NFL Player News

Montgomery did not play in Houston's preseason game against Las Vegas on Thursday, according to Texans Wire.

The Texans went with a mixed crew of starters and backups to open their second preseason game. It's probably a good sign for Montgomery's Week 1 role that he was among the players rested, though second-string RB Woody Marks took advantage of the opportunity with a 20-yard TD scamper on which he broke two tackles. Montgomery still figures to get the start and most of the carries in a Week 1 home game against Buffalo.

Jeanty was among the Raiders starters who rested in Thursday's 22-20 preseason win over Houston, according to The Associated Press.

With Kirk Cousins, Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers also resting, Jeanty's absence is a good sign for his regular-season workload. Backup running back Mike Washington broke off a long run for the second time in as many preseason games, but it's unclear if he'll be a significant part of the offense come Week 1 against Miami.

Black rushed eight times for 33 yards and wasn't targeted in the 49ers' 41-17 preseason win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

The rookie third-round pick operated as the starting running back with Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) inactive, and Black immediately recorded a five-yard gain on the 49ers' first play from scrimmage. The Indiana product also had eight- and nine-yard runs on San Francisco' second possession as he continued to make a strong case for the No. 2 job to open the regular season. Black saw backfield mate Sincere McCormick put together an impressive 6-53-1 line on the ground Thursday as well, but the former likely has the inside track to serve as McCaffrey's primary backup in a backfield where Jordan James (ribs) and Isaac Guerendo (PUP-pectoral) are also vying for roles.

Mitchell rushed three times for minus-1 yard and brought in his only target for 11 yards in the Chargers' 41-17 preseason loss to the 49ers on Thursday night.

After Omarion Hampton served as the starting running back on the team's opening possession, Mitchell entered the game the second time the Chargers had the ball and played a total of two drives. The speedy offseason addition saw a 21-yard reception wiped out by an illegal formation penalty, but he had a solid 11-yard gain on his one catch that did count. While Mitchell couldn't get anything going on the ground, the fourth-year pro is expected to play a solid complementary role behind Hampton and alongside Kimani Vidal in coordinator Mike McDaniel's creative offensive scheme.

Hampton rushed once for minus-1 yard and wasn't targeted in the Chargers' 41-17 preseason loss to the 49ers on Thursday night.

The second-year pro was the first Chargers running back to touch the ball, and he and the rest of Los Angeles' first-team offense exited the game after that opening possession. Hampton's brief appearance was unsurprising considering his importance to the team's offense, and it remains to be seen if he or any of the rest of the unit's front-line players will see any time during next Thursday night's home preseason finale against the Rams.

Washington rushed nine times for 56 yards while catching two of three targets for 18 yards in Thursday's 22-20 preseason win over the Texans.

Washington has churned out an impressive 119 yards on 15 carries through two preseason games, averaging a robust 7.9 yards per carry thanks to a 56-yard run against the Cardinals in the previous game and a 33-yard run Thursday against the Texans. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Arkansas has shown nice burst in establishing himself as the favorite to back up Ashton Jeanty heading into Vegas' preseason finale against the 49ers next Thursday.

Marks rushed four times for 37 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for six yards in Thursday's 22-20 preseason loss to the Raiders.

All of Marks' production came on a busy opening drive for the second-year running back, which he capped off with a 20-yard touchdown run. Once the games start to count, Marks is likely to share the backfield workload with David Montgomery, who didn't appear in Thursday's exhibition game. Montgomery is the favorite to handle most of the early-down work, while Marks could see most of his opportunities in passing situations. During Marks' rookie regular season, the 2025 fourth-round pick had three receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.

McCaffrey (undisclosed) will not play in Thursday night's preseason game against the Chargers, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

McCaffrey remains idle with "tightness," though he was on the field for pregame warmups Thursday and looked to be moving around normally. Coach Kyle Shanahan has continued to downplay McCaffrey's "injury" and said Tuesday that CMC would be practicing if it were the regular season. There's been nothing to suggest McCaffrey is in any sort of danger of missing Week 1 against the Rams in three weeks.

Benson (knee) has not been present for any portion of the Cardinals' previous two full-squad practices this week, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

After stretching with the team ahead of Monday's walkthrough practice, Benson hasn't since been seen by the media. He's been dealing with the knee injury all summer after missing the final 14 weeks of the 2025 campaign with an injury to the same knee. Unable to practice much or play so far this summer, Benson could be on the outside looking in for a roster spot, considering he doesn't play special teams.

The 49ers signed Herbert on Thursday.

Just three days after cutting Herbert, the Niners are bringing back the veteran running back after the team placed Patrick Taylor (undisclosed) on injured reserve in a corresponding move. Herbert carried the ball 16 times for 52 scoreless yards across seven regular-season appearances with the Jets last season. He faces an uphill battle to crack the 49ers' roster.