NFL Player News

Barner had seven carries for 35 yards in Thursday's preseason opener against the Buccaneers.

With fifth-round rookie Wendell Smallwood (quad) sidelined, Barner made a nice first impression, outplaying UDFA Byron Marshall, who gained just six yards on five carries. Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles are locked into significant roles, leaving Barner, Smallwood and Marshall to compete for either one or two roster spots.

Mathews (ankle) had two carries for 15 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason opener against Tampa Bay.

Mathews made the most of his brief appearance, running through would-be tacklers on a couple of tough runs up the middle. He showed no lingering signs of the ankle injury that cause him to miss some practice time, and seems to be locked in as the Eagles' lead back. However, Darren Sproles figures to get most of the passing-down work, and Mathews' durability has always been an issue.

Williams has been diagnosed with a concussion, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports.

Williams entered the concussion protocol during Thursday's preseason opener against the Jaguars and, now that he has officially been diagnosed, faces a serious risk of being cut from the Jets' roster. He was fifth on New York's running back depth chart entering Thursday's game.

Carey left Thursday's game and is being evaluated for a concussion.

Carey made a hard hit on special teams in the second half of Thursday's game against the Broncos and came off wobbling, prompting him to enter the concussion protocol. If Carey is forced to miss any time, expect Jeremy Langford, Jacquizz Rodgers and rookie Jordan Howard to pick up the running back slack in the Bear's second preseason game against New England on Aug. 18.

Martin had five carries for 13 yards and one reception for 11 yards in Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles.

Martin only played the first few drives, but he should see more action in the second and third preseason games. He's locked in as Tampa's lead back, with Charles Sims (ankle) handling most of the passing-down work

Williams left Thursday's preseason opener against the Jaguars to undergo concussion protocol, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Williams entered Thursday as the fifth running back on the teams depth chart, so he is competing for a roster spot. The undrafted rookie figured to be a long shot heading into camp given the team's running back depth.

Pierce (suspension/hamstring) won't suit up for Thursday's preseason opener versus the Jaguars.

Afflicted by a hamstring concern since early last week, Pierce will join Matt Forte (hamstring) and Khiry Robinson (lower leg) in street clothes Thursday. The Jets will instead rely on a backfield composed of Bilal Powell, Dominique Williams, and Romar Morris.

Sims (ankle) won't play in Thursday's preseason game at Philadelphia.

Sims received treatment on his ankle in the aftermath of Monday's practice and subsequently sat out Tuesday. Rather than introduce risk into the equation, he'll remain out of the RB rotation in the exhibition opener, thereby handing Mike James, Storm Johnson, and the rest of the reserves a bit more work out of the backfield.

McFadden (elbow) remains a ways off from a potential return to the field, Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com reports. According to coach Jason Garrett, "We don't anticipate him playing real soon, but he's working hard."

McFadden is without a timetable for a return to practice, making it questionable if he'll even participate in any of the Cowboys' preseason games. He'll continue to go through rest and rehabilitation while listed on the team's NFI list, but once healthy, he'll have to fend off Alfred Morris for the rights to be the backup of current projected starter, Ezekiel Elliott (hamstring).

Elliott is slated to work on the side during Wednesday's practice, Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site reports.

In a pre-practice media session, head coach Jason Garrett relayed the news and added that Elliott is "making progress" through his hamstring concern. The fourth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft hasn't practiced in more than a week, which makes Elliott an unlikely candidate to suit up for Saturday's preseason game in Los Angeles. In his absence, Alfred Morris has received most of the first-team reps due to continued DNPs from Darren McFadden (elbow) and Lance Dunbar (knee).