NFL Player News

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that Lloyd (hip) will participate in individual drills during Tuesday's practice, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Lloyd has yet to take part in team work during training camp while he manages a hip issue, but his return to individual drills offers hope that he'll soon be back on the field as a full participant. The 2024 third-round pick out of USC will likely head into the Packers' Aug. 10 preseason opener versus the Browns third on the depth chart at running back behind Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon. However, given his superior explosiveness as well as the draft capital invested in him, Lloyd has a good chance at supplanting Dillon as the preferred complement to Jacobs if the rookie can quickly move past his hip concern.

Johnson will miss practice Tuesday with a hamstring injury, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Johnson departed Monday's practice early and was evaluated by trainers, leaving rookie Ray Davis as the most likely RB to rotate in behind James Cook with the starting offense. Johnson and Davis reportedly had a near-even split of first-team reps Sunday when Cook was absent for personal reasons, with Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic noting a slight advantage in Johnson's favor. Missed time due to a hamstring injury could improve Davis' odds of taking over the No. 2 RB role that Johnson handled late last season.

The Panthers placed Penny on the reserve/retired list Tuesday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

There are always a few retirements this time of year, with players realizing they're unlikely to earn a roster spot and don't have much of a future in the league. Penny was a first-round pick for Seattle back in 2018 but played only 45 games over six NFL seasons amidst a slew of injuries. He had a memorable stretch at the end of the 2021 campaign, amassing 135 or more rushing yards four times over the final five weeks, but his 671 rushing yards during that stretch represent 34.4 percent of his career total.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones suggested Monday that Freeman is in good position for a roster spot and backup role, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Jones said Freeman is "a great 2-3 combination in terms of what he can do as a backup" and "a great complement to [Ezekiel Elliott]". Jones then mentioned Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis having to "battle it out," which could be taken as a sign that Freeman's roster spot is more secure than Dowdle's even though the latter was the No. 2 RB in Dallas last season. It's only the first week of training camp and a lot could change before Week 1, but it seems Freeman is at least making an impression with his combination of size, special teams experience and passing-down competence. Explosive running isn't something he really offers, but that's also probably true of most of the other Dallas running backs.

Pierce is expected to see a lot of action in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against Chicago, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.

Joe Mixon (hamstring) will not play in the preseason opener, and was probably not going to play even if healthy. Pierce will get a chance to build off the good work he's shown in practice sessions. After struggling with Houston's zone-blocking scheme in 2023, the third-year back has received good reviews since the start of training camp.

Mixon (hamstring) will not play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Bears, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.

Even had Mixon not been dealing with a hamstring injury, it's unlikely he would have played Thursday. The Texans are expected to give Dameon Pierce and Jawhar Jordan extensive action in the backfield.

The Jets activated Bawden (undisclosed) off the active/PUP list Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The San Diego State product had been sidelined with an undisclosed injury of late, but he's now passed his physical and moved past the issue. Bawden appeared in 16 regular-season games with the Jets last season, and he's expected to remain New York's top fullback once again in 2024.

Williams and Ray-Ray McCloud are the Falcons' first-team returners to start training camp, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Given the new return rules in the NFL, teams are trying different personnel combinations to start training camp. Surprisingly, phenom running back Bijan Robinson isn't getting any looks as a return man to start training camp, with Williams and McCloud currently backed up by Mike Hughes and Rondale Moore. Williams has totaled 803 kick-return yards and 445 punt-return yards over his first two seasons in Atlanta.

Guerendo is expected to be sidelined multiple weeks due to the hamstring injury he sustained last week, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Based on Schefter's report, it seems likely that the rookie fourth-rounder will be unavailable for the 49ers' preseason opener, at a minimum. Once he's back in the mix, Guerendo will compete with Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor and Cody Schrader for backfield slotting behind Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell.

Laube has been making a case to earn some playing time early on this coming season, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said the rookie sixth-round pick is "off to a great start," after head coach Antonio Pierce noted of Laube on Friday, "That dude is special. I like him...and he's gritty. he's a gritty RB. One thing - he surprises you with his speed." That said, Tafur acknowledges that Laube currently slots in behind fellow backs Zamir White, Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah. The rookie is a threat to take over Abdullah's role on third downs and could also get a look on kick returns.