NFL Player News

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.

Gordon's agent relayed to ESPN's Josina Anderson that his client requested a trade last week, ESPN.com reports.

Per the report, the request came after the Chargers stuck to their initial offer of approximately $10 million per season in contract talks with their top running back. At this point, the Chargers don't seem inclined to consider dealing Gordon, and his agent was not granted permission to contact potential trade partners. In any case, Gordon's training camp holdout is ongoing and has the makings of a prolonged situation that could affect his regular-season status.

Sanders, who injured his foot during Thursday's practice, is slated to undergo some tests, but Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes that the running back "seems fine."

Supporting that notion is that Sanders was spotted doing post-practice work Thursday, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports. It's still possible that Sanders could be limited or sidelined the next time the Eagles practice, but at first glance, the running back appears to have avoided a major injury.

Sanders headed to the medical tent to be evaluated after sustaining a possible foot injury during Thursday's practice, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

The Eagles' backfield situation is pretty crowded at this stage, but the 2019 second-rounder is a lock to claim a role to start the season, if healthy. With Darren Sproles set to work in a pass-catching role, Sanders' prime competition for early down work is Jordan Howard. Corey Clement, Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood, Boston Scott and Donnel Pumphrey currently round out the team's running back depth chart.

Jones (hamstring) sat out Wednesday's session due to precautionary reasons according to head coach Matt LaFleur, Stu Courtney of USA Today reports.

Jones has had a history of leg injuries that resulted in the back missing eight games over the last two seasons, so it's understandable that the team is playing it safe. "He's going to be an important part of our football team, so we need him to be fresh and healthy and so we were a little cautious with him (Wednesday)," LaFleur added when speaking with the media. It's unclear what this means as far as a potential return to practice for Jones, but at this time, it doesn't appear any lingering injury effects will have consequences that carry into the regular season.