NFL Player News

Williams is "fine" after suffering a "minor" ankle sprain Thursday against the Steelers, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports.

There's a strong possibility Williams misses practice in the aftermath of the contest, and at the very least, he'll be alongside Aaron Jones (hamstring) in the trainer's room in the short term. If the presumed diagnosis is accurate, Williams may be good to go by the Packers' third preseason game Friday, Aug. 24 at Oakland. On the other hand, the team may hold him out with the regular season in mind, which would leave the exhibition reps to Jones (if available) and Ty Montgomery.

Jones had six carries for 19 yards and caught six of nine targets for 32 yards in Thursday's preseason game against the Patriots.

Jones failed to gain much steam in the Eagles' running game, and despite being active through the air, he had a rough night with three drops. The 25-year-old led the team's running backs with 33 offensive snaps -- compared to Wendell Smallwood's 30. He could continue to see an uptick in opportunity during what's left of training camp, depending on how long Corey Clement (undisclosed), Josh Adams (undisclosed) and Donnel Pumphrey (leg) remain sidelined.

Rawls rushed eight times for 12 yards and caught two of three targets for 10 more in Thursday's 15-13 preseason loss to Washington.

Rawls had been battling an undisclosed injury, so it was nice to finally see him on the field. The 25-year-old running back averaged just 2.7 yards per carry with Seattle last season, so he's going to have to show a bit more explosiveness if he wants to make the cut in New York. While that burst wasn't evident Thursday, Rawls will presumably have two more exhibitions to make his case.

Atkinson led New York in both rushing and receiving yardage during Thursday's 15-13 preseason loss to the Redskins. He gained seven yards on 31 carries and caught his lone target for 30 yards.

Atkinson got extended run with New York battling a rash of backfield injuries, and the 25-year-old Notre Dame product made the most of his opportunities. His night would have been even more impressive if Atkinson had been able to convert either of his two attempts from inside Washington's two-yard line on the Jets' final drive.

McKinnon (calf) will be held out for the rest of the preseason, Brian Murphy of KNBR 680 reports.

McKinnon strained his right calf during Sunday's practice, just three days after Matt Breida suffered a separated shoulder in San Francisco's preseason opener. With both running backs now ruled out for the rest of the exhibition slate, the Niners will divide carries between Jeremy McNichols, Joe Williams, Alfred Morris, Raheem Mostert and Jeffery Wilson -- a group that's likely competing for two roster spots. Comments from 49ers brass suggest the team expects both McKinnon and Breida to be ready for Week 1 against Minnesota.

Conner (groin) took five carries for 57 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 51-34 preseason loss to Green Bay.

Conner looked sharp in the Steelers' preseason opener with four carries for 25 yards and one catch for nine yards, but he then missed some practice time with a groin injury over the weekend. The issue apparently wasn't too serious, as he got the start in Thursday's contest and ripped off gains of 24 and 26 yards on consecutive plays early in the first quarter. Conner seems to have a strong grasp on the No. 2 RB job, which has equated with regular first-team work during Le'Veon Bell's holdout. Bell is expected to report to the Steelers shortly before Week 1, just as he did last season.

Williams doesn't think his ankle injury is a long-term concern, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Williams got the start in Thursday's preseason win over Pittsburgh, taking two carries for two yards and catching one of two targets for six yards before making an early exit. Though he doesn't believe the ankle injury is serious, he wasn't sure if he would've returned to the game if it had been a regular-season contest. With Aaron Jones (hamstring) suspended for the first two games of the season, Ty Montgomery would be in line for the Week 1 starting job if Williams is wrong about the severity of his injury. Given that Devante Mays (hamstring) is also banged up, Joel Bouagnon and Akeem Judd may actually have a shot at cracking the 53-man roster, at least for a few weeks early in the season.

Gillislee rushed for 22 yards on nine carries during Thursday's 37-20 win over the Eagles.

After barely averaging three yards per carry in extended duty against Washington in the preseason opener, Gillislee managed to find even less consistency against Philadelphia. No team in the league manages running backs like the Patriots, but with James White continuing his role as Swiss Army knife, Jeremy Hill and Brandon Bolden breaking off big runs, and Sony Michel (knee) and Rex Burkhead (knee) waiting in the wings -- it's unclear what Gillislee brings to the table at this point. The 27-year-old could be on the roster bubble, though injuries may lead to him sticking around after all.

Coach Jay Gruden said that Perine is dealing with a sprained ankle but is believed to be okay, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Perine had a scare in Thursday's preseason game against the Jets when he hurt his ankle at the tail end of a 30-yard run. Fortunately, the Redskins are saying that Perine's sprain won't cost him significant time, and he'll have a full week to get treatment before the team makes a determination on his status for the third preseason game. WIth Derrius Guice (knee) already lost for the season, the Redskins figure to be cautious with Perine.

Kelley gained 17 yards on seven carries and added a 13-yard catch on two targets in Thursday's 15-13 preseason win over the Jets.

Kelley's primary competition at running back in the wake of Derrius Guice's ACL tear was supposed to come from Samaje Perine, who ripped off a 30-yard run on his lone carry, but immediately exited with an ankle sprain. The attrition in Washington's backfield is raising Kelley's fantasy stock, with the 25-year-old now looking to engineer a bounce-back following his frustrating 2017 campaign.