NFL Player News

Gillislee continues to miss practice due to a hamstring issue, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports.

Gillislee, who sat out the Patriots' preseason opener, thus looks unlikely to suit up for Saturday's game against the Texans. Once healthy, Gillislee will re-enter the Patriots' backfield mix, where he'll face competition from fellow offseason acquisition Rex Burkhead, as well as pass-catching aces James White and Dion Lewis. It's a deep and versatile positional group, but Gillislee appears best-equipped to absorb the the greatest share of the short-yardage duties dominated last year by LeGarrette Blount.

Mathews (neck) was released by the Eagles on Tuesday after passing his physical, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The move will save the Eagles approximately $4 million in salary-cap space, and was fully expected after the team signed free agent LeGarrette Blount to head their backfield in 2017. Now that he's been cleared following offseason surgery to address a herniated disk in his neck, Mathews will look to catch on elsewhere. There are several teams in need of running-back depth, but first Mathews will need to re-prove his health and conditioning in order to be in a position to make a run at a starting or backup job, no matter where he lands.

Mathews (neck) has been medically cleared, with a decision on his future likely coming at some point Tuesday, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The Eagles widely are expected to release the 29-year-old running back, who carries a non-guaranteed $4 million base salary. It seems Mathews' only chance to stick with the team would involve taking a pay cut to something much closer to the veteran's minimum. He does still have time to find a new team before Week 1, though it'll be tough to earn a meaningful role at this stage.

Conner (shoulder) was a full participant at Monday's practice, Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Although the Steelers weren't in full pads, Conner's continued ability to practice puts him one step closer to making his NFL debut in Sunday's preseason game against the Falcons. The 2017 third-round pick is competing with Fitzgerald Toussaint and Knile Davis to serve as the top backup to Le'Veon Bell, who still hasn't signed his franchise tender. Conner has been practicing in some capacity since last Tuesday.

Drake (head) has been placed in the NFL's concussion protocol, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Drake was injured at Monday's practice on a head-to-head collision. He'll be held out for at least Thursday's preseason game against the Ravens, which should leave more snaps for Damien Williams, who is jostling with Drake for backup work. Meanwhile, starter Jay Ajayi has been removed from the league's concussion protocol, more than two weeks after initially suffering the injury.

Mathews (neck) returned to Philadelphia on Monday to meet with the Eagles' medical staff, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Mathews is set to undergo a scan on his herniated disk and meet with team doctors Tuesday, at which point he could receive full clearance to return to the practice field. If that's the case, the Eagles are expected to quickly release Mathews, a move that would save them $4 million in cap space. In 13 games last season, the 29-year-old averaged 4.3 yards per carry en route to 661 yards and eight touchdowns. He also hauled in 13 passes for 115 yards and another score.

Gordon (knee) carried the ball six times for 14 yards in Sunday's preseason loss to the Seahawks.

Gordon and the rest of the first string barely played, ceding control to the second unit after an extended drive in the first quarter. While Gordon didn't break off any long runs, the Chargers were happy to see their star back make it through the first preseason contest unscathed, especially in light of the team's recent injury woes.

Rawls started at running back in Sunday's preseason opener against the Chargers over Eddie Lacy but played only one series, carrying twice for five yards.

Lacy entered in the second series and had 10 yards on four rushes, but failed to convert on third-and-goal from one-yard line. Rawls currently sits atop the depth chart, though Lacy likely will get time with the first-string offense at some point in training camp. No matter who wins the job, it looks like the Seahawks are inclined to deploy a timeshare of Rawls and Lacy at the position.

Vereen is expected to handle most of the Giants' snaps at running back during passing downs this season, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Vereen is listed behind Paul Perkins on the depth chart at running back, but the veteran is rightfully considered the team's top pass-catching option out of the backfield given the success he's enjoyed in that capacity throughout his career. With the Giants sporting the same underwhelming offensive line as last season, coach Ben McAdoo has deployed a quicker-release passing scheme in training camp, emphasizing screens and plays that get the ball out of quarterback Eli Manning's hands as soon as possible. Those designs figure to greatly benefit Vereen, who has topped 50 receptions in his last two full seasons. During his first season with the Giants, Vereen made just five appearances due to injury and has already been sidelined with a lower-leg issue earlier in training camp this summer, but all seems to be sound on the health front at this time. If Vereen can avoid further setbacks during training camp, he should play a significant role in the team's offense in 2017.

Drake required assistance off the practice field Monday after taking the brunt of a helmet-to-helmet hit, James Walker of ESPN.com reports.

The Dolphins have yet to provide an update on the nature of Drake's injury, but he appeared woozy after he was drilled on a pass pattern by a defensive back. With Jay Ajayi still in the concussion protocol and limited in practices, Drake had been seeing the bulk of the snaps at running back with the first team. He had toted the rock four times for 21 yards and caught one ball for two yards in the preseason opener last Thursday against the Falcons.