NFL Player News

Chubb took five carries for 30 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason game against Detroit.

With Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson predictably held out, Chubb got the start and saw all his work on the opening drive before handing things over to Matt Dayes. The rookie second-round pick bounced back strong after opening the preseason with a 15-carry, 11-yard performance, taking 30 carries for 129 yards and two TDs over the final three games. Chubb will enter Week 1 in the third spot on the depth chart, but he's next in line to serve as the lead runner if Hyde gets injured or demoted.

Zenner (back) has been ruled out of Thursday's preseason game versus the Browns, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

With a roster spot on the line, Zenner was knocked from the contest due to a back injury, finishing exhibition season with nine carries for 16 yards and one reception for 11 yards. Thursday's development may have been enough to determine his fate in his competition with Ameer Abdullah and Dwayne Washington (undisclosed).

Zenner is questionable to return to Thursday's preseason game against the Browns due to a back injury, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Zenner is firmly on the roster bubble along with fellow Lions running backs Ameer Abdullah and Dwayne Washington (undisclosed). Through three exhibitions, Zenner boasted a dismal 17 yards on eight carries (2.1 per) and one 11-yard catch. Before picking up the injury Thursday, he didn't help his cause, taking one rush for minus-one yard and failing to haul in his only target. With perhaps one opening on the line, he'll play the waiting game until Saturday's 4:00 p.m. ET cut-down date.

The Buccaneers have waived Sims (knee) with an injury settlement, the team's official site reports.

With Sims no longer in the mix, the Bucs' 2018 backfield will be headed by Peyton Barber, Jacquizz Rodgers and Ronald Jones. Once Sims is healthy, he'll be free to catch on with another team, and in the right context it's conceivable that the 27-year-old could re-surface on the PPR radar.

Mack (hamstring) "might come down to the wire" for Week 1, according to Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site.

The running back suffered his hamstring injury back on Aug. 9 and though he's made "good progress," per coach Frank Reich, Mack's Week 1 availability is not considered a slam dunk. In the event that he isn't ready for the Colts' Sept. 9 contest against the Bengals, Jordan Wilkins profiles as the frontrunner to start in his place.

Penny will have the cast removed from his broken finger Wednesday, keeping him on track to suit up for the season opener Sept. 9 in Denver, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Given that his injury allows for normal running and conditioning, Penny probably doesn't need to get much work in during full-team practice sessions before he's cleared for game action. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has even said the rookie could play in Thursday's preseason contest against Oakland, and while that seems rather far-fetched, it can at least be taken as a sign that Penny is making good progress. The situation will still require close monitoring in the coming days, as Penny is only two weeks removed from a surgical procedure that carried an initial recovery estimate of 3-to-4 weeks. Either way, Chris Carson is expected get the Week 1 start and will be the safer bet to lead the team in carries in that contest.

Breida (shoulder) did conditioning drills in full uniform at Tuesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The same goes for Jerick McKinnon (calf), the team's projected starter in the backfield. Despite missing most of the preseason, Breida is locked in as the No. 2 back and has potential to see consistent involvement in an up-tempo Kyle Shanahan offense that distributed 351 carries and 123 targets to tailbacks in a 10-loss campaign in 2017. A more competitive team would likely yield even more touches for the backs, and there hasn't been any indication of reserve runners Alfred Morris or Jeremy McNichols posing serious threats to McKinnon and Breida. On a more pessimistic note, San Francisco opens the regular season with a nightmare Week 1 matchup in Minnesota.

McKinnon (calf) and Matt Breida (shoulder) both went through conditioning drills in full uniform at Tuesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 49ers have been cautious with their injured running backs, limiting them to side work for the past week despite the expectation that both will be fine for the Sept. 9 opener in Minnesota. McKinnon and Breida seem on track to return to team drills next week after the team cuts its roster down to 53 players. Alfred Morris is making a strong case for a spot, but there hasn't been any indication that he represents a serious threat to McKinnon's expected workload -- or Breida's -- early in the season.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph de-emphasized the importance of labeling Freeman or Devontae Booker as the team's starting running back Tuesday, stating that either back could be on the field for the first play of the season opener depending on the play call, Zac Stevens of BSN Denver reports.

Joseph supported his comments with an example, saying that Freeman would likely line up behind quarterback Case Keenum if a power run play is called, whereas Booker might rank as the preferred option if the Broncos opt for a quick pass. Regardless of which back "starts" in Week 1, there's no denying that Freeman has been the more impressive of the two with the ball in his hands this preseason. Playing largely with the first team, Freeman has averaged 5.6 yards per carry to go with three touchdowns, while Booker has been limited to 3.7 yards per clip, right around his career regular-season average. Despite that disparity in efficiency, Booker could earn a decent snap share in the opener by virtue of doing the little things right, such as pass protection. There hasn't been any indication that Freeman has been a major liability in protection, so once the rookie gains more familiarity with the nuances of Denver's scheme, it may not be long before he eats into Booker's playing time further, especially if the veteran fails to impress with the touches he receives early in the season.

Warren rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and caught one of two targets for seven yards in Friday's 13-6 preseason win over the Packers.

Warren remains firmly in the mix for a role in the backfield behind starter Marshawn Lynch heading into Thursday's preseason finale against Seattle, as the undrafted rookie has performed well in his initial exhibition action. Given their light preseason workloads to date, both Lynch and fellow veteran Doug Martin appear to have secured the top two spots on the depth chart, leaving Warren, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington (knee) to compete for one or two spots. Washington isn't slated to play Thursday after recently undergoing arthroscopic surgery, so there will be plenty of reps for Warren and Richard to split.