NFL Player News

Simmons left Friday's game against the Lions with a concussion, Tom Rock of Newsday reports.

Simmons is seeking a depth roster spot with with the Giants, but his performance before his injury was won't help his chances. The 26-year-old rushed six times for 11 yards, while three other Giants running backs scored Friday -- Robert Martin, Wayne Gallman and Kyle Lauletta.

Williams (shoulder) is dressed for Friday's preseason game against the Falcons, Nate Taylor of The Athletic Kansas City reports.

Williams is among a large group of running backs vying for limited spots behind Kareem Hunt and Spencer Ware, but his experience may give him a leg up on the competition. His return to action Friday also provides him with an opportunity to show the coaching staff he's worthy of a spot.

Barkley (hamstring) won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Lions, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Any shot of Barkley playing in Friday's game disappeared when he was limited to side work at Thursday's practice. Considering he took five carries for 43 yards in the team's preseason opener, the Giants have no incentive to rush Barkley back into exhibition action before he's proven his health with multiple days as a full participant in practice. There's still some chance (however small) he makes another appearance this preseason, as his injury is reported to be a mild hamstring strain, an ailment that might only warrant day-to-day status during the regular season. A cautious approach still seems more likely when dealing with a high-value player who isn't facing any competition for his role.

Perine (ankle) likely will be out for at least a week, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Perine rumbled for 30 yards on his first carry in Thursday's preseason game against the Jets, but he injured his ankle on an awkward collision at the end of the play. Even if the injury doesn't impact Perine's availability for Week 1, it could hurt his bid to beat out Rob Kelley for lead rusher status. Survival is the name of the game in Washington, where Derrius Guice (knee) is already done for the season and Byron Marshall is out for 2-to-4 weeks with an ankle injury of his own. Kelley, Kapri Bibbs and undrafted rookie Martez Carter were the healthy men remaining Thursday.

Penny (finger) is on the field for Friday's practice, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

The Seahawks are holding a walkthrough in preparation for Saturday's preseason game against the Chargers. Penny's presence at the session carries no significance in terms of recovery/rehab expectations, but it does mean he's staying involved from a mental perspective. His timeline is estimated at 3-to-4 weeks, with Seattle's opener taking place 25 days after he had surgery to repair a broken finger. Penny's status will be one of the major NFL stories of the next few weeks, though Chris Carson figures to get the Week 1 start even if the rookie is cleared.

Patterson caught four of his seven targets for 51 yards and a TD in Thursday's 37-20 preseason win over the Eagles.

Patterson is expected to make his mark as a kick returner for the Patriots this year, but with Julian Edelman set to serve a four-game suspension to start the regular season, there will be a target void to fill out of the gate. Chris Hogan is locked in as a starting wideout for the team, but Patterson, Phillip Dorsett, Eric Decker and Kenny Britt (hamstring) -- when healthy -- are all candidates to see added opportunities in Edelman's absence.

Bolden carried three times for 35 yards in Thursday's 37-20 preseason win over the Eagles.

Bolden has been with the Patriots since 2012, and he's managed to stick around that long thanks to his versatility and special teams prowess. Fantasy relevance this season seems unlikely for the 28-year-old, but it would be a surprise if Bolden didn't survive the team's final roster cuts.

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.