NFL Player News

Martin is off to a good start in training camp, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Tafur suggests that over the first week of training camp, Martin was the team's "most impressive runner," but in the same line he noted that first-rounder Josh Jacobs has shown great hands in that span. In any case, Jacobs has plenty of time to open eyes with his running ability and his lofty draft status (he was the 24th overall pick in April) suggests that he's destined to be the Raiders' top back in 2019. That said, Martin, who averaged 4.2 yards on 172 carries with the Raiders last season, profiles as a capable complement, and it's a good sign that he's looked sharp early on in camp. After all, the Raiders seemed ready to move one from Martin once they signed Isaiah Crowell in free agency, but he was subsequently re-signed by the team after Crowell tore his Achilles in OTAs.

Jacobs has displayed "great hands" early on in training camp, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

The same training camp review noted that veteran back Doug Martin was "the most impressive runner" during the first week of camp, but we won't read to much into that, as the Raiders presumably didn't take Jacobs 24th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft to be a backup. What is worth noting is that if Jacobs proves that he can be an effective pass catcher/blocker -- and the early returns are good on that front -- it will help him stay on the field in more situations as a rookie and likely cut into Jalen Richard's target share.

Gillislee is slated to work out for the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Gillislee also had a workout with the Raiders, with his latest opportunity likely fueled by the fact that both Jordan Wilkins and Spencer Ware are dealing with undisclosed injuries, leaving the Colts' current backfield depth a little thin.

Wilkins has missed the Colts' last two practices due to an unspecified issue, Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Spencer Ware (undisclosed) is also missing time, so the Colts plan to take a look at Mike Gillislee, with an eye toward potentially securing added backfield depth. Once healthy, Wilkins figures to compete with Ware and Jonathan Williams (and possibly Gillislee) for the team's No. 3 running back job behind top option Marlon Mack and change-of-pace option Nyheim Hines.

Elliott is staying in shape and doing running back drills during his holdout, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports. "From the couple of conversations that we've had, he's doing what he needs to do and staying in great shape," running backs coach Gary Brown said Thursday. "And I'm just looking forward to whenever he gets here. He'll be ready to go."

Of course, Elliott is doing those drills and workouts in Cabo, so how far behind the rest of the team he is won't really be known until he's in camp. The running back has to report by Tuesday (Aug. 6) to avoid losing an accrued year towards free agency, so it should become clear next week whether he and the Cowboys are in for a protracted contract battle or not.

Williams (hamstring) is not in pads for Friday's practice session, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Williams exited Sunday's session early due to the hamstring issue and has yet to return to practice. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but it's no surprise to see the Chiefs remaining cautious so early in training camp. Carlos Hyde should continue seeing additional first-team reps in his absence.

Ollison rushed six times for two yards and brought in one of two targets for three yards in the Falcons' 14-10 preseason loss to the Broncos on Thursday.

Ollison logged the second-most carries behind Brian Hill, but he did next to nothing with them. While the former Pitt Panther gained four yards on one of his rushes, he netted minus-2 on his other five totes. Ollison is battling Hill, Ito Smith and Kenjon Barner for a backup job behind Devonta Freeman, but his first on-field audition didn't exactly qualify as a ringing endorsement. He'll look to up his production against the Dolphins in next Thursday's exhibition clash.

Drake is likely to split carries with Kalen Ballage (undisclosed) during the 2019 season, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

Drake has gotten less run with the first team than Ballage through the first week of Miami's training camp. The situation is reminiscent of the 2018 offseason, when Drake appeared prepped for a starting job only to ultimately serve a complementary role behind veteran Frank Gore, who logged 156 carries in 14 games last year. For his part, Drake handled 120 carries in 16 games, while also hauling in 53 catches on 73 targets. All signs out of camp point to the Dolphins shying away from utilizing either Drake or Ballage as a feature back and instead opting for a running-back-by-committee approach, similarly to what coach Brian Flores and offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea have previously worked with in New England. Ballage is currently sidelined due to an undisclosed injury, though he isn't expected to miss much time.

Wilson (calf) is expected to remain sidelined one to two weeks, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Wilson suffered a calf injury earlier this week, and he appears on track to miss at least one preseason matchup as he recovers. The 23-year-old running back will look to return to practice as soon as possible, given that he'll likely need to carve out a role on special teams in order to earn a roster spot.

McKinnon (knee) will remain on the 49ers' preseason PUP list until at least Monday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The running back will be reassessed at that time, but he'll continue to sit out the team's current block of practices. Coach Kyle Shanahan had previously expressed hope that McKinnon could return to practice soon, but the 49ers are wisely playing it safe with the 27-year-old, who tore his right ACL at the beginning of September last year. Once he's back on the field, McKinnon will compete for touches with fellow backs Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman.