NFL Player News

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.

Hillman is in danger of losing his roster spot, 9news.com reports.

Hillman was clearly a part of Denver's 2016 plans back in mid-April when he signed a one-year, $2 million contract that included $500,000 in full guarantees -- pretty good money for a backup running back. There actually hasn't been any indication that the team's opinion of Hillman has changed since that time, but he did catch an unlucky break when Devontae Booker fell to the Broncos at No. 136 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Broncos might have even drafted Booker earlier if they didn't already have Hillman on the roster, as GM John Elway said the former Utah standout was the second-ranked running back on his team's board. Unfortunately for Hillman, the fourth-round rookie has lived up to the Broncos' lofty expectations during training camp, emerging as the favorite to serve as C.J. Anderson's top backup. While the Broncos may have valued Hillman at $2 million when he was expected to be the No. 2 running back, his cap hit is rather hefty for a third-stringer, even if the team thinks he's good enough to be the No. 2 on most teams. With $1.4 million of his contract not yet paid and not guaranteed, Hillman is competing for a roster spot against 2014 UDFA Kapri Bibbs, who has a cap hit of just $525,000. The only good news for Hillman is that his (possible) release would appear to be motivated by cap concerns rather than performance issues, which could make it easier to catch on with another team. He might also consider accepting a pay cut to stay in Denver.

Wilder carried the ball 11 times for 31 yards in Saturday's preseason win over the Giants.

The Bills cut Karlos Williams earlier Saturday, which gives Wilder a legit shot to make the team. With Reggie Bush and rookie Jonathan Williams being the two most likely candidates to land the top backup spots behind LeSean McCoy, it may come down to one spot for Wilder, Mike Gillislee, or Boom Herron.

Rawls (ankle) was a full participant at Sunday's practice, and he's on track to get the Week 1 start, ESPN's Sheil Kapadia reports.

Mostly limited to individual work throughout training camp, Rawls returned to team drills at the beginning of the week, albeit with some limitations. The restrictions were lifted Sunday, with the Seahawks allowing Rawls to log his first full-contact practice since he broke his ankle in Week 14 last season, according to seattlepi.com. The second-year running back still isn't sure if he'll play in the preseason, but he does expect to be ready for Week 1, and head coach Pete Carroll seems to agree. However, Carroll also said he views Rawls and Christine Michael as a 1-2 punch, suggesting that the latter has earned a significant role. Further complicating the situation, third-round rookie C.J. Prosise (hamstring) is expected to return to practice Monday, potentially giving him enough time to earn a role on passing downs.