NFL Player News

Clement (knee) was seen working on a side field during Wednesday's practice, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Clement has largely been out of commission since suffering an undisclosed knee injury Dec. 9 of last season. Six months later, he's apparently beginning to ramp up his activity level. Clement has roughly another two months to heal up before the start of training camp, where he'll look to maintain his hold on the No. 3 tailback job behind offseason pickup Jordan Howard and rookie Miles Sanders (hamstring).

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Penny looks slimmer and in better shape than he did at minicamp last season, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports. "It's been cool to watch Rashaad, watch him grow up, watch him mature, watch him learn to kind of be a pro,'' Schottenheimer said. "I'm really pleased with the way he is attacking practice right now."

With Chris Carson recovering from a procedure on his knee, Penny has been operating as the No. 1 running back at spring practices. Coach Pete Carroll mentioned Penny's improved conditioning earlier this offseason, noting that he expects the second-year back to be part of a "one-two punch" with Carson. Penny got off to a slow start as a rookie but then ran for 5.8 yards per carry from Week 4 through the end of the season, ripping off nine gains of 15-plus yards in the process. He also had 10 carries that lost yards on 85 attempts, with his positive run percentage (78.8) ranking only 52nd among the 81 NFL players that took at least 50 carries. Carson was more consistent, ranking 27th at 83.8 percent.

Mostert (forearm) stated that he expects to be a full participant for training camp this offseason, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mostert suffered a setback with his surgically repaired forearm that kept him out of OTAs, but the back seems confident that he will be healthy enough for training camp at the end of July. The 49ers valued the 27-year-old's contributions to special teams enough to grant him a three-year contract this offseason, and he appears destined for a similar role this season with the trio of Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida ahead of him on the depth chart.

Coach Doug Pederson compared Scott to Darren Sproles, Bo Wulf of The Athletic reports. "[Scott]'s a guy that can kind of fill a Darren Sproles (role)," Pederson said. "He's in that same body type and same quickness. We're working him in a couple of different situations as a runner, as a punt returner and just kind of getting a feel for him."

Selected by New Orleans in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, Scott is listed at 5-foot-6, 203 pounds. He spent most of his rookie year on the Saints practice squad until the Eagles poached him in December. While the comparison makes sense in terms of size, Scott faces an uphill battle to earn the kind of role Sproles occupied the past few seasons. Fellow Eagles running backs Corey Clement (knee) and Wendell Smallwood have proven capable of handling passing downs, while Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders (hamstring) already appear locked into roster spots. Scott still warrants watching throughout the summer, particularly if Clement and Sanders struggle to get healthy.

Coach Doug Pederson confirmed that Sanders (hamstring) wouldn't be available to practice during Monday's OTA, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Pederson wouldn't go into specifics on the extent of Sanders' issue other than labeling it as a lower-body injury, even though prior reports indicated the rookie is tending to a strained hamstring. In any case, Sanders should be back to full strength well before training camp, if not the conclusion of the offseason program. Once healthy, Sanders will vie for top duties in what likely will be a backfield committee, if Pederson's prior history is any indication.

Barkley said there's no number of touches that's too much for him to handle, NJ.com's Matt Lombardo reports.

Pat Shurmur said he doesn't plan to give Barkley more touches than the 352 he handled last season, but the coach didn't say anything about a reduction. The context surrounding the 22-year-old changed drastically this offseason, with Big Blue swapping out Odell Beckham Jr. for Golden Tate at wide receiver while also acquiring upgrades at right guard (Kevin Zeitler) and right tackle (Mike Remmers). The big problem is the quarterback room, where first-round pick Daniel Jones is expected to spend his rookie year serving as Eli Manning's backup. To have any shot at staying competitive, the Giants will need Barkley to be healthy and spectacular.

Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said Williams is the Chiefs' starting running back, John Sleezer and Brooke Pryor of The Kansas City Star report. "Williams is our starter," Bieniemy said. "We expect him to excel in that role."

Bieniemy seems to be shutting down any idea of a competition with Carlos Hyde or sixth-round pick Darwin Thompson, but that doesn't mean Williams will be the only running back with a significant role in the offense. Coach Andy Reid has a well-established history of giving his lead backs sizable workloads in terms of both carries and targets, typically relying on one player to log at least 60 percent of the snaps. Williams isn't anything special in terms of running ability, but he's a good receiver and capable blocker.

Yurachek (undisclosed) reverted to IR on Thursday after clearing waivers.

Yurachek was waived with an injury designation Wednesday, and now will seemingly spend an extended period of time on injured reserve. The Marshall product won't count towards Oakland's 90-man roster, opening up a spot for the team to grab D.J. Killings off waivers Thursday.

Jones reduced his body fat from more than 11 percent last season to 5.3 percent this offseason, adding muscle to maintain his playing weight of 205 pounds, ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reports.

These stories are a dime a dozen every spring, but we can at least give Jones credit for putting specific numbers to the "best shape of my life" narrative. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst and QB Aaron Rodgers both commented on the running back's questionable conditioning earlier this offseason, with Rodgers referring to Jones as "the most athletic, fast guy with a little bit of a belly." The 24-year-old apparently got the message and cut candy out of his diet, hoping to improve his durability after suffering three MCL sprains in two seasons. Jones also mentioned that he expects to catch more passes and run more outside zone under new coach Matt LaFleur, who rose up the NFL ranks under Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. The Packers intend to create more chances for their backfield this season, though actual execution of the plan partially depends on the success of an offseason overhaul on defense. The team dropped back to pass on a league-high 71.5 percent of snaps last season, often choosing to abandon the run while playing from behind.

The Raiders waived Yuracheck on Wednesday with an injury designation.

It's not clear what injury Yurachek might have sustained during OTAs, but he'll revert to the Raiders' injured reserve list in the likely event he goes unclaimed by the league's other 31 teams off waivers.