NFL Player News

The 49ers signed Vaughn on Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The 2020 third-round pick out of Vanderbilt spent the first four seasons of his career in Tampa Bay and has now agreed to terms with San Francisco. Vaughn is expected to add depth to a 49ers running back room dealing with injuries to Christian McCaffrey (calf), Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) and Isaac Guerendo (hamstring).

Edwards-Helaire (illness) is practicing Wednesday, Harold R. Kuntz of Fox 4 Kansas city reports.

Edwards-Helaire recently revealed via social media that he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, which is seemingly at least part of the reason he's been in and out of practice this summer. Of course, it's possible he also dealt with an illness unrelated to PTSD. Either way, Edwards-Helaire seems to have participated in more practices than he's missed, and there's not much concern about his knowledge of the Chiefs offense in his fifth season under head coach Andy Reid. He's competing with Deneric Prince for the No. 2 role out of the backfield behind locked-in starter Isiah Pacheco.

Robinson and Ekeler both are listed as starters on Washington's initial preseason depth chart.

The two are expected to form a timeshare, with Robinson likely getting more carries and Ekeler more targets, though offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said Tuesday that Robinson is "a power back who has great hands." Kingsbury also said that he doesn't think Ekeler's 2023 struggles with the Chargers were due to physical decline, noting that the 29-year-old "hasn't lost a step" and is "as fast and as strong as I've seen him." Additional hints about the workload split between the two backs likely won't come to fruition until Week 1, at which point fantasy managers will want to pay close attention to the division of snaps, carries, targets and routes.

Ekeler and Brian Robinson both are listed as starters on Washington's initial preseason depth chart.

The Commanders list 12 starters on offense, with three wideouts, two running backs and a tight end. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury suggested Tuesday that Ekeler and Robinson both will have significant roles, referring to the duo as a "1-2 punch" and noting that he doesn't think Ekeler's down season in 2023 was due to physical decline.

Goodson is listed as the third running back on Indianapolis' first unofficial depth chart of the preseason, Amanda Foster of the Colts' official site reports.

Trey Sermon has had a strong camp and looks secure as the top backup to Jonathan Taylor. However, it's not clear how Indianapolis will use its running backs on passing downs. Goodson or Evan Hull could win a role as the team's third-down back.

Miller has shown off his quickness during training camp and is carving out a role in the Giants' backfield, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Miller joined the Giants in April after last playing at the University of South Carolina in 2022. He has showcased his quickness during training camp, including on a run Tuesday in which he bounced to the outside for a big gain, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. If Miller can perform well in practice and preseason games, he could surpass Tyrone Tracy and Eric Gray for the No. 2 running back job behind starter Devin Singletary.

With the Bears having D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson on the roster, Homer will likely continue to see most of his snaps on special teams.

Last year, Homer played six offensive snaps, but none of those were after Week 8. However, the veteran played at least 11 snaps on special teams in 15 of 16 games. Homer is in the last year of a contract he signed in 2023 and he should remain a core special-teamer.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that McCaffrey (calf) is nursing a calf strain and is unlikely to suit up for any preseason action, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Shanahan said McCaffrey's injury is minor, but that he'll nonetheless miss "a couple weeks" of practice and likely all of San Francisco's exhibition matchups. At the very least, the star running back figures to sit out Saturday's preseason opener against the Titans. Per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News, Shanahan stated that McCaffrey sustained the injury a few days ago. Having inked a two-year, $38 million extension in June, the 28-year-old is primed for a pivotal role again in the 49ers offense, especially if a Brandon Aiyuk trade comes to fruition. Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that McCaffrey's calf injury doesn't appear likely to limit him Week 1 versus the Jets, which is nearly a month away. Backups Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) and Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) are also dealing with injuries of their own, leading to the Monday signing of Matt Breida to join Jordan Mason as a depth option.

Coach Kyle Shanahan relayed Tuesday that Mitchell is dealing with a strained hamstring, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.

Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey has a calf strain that figures to sideline him a couple of weeks and Isaac Guerendo has also been slowed by a hamstring issue. To bolster their backfield depth, the 49ers have added Matt Breida to the mix. Once Mitchell returns to the field, he'll look to cement his standing as McCaffrey 's top backup.

Jacobs is participating in 11-on-11s at Tuesday's practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Jacobs has quickly returned to full participation after a groin injury cost him a few practices last week and then limited his participation to individual drills for a few days thereafter. He's locked in atop the depth chart, ahead of veteran AJ Dillon and rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd. Dillon took 21 of the 26 first-team snaps at Saturday's Family Night practice, with Lloyd handling the other five, per Justin Mosqueda of Acme Packing Co.