NFL Player News

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Breida (shoulder) has been medically cleared, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The 49ers held a team workout Saturday, after which Shanahan relayed the news. With his separated shoulder healed, Breida may enter the season as the No. 1 running back due to a development from the same session. Jerick McKinnon suffered a non-contact knee injury, and while an MRI will determine its nature, there's worry that he suffered a torn ACL. If such a diagnosis is confirmed, Breida and Alfred Morris would be the prime candidates to lead the backfield this season. As an undrafted rookie in 2017, Breida reeled off 105 carries for 465 yards (4.4 per), 21 receptions (on 36 targets) for 180 yards and three total touchdowns.

McKinnon (calf) suffered a non-contact knee injury during Saturday's practice, eliciting concern from coach Kyle Shanahan, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports. "Something with a knee, we'll find out later," Shanahan said. "We're nervous about it, that's for sure."

Shanahan's comment doesn't inspire any confidence, nor does the fact that McKinnon is already scheduled for an MRI. The obvious concern is an ACL injury, but we can't make any assumptions until McKinnon has actually been evaluated. He was working his way back from a minor calf injury, with the expectation of being ready for Week 1 in Minnesota. The Niners likely will turn to Matt Breida (shoulder) and Alfred Morris to lead their backfield if McKInnon isn't available.

McKinnon (calf) was injured during a team workout Saturday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

Per Barrows' source, McKinnon's injury "did not look good." Signed in the offseason to serve as the 49ers' No. 1 back, McKinnon missed most of the preseason due to a calf injury, but had been increasing his conditioning work in recent days. The nature of the current concern will be known in due time, but Alfred Morris and Matt Breida (shoulder) could be the team's go-to running backs to begin the season.

Hill was waived by the Packers on Saturday, Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hill's time with the Packers was a short one, as he was signed just under two weeks ago to add more depth to the team's backfield during preseason play. He was always considered a long shot to make the team's final roster.

Foreman (Achilles) will start the regular season on the PUP list, ruling him out for the first six weeks, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Foreman is less than 10 months removed from suffering a torn Achilles' tendon, an injury that often leads to other issues even after the healing process is complete. The Texans will take a cautious approach with their 2017 third-round pick, hoping to get him back around midseason. Lamar Miller figures to open the campaign handling a heavy workload, with Alfred Blue serving as the No. 2 RB.

The Patriots released Gillislee on Saturday, Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com reports.

Gillislee was outplayed by Jeremy Hill this preseason, finishing with 33 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. This probably wasn't a difficult decision for the Patriots, considering Gillislee was also the more expensive option of the two. There is a decent chance Gillislee finds another landing spot at some point this season.

Boone has a spot on the Vikings' 53-man roster, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Boone and fellow undrafted rookie Roc Thomas spent all of training camp and the preseason battling for the No. 3 RB job behind Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray. The matter likely was settled in the final preseason game when Boone had 109 scrimmage yards and Thomas suffered an ankle injury. Boone doesn't figure to see many snaps on offense, if any, Week 1 against the 49ers.

The Jets released Rawls on Saturday, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports.

Rawls has some name recognition thanks to his productive rookie season with Seattle in 2015, but he was never a good bet to stick around on the 53-man roster in New York, where the recent signing of Charcandrick West essentially sealed Rawls' fate. The 25-year-old will have a tough time finding work this season.

The Lions waived Washington on Saturday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

After missing a good portion of the preseason slate, Washington racked up 110 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 26 touches Thursday, but the outing wasn't enough to secure him a spot on the 53-man roster. The 2016 seventh-rounder will now look for employment elsewhere, whether it's via the waiver system or on a practice squad.

The Eagles released Pumphrey on Saturday, Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com reports.

A fourth-round selection in 2017, Pumphrey was injury prone during his entire tenure with the Eagles and didn't appear in a single regular-season game. In reality, though, he had a tough path to a roster spot in a backfield composed of Jay Ajayi (undisclosed), Corey Clement, Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood.