NFL Player News

Coach John DeFilippo said Cook may play in Friday's preseason game against the Seahawks, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "Coach and I are going to talk about Dalvin in the next day or two.'' DeFilippo said Tuesday. "We're looking forward to possibly seeing him out there.''

Cook was held out for the first two weeks of the preseason, though he did go through warmups with his teammates prior to Saturday's loss to the Jaguars. He was cleared for contact work at the start of training camp and has now made it through four weeks of practice without any setbacks. The 23-year-old seems to be on track for Week 1 against San Francisco, but the Vikings' cautious handling of the situation is a hint that Latavius Murray could also have a big role in the backfield during the early portion of the season. Though not overly important, a brief appearance in Friday's preseason game would be comforting to anyone with an investment in Cook.

Ekeler (calf) is present at practice Tuesday, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Ekeler was absent from the Chargers' preseason Week 2 outing against the Seahawks due to a sore calf, more so as a precaution than anything, per coach Anthony Lynn. As such, it's no surprise that Ekeler is back in the fold Tuesday, but his level of participation may still be capped with an eye toward his health. When healthy, he'll act as a pass-catching complement to Melvin Gordon.

Barkley (hamstring) didn't practice Tuesday, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

On the plus side, coach Pat Shurmur noted Tuesday that the rookie back is "doing more and more each day." That said, Barkley is considered unlikely to play in Friday's preseason game against the Jets.

Williams (ankle) was in pads at Tuesday's practice, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Williams sustained an ankle injury last Thursday against the Steelers, but afterward he declared he was "fine," according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. By returning within a week, Williams upheld this belief, but the Packers would behoove themselves to limit his reps in preparation for Friday's preseason contest in Oakland. Elsewhere in the backfield, Aaron Jones is tending to a hamstring injury and will kick off the season with a two-game suspension, leaving Ty Montgomery as the unscathed running back option at the moment.

Jones and Wendell Smallwood likely will be the only two Philadelphia running backs available for Thursday's preseason game against the Browns, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

In a backfield littered with minor injuries, Jones was unable to boost his stock in last week's preseason loss to New England, taking six carries for 19 yards and catching six of nine targets for 32 yards. His most memorable play from the game was a terrible drop that turned into an interception, but he'll at least have the opportunity to bounce back Thursday in Cleveland. A spot on the 53-man roster still feels like a stretch.

West was released by the Saints on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

West gained 26 yards on two carries in Friday's preseason game against the Cardinals, but it was too little too late in his bid to help replace Mark Ingram (suspension) early in the season. Jonathan Williams has jumped out in front as the clear favorite to work alongside Alvin Kamara for the first four weeks of the campaign. West may have a hard time finding work in the NFL this year.

Jones' struggles with drops during practice haven't gone unnoticed by the Tampa Bay coaching staff, ESPN.com's Jenna Laine reports. "In college, there was probably a reason why [Jones] was only thrown the ball 17 times," said Bucs running backs coach Tim Spencer. "He's never going to be the best catching guy on the team, but he certainly can improve on catching the balls that we want to throw to him."

In addition to commenting on the rookie second-round pick, Spencer acknowledged Peyton Barber has solidified his own place atop the depth chart. Jones may still enter Week 1 with some kind of role in the backfield, but he hasn't exactly made the best case for himself with 12 carries for 11 yards and a touchdown through two preseason games. The USC product only caught 32 passes in 40 collegiate appearances, though he did average 13.4 yards on 14 receptions last year, proving to be dangerous once he got the ball in his hands.

Hines rushed five times for 12 yards and caught one of his two targets for nine yards in Monday night's 20-19 loss to the Ravens in the second preseason game.

Hines also returned three punts for 15 yards and four kickoffs for 94 yards, but lost a fumble -- the fourth time he has muffed or fumbled a return this preseason -- on his return to start the second half. That turnover set up a Ravens touchdown, reflecting poorly on the rookie. Clearly someone whose open-field ability is valued, Hines will have to improve his ball protection if he's to earn a more significant role as a running back. On that front, both Christine Michael and Jordan Wilkins finished with more carries and rushing yards Monday.

Wilkins rushed seven times for 26 yards and caught both of his targets for 17 receiving yards in Monday night's 20-19 loss to the Ravens in the third preseason game.

Wilkins entered the game behind Christine Michael, who managed just 21 yards on his seven carries. While Wilkins was able to find slightly more space in the running game, his most notable play was a fumble around the goal line. Fortunately for him, a teammate was able to recover in the end zone for a touchdown. Although he was decently productive, Wilkins will need to work on his ball security if he wants a larger role.

Oliver (hamstring) was ruled out for Monday's preseason contest against Baltimore.

Oliver sat out practice earlier this week as he nursed the hamstring injury, and it's apparently severe enough for him miss Monday's game. The 27-year-old is facing long odds to crack the 53-man roster, which becomes increasingly difficult the longer he's sidelined.