NFL Player News

The dislocated elbow 49ers running back LaMichael James sustained Sunday is the third of his career, reports ESPN.com. He suffered the same injury in 2011 and in high school.

James, who is out a month, got hurt on a blitz pickup drill when he was blown backward by inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite, according to the Sacramento Bee. James has gotten injured before the regular season in each of his three NFL seasons. He hurt his ankle in the 2012 preseason and sprained a knee ligament in last year's preseason.

Running back Bernard Pierce, expected to start while Ray Rice is suspended, has been the Ravens' most impressive back in camp so far, reports ESPN.com. Pierce's weight ballooned to 248 pounds following offseason shoulder surgery, but he's down to 222 pounds now.

"The weight loss is most evident in Pierce's elusiveness in between the tackles," the report said. "He can make better lateral cuts because he doesn't feel the weight as much on his knees." 

Coach John Harbaugh said Pierce has "seized the opportunity."

Pierce averaged 4.9 yards per carry as a rookie in 2012, just 2.9 yards per carry last season. "It definitely is motivating and also was humbling coming from the year before," Pierce said. "I think everybody's intention this year is to climb back up the chart and show everybody that we can get this run game started and we're still the Ravens from 2012."

49ers running back LaMichael James is expected to miss nearly a month of work because of a dislocated elbow sustained in a pass-blocking drill, the Sacramento Bee reports.

James was carted off the field with the injury on Sunday, just two days after Kendall Hunter suffered a torn ACL. Rookie Carlos Hyde and Jewel Hampton are the only two healthy backup running backs left for San Francisco.

49ers running back LaMichael James was carted off the field during Sunday's practice after sustaining an apparent left arm injury in a pass-blocking drill, the Bay Area News Group reports.

Along with rookie running back Carlos Hyde, James could see an increased role as the backup running back after Kendall Hunter went down with a torn ACL. James carried the ball just 12 times in 2013.

The 49ers will open their preseason Aug. 7 at Baltimore.

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce returned to practice Sunday after leaving Saturday's practice with an illness, reports the Baltimore Sun.

Seahawks running back Christine Michael sat out the second half of Sunday's practice with a shoulder injury, reports the Seattle Times. "He just banged his shoulder a litlte bit," coach Pete Carroll said. "They think that he will be ready to go on Tuesday."

Browns running backs Ben Tate and Terrance West both had their moments in Sunday's practice, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. But West "continued to look more explosive and seemed to dole out more punishment," the paper said.

The two are vying for the starting job. While Tate said he has no doubt he's the team's best option, the paper noted "people watching training camp on Sunday may not feel the same."

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said receiver Cordarrelle Patterson "probably will stay with the walkthroughs" Sunday. It would be Patterson's third missed day of practice.

He injured his foot working out in California before training camp but is said to be close to being ready.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said the team won't change its run-first philosophy, regardless of how long Marshawn Lynch's holdout lasts. Seattle ran the ball a league-high 54.8 percent of the time last year.

"I think our plan has been pretty successful," Bevell told the Seattle Times. "We play great defense, we take great care of the football and we run the football, and that keeps us in games and allows us to exert our will on the opponent, that physical toughness that we like to do ... That’s our style and our philosophy and we are going to continue to do that."

Lynch's contract holdout isn't expected to last too long. In the meantime, Christine Michael and Robert Turbin are the team's top two backs.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said running back Andre Ellington is "ready to be a bell cow" in this offense, reports the team's website. Ellington added about 10 pounds in the offseason to prepare for a bigger workload.