NFL Player News

Kelley was released by the Saints on Saturday, Luke Johnson of USA Today reports.

Kelley never seemed like an ideal fit for the Saints, and sure enough the team opted to sign Jacquizz Rodgers only a handful of days after agreeing to terms with Kelley. The 26-year-old played in just two games with the Redskins in 2018 before a toe injury brought an end to his season, and it's possible the bruising back could be without a home throughout the preseason as teams continue to test out their younger options on the depth chart.

Rodgers signed a contract with the Saints on Saturday, Luke Johnson of USA Today reports.

Rodgers will replace Rob Kelley, who was released in a corresponding move, on the depth chart. The scatback will likely need to unseat Dwayne Washington on the depth chart in order to earn a spot on the Saints' 53-man roster, but at the very least his versatility figures to be better suited to the team's offense than the lumbering Kelley. Rodgers has recorded at least 60 touches in all but one of his eight professional seasons, but he hasn't been particularly efficient with his looks as of late, averaging under four yards per carry and under 8.3 yards per reception in each of the past two years.

Williams (hamstring) will not practice Saturday, Brooke Pryor of The Kansas City Star reports.

Williams is closing in on a full week of missed practice time, which is a source of frustration for head coach Andy Reid, who praised the likes of Carlos Hyde, when referencing the absence of his expected starting running back, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. "He's missed quite a bit," Reid noted of Williams. "He's missed a lot of plays. It's been great for these other guys. (Carlos Hyde) has done a nice job. He's got a lot of reps and he's taking advantage of them." While Hyde has proven to be a capable two-down back in the past, he's not not viewed as an immediate threat to Williams' perch atop the Chiefs' running back depth chart. In the absence of a precise timetable for his expected return, we'll consider Willams day-to-day.

Murray (undisclosed) is back at practice Saturday, Herbie Teope of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Murray missed most of this week due to an undisclosed absence, but it is a bit odd that there was no mention of an injury from the Saints camp. The veteran running back is expected to have a major impact in the offense after the departure of Mark Ingram, with both Murray and Alvin Kamara expected to split the majority of the offensive snaps.

Sanders (foot) participated in practice Saturday, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

Sanders was dinged up in Thursday's practice but was evidently able to make a full recovery, as he was spotted working on his pass blocking as well as running routes. Sanders is locked in a heated battle for playing time along with Jordan Howard, Darren Sproles and Corey Clement, so any missed time would have hardly been ideal. The Eagles are expected to employ a backfield by committee with Sanders likely to see time on the field in lieu of two-down stalwart Howard.

The Eagles waived Igwebuike on Friday.

Igwebuike was considered a long shot at landing on the Eagles' final 53-man roster, and he has now been been let go early. After going undrafted in 2018, he ended up playing six games between the Buccaneers and 49ers, but only on special teams. He will likely need to play a similar role elsewhere if he finds a new landing spot.

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.