NFL Player News

Pead (hamstring) missed practice Thursday, Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Pead suffered the hamstring injury in training camp Monday, and was also sidelined for Tuesday's practice as he continues to recover. At this point the 26-year-old should still be considered day-to-day, but he'll have a lot of work to do in order to make the roster upon his eventual return.

McKinnon (head) is participating in Thursday morning's walk-through, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports.

McKinnon got banged up during Monday's practice, which he left early due to a head-related injury. At this point no information suggests he suffered a concussion, but may be subject to the league's protocol depending on the severity. Coach Mike Zimmer was optimistic earlier in the week that McKinnon won't miss very much time, and should return to full contact at training camp soon.

Patterson (shoulder) is taking part in the Vikings' Thursday morning walk-through, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports.

Patterson hasn't practiced since injuring his shoulder last Friday, but returned to action Thursday morning for a walk-through. The shoulder injury doesn't appear to be anything serious, as he's also said he'll be fine, so he should return to full contact sooner rather than later.

Head coach John Harbaugh defended waived RB Trent Richardson (knee) from harsh criticism, noted his release from the team was strictly health-related, and added that there is "still an opportunity [for Richardson] to come back in the future," per ESPN.com.

The former No. 3 overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, Richardson has dealt with knee woes all offseason. Harbaugh acknowledged the team was aware of Richardson's health concerns when they signed him in April, but they needed to pull the plug on the running back in order to make room for a healthy body at the position. "We just couldn't wait any longer," Harbaugh said, per the Ravens' official site. Subsequently, the team signed Stephen Houston, an undrafted rookie out of Indiana.

Patterson (shoulder) says he's "fine," but he can't yet return to practice, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Patterson injured his shoulder last Friday and hasn't practiced since. While he's still without a timetable to return, his saying the shoulder is fine likely means he's being held out for precautionary reasons. Don't be surprised if he returns to practice later this week.

The Bills signed Reggie Bush earlier in the week, and the veteran will likely compete with Williams and others for playing time behind LeSean McCoy.

Despite a recent DWI arrest, Williams will have a fair shot to earn that key No 2 role, a path made easier when Karlos Williams got himself suspended for four games. While it theoretically was made more difficult with Bush coming aboard, his signing may have as much to do with the team's lousy return talent as anything else. As for the first quarter of the season, Williams will compete with Bush, Mike Gillislee, James Wilder, and Dan Herron for RB slotting.

Elliott is dealing with a hamstring issue and will miss some time, Jon Machota of Dallas News reports.

Elliott is slated to be the Cowboy's number one running back after being selected fourth overall in the 2016 draft. While it isn't a positive sign to see that he'll miss some time, it doesn't appear that the injury is too serious. The Cowboys are simply trying to be cautious with the rookie rather than pushing him and making the injury worse. With Elliott out, Dallas' only healthy running backs are Alfred Morris and Darius Jackson, both of whom should see an increase in reps for the time being.

Davis, who's struggled in the past catching the ball out of the backfield, has improved in that area during the offseason, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports.

Davis caught a pass on a wheel route during practice that opened some eyes and special teams coach Dave Toub indicated that he remains the team's No. 1 kick returner despite the presence of De'Anthony Thomas and Tyreek Hill. The fourth-year back out of Arkansas has also worked as a cover guy on punt returns, something that could keep him on the 53-man roster as a fourth-string running back if he proves effective in that role.

Mathews (ankle) continues to miss practice, NJ.com reports.

To date, Mathews has missed all of six of the Eagles' full team practices in training camp, but on the plus side, coach Doug Pederson indicated Sunday that he hoped to have Mathews back by the end of this week. With Wendell Smallwood now dealing with a quad injury, Kenjon Barner and Darren Sproles are seeing the bulk of the team's practice reps at running back, with undrafted rookies Byron Marshall and Cedric O'Neal also seeing some extra touches.

Pead did not practice on Tuesday after leaving Monday's training camp session with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Without a timetable for a potential return, Pead should be considered day-to-day until further notice. With Jay Ajayi (knee) still sidelined, the bulk of repetitions in the Dolphins backfield will be divvied up between the likes of Kenyan Drake, Damien Williams and Daniel Thomas while the newly-acquired Arian Foster remains limited under a snap count.