NFL Player News

Drake (hamstring) returned to practice as a limited participant Tuesday, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Drake will have to battle throughout the remainder of the preseason for a spot in the team's backfield, with Arian Foster and Jay Ajayi leading the way while Isaiah Pead has made a strong case for the No. 3 spot. The Dolphins' next preseason contest is Thursday, but Drake isn't a certain candidate to make an appearance yet.

Coach Jason Garrett expects Elliott (hamstring) to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Seahawks, ESPN's Todd Archer reports.

Elliott, who suffered a hamstring injury back on Aug. 2, has participated in three straight full practices, which sets the stage for the highly-touted rookie's preseason debut. It remains to be seen how much action Elliott will see Thursday, but he remains firmly atop the Cowboys' RB depth chart and clearly possesses the highest upside of any member of the team's backfield, which is rounded out by Darren McFadden (who is dealing with an elbow injury), Alfred Morris, and Lance Dunbar, who recently came off the team's PUP list.

The Patriots released Brown (hamstring) with an injury settlement, the Boston Herald reports.

Brown has missed three weeks of practice and the injury settlement suggests that the veteran back is dealing with a lingering injury. Either way, with Dion Lewis set to miss time, the move leaves the likes of Tyler Gaffney, D.J. Foster and Joey Iosefa competing for roster slotting in the New England backfield behind LeGarrette Blount, James White and Brandon Bolden.

Coach Rex Ryan called Gillislee, who's currently in the league's concussion protocol following Saturday's preseason game, his current top backup behind LeSean McCoy, The Buffalo News reports. Said Ryan, "Gillislee, I think is probably the No. 2 back right now. And then the young kid (Jonathan) Williams and then it was good to see James Wilder have a bounce-back game."

Karlos Williams was released by the team over the weekend, and Ryan seems to view Reggie Bush as a utility back. So that leaves Gillislee as the current favorite to handle the bulk of the carries should anything happen to McCoy. While that would likely end up being some form of a shared role, don't dismiss Gillislee's game - he averaged 5.68 yards per carry last season based on some big-chunk runs - or the run-heavy nature of the Buffalo offense.

Ellington was listed as the No. 1 kick and punt returner on the Cardinals' most recent unofficial depth chart, the Arizona Republic reports.

Through two preseason games, Ellington is leading the Cardinals with four total kick returns, averaging 20.3 yards per. The mark isn't an incredible one, and Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic dismissed head coach Bruce Arians' contention that Ellington is a "natural punt catcher." Preseason depth charts should be taken with a grain of salt, especially because JJ Nelson was listed in Ellington's current positions on Arizona's first unofficial release of the depth chart. Even if Ellington ultimately lands the gig, he'll hold limited viability due to his third banana standing behind David Johnson and Chris Johnson in the running back pecking order.

Elliott (hamstring) practiced Monday, making him a candidate to play in Thursday's preseason game in Seattle, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

If Rapoport is proposing that Elliott "appears set to make his" professional debut, the rookie running back likely took part in a semblance of team drills for the first time since injuring his right hamstring early in training camp. Avoiding a setback in Tuesday's session will be key in achieving active status Thursday, but his snap count in that contest will likely still be monitored with a watchful eye.

Brown (hamstring) has yet to resume practicing fully, the Providence Journal reports.

Though present for the initial portion of Monday's session, Brown subsequently worked on his conditioning on a different field, while his teammates continued practice. Though the veteran has been slowed by his latest nagging injury, his chances of making the Patriots may have been boosted by news that fellow RB Dion Lewis will miss time with a knee injury. Brown's experience and versatility could make him a useful backup to power back LeGarrette Blount, as well as the team's top healthy change-of-pace man, James White.

Jones (shoulder) will miss the final two preseason games, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports.

Initially reported as an AC joint sprain, Jones' injury was later deemed to be a "slight separation," and it's now being called a "second-degree separation", according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Despite the increasingly discouraging reports, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Jones has already made a lot of progress, and the team remains hopeful that its lead back will be ready for Week 1. Gruden also said that undrafted rookie Rob Kelley will get a lot of first-team work in the final two preseason games, with seventh-rounder Keith Marshall also in the mix. Chris Thompson figures to dominate passing-down snaps, regardless of Jones' availability.

Drake (hamstring) will not practice this week nor play in Thursday's preseason game against the Falcons, the Miami Herald reports.

Drake has been out of commission for almost three weeks now due to a hamstring issue that's lingered throughout the summer. As a result, the rookie third-rounder has yet to play a snap in the preseason and won't do so this week either. After being drafted with a history of injuries in college, Drake has fallen behind already and may be best suited for a designated to return tag for the regular season if he's unable to practice next week.

Artis-Payne rushed three times for 10 yards and caught two passes (on three targets) for 24 yards in Saturday's preseason win over the Titans.

Artis-Payne was involved with the Panthers' second-team offense, getting his first carry in the middle of the second quarter Saturday. That came after starter Jonathan Stewart, fullback Mike Tolbert and fellow reserve Fozzy Whittaker all touched the ball in some capacity. At the moment, Whittaker and Artis-Payne are seemingly jockeying for Carolina's No. 2 running back job, and even though Whittaker has featured more with the starters, the Panthers' third preseason game Friday against the Patriots should shine more light on where each players stands behind Stewart.