NFL Player News

Bears' running backs coach Stan Drayton sees Rodgers as "highly productive" and the leader of the team's young backs, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

According to Jahns, Rodgers is both reliable as a receiver and blocker, and is said to be the team's best option on third downs, making him nearly indispensable. Whether this translates into the 26-year-old actually seizing the third-down role in the regular season is debatable, but for now, he needs to be considered as fully competing for this job. It should be noted that Rodgers caught at least 52 passes for the Falcons in both 2012 and 2013, so he's had success as a receiving threat in the past.

Hillman is a co-backup to C.J. Anderson along with rookie Devontae Booker, the team's official site reports.

Despite leading the team in rushing in 2015, 2016 has not been so kind to Hillman. He lost his starting spot in the playoffs, failed to attract much attention in free agency and is now playing on a one-year deal while battling a hyped rookie. Hillman offers dynamic speed at the position that neither Anderson nor Booker can replicate, but may be behind both in terms of fitting into the kind of one-cut, downhill style head coach Gary Kubiak prefers.

Brown (hamstring) didn't participate in team drills Monday, the Boston Herald reports.

Brown needs to get and stay healthy in order to secure a roster spot with the Patriots, but the Boston Herald notes that coach Bill Belichick has "praised Brown's intelligence and speed and noted that the veteran back is "a pleasure to coach." Assuming Brown sticks with the team, what his role might be out of the gate continues to rest in great part on the health and production of returnees LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis, who are both bouncing back from injuries that slowed them last season.

Mathews (ankle) appeared to be a full practice participant Sunday, philly.com reports.

More importantly perhaps, is that the report notes that Mathews took his place with the the Eagles' first-team offense Sunday. Since being activated from the team's non-football injury list and returning to practice Friday, Mathews has reportedly looked sharp. "He just looks explosive out there," offensive coordinator Frank Reich noted after seeing Mathews work. "He looked explosive, he looked quick, he was seeing things. And I know it was a toned-down practice with no pads, but we're still playing fast. He looks good. He's an explosive, physical runner." As long as Mathews remains healthy, it sounds like the Eagles would like to get him plenty of work in 2016, with Reich stating that "we want to get (Mathews) as many touches as we can." In the mix for complementary work in the Eagles' backfield are veteran change-of-pace man Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner and rookie Wendell Smallwood, who is dealing with a quad issue.

Bergen has been solid in camp, ESPN's Paul Kuharsky reports.

While that may not be enough to leapfrog 2015 fourth-rounder Jalston Fowler at the position, the undrafted free agent out of Rutgers is still making a name for himself in NFL circles. It wouldn't be surprising to see him at least make the practice squad.

Rawls (ankle) passed his physical on Sunday and has been removed from the PUP list, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports.

Rawls can now begin practicing with the team on Monday. The 23-year-old is thus on track to be ready for Week 1, but there is a chance he does not participate in any preseason action. It seems likely he'll be limited in his first couple practices back and could stick to individual drills on the sidelines. Per NFL.com, Rawls is viewed as the favorite to emerge as the Seahawks' lead running back this coming season, an assignment that carries with it fantasy relevance in the post-Marshawn Lynch era that the Seattle franchise is about to embark on.

Richardson has looked good in training camp thus far, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Per the Post-Observer, Richardson "looked fast" during the Steelers' offseason workouts, with the 26-year-old back, who did not record a regular season carry in 2015, making a run at the team's No. 3 running back job. His main competition for the assignment is Fitzgerald Toussaint, with the player who lands the gig of note, given that Pittsburgh's top back Le'Veon Bell reportedly faces a four-game suspension to start the season.

Toussaint is "locked in a battle" to emerge as the Steelers' No. 3 running back, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Toussaint, who was pressed into added action at the end of last season due to injuries in the Steelers' backfield, faces competition from Daryl Richardson on that front, with the back who claims the job worth keeping in mind, given that the team's top back Le'Veon Bell's faces a potential four-game suspension to start the 2016 season. Meanwhile, veteran DeAngelo Williams remains the Steelers' clear-cut No. 2 back.

Patterson (shoulder) won't take part in Saturday's team scrimmage, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Patterson took a hard fall in the first practice of training camp, missing about a week of practice before participating in Thursday's walkthrough and Friday's session. However, the Vikings won't risk contact at this point in training camp, with a likely eye toward full health for the exhibition schedule, which begins Friday at Cincinnati.

McKinnon (back) won't participate in Saturday's team scrimmage, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Although McKinnon returned to practice Friday, the Vikings will continue to keep his contact limited for the time being. As he mentioned Friday, his twisted back was unrelated to the lower back surgery that resulted in an abbreviated 2014 rookie season. Once he's cleared for all activity, he'll commence building up his expected pass-catching role out of the backfield.