NFL Player News

Rams running back Isaiah Pead has been suspended without pay for the first game of the 2013 regular season for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Pead will be eligible to return to the active roster on Monday, Sept. 9 following the team’s Sept. 8 opener against the Cardinals. Pead is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games. With Pead out for Week 1, this should allow either Zac Stacy or Daryl Richardson to start in Week 1 against the Cardinals.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Vikings rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson might not make much of an impact early in his rookie season. The report says "in the first month of his NFL career, the team’s front office and coaching staff has kept its expectations tempered, issuing frequent reminders that Patterson’s earliest significant contributions will likely come as a kick returner. His climb to become a big-time receiver will take longer with so many nuances of the position still to be learned and the Vikings, in turn, needing to find the simplest ways to get him the ball initially." Said coach Leslie Frazier: "We don’t want give him too much early. We want to make sure we do enough to get him on the field and really go to his strengths. There are some things that we have in mind. But everything that I’ve seen, we’ll be able to utilize his talents. He’s a gifted young man.”

Browns running back Trent Richardson isn't concerned about his latest injury and doesn't believe he's injury prone. Richardson did not practice again Thursday because of a strained muscle in his right shin that could sideline him for an extended period. He worked on his conditioning off to the side, but it wasn't his choice. "It ain't no biggie," said Richardson, who sustained the injury recently while running during practice. "It ain't nothing to worry about. I could be out there, but they want to be cautious about it to make sure I'm healthy and be right for camp." Richardson also missed last week's workouts and coach Rob Chudzinski said there's a chance the second-year back could miss next month's minicamp. "It's not going to be like last year, being hurt and injured," Richardson said. "Injury-prone is not going to be me. I just can't wait to get back out and running."

The Kansas City Star reports that much has been made about the many fumbles committed by rookie running back Knile Davis in college last season when he played for Arkansas. The report says a true test for Davis and will come in training camp when the Chiefs practice in pads and in the preseason games. But though the Chiefs are practicing without contact for now, Davis declared the problem has already been corrected. “It’s fixed," said Davis, a third-round draft pick. “I think I’ll never fumble again. I’ve got it under control. It’s not really that big of a deal. I had two bad games last year where I fumbled a lot. It was just me not focusing on it."

LaMichael James promised the Sacramento Bee that he would be the Niners' punt return man this season. He tried the role last year but struggled in the preseason and never had the chance to do it. He also will work on kickoff returns while aiding in the run game behind Frank Gore. James also added 10 pounds of muscle to help him in his pass protection and stay healthy. He says he's the heaviest he's ever been in his life. "I'm way more explosive," he said. "I always felt like I was long-fast. I didn't really know how explosive I was. But I really worked hard on that -- just being more explosive."

The Browns official team website reports offensive coordinator Norv Turner is already fond of running back Trent Richardson, who rushed for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns on 267 carries. In 15 games, Richardson broke or equaled seven rookie records for the Browns, including rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, carries, yards from scrimmage (1,317), total touchdowns (12), points scored (72) and most 100-yard rushing games (three). “If you want to be good on offense, you better have good players, and Trent is outstanding,” Turner said. “He’s a young player that got a taste of it last year. He had to fight through the ups and downs of being a rookie, the injuries. Hopefully, we don’t have to deal with that, and he can make that big step that guys do from year one to year two. If you have a guy like Trent that you can build things around, you take a lot of pressure off your offensive line; you take a lot of pressure off your quarterback, take a lot of pressure off your passing game. When you can throw when it’s your decision to throw and you’re picking where and when you want to go, it’s a lot easier than when you’re in those games where you throw it 25 times in the last 20 minutes.”

Rams second-year running back Isaiah Pead told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a slow start as a rookie kept him from maximizing his potential in 2012. He wasn't allowed to come to offseason workouts because his school didn't graduate students in time and fell behind when camp opened. "The crazy thing was, I wasn't even in school at the time," Pead said. "So I was just sitting around. I had a playbook, but I couldn't explain it to myself. I missed all but a week of (offseason practices) last year, so this year, I just feel like I’m that much farther along."

The Free Lance-Star reports Redskins running back Roy Helu expects to be ready for the start of training camp. A toe injury sidelined him last September and he was held out of recent OTA workouts.

The Washington Post reports that Redskins running back Roy Helu is sitting out OTA workouts this week as he continues to recover from last year's toe injury. The report says Helu also is dealing with an Achilles injury.

The Miami Herald reports that even though the Dolphins "love" Lamar Miller and have Daniel Thomas, who "sees himself as the successor to (Reggie) Bush," the darkhorse candidate to carry the running game is rookie Mike Gillislee. The report says "there is an internal excitement about him. There is hope he can factor and perhaps even surprise everyone." Gillislee was drafted in the fifth round this year out of Florida.