NFL Player News

Banyard was released by Jacksonville on Sunday, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post report

Banyard has never made a Week 1 53-man roster through three years in the NFL but has been called up several times after a team suffered injuries to their backfield. Should injuries strike the Jaguars' running backs, they may bring Banyard back.

Jones (shoulder) returned to practice Monday and said afterward that he expects to be ready for Week 1 against the Steelers, CBS DC reports.

Jones separated his left shoulder Aug. 19 in a preseason game against the Jets, causing him to miss more than two weeks of practice. After returning Monday with a no-contact jersey, the second-year running back said he should return to full participation by Wednesday. If healthy, Jones figures to operate as the lead back, albeit with Chris Thompson (shoulder) likely getting most of the snaps on obvious passing downs. If Jones isn't available, undrafted rookie Robert Kelley is next in line for early-down work. Washington only kept three running backs on the 53-man roster, suggesting that Jones and Thompson are both expected to be ready for Week 1.

Hunt was signed by the Texans to their practice squad.

Hunt, who joined the Texans midseason in 2015 and appeared in the team's final seven games, was part of Houston's final cuts after they gave him an extensive look in preseason. The main issue is that his skill-set replicated that of 2016 fourth-round draft pick Tyler Ervin.

Watson was waived on Sunday after the the team claimed five players, according to the team's official website.

Watson was able to make the final cut on Saturday, as the Browns got down to 53 players, but Sunday was a different story. The 23-year-old, along with fellow running back Raheem Mostert, was waived in lieu of Cleveland claiming George Atkinson off waivers from the Raiders.

Thompson was added to Denver's practice squad Sunday.

Thompson has shown that he can produce at the NFL level, but given the Broncos' depth at running back, the 24-year-old will have to at least begin the season on as a member of the practice squad. Thompson accrued one start last season, but the three-year vet only totaled 48 yards on the year. There is a chance that Thompson will make his way onto Denver's active roster during 2016.

Mostert (hamstring) was released after the team claimed running back George Atkinson, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.

Mostert seemingly had the No. 3 running back spot locked up after he survived Cleveland's last round of cuts to get its roster down to 53, but clearly that wasn't the case. The 24-year-old hasn't seen much action over the past couple of weeks, dealing with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the last two preseason games. His inability to recover quickly could've ultimately been his downfall. If Mostert clears waivers, he could find a home on the practice squad.

Pressley was claimed off waivers by the Packers on Sunday, Ben Goessling of ESPN reports.

According to reports, the Packers are planning on using Pressley as a third-down back.

The Browns claimed Atkinson off waivers Sunday, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 23-year-old appeared in five games for the Raiders during the 2014 season.

Wilder (head) has passed through waivers and has landed on the Bills' injured reserve list, ESPN's Mike Rodak reports.

Perhaps he'll get a chance to make an NFL roster at some other time, but Buffalo had a logjam at running back all preseason and Wilder didn't do enough to get over the hump. His injury in the last preseason game didn't help either.

Rainey made the Giants' final roster.

After a preseason game where he fumbled a punt and a kickoff, Rainey's chances looked bleak, but he played well in the final two games and offers versatility as a third-down back and special teams player. At this point, it's unclear who'd get the first crack should Rashad Jennings (or third-down back Shane Vereen) get hurt, but Rainey could be in the mix.