NFL Player News

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.

Mostert is expected to start at running back for the 49ers in the team's second preseason game Saturday in Houston, Matt Barrows of The Athletic Bay Area reports.

San Francisco's No. 2 running back, Matt Breida, is out for the rest of the preseason due to a separated shoulder he sustained in the preseason opener, while starter Jerick McKinnon is considered week-to-week after straining his calf in Sunday's practice. That leaves Mostert as the next man up, though Joe Williams and Jeremy McNichols also figure to get opportunities.. Mostert averaged 5.0 yards per carry in a limited role with the 49ers last season and then continued his impressive play during last Thursday's exhibition, rushing eight times for 57 yards (7.1 YPC). Even if he falls back to No. 3 on the depth chart before Week 1 rolls around, Mostert is someone to keep an eye on given the two-back system coach Kyle Shanahan is expected to deploy.

Oliver signed with the Colts on Sunday.

Oliver has spent his entire career up to this point with the Chargers, taking 226 carries for 773 yards and three touchdowns in 30 games, with 55 catches for 409 yards and another score. The 27-year-old faces an uphill battle to make the Indianapolis roster, as Marlon Mack and Robert Turbin both showed value last year, and the team dedicated two picks in this year's draft to acquire running backs Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins.

McKinnon is dealing with a right calf strain, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

McKinnon was removed from Sunday's practice with what was thought to be a knee injury, and he then spent the rest of the day watching from the sidelines. However, a recent MRI apparently showed the running back sustained no structural or nerve damage, so a long-term absence seems unlikely. The 49ers will reportedly give McKinnon a week of rest and then re-evaluate his situation next week.

McKinnon has been diagnosed with "a muscle strain," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The results of the MRI are in, and McKinnon has dodged a bullet with his potential knee injury. With no structural damage evident, he may be absent from practice in the short term but won't be joining backfield mate Matt Breida (shoulder) in the recovery room for a lengthy spell. Only time will tell whether McKinnon will be ready for Saturday's preseason game in Houston.