NFL Player News

Coach Matt Nagy said Montgomery will get "a fair amount of carries" in preseason games, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.

With Tarik Cohen locked in on passing downs, the Bears need to figure out how they'll divide the remaining backfield snaps between Montgomery and Mike Davis. The team invested significant resources in both players, with the veteran Davis signing a two-year, $6 million contract that includes $3 million guaranteed, and the rookie from Iowa State requiring a third-round pick at No. 73 overall. A strong showing during training camp and the preseason could put Montgomery in the lead role, a job that translated to 250 carries and 26 targets for Jordan Howard last season. While he isn't likely to match Howard's ground workload, the rookie offers more potential as a pass catcher -- something GM Ryan Pace hinted at Sunday when he praised Montgomery for being well-rounded.

Elliott hasn't made a final decision on holding out from training camp, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

With training camp set to begin Friday, the Cowboys still need to hammer out deals for Elliott, Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. The latter two are entering contract seasons, while the running back is under team control through 2020 via the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Elliott will lose an accrued season toward free agency if he doesn't report by Aug. 6, though it would become a moot point as soon as he signed a long-term contract. The Cowboys may be hesitant to extend Elliott before they finish deals for Prescott and Cooper.

After taking a backseat to Phillip Lindsay as a rookie last season, Freeman could see an increased role -- particularly in short-yardage and goal-line situations -- this season, Benjamin Allbright of KOA News Radio reports.

Freeman topped 50 yards three times and scored thrice in his first four games last season, but was later slowed by an ankle injury and the emergence of fellow rookie Phillip Lindsay. He scored just twice during the rest of the season and didn't top 50 yards again until Lindsay sat in Week 17. Lindsay isn't like other diminutive backs in that he has shown toughness and ball security when running between the tackles. Still, his best work has been on stretch plays and, after ending his season with a wrist injury, it might not be a bad idea for the big-bodied Freeman to see an increased load so that Lindsay can stay fresh. The zone-heavy attack offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello is set to implement would seem to suit Freeman based on the latter's college success at Oregon.

Anderson (knee) may start the season on the PUP list, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Anderson said in May that he expected to be 100 percent healthy for the start of training camp, but there's no reason for the Bengals to rush him back when they have Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard at the top of the depth chart, with fellow rookie Trayveon Williams also in the mix for a job. In fact, the team may prefer to stash Anderson on the PUP list even if he's technically healthy enough to practice. The Oklahoma product suffered a torn ACL in September, marking his third season-ending injury in the past four years. Previously viewed as a likely Day 1 or 2 pick, Anderson instead fell to Cincinnati in the sixth round just 29 spots after the team drafted Williams.

Jones is up to 221 pounds after playing at approximately 208 pounds during his rookie season last year, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The added weight is by design, with Jones emphasizing he's been working with a personal trainer this offseason and following a nutritional regimen designed to add lean muscle. The decision to add extra pounds is somewhat interesting for Jones, whose speed was one of the main factors that inspired the Buccaneers' previous regime to select him with the 38th overall pick of the 2018 draft. Jones appears to have a clean slate with the new coaching staff headed by Bruce Arians and has received strong reviews for his work in non-contact practices throughout the offseason. It remains to be seen whether he'll continue demonstrating improvement once the pads come on for training camp, where Jones and Peyton Barber are expected to battle for backfield snaps.

Thomas has been suspended for three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Thomas, who was sentenced to three years probation in May after pleading guilty to a felony charge of marijuana possession, can practice with the Vikings during training camp and play in the preseason, but he'll sit out the team's first three regular-season games before becoming eligible to return to the field Sept. 23. Thomas is in line to compete for a depth role in the Minnesota backfield (behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison) along with Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah.

Elliott is weighing his options for a potential holdout but hasn't made a final decision, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports reports.

A prolonged holdout would put the most pressure on the Cowboys, but Elliott would lose an accrued season towards free agency if he doesn't report to training camp by Aug. 6. The relationship between team and player reportedly remains cordial, albeit with the complication of Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper entering contract seasons. Elliott doesn't seem to be the immediate priority, as he's under team control through 2020 via the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Discussions with Elliott should progress much faster if/when the Cowboys finalize deals with his teammates.

Gordon said Saturday he still hopes to work things out with the Chargers, Jeff Miller of The Los Angeles Times reports. "Like, that's the team who blessed me with an opportunity," Gordon said. "But it's an opportunity right now where I know I need to take advantage of it. You know, I want to get paid. That's just kind of what it is. Hopefully I end up a Charger."

Despite his generally favorable view of the team, Gordon's recent threat of a holdout or trade demand suggests he and the Chargers remain far apart on financial details of a contract extension. Although it helps Gordon's case that the team is well stocked for another playoff run around a 37-year-old quarterback, the Chargers presumably are hesitant to commit to a 26-year-old at a position where most players flame out by their late 20s. Gordon did reach a new level of per-game and per-touch efficiency last season, but he also missed four contests in the process of eclipsing 200 touches for a sixth straight year (dating back to college). Recent NFL history shows few running backs that have been able to maintain that type of workload for longer than Gordon already has. As things currently stand, he's scheduled for a $5.6 million salary in 2019 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. His agent has acknowledged the possibility of a holdout stretching into the regular season if Gordon doesn't receive his desired extension or trade.

Artis-Payne faces competition for backup work from Jordan Scarlett, Elijah Hood (knee), Elijah Holyfield and Reggie Bonnafon, Brendan Marks of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The Panthers have talked about reducing Christian McCaffrey's workload, but a lack of investment in their backfield points toward another season full of lofty snap counts. Artis-Payne is the only other Carolina tailback with an NFL carry to his name, while Scarlett has the advantage of being a recent draft pick (2019 fifth-round pick). There's no runaway favorite to earn the No. 2 job, and it's still possible the Panthers bring in a veteran to improve the competition.

Gordon's agent said there's a "strong possibility" the running back will hold out into the regular season if he doesn't receive a new contract, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

Gordon reportedly will ask for a trade if he doesn't get his contract before July 24 when the Chargers report to training camp. The team still hopes to reach an agreement, but Gordon's public reveal of his plan for a holdout suggests the two sides are far apart on money. Despite missing four games last season, the 26-year-old achieved personal bests in a slew of statistical categories, including yards per carry (5.1), yards per target (7.4), scrimmage yards per game (114.6) and total touchdowns (14). Backup running back Austin Ekeler also had an efficient campaign, but he struggled when tasked with a larger role, averaging 3.2 YPC and 3.8 YPT in three starts. Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome are the other leading candidates to see carries if things ultimately don't work out between Gordon and the Chargers.