NFL Player News

Mixon missed the Texans' last two practices with a tight hamstring, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports. "Joe will be fine," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Joe may miss a little time, but he'll be fine."

Wilson's report provides clarity to what had been previously been an undisclosed injury for Mixon. The Texans aren't concerned about the injury, and the decision to hold Mixon out appears to be precautionary. The team signed Cam Akers to add depth to the position group while Mixon is sidelined.

The Dolphins activated Ahmed (foot) off the active/non-football injury list Tuesday.

Ahmed is seemingly healthy once again after spending less than a week on the NFI list. The 25-year-old will now spend the summer competing with Jeff Wilson and Chris Brooks for a roster spot.

Gibson (undisclosed) has been placed on the Patriots' active/non-football injury list, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Gibson's unspecified issue will prevent him from practicing as training camp commences, but once he's cleared to re-take the field, he'll work toward cementing a key complementary role in New England's backfield alongside returning starter Rhamondre Stevenson. Given that the Patriots are slated to start the season with a new top quarterback (either Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye) and that there's uncertainly with regard to how the team's pass-catching corps will shake out, it's reasonable to expect that a ground game featuring Stevenson and Gibson could pace the attack early on in the 2024 campaign.

Ali (biceps) participated in Monday's training camp practice, Ryan Mink and Matt Ryan of the Ravens' official website reports.

Ali was injured at the Senior Bowl leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft but is all systems go for the start of camp in Baltimore. Taken 165th overall out of Marshall, Ali is competing for a roster spot behind the likes of Derrick Henry, Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell (knee, PUP). Ali figures to see heavy preseason usage this summer.

Titans coach Brian Callahan said Tuesday he doesn't view either Pollard or Tyjae Spears as the clear-cut starter in the backfield, Jim Wyatt of the team's official website reports.

"The fun part for me is, how are we going to deploy those guys?," Callahan said. "Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth. I don't know what that's going to look like yet. But they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don't view either one of them as a starter or a backup. They are both starting players to me." This sounds like typical coach speak, and Pollard was handpicked by this coaching staff when he was inked to a three-year, $21.75 million deal on the first day of free agency. Callahan also treated Joe Mixon like a workhorse during his time with the Bengals, and Pollard has a three-down skill set. He is coming off an inefficient 2023 season in Dallas, but he's more than a full year removed from a broken fibula and is still just 27 years old with only one season of more than 250 touches on his resume. For fantasy purposes, Pollard should still be viewed as the top back in Tennessee, with Spears handling the same change-of-pace role he had behind Derrick Henry in 2023.

Kamara, who skipped the final day of minicamp back in June, is present for training camp Tuesday, Luke Johnson and Matthew Paras of NOLA.com report.

Kamara skipped the final day of June's mandatory minicamp due to apparent dissatisfaction with his current contract, but he won't risk incurring fines by skipping training camp. The veteran running back, who turns 29 this Thursday, is effectively heading into the final year of his contract, as there's little conceivable scenario wherein the Saints take on the $29 million cap hit he's due in 2025. Kamara has now put together three straight seasons with a 4.0 or worse YPC mark, but he's kept his fantasy value afloat via work in the receiving game, having tallied 75 receptions through just 13 games last year. He again projects for a high-usage role in 2024, with Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams behind him on the depth chart.

Edwards-Helaire was the third running back up during the run period of Tuesday's practice for Kansas City, behind starter Isiah Pacheco and 2023 UDFA Deneric Prince, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

The AFC West powerhouse no longer has Jerick McKinnon on the roster and settled for undrafted rookies as their backfield additions this offseason, but that doesn't mean Edwards-Helaire is a lock for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Even if he does reprise that role, as many expect, CEH could end up limited to passing-down situations while another back serves as Pacheco's backup on early downs and in short-yardage situations. Kansas City re-signed Edwards-Helaire in March on a one-year, $1.7 million contract that includes $1.325 guaranteed -- considerably less than the average annual value on his rookie contract after the team selected him 32nd overall in the 2020 Draft.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that Lloyd (hip) will probably miss a few days of practice but shouldn't be absent long, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Lloyd is dealing with a hip injury to begin training camp, but it sounds like the issue is only minor. The 2024 third-round pick appears well positioned to carve out a role behind Josh Jacobs early in his career, but he'll need to get back on the field and establish himself above AJ Dillon on the depth chart. Lloyd's explosiveness and versatility give him a clear path to a significant role, but he also brings ball-security concerns from his time at USC (11 fumbles on 325 touches).

Prince was the second Kansas City running back to take a carry during Tuesday's run period, behind only Isiah Pacheco, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Prince spent most of 2023 on the team's practice squad after going undrafted in the spring, with his two regular-season appearances yielding 15 snaps on special teams. He has another shot to earn a backup role, as the defending Super Bowl champions didn't do much to reinforce their backfield behind Pacheco this offseason, merely re-signing Clyde Edwards-Helaire and bringing in more undrafted rookies. Prince probably isn't ahead of Edwards-Helaire on the depth chart but might be viewed as a better fit for early downs and/or short-yardage situations if Pacheco were to miss time with an injury.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that Dillon has arrived at camp in the best shape he's ever seen him, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

The 247-pound back has always relied on power more than speed and agility, but even by that standard he looked sluggish last season en route to 3.4 yards per carry across 178 totes. Dillon's YPC mark has dropped with each passing year since the Packers took him late in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and he failed to put up fantasy-worthy numbers last season even when Aaron Jones was inactive. Jones is now gone, replaced by Josh Jacobs and third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd, but the latter is absent from early training camp practices due to a hip injury. There are perhaps still obstacles ahead, namely Lloyd, but it sounds like Dillon is off to a strong start in his quest to maintain the No. 2 spot on Green Bay's backfield depth chart. Dillon re-signed with the Packers in March on a one-year, $2.74 million contract.