NFL Player News

Carey (thigh) didn't practice Saturday.

Carey went down with some sort of thigh injury during Thursday's preseason opener against the Broncos and wasn't able to return to the game. His timetable for a return isn't clear.

Hill agreed to a contract with the Vikings on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports.

Hill was most recently waived by the Jaguars in May. The Vikings were in the market for running back depth after Bishop Sankey (knee) got knocked out for the year. Hill played in just three games for the Jaguars this season, and figures to have a long shot at landing on the Vikings' final roster.

Hunt returned two kickoffs for 36 yards in Houston's preseason-opening loss to the Panthers on Wednesday.

Tyler Ervin was the main return man last season but had some problems with his handle, fumbling five times and losing two of them. The Texans aren't necessarily moving on from Ervin, but will give others opportunities, particularly early in the preseason. Hunt and Ervin are similar backs and there seemingly would be redundancy if both were given roster spots.

Mostert logged 15 rushes for 89 yards in Friday's 27-17 preseason win over the Chiefs.

The 25-year-old easily outpaced all rushers Friday while helping to drain the clock in the fourth quarter, racking up 10 of his carries on the next-to-last possession of the game. Mostert appears to have a legitimate opportunity to secure a roster spot and see snaps as a tailback for the first time in his career, as all of the stats he's compiled in his first two seasons during stops in Cleveland, Miami and Chicago have come as a returner. The Purdue product certainly made a solid opening case and will look to build on the effort against the Broncos next Saturday.

Mixon gained 31 yards on six rushes and secured his only target for 11 yards in Friday's 23-12 preseason win over the Bucs.

The talented Oklahoma product is expected to push incumbent Jeremy Hill, and the battle for the starting tailback job got off to a rousing start from the opening possession. Head coach Marvin Lewis notably had Mixon begin rotating in on that first drive, one in which Hill also saw multiple carries. Both players also remained in the game for the team's second drive helmed by A.J. McCarron. As per Geoff Hobson of the team's official site, Mixon had the benefit of playing behind the first-team offensive line, as that unit remained in the game for the entirety of the first half. The 21-year-old certainly made a strong opening statement in his first taste of NFL game action, a performance he'll try build on next Saturday versus the Chiefs.

Hightower (knee) was held out of action in Friday's preseason opener against Kansas City, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The veteran running back has been dealing with a minor knee injury and it was bothering him enough to keep him sidelined for Week 1 of the preseason. The 49ers haven't provided specifics in regard to the severity of the injury, but Hightower's participation in practice this upcoming week should give us a better idea as to when he's expected to make his debut in red and gold. The 31-year-old is currently listed as the primary backup to Carlos Hyde, but he will have to fend of rookie Joe Williams for touches as the regular season approaches.

Williams ran the ball seven times for 60 yards in Friday's preseason opener against the Chiefs.

The 23-year-old took advantage of his limited opportunities by gashing the defense for significant gains every time he touched the ball. Williams hit the holes hard and also displayed speed on the edge on a couple of toss plays. His most-impressive run came on a play that had a disastrous start when the rookie dropped a toss, but he picked the ball up and burned the defense for an 11-yard gain despite starting the run from a complete stop. Carlos Hyde is the lead dog in San Francisco's backfield, but a strong preseason could earn Williams enough touches to make an impact in his rookie campaign.

Rodgers rushed four times for 11 yards and secured his only target for five yards in Friday's 23-12 preseason loss to the Bengals.

Rodgers took over for Doug Martin after the opening possession and ended up matching the latter's carries and yards. He also had modest involvement in the passing game before exiting and looked as solid as he has during camp practices overall. While the Bucs have publicly stated they're likely to go with a committee approach during the season's first three weeks while Martin finishes out his suspension, Rodgers' skill set likely lends itself to garnering the most carries in that type of scenario.

Martin (suspension) rushed four times for 11 yards in Friday's 23-12 preseason loss to the Bengals.

Martin is expected to see a solid amount of work in the first three preseason games, considering he'll then have to sit out for the first three weeks of the regular season while he completes his PED suspension. Accordingly, the two-time Pro Bowler carried the ball on four of the Bucs' first eight plays as part of an impressive 92-yard opening drive. Martin gave way to Jacquizz Rodgers for the second series, but despite limited action and just a 2.8 yards YPC average, he looked decisive and effective on his runs. He'll look to continue building on Friday's effort versus the Jaguars next Thursday.

Mathews (neck) will have a scan on his herniated disk next week and will be released if he passes, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

This just confirms what has long been suspected: that Mathews would be let go as soon as he was healthy. The move makes too much sense for the Eagles as they stand to save $4 million in cap space by releasing him and already have plenty of depth at RB without him. He will then look to latch on with another team before the start of the season.