NFL Player News

Penny left Monday's practice early, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

The rookie presumably suffered an injury of some sort, but offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he doesn't think it's anything serious. An extended run of practice absences would be problematic for Penny's fantasy outlook, considering Chris Carson refuses to give up the starting job without a fight. Carson had four carries for 26 yards in Thursday's preseason loss to the Colts, while Penny managed just 16 yards on eight carries and seven yards on two receptions. Carson got the start and the first carry, but Penny did have two touches on the opening drive.

Jones (hamstring, suspension) was a limited practice participant Monday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Jones initially thought he'd only miss a few days of practice, but he ended up sitting out for two weeks and didn't play in Thursday's preseason opener against Tennessee. He finally made it back to practice Sunday and Monday, albeit as a limited participant. Already facing a two-game suspension to open the season, Jones is missing out on a valuable chance to prove he's deserving of a key role beginning Week 3. Jamaal Williams had 24 yards and a touchdown on six touches in the preseason opener, while Ty Montgomery was a non-factor with three carries for nine yards and zero catches on two targets. Jones likely will be held out of Thursday's preseason game against the Steelers unless he makes it through a full practice Tuesday without incident.

Toussaint took first-team snaps during Sunday's practice, Joe Rutten of TribLive.com reports.

With both James Conner (groin) and Steven Ridley (rest) held out of the team drills portion of Sunday's practice, Toussaint had the opportunity to get some extended run. The re-signing of Ridley this offseason leaves Toussaint's place on the Steelers' roster in question, but the fact he's directly behind both running backs in the pecking order shows the veteran still has a legitimate chance of surviving final cuts in a couple weeks.

Patterson (undisclosed) was limited at practice Monday, the Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reports.

Per the report, Patterson spent Monday's practice on the lower field along with some of the team's banged-up players. The wideout, who caught both of his targets for 38 yards in Thursday's preseason opener, seems destined to secure a roster spot due to his prowess as a returner. Additionally, if Patterson can stay healthy, there could be some added work for him in the Patriots offense early on, with Julian Edelman on track to serve a four-game suspension to start the season and both Jordan Matthews and Malcolm Mitchell no longer on the team.

Peyton Barber seems to have an early edge over Jones, Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times reports. "Peyton is our starter," Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said Monday. "We're definitely going to use Ronald Jones and take advantage of what he's going to do. We do have the two veteran backs behind him. Again, we've got three more preseason games. Let's just let it sort out a little more."

Jones took eight carries for nine yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason opener against Miami, getting all of his opportunities after Barber -- who had four carries for 21 yards and a score -- had been removed from the game. Koetter seems content with the current pecking order, though his Monday comment did leave the door open for Jones to make a push for the starting job over the final three weeks of the preseason. With Charles Sims, Jacquizz Rodgers and Shaun Wilson competing for a role on passing downs, Tampa seems to be headed for a three-man backfield committee to open the season. Jones offers upside as the best pure running talent of the group, but uncertainty about his workload is also a big factor in the evaluation process.

Coach Pat Shurmur said that he thinks Barkley -- who appeared to tweak his left leg at practice Monday -- is fine, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. "We'll find out," Shurmur noted afterward.

Initially, Barkley's leg was wrapped, but once Monday's practice was over, the rookie running back no longer sported the wrap, though did appear to walk off "gingerly," per Raanan. Consider Barkley day-to-day for the time being.

Barkley was spotted on the sidelines with his left leg wrapped after jumping for a errant pass during Monday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

No word yet on the severity of the injury, but it's worth watching pending more information from the team.

Williams injured a different joint in the same shoulder that required offseason surgery, Brooke Pryor of The Kansas City Star reports.

Restricted to individual drills during the offseason program, Williams received full clearance at the start of training camp and got off to a nice start in the preseason with five carries for 20 yards and two catches for 14 yards Thursday against the Texans. He was the second running back to get snaps -- behind only Kareem Hunt -- but it's worth noting that Spencer Ware (knee) didn't play. While he seems to be on track for a spot on the 53-man roster, Williams could see his fortunes change if he continues to miss time. Charcandrick West, Darrel Williams and Kerwynn Williams (head) are also battling for depth jobs.

Murray is hoping to push Dalvin Cook (knee) for a starting job, Chris Tomasson of The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "We're here to compete against each other and that's what I'm going to do,'' Murray said. "I'm going to leave it up to the coaches to make that decision who plays or whatever but we both want to compete and make each other better and help this team win.''

It's no surprise Murray doesn't want to hand over the starting job, though he'll probably end up doing just that if Cook looks anything like he did last season. The second-year back was held out of the preseason opener despite participating in contact work at practice the past two weeks, but he's expected to make an in-game appearance at some point before the regular season. Murray took advantage of the opportunity with four carries for 48 yards on the Vikings' opening drive in Saturday's win over the Broncos. He should play a significant part in the offense even after Cook returns, with Murray's role potentially including some work at the goal line and/or on passing downs.

Clement (undisclosed) isn't practicing Monday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Held out for a third straight day, Clement is in danger of missing Thursday's preseason game against the Patriots. He had five carries for 30 yards and two catches for two yards in the preseason opener against Pittsburgh, showing that he hasn't lost a step after an impressive rookie season. Jay Ajayi is locked in as the Eagles' starting running back, but Clement and Darren Sproles also figure to have important roles. Much of Clement's fantasy appeal comes from the possibility of what he could do if Ajayi were to miss time with an injury.