grain and hit paydirt. The 23-year-old appeared to be on the outside looking in when it came to the 53-man roster, but Jerick McKinnon's (knee) recent setback may open a potential spot for Wilson. We will find out of the second-year back's strong final audition was enough to make it past final roster cuts Saturday.

Newsome rushed six times for 26 yards and a touchdown, adding 32 yards on two receptions in Thursday's preseason win over San Francisco.

Newsome had a strong showing as he vies for a spot on the 53-man roster. Troymaine Pope (three carries for 43 yards) was also impressive, but the fact Newsome was out there with the "starters" in the final preseason contest gives him a slight edge in winning the third back job (assuming Melvin Gordon's contract dispute doesn't get settled before Week 1).

Higdon carried eight times for 25 yards and caught both his targets for an additional 16 yards during Thursday's 22-10 preseason loss to the Rams.

Higdon started and featured several times on the team's long touchdown drive to start the game, but he generated very little in the way of statistics. He alternated drives with Damerea Crockett in the early going, though neither back found much success running the ball. Higdon is in contention to make the regular season roster, and although he's underwhelmed over the last couple of exhibition contests, his odds of doing so went up drastically last week when Lamar Miller suffered a serious knee injury.

Owner Jerry Jones acknowledged Thursday that Elliott (contract dispute) could miss multiple regular-season games, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The deadline for Elliott to come to terms on a new contract and play in Week 1 is drawing closer, and it doesn't sound as though a deal is close to being reached. "I'm operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games," said Jones. "My entire expectation for what we're putting together as a team right now would anticipate with him holding out and not having any training camp and that he's going to miss games. I just accept that." The star back would likely have to sign a deal and be back in practice by Wednesday to have a shot of playing in the season opener against the Giants.