NFL Player News

Fantasy players might wish it were otherwise, but the clear indication from Broncos practices is that running backs" data-canon="Ronnie Hillman" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_PLAYER" id="shortcode0"><player idref= and Montee Ball will "share the workload in a variety of down-and-distance situations," reports ESPN. com. "And Knowshon Moreno and Jacob Hester figure to at least be in the third-down mix as well at times."

When Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles went down with a foot injury in practice Monday, rookie Knile Davis took his place with the first team. Davis has already moved past veteran Shaun Draughn and second-year running back Cyrus Gray to No. 2 on the depth chart, reports ESPN.

"He went down. I had to get in, step in and play my role," Davis said. "[Coach Andy Reid's] whole goal was to build a team where if one man went down the next man would step up."

Reid said that the reps that Davis got with the first-team offense were invaluable.

"It was good work for Knile today, if you want to take a positive from it," Reid said. "It gives another guy an opportunity to practice. That's how I look at it. It allowed Knile, our young running back, to get good work with the ones."

The Cardinals have welcomed running back Rashard Mendenhall back to full practice and will get rookie Andre Ellington back in action soon as he makes his way back from a concussion. But third-year back Ryan Williams remains day-to-day with knee issues according to the official team website. 

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce missed only one practice with the left knee injury he suffered in Baltimore's preseason opener. Pierce practiced Monday and should play in the second preseason game against the Falcons.

The Green Bay PackersPackers activated running back <player idref= from the PUP list and he practiced Monday, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Coach Mike McCarthy said last week that Harris, who was out with a knee injury, "made an impact in our offense last year."

McCarthy went further, saying he views Harris "as our starter." Harris played in four games last season, running for 157 yards.

Cardinals rookie running back Andre Ellington has been missing from practice because of a concussion, reports the Arizona Republic.

Ellington also missed the preseason opener against the Packers. He is competing for playing time behind starter Rashard Mendenhall this year.

Browns running back Trent Richardson said he's 100 percent healthy and wants to play Thursday night in the second preseason game against the Lions, reports the Akron Beacon-Journal.

But Richardson isn't going to rush back for a preseason game because of his shin injury when his goal is to be 100 percent for Week 1. Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said he hasn’t decided yet whether Richardson will face the Lions after sitting out the exhibition opener last week against the Rams.

"The ultimate goal is to make it to Miami, but it's one day at a time," Richardson said. "You don't want to do nothing too crazy to get hurt. At the same time, you want to be on time with everything, with your timing, the game conditioning and everything like that. Coach [Rob Chudzinski] lets me take my reps in practice here and there and we're just seeing how everything goes through with my shin. I wanted to be out there [in the preseason opener]. Coach makes the decisions. They just told me they were going to sit me down, and that was that. There were no words other than that. Coach made a decision, and it happened like that."

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce, who suffered a sprained left knee when he was hit in the end zone following a 20-yard touchdown run against Tampa Bay in the preseason opener, could play in the second preseason game agains the Falcons, reports the Baltimore Sun.

An MRI revealed no structural damage, and coach John Harbaugh said the injury is "not serious."

Pierce expressed relief that the injury isn't a long-term situation.

"It's not a serious thing at all," Pierce said. "It's just a little minor sprain, thank God. I'll be back fast."

An MRI on Bernard Pierce's left knee showed no structural damage, and the '" data-canon="Baltimore Ravens" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" id="shortcode0"> No. 2 running back could return in a few days, reports the Baltimore Sun. Pierce sprained his knee when he was hit after reaching the end zone Thursday against the Buccaneers.

Pierce limped off the field after the 20-yard touchdown run.

Seahawks rookie Christine Michael, who ran 16 times for 89 yards Thursday against the Chargers, sat out Sunday's practice with back spasms. Coach Pete Carroll told the Seattle Times "it might be a little bit before we get him back out."

Running back Robert Turbin, who's recovered from a foot injury, got a lot of work and hit the holes hard, the paper said.