NFL Player News

Running back Terrence Magee has been released by the Ravens, the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec reports.

An undrafted rookie out of LSU, Magee became expendable due to the return of Lorenzo Taliaferro, who missed Week 1 with a knee injury. Magee could land on the Baltimore practice squad.

Bears running back Jacquizz Rodgers had two running attempts and gained eight yards in Sunday's 48-23 loss to the Cardinals. He wasn't targeted in the passing game. 

After ranking second in running-back snaps for the Bears in the season opener, Rodgers seemed to be bypassed in favor of rookie Jeremy Langford on Sunday. Langford finished the afternoon with six carries to Rodgers' two, and was on the field for the entirety of the Bears' 11-play touchdown drive in the second quarter while starter Matt Forte rested.

Forte remains in line to receive the bulk of the snaps at the position, but look for Langford to take on an increased role in the weeks to come, especially if the 0-2 Bears fall out of playoff contention early. Such a development would likely result in Rodgers seeing his snap count plunge even further from here.

Redskins featured back Alfred Morris was not really the featured back Sunday in a defeat of St. Louis. But he is at least claiming indifference that Matt Jones wound up with more carries than him.

Jones finished with 19 rushes for 123 yards and two touchdowns while Morris had 18 attempts for 59 yards. The latter managed just seven yards on 10 tries in the second half.

"We don't care," Morris told the Washington Post. "The only thing that matters around here is winning. The last two years we've had seven wins. That's not going to get it done. That's tough. I don't care who gets the stats or who is making the plays. As long as we're winning, that's all that matters. That's what we did today. ... I'm super happy."

Morris rushed for 121 yards on 25 carries in the opener, but has yet to score this season.

Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon (ankle) had three carries for six yards in Sunday's win over Detroit. 

McKinnon played just nine snaps on offense as the Vikings didn't make a big effort to get him carries. McKinnon is likely going to have a small role off the bench as long as Adrian Peterson is healthy. McKinnon was bothered by a sore ankle last week in practice, but it didn't look like an issue Sunday.

Raiders running back Latavius Murray had 15 rushes for 65 yards with a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 37-33 win over Baltimore.

Murray had a long rush of only nine yards, but still averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Taiwan Jones was the only other running back to carry the ball, and he had just two rushes for nine yards.

It was a nice rebound performance for Murray, who had the benefit of playing with Derek Carr for an entire game, after the young QB left Week 1's loss to Cincinnati early. Murray will face a solid Browns' defense in Week 3.

Giants running back Shane Vereen caught all eight of his targets for 76 yards in Sunday's game against the Falcons. He also gained 19 yards on six carries in the 24-20 defeat.

Despite the mild rushing total, Vereen showed his trademark effectiveness in the passing game, finishing second on the team in targets and receiving yardage. No wideout besides Odell Beckham topped 17 yards receiving on the day and Vereen will likely remain heavily involved in that capacity until another receiver steps up.

The Giants will welcome the Redskins to town in Week 3.

Cowboys running back Joseph Randle had 18 carries for 51 yards and caught his lone target for 14 yards in Sunday's 20-10 win at Philadelphia.

Randle had a long rush of just six yards, but he did run with a lot of determination and made positive gains on busted plays several times. Meanwhile, Darren McFadden also wasn't impressive on a per-play basis, rushing for just 31 yards on 10 carries.

After two weeks, it appears as though Randle will lead the Cowboys' committee, but it's hard to get excited about anyone with the news that Tony Romo will miss 4-to-12 weeks due to a fractured clavicle. If you need to use Randle in Week 3, he'll face the Falcons at home.

Buccaneers running back Bobby Rainey did not register a carry but did secure his one target for eight yards in Sunday's 26-19 victory over the Saints. He also gained 37 yards on his one kickoff return and tallied 34 yards on three punt returns.

Rainey's role on plays from scrimmage will very likely vary week-to-week, but he retains a hold on both top returner spots, where he was productive once again in Week 2.

Rainey provides valuable insurance as an every-down tailback behind Doug Martin, and also is a dependable checkdown option for Jameis Winston when he's in the ballgame.

Buccaneers running back Charles Sims rushed for 38 yards on eight carries and also secured all three of his targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 26-19 victory over the Saints.

Sims had a refreshingly strong game on the ground, where he has often struggled to find running room in the past. Conversely, he was only a moderate factor in the passing game, which is usually his strong suit, but did successfully secure all three balls thrown his way.

Sims is clearly a key component of a diverse Bucs backfield that features a trio of running backs with different skill sets.

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin rushed for 78 yards on 21 carries and also secured both of his targets in the passing game for 20 yards in Sunday's 26-19 victory over the Saints. He also fumbled twice, losing both.

Martin's second fumble was costly for the moment, eventually leading to a fourth quarter 16-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Willie Snead that cut the Bucs' lead to 23-19. Despite the turnovers, Martin ran hard and decisively on the afternoon and continues to rebound from the lackluster performances he has put forth over the last two seasons. He has a firm hold for the moment on the top running back role, but given that there is an established precedent of benching him for poor performance, Martin clearly will have to produce week in and week out and avoid turnovers to retain it.