NFL Player News

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Dolphins rookie Mike Gillislee, who ran for 1,152 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season at Florida, will compete with Lamar Miller, a 2012 fourth-round pick, and Daniel Thomas, a 2011 second-round pick, for the starting tailback spot during training camp this summer. Gillislee was drafted in the fifth round this year.

When asked about his running backs Colts head coach Chuck Pagano conceded that Vick Ballard was the primary option but that Donald Brown would be in the mix. He even went as far as to call him a "home-run hitter" while expressing thankfulness for his health. "Donnie’s in great shape and healthy and looks fantastic to this point in the offseason program," Pagano said. "Can Vick be an every-down guy? Yeah. Can Donnie be an every-down guy? Yeah. They are different types of runners and are more than capable on third down, knowing the protections and picking up blitzers and being effective once they get out to catch the football and doing those things out of the backfield."

Patriots running back Shane Vereen told ESPN he's been more focused this offseason knowing that a larger role awaits him in training camp now that Danny Woodhead has left for San Diego. "There's a little more focus on my part. There has to be," Vereen said. "[I need to] just be more consistent. More reliable. That comes with practice and that comes with time, so hopefully we'll get there. ... I'm a dual threat, it means I have to know multiple positions. I have to know everything, really. Here, it wasn't always easy coming in. You've got to learn how to learn the system, make sense of it to yourself. I'm more of a visual learner, so I learn a lot by seeing it on the field. [But] I've been to plenty of practices, seen and taken a lot of mental reps as well as physical reps. I don't think it's much of an issue any more."

The Kansas City Star reports that Chiefs running back Shaun Draughn missed a full-squad workout Tuesday while recovering from a sports hernia.

The Miami Herald reports that Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas expects to compete for the starting job even though Lamar Miller is considered the front-runner. “I don’t know why [Miller] would have the inside track,” Thomas said. “It’s an open competition. Everybody has a fair shot. The best player is going to get the job. Nobody has a leg up. I’m looking to be that guy…. That’s why I put the work in.” Thomas said he trained in Arizona with other players including Tim Tebow, Terrell Suggs, LaRon Landry and James Harrison: “I wanted to get my legs back stronger [after knee surgery],” he said. “I’ve been very inconsistent. I’ve had a lot of injures. This is the year I’ve got to put everything together. When I’m healthy and on top of my game, I feel like I can play with the best of them.”

The Cardinals official team website reports that the running back battle for the starting job between Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Williams and rookies Stepfan Taylor and Andre Ellington could be wide open. “You really can’t tell until the lights come on,” coach Bruce Arians said. “... Until you turn the lights on, you really don’t know about them.” Mendenhall had his best years under Arians in Pittsburgh and now that he’s had so much time to recover from his knee issues – plus his one-year-need-to-prove-it contract – he could be primed for a rebound season. Williams seems certain he will be effective this year, after never being certain in his knee early last season before suffering his shoulder problem. If both come through, Taylor and Ellington won’t be needed. Even if they are, they have to show they are ready.

The Cardinals official team website reports that the running back battle for the starting job between Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Williams and rookies Stepfan Taylor and Andre Ellington could be wide open. “You really can’t tell until the lights come on,” coach Bruce Arians said. “... Until you turn the lights on, you really don’t know about them.” Mendenhall had his best years under Arians in Pittsburgh and now that he’s had so much time to recover from his knee issues – plus his one-year-need-to-prove-it contract – he could be primed for a rebound season. Williams seems certain he will be effective this year, after never being certain in his knee early last season before suffering his shoulder problem. If both come through, Taylor and Ellington won’t be needed. Even if they are, they have to show they are ready.

Cowboys rookie running back Joseph Randle is recovering from thumb surgery the team claims it knew about before drafting him in April. He's expected to be in a cast for six to eight weeks but will do individual drills and take mental reps during offseason minicamps. "It's certainly a restriction on his thumb, but I think candidly there are a lot of things we can do out here in OTAs and get that thumb clubbed up and he’ll get a lot of work in, a lot of valuable repetition," owner Jerry Jones said. "And we made that decision when we drafted him. Was he going to be able to be ready and that is mentally as well, prepared, to get out here to camp and not have to make up all the lost time in OTAs? I think he will be."

ESPN reports Cowboys rookie running back Joseph Randle is sporting a brace on his hand.

The City Paper in Nashville reports that Titans running back Chris Johnson is excited about the new offense in Tennessee this year. “Basically we’re learning a new playbook right now and there’s a lot of different things going in,” Johnson said. “It’s something we should have a good time doing. Last year … we basically were trying to turn into like a passing team. Coming in this year [we know] it’s going to be a run-first offense.” The Titans have overhauled their offense to improve the run game. Most notably, they signed free agent guard Andy Levitre and used two picks in the first four rounds of the draft on guard Chance Warmack (first round) and center Brian Scwenke (fourth round). “We want to be able to run the ball when we want to and when we need to,” first-year offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “Obviously, the commitment made to rebuilding the interior of the offensive line is a big part of that.”