NFL Player News

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.

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.