NFL Player News

The following players will not dress for the Dolphins Saturday night against the Cowboys in preseason action: Caleb Sturgis, Mike Gillislee, Daniel Thomas, Marcus Thigpen, Walt Aikens, Mike Pouncey, Koa Misi, Terrence Fede, Arthur Lynch and A.J. Francis.

Seahawks running back Christine Michael continued his impressive preseason with a productive performance in a lopsided defeat of Chicago on Friday night.

Michael led the team with 28 yards on eight carries and added three receptions for 26 yards. Among his catches resulted in a 7-yard touchdown in the third quarter that stretched the lead to 28-0.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden touched the ball four times and gained three yards Friday night in Green Bay.

McFadden rushed three times for five yards and caught one pass for minus-2. It was a far cry from his achievements in the second preseason game, when he rushed for 27 yards and earned the praise of Dennis Allen.

Patriots running back Shane Vereen found the end zone twice during Friday’s preseason game against the Panthers.

Vereen caught a short pass on a wheel route and took it 40 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. He then caught a short 6-yard pass from Tom Brady for a touchdown in the third quarter. He worked into the third quarter and finished with 75 yards of total offense. He took six handoffs for 18 yards and caught five passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns.

Jets running backs Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory both looked sharp Friday night against the Giants in exhibition play.

Johnson ripped a 17-yards run in the opening quarter and turned a pair of short passes into long plays. He played into the first series of the third quarter with the backups and racked up 77 yards of total offense. He took nine handoffs for 42 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. He caught both of his targets for 35 yards.

Ivory returned to action and made his presence felt as well. He ripped an 18-yard run and finished the game with a team-high 50 yards on six carries while being limited to one half of work. He caught one pass for 23 yards.

The Patriots will be without the services of wide receiver Aaron Dobson, running back Brandon Bolden and tight end Michael Hoomanawanui Friday night at home against Carolina, per NESN Sports.

Jim Harbaugh has announced that 49ers running back LaMichael James is all but set to make his 2014 preseason debut Sunday against San Diego.

James has been sidelined with an elbow injury that had threatened to keep him out through the preseason and possibly into the regular season.

The plan of the Buccaneers to use multiple backs to keep featured back Doug Martin strong and healthy after a shoulder injury ended his 2013 season has gone by the wayside.

The loss of rookie Charles Sims (ankle) and Mike James (shoulder) has destroyed the depth at that position. Only Bobby Rainey remains as a viable backup, but Lovie Smith has expressed confidence that Martin can carry the load.

"Doug is our bell cow," he told Pro Football Talk. "He likes that role, He's had a good camp, hasn't missed a beat."

Martin struggled last year to maintain his production from 2012. His per-carry average dropped from 4.6 to 3.6.

Eagles receivers Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin have both been cleared to play Thursday night against the Steelers in preseason action.

Cooper has been dealing with a foot injury, which caused him to miss the first two exhibition games. Maclin was working his way back from a hamstring injury.

Running back Matthew Tucker has also been cleared to play Thursday.

Rams running back Isaiah Pead has cleared waivers, landing him on injured reserve.

Pead, who earned just 17 carries in 2012 and 2013 combined for St. Louis, tore his ACL in the second preseason game.