NFL Player News

The Seahawks released Magee on Wednesday.

The team opted to sign free agent C.J. Spiller, and subsequently released Magee to make room on the roster. The 23-year-old had recently been promoted from the practice squad, had tallied 12 yards on three carries in their win over the 49ers on Sunday.

Vereen underwent surgery on his torn triceps Wednesday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Initially, Vereen's return timetable was believed to be two months, but Raanan relayed that the running back likely won't achieve full health until late December. In the event the Giants are in playoff contention at that point, they could (and very likely will) activate Vereen from the Reserve/Injured list. Upon his potential return, his role could include anything from No. 1 RB to third-down pass-catching back, depending on the health of Rashad Jennings (thumb) and company.

Grimes is dealing with an ankle injury and didn't practice Wednesday.

Grimes caught four passes during the Texans' Week 3 loss to New England, but is suffering from what appears to be a minor ankle issue at this point. His status for Sunday's game against the Titans may be in question if he's unable to get back on the practice field throughout the week.

Carey (hamstring) did not participate in practice Wednesday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Carey's absence in practice throughout the week may foreshadow his potential lack of availability for Sunday's game against the Lions. In the case Carey is unable to return to game action Week 4, rookie Jordan Howard figures to be the workhorse in the Bears' backfield with former starter Jeremy Langford (ankle) also sidelined.

Johnson picked up three of the Cardinals' 82 offensive snaps during Sunday's loss at Buffalo.

When the Cardinals have faced daunting tasks in Weeks 1 and 3, Johnson has rarely been used, as evidenced by three carries for seven yards on five total snaps. During the Week 2 beatdown of the Buccaneers, though, he was afforded plenty of run to the tune of 16 rushes for 54 yards and a touchdown. The sole constant in the backfield this season has been standout sophomore David Johnson, who currently sits third overall in terms of yards from scrimmage with 386, including 217 on the ground. Outside of the blowout, the senior Johnson has so far been a distant second to David in the RB pecking order in Arizona.

Vereen (triceps) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

As expected, Vereen can officially be ruled out for the next eight weeks, ineligible to return until late November. He's a strong candidate to be New York's one player to return from injured reserve, as the team's other players on the list were merely depth pieces prior to suffering their injuries. Granted, there's no assurance Vereen will be ready by the end of the season, as he's set to undergo surgery to repair a torn triceps. The recovery timetable is estimated at two months, but other players have missed entire seasons with the same injury. If Rashad Jennings (thumb) misses more time, Orleans Darkwa will likely be the new starter, with Paul Perkins and Bobby Rainey potentially also involved.

Head coach Adam Gase expects to stick with a four-man backfield committee of Drake, Jay Ajayi, Damien Williams and Isaiah Pead, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Drake started Sunday's game against Cleveland and led the way with 27 snaps, but Ajayi (18 snaps), Pead (13) and Williams (11) all reached double digits. The plan could change if injuries at other positions force the Dolphins to slim down the running back group, but even then, it would likely still be a three-man committee. This backfield can be avoided in most leagues until Arian Foster (groin) returns, which probably won't happen any sooner than Week 5.

Washington has seemingly earned a true timeshare with Theo Riddick, ESPN.com reports.

Riddick started Sunday's loss to the Packers and outsnapped Washington 45-25, but given that Detroit was trailing by multiple scores for most of the contest, the rookie got a surprising amount of work. Washington finished with 10 carries for 38 yards and one reception for a loss of three, while Riddick managed just nine yards on 10 carries but caught seven passes for 39 yards. Riddick will likely continue to dominate the receiving portion of the workload, but Washington has a shot to emerge as the primary ball carrier, particularly if the team is able to build some leads. Head coach Jim Caldwell also mentioned that Zach Zenner could enter the mix, though the second-year bruiser strictly played special teams in Sunday's loss.

Rodgers gained 15 yards on five carries and secured his only target for eight yards in Sunday's 37-32 loss to the Rams.

The veteran back was modestly involved, occasionally spelling Charles Sims but still trailing the third-year back in touches, 19-6. Rodgers could see a slight uptick in opportunity in the remaining games before Doug Martin (hamstring) returns, but Sims figures to still see the lion's share of the carries, particularly considering he acquitted himself well with extended opportunity Sunday.

Pead had five carries for 17 yards as Miami defeated Cleveland 30-24 on Sunday.

With Arian Foster (groin) out the Dolphins went with a running back by committee approach. None of the backs truly stood out above the rest so the team may elect to go with the same approach Thursday in Cincinnati assuming Foster will miss another game. Pead would only have value in deep leagues.