NFL Player News

Ellington is listed as the third-string running back on the Cardinals' first depth chart of the season, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

When Ellington re-upped with the Cardinals in March, he was initially expected to make the switch from running back to wide receiver, but the experiment ended before the end of the offseason program. Another sign of waning support for Ellington was the signing of Chris Johnson just before the start of training camp. Ellington was able to flip the script with his play throughout the preseason, as he looked like the dynamic player of old with a three-yard touchdown run in the Hall of Fame Game. Plus, he reeled in nine of 12 targets for 67 yards, making him another RB capable of contributing as a receiver (also, David Johnson). The Cardinals opted to cut (Chris) Johnson on Friday, but Ellington is behind (David) Johnson and Kerwynn Williams in the pecking order, so snaps will be hard to come by on a weekly basis.

The Dolphins signed Smith to their practice squad Monday, Omar Kelly of The Sun Sentinel reports.

Smith, an undrafted free agent, was unable to make it through final cuts Saturday. However, he impressed enough in camp to earn a spot with the team's practice unit. Barring injuries at running back on the 53-man roster, the Michigan product will presumably spend the season there.

Williams is listed as David Johnson's direct backup on the Cardinals' first depth chart of the season, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports. Additionally, Williams is No. 1 for both kick and punt returns.

In varying stints the past three seasons for the Cardinals, Williams has averaged 5.6 YPC, but the presence of Johnson won't provide many opportunities on offense in 2017. Williams will thus try his hand as a returner after rookie T.J. Logan dislocated his wrist in the Hall of Fame Game. While his few dalliances with punts this preseason didn't reveal much -- two returns for 13 yards and a fair catch -- he ripped off 35- and 31-yard returns on his two chances during kickoffs.

Hill signed with the Vikings' practice squad, Judd Zulgad of 1500 ESPN reports.

Hill signed with the Vikings in August after being released by the Jaguars this past May. The Vikings have elected to keep three quality running backs on their final roster, but Hill will remain within the organization.

Rogers signed with the Rams' practice squad, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Rogers was waived by the Rams after head coach Sean McVay reportedly did not see much of a need for fullbacks in his offense. After clearing waivers this weekend, he'll remain within the organization.

The Bills signed Williams to their practice squad Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Williams was among the more surprising cuts over the past weekend, as the expectation was that he'd enter the season as the top understudy to starting back LeSean McCoy. Instead, Buffalo elected to proceed with Mike Tolbert, Joe Banyard and Taiwan Jones as their depth options in the backfield, but the team will still have ample opportunity to oversee Williams' development now that the 2016 fifth-round pick will have a spot on the practice squad. In order to secure Williams' services, however, the Bills had to shell out a $510,000 contract, a hefty sum for a player not on the 53-man roster.

Magee signed with the Browns' practice squad.

Magee was most recently signed by the Browns in June after being released by the Seahawks back in May. He was effective in limited stretches throughout the preseason, but ultimately didn't do enough to find a spot on the team's final roster.

Abdullah and Theo Riddick are listed as co-starting running backs on the Lions' first official depth chart of the season.

Abdullah's sophomore campaign came to a screeching halt in Week 2 last year due to a fractured foot, paving the way for Riddick to get a career-best 92 carries. Despite being named the starting running back in April by general manager Bob Quinn, the Lions' base offense will instead feature two backs. If they play their respective roles from past seasons, Abdullah will likely garner touches on first and second downs, while Riddick is called upon in obvious passing situations. It bears noting that Abdullah has hauled in 30 of 43 career targets (70 percent), so he isn't a slouch in that department either.

Pressley signed with the Falcons' practice squad Monday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Pressley originally signed with the Falcons in mid-August before being cut this past weekend. He'll now have an opportunity to stick around the organization with the practice squad as a depth option at running back.

In addition to familiarizing himself with the Panthers' standard offensive playbook during the preseason, McCaffrey has had to learn a separate package of plays tailored specifically for him, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

If McCaffrey's extensive usage with the Panthers' first-team offense during the preseason didn't provide enough of an indication that the team envisions him filling a major role as a rookie, Russini's report offers further support to that notion. It's unclear how often the supplementary playbook will come into play during the regular season, but regardless of what schemes Carolina implements, it sounds as though the team will make a concerted effort to get the ball in McCaffrey's hands in the open field. That could translate to some hefty yardage totals as either a runner or receiver in certain contests, but McCaffrey may ultimately yield much of the goal-line work to Jonathan Stewart or Cam Newton, whose bulkier frames are better suited for short-yardage conversions.