NFL Player News

Elliott isn't on the Cowboys' plane to Los Angeles for the start of training camp, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Elliott has until Friday morning to join his teammates before the Cowboys are allowed to asses fines for a holdout. The running back is angling for a contract extension and hasn't announced if/when he will report to training camp.

Sanders (hamstring) is healthy for the start of training camp, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Sanders was held out for most of the offseason program, including OTAs in May and mandatory minicamp in June. He still has time to earn a role in the crowded Philadelphia backfield, but things got a bit trickier last week when Darren Sproles re-signed with the team. Sanders, Sproles and Jordan Howard all figure to stick on the 53-man roster, leaving Corey Clement (knee), Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams (shoulder), Boston Scott and Donnel Pumphrey to battle for one or two jobs.

Scott is likely ticketed for the practice squad now that the Eagles have re-signed Darren Sproles, Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com reports.

Per coach Doug Pederson's own words in June, Scott had seized hold of the 'Darren Sproles' role after a fantastic spring. That was until the real Darren Sproles decided to come back, making a similarly diminutive back like Scott redundant. The 24-year-old will now likely have to depend on injury in order to see the playing field in the regular season.

Hood (knee) was waived by the Panthers on Wednesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Hood was signed this offseason to a one-year deal with the Panthers but will have to find an opportunity elsewhere. He also suffered a torn ACL in last season's preseason finale, so that fact could've swayed the team in this direction. The 230-pound bruiser has some NFL experience, having spent time on the Raiders' practice squad in 2017.

The Chargers placed Gordon on their Reserve/Did Not Report list Wednesday.

With Gordon sitting out the start of training camp due to a contract dispute, the team made the move Wednesday for roster-management purposes. The running back is thus in the early stages of a holdout that ideally won't be a protracted one. While he's away, backups Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will be in line to see added practice reps, but neither is a threat to supplant Gordon. The 26-year-old is coming off the most efficient effort of his pro career, a 12-game run in 2018 in which he logged 5.1 yards per carry to go with 14 total touchdowns.

Ekeler stands to benefit from the absence of Melvin Gordon, who announced Wednesday that he won't be reporting to training camp until he receives a long-term extension, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Gordon's negotiations remain a fluid situation, but it seems clear the 2015 first-round pick is willing to sit out the entirety of training camp and the preseason in order to secure a new deal. Considering the Chargers' championship aspirations along with the fact that Gordon is still under contract through 2019, it seems likely both sides will come to a resolution before Week 1. In any event, Ekeler should be a prominent figure in the backfield, though his outlook would undoubtedly brighten if Gordon's stalemate with the Chargers should drag into the regular season. The preseason might yield valuable information as to how the Chargers might deploy their backfield sans Gordon, but Ekeler likely won't be in store for excessive usage regardless as the team aims to preserve his health for the regular season.

Gordon informed the Chargers he won't report for the start of training camp Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Tom Pelissero of NFL.com relays that Gordon will stay in Florida while his teammates begin camp. The Chargers can fine Gordon for each day he's absent, though it wouldn't be the best idea if they still have serious interest in signing him to an extension. Earlier in July, Gordon's agent said there's a "strong possibility" the running back could extend his holdout into the regular season if he doesn't receive a new contract before Week 1. In the meantime, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson are in line for the majority of first-team reps at camp.

Clement's trainer believes the running back is 95 percent recovered from last year's knee injury and should be ready for the start of training camp, NJ.com's Mike Kaye and Zack Rosenblatt report.

Clement suffered the season-ending injury Week 14 and was held out for the entire offseason program, declining to provide details apart from saying it wasn't an ACL issue. He'll need to duke it out for a roster spot in the coming weeks, after the Eagles added Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders (hamstring) and re-signed Darren Sproles. The Eagles report to training camp Wednesday, with their first practices scheduled for Thursday. Clement's competition for a depth role includes Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams (shoulder) and Boston Scott.

The Vikings waived Thomas (suspension) on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Thomas was in line to compete for a depth role with the Vikings heading into the 2019 season. It's unclear whether his three-game suspension is what made him the odd man out in Minnesota's running back room, or whether the team is simply confident in Ameer Abdullah and Mike Boon as depth options behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. Thomas played in five games with the Vikings as a rookie last season, logging eight carries for 30 yards in addition to 59 snaps on special teams.

The Chargers aren't willing to meet Gordon's current expectations for a contract extension, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports.

Robinson suggests the team is preparing for a holdout as negotiations remain far apart on the eve of training camp. Gordon has a sliver of leverage in the form of his team's win-now mentality, perhaps hoping the Chargers will sacrifice future salary-cap flexibility to keep things harmonious in 2019. The aging curve for running backs suggests a pricey extension would lead to regret within a couple years, though Gordon at least is coming off a 2018 campaign with career-high marks for yards per carry (5.1), yards per target (7.4) and scrimmage yards per game (114.6). Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson are the top candidates to rep with the starting offense if Gordon doesn't report Thursday for the start of training camp.