NFL Player News

Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman called the battle for the starting tailback job between Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas "pretty close," reports the Miami Herald. Miller carried two times for six yards against Jacksonville but is widely expected to beat out Thomas, who's not nearly as quick or explosive.

"It's obvious Lamar Miller is the presumed starter but he hasn't exactly wowed yet despite enormous potential to do so," the Herald said.

Roy Helu and Evan Royster combined to run for 119 yards on 27 carries in the Redskins' preseason opener, leaving coach Mike Shanahan "really impressed."

“It was nice to see Roy do a good job," Shanahan said, via the Washington Post. "I thought he handled himself well. I thought Royster did a great job when he was in there. I’ve got to take a look at film, but my initial thoughts were I’m very impressed with both.”

With starter Alfred Morris sitting out, Helu got most of the work with the first-team offense, gaining 57 yards on 13 carries. Royster entered midway through the second quarter and gained 62 yards on 14 carries. Neither back caught a pass.

In the Rams' backfield competition, Daryl Richardson "looks to be the leader in the clubhouse as he and [Isaiah] Pead enter their second NFL seasons," reports ESPN.com. Rookies Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham and second-year back Terrance Ganaway "are also trying to work their way into the mix," the report said.

Richardson ran for a team-high 24 yards on four carries in the preseason opener, adding two catches for 20 yards.

Browns running back Trent Richardson returned to practice Saturday after missing Thursday's preseason opener with a shin injury. Head coach Rob Chudzinski believes he'll be healthy enough to play Thursday against the Lions, according to The Plain Dealer.

"I think we'll have a number of guys that'll be back practicing within the next couple days that were out for this game, and we'll obviously have to see how that goes," said Chudzinski. "But I'm expecting Trent to practice and then we'll see as far as getting him some rep time and getting him some work in the game."

Dolphins reserve running backs Mike Gillislee and Jonas Gray received the bulk of the work in the team's second preseason game Friday against the Jaguars.

Gillislee paced the team with 37 yards on 12 carries, while Gray proved to be the team's top option at the goal line. Gray scored twice from 1 yard out, while finishing the game with 32 yards on 14 carries. 

Raiders rookie running back Latavius Murray appeared to be behind Rashad Jennings in the battle for the backup running back spot in Friday's preseason opener against the Cowboys. 

Murray did not work with the first-team offense, as he entered the game in the second half. He finished second on the team with eight carries, and third with 29 rushing yards. Jennings rushed nine times for 39 yards. 

Murray was thought to possibly be in the lead for the backup role at the start of training camp, but his workload indicates he has fallen behind. 

Patriots running back Shane Vereen found pay dirt Friday night during the preseason opener against the Eagles. Vereen, who only saw three carries in the game for 12 yards, hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the first quarter to make the score 14-7 Patriots.

Vereen finished the game with two grabs for 18 yards and the TD. He was targeted four times overall in the passing game for New England.

Vereen caught eight passes last year for 149 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for three scores on 62 attempts for 251 yards.

Panthers running back Kenjon Barner, who entered Friday's preseason game with Chicago as the No. 2 back on the depth chart, shined against the Bears.

Barner tied for the team lead in carries with nine. He rushed for a team-high 37 yards and scored in the game. Barner scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter to make it 14-10 Carolina at the time.

Barner looked good as Jonathan Stewart (ankle) and Mike Tolbert (hamstring) are dealing with injuries.

Vikings rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson made an impressive preseason debut Friday night against the Texans.

Patterson nearly broke the opening kickoff for a touchdown and was brought down after a 50-yard gain. He made his first appearance on offense after the team's opening drive and showed good chemistry with backup quarterback Matt Cassel. He was targeted eight times and finished with four catches for 54 yards in a 27-13 defeat.

"He's really looked pretty good out there running routes and catching balls," head coach Leslie Frazier said at halftime. "That kickoff was pretty nice as well, so he's off to a good start."

For the second straight game, Dolphins presumptive backup running back Daniel Thomas saw more carries than Lamar Miller in Friday's preseason game against the Jaguars.

Thomas showed much more burst this time around, rushing for 19 yards on four carries. He seemed to spark life into the team's offense in their third drive, the only one in which the first-team offense scored. He rushed three times and picked up 19 yards on that drive.

Thomas has rushed for 24 yards on eight carries through the first two preseason games, while doubling Miller's total in carries.