NFL Player News

Barkley (hamstring) returned to practice Wednesday in a limited capacity, taking part in individuals drills, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Barkley did some conditioning work on a side field Monday and now seems to be taking another step forward. The Giants likely will hold him out of Friday's preseason game against the Jets, but there doesn't seem to be much concern about his availability for Week 1. The next step for the No. 2 overall pick is a return to team drills in practice.

Smith signed a contract with the Redskins on Monday, Jake Kring-Schreifels of the team's official site reports.

Smith's signing was overshadowed by Adrian Peterson inking a one-year deal with Washington as well. Smith, who had zero rushes and three catches for 27 yards in five games for the Dolphins in 2017, was brought in as preseason depth but is a long shot to make the team.

Pumphrey (hamstring) is expected to return to practice this weekend, Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Pumphrey indicated he is back to "100 percent" health, but that remains to be seen. However, assuming an absence of setbacks, he plans on participating once practice resumes after this coming Thursday's exhibition against the Browns. The 23-year-old is competing against Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams (foot) for a potential No. 4 running back role.

Thomas (undisclosed) sat out of Tuesday's practice, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Friday's preseason game against the Seahawks may be the final stage of Thomas' competition against Mike Boone for the No. 3 RB job. The nature of Thomas' injury is unclear, however, so it's tough to declare he'll be ready for the test. Thomas has shined with a diverse skill set thus far this preseason, rushing the ball 13 times for 54 yards and catching three balls for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a pair of exhibitions.

Pumphrey relayed that the leg issue he's been dealing with throughout preseason is a re-injury of his hamstring, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

It's an alarming revelation since Pumphrey missed the 2017 season with a torn hamstring. The second-year pro still won't practice the rest of the week and will miss Thursday's preseason game against the Browns, but he hopes to play in the final exhibition contest. Pumphrey's competing against Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams (foot) for the No. 4 RB gig.

Coach Pete Carroll is confident Penny (finger) will be ready for Week 1, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

The estimated timeline of 3-to-4 weeks suggests it's far from a sure thing, considering Penny had surgery on his broken finger with 25 days to go before the Seahawks' Sept. 9 opener in Denver. He rejoined the team Friday for a walkthrough practice, then suited up in pads for individual drills Tuesday, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic Seattle. The rookie first-round pick seems to be making good progress toward Week 1, but his absence for the rest of the preseason destroys any chance he had to take the starting job from Chris Carson. Of course, the battle for carries should be an interesting development throughout the season, with Seattle presumably expecting some kind of immediate return on the hefty draft investment. Carson will need to perform well to keep his starting job.

Breida (shoulder) is doing individual conditioning work at Tuesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 49ers quickly ruled Breida out for the rest of the preseason after he separated his shoulder in the exhibition opener, but coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects the running back to be ready for Week 1. Look for Breida to ramp up his activity level in practice as the Sept. 9 opener against Minnesota draws closer. Any complications would create an opportunity for Jeremy McNichols, Joe Williams, Raheem Mostert or Alfred Morris to get involved in the San Francisco offense.

McKinnon (calf) is doing individual conditioning work at Tuesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Already ruled out for the rest of the preseason, McKinnon apparently is making progress in his recovery from a calf strain he suffered during practice Aug. 12. The 49ers are playing it safe with all of their injured players, perhaps aiming for returns to full practice participation once it's time to install the gameplan for Week 1 in Minnesota. McKinnon seems to be on track to face his former team in the opener.

Coach Jay Gruden said Tuesday that Perine is approaching a return to practice, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Perine sprained his ankle in the Redskins' second preseason game last Thursday, with an expectation that he'd be sidelined at least one week. With another exhibition Friday, he likely has just one chance to make an impression on the training staff in order to play, but Derrius Guice's ACL tear has thrown such a wrench in the team's plans that Adrian Peterson was brought on board this week. As a result, Gruden may buck norms and trot out Perine (if healthy), Peterson and Rob Kelley in preseason Week 4 to figure out the lead runner.

Michael carried the ball seven times for 21 yards and hauled in one pass for three yards in Monday's preseason game against the Ravens.

With the Colts dealing with numerous injuries in the backfield, Michael got to see plenty of work Monday night, but he wasn't too effective. With his long carry going for nine yards, he rushed for a total of just 12 yards on his other six. While Michael has been plenty of snaps to open up the preseason, he still may have an uphill climb if he wants to make the Colts' final roster.