NFL Player News

Bolden is in line for an expanded workload after LaGarrette Blount was ruled out for the season due to a hip injury.

Upon Blount's removal in the second quarter Sunday in Houston, Bolden took the reins of the backfield, for the most part, notching a season-high 16 rushes for 51 yards. Meanwhile, James White received a goal-line carry and fulfilled pass-catching duties with four receptions (on six targets) for 38 yards. The Patriots are notorious for building a game plan to suit that week's opponent, but with Blount joining Dion Lewis (knee) on the rehab trail, Bolden should become a more featured option in the offense.

Harris, who was expected to compete for the starting RB job with Thomas Rawls injured, was released Tuesday by the Seahawks, the Seattle Times reports.

The move is a bit of a surprise, considering Bryce Brown, who was just signed Monday, is the only other running back on the roster besides Fred Jackson. And coach Pete Carroll said Monday that Jackson would remain in his third-down role. Fullback Derrick Coleman played running back at UCLA and could get carries. But it looks like Brown will handle the bulk of the work Sunday against the Browns.

Rawls (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon, Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

This is merely procedural, as Rawls was already ruled out for the rest of the season due to a broken ankle. DuJuan Harris and Bryce Brown will battle for early-down duties, with Fred Jackson remaining in the passing-down role.

Richardson signed with the Browns on Tuesday.

A seventh-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Richardson hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since the end of 2013. With Glenn Winston (concussion) looking shaky for Week 15, Richardson could serve as the No. 3 running back behind Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson. It's not a role that would necessarily include any offensive snaps or touches.

Ellington (toe) was not present during the media portion of Tuesday's practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' website reports.

The Cardinals will not be required to file an injury report until Wednesday, so an official update on Ellington's status will not come for another day. However, it appears his toe injury remains an issue, even with the team off since Dec. 10. Ellington's status for Sunday's game against the Eagles is not likely to be determined until later this week, but even if he is able to suit up, he figures to slot in behind David Johnson on the depth chart.

Mostert was released by the Ravens on Tuesday.

Mostert was a non-factor in Baltimore's offense and made only a marginal impact in the return game, so the team decided to remove him from the roster and add fellow running back Terrence Magee. The Ravens did activate him for seven games this season, so they may look to keep him around.

Magee was promoted to the Ravens' active roster Tuesday.

Magee will take the roster spot of fellow running back Raheem Mostert. Magee bounced between the practice squad and active roster this season, but with him again joining the active roster this late in the season, he figures to remain on it the rest of the way. He will slot in as the Ravens' third running back behind Javorius Allen and Terrance West.

Hightower received a "Mark Ingram-like snap count" in the Saints' win in Tampa Bay on Sunday, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Hightower assumed the role of the Saints' featured tailback, playing 58 of the team's 82 snaps (71 percent) against the Buccaneers, while C.J. Spiller remained in his sparse role with 15 snaps (18 percent). Hightower only averaged three yards per carry against a stout Tampa Bay run defense, but his usage was sky-high, as he toted the ball a whopping 28 times. Although the Saints' Week 15 opponent, Detroit, has played pretty well defensively over the last month, as the de facto bell cow running back in New Orleans, Hightower should merit starting consideration in many fantasy leagues.

The Jaguars are signing Gray off the Dolphins' practice squad, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

With T.J. Yeldon (knee) unable to finish Sunday's win over the Colts, the Jaguars were left with Denard Robinson and Joe Banyard in the backfield. The early-week transaction is a bad sign for Yeldon's chances of suiting up for Sunday's game against the Falcons, but it is also possible that the Jaguars are just being cautious. Robinson will get most of the work if Yeldon misses time, with Gray and Banyard perhaps chipping in.

Vereen caught one of his two targets for 10 yards and had one carry for no yards Monday night against the Dolphins.

The Giants leaned heavily on Rashad Jennings and Vereen didn't see many snaps. Perhaps Vereen will have a bigger role against the Panthers in Week 15 given the likely game-flow.