NFL Player News

Kelley will open training camp as the Redskins' starting running back, Stephen Czarda of the Redskins' official site reports.

Kelley went from an undrafted rookie to Washington's top tailback by the end of his first season, finishing with a team-high 704 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns. In doing so, Kelley had nearly 250 more yards on the ground than his next closest teammate while averaging a commendable 4.2 yards per carry along the way. Kelley has rightfully earned his place atop the depth chart entering camp, but he'll have to outperform rookie fourth-rounder Semaje Perine during the preseason to lock down the starting role heading into Week 1. Along with entering camp with a clear edge, Kelley should benefit from transforming his body this offseason. Despite having January surgery to clean up his knee, Kelley reportedly dropped from 18 to 13 percent body fat and appeared more muscular in offseason workouts.

Murray (ankle) was placed on on the Vikings' preseason Physically Unable to Perform list Monday prior to the start of training camp, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Murray signed a three-year, $15 million contract in March and underwent surgery to address bone spurs shortly thereafter. He was expected to be ready for the start of training camp, so this news isn't particularly encouraging. If he's slow to participate in full practices, Murray could quickly fall behind Dalvin Cook in the competition for touches at running back. However, the decision to place Murray on the PUP list could be a temporary one, and he could very well be activated early in training camp.

Mathews (neck) has been excused from training camp, Dave Spadaro of the Eagles' official site reports.

This all but confirms Mathews will be sent packing once he passes a physical to prove he's recovered from the neck injury that curtailed his 2016 season, since cutting the 2010 first-rounder would save Philadelphia roughly $4 million in cap space. However, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Mathews likely won't be re-evaluated until "sometime in August," so it still may be awhile until that comes to fruition. For now, the Eagles will open training camp with LeGarrette Blount, Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood leading the charge at running back.

Jones could emerge as the team's third-down running back, ESPN's Mike Clay reports.

Though one would think that ex-wide receiver Ty Montgomery would be the team's preferred option on passing downs, the reality is that Montgomery is now the starter and will need to come off the field at times in order to stay fresh. While the Packers drafted three running backs in April's draft, Jones (5-foot-9, 208 pounds) is viewed as the pass-catching specialist of the bunch and may have the most favorable odds of carving out a regular role on offense with Montgomery set to handle early-down work.

Carey could be battling Jeremy Langford for a roster spot during training camp, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reports.

Carey was deactivated for the final two games of 2016, so the writing could be on the wall, especially after the team brought in Benny Cunningham and Tarik Cohen during the offseason. That said, Carey ran for 3.9 yards per carry, opposed to 3.2 yards per tote for Langford, so Carey was better as a runner. Regardless, he'll not only need to beat out Langford, but he'll also need to move ahead of Cunningham and Cohen to have much fantasy relevance behind Jordan Howard.

The Cowboys brought Hillman in for a workout this week, ESPN's Field Yates reports.

Along with Hillman, the Cowboys gave former Jaguars running back Denard Robinson a tryout too as it seems Dallas management is seriously bracing for the possibility of an Ezekiel Elliott suspension. A 2012 third-round pick of the Broncos, Hillman split time last season with the Chargers and Vikings, finishing the year with 131 rushing yards on 41 carries (3.19 YPC).

Foreman, who was charged with marijuana possession as part of his arrest last weekend, tested negative for illegal substances Friday, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Foreman was arrested in Austin last Sunday on charges of unlawful gun possession and possession of marijuana, but he volunteered to take a urinalysis test in order to prove his innocence on the latter allegation. While the results came back negative, Foreman probably isn't in the clear just yet. However, both the league office and the Texans will likely wait for the legal process to unfold before issuing any sort of punishment.

Johnson is expected to earn snaps when the Cardinals use two running backs this season, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports. "We'll have some two-back stuff with he and David back there," head coach Bruce Arians said Friday.

Johnson re-upped with the Cardinals on Thursday, putting him on course for his third season with the organization. The previous two have been abbreviated due to injuries, with sports hernia surgery containing the running back to four games in 2016. His best bet to gather snaps will occur in the aforementioned two-RB sets, as David Johnson will handle nearly all the snaps afforded the position in Arizona. The situation doesn't make the nine-year vet too appealing, but he at least appears to be the secondary option in case anything happens to his younger teammate.

Elliott is not expected to find out this weekend whether the NFL's investigation into his personal conduct will result in a suspension, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Elliott is the subject of a league investigation into a 2016 domestic violence allegation against him, and recent off-field incidents are presumably also being taken into account with regard to potential punishment. While a ruling on Elliott's status is not expected over the weekend, the running back's response to the findings report he received from the NFL last week has reportedly been submitted, setting the stage for the situation to be resolved in the near future. Elliott is scheduled to report for the start of Cowboys training camp Saturday.

Smith (undisclosed) was placed on the PUP by Miami on Thursday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Smith was signed by Miami after being passed over during the 2017 NFL Draft. He is a long shot at best to make the team and his odds will get longer if he misses significant time during training camp.