NFL Player News

Ford's preseason and regular-season roles will depend on the health statuses of his injured teammates, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

With Nick Chubb (knee) still recovering from knee surgery during the offseason, Ford handled first-team reps in spring workouts, and he likely heads into training camp as the lead back. The Browns could apply injury designations to Chubb and Nyheim Hines (knee) at the beginning of camp, which would cement Ford in the top spot for now. He could keep the job into the regular season if Chubb winds up on the reserve-PUP list, which would require him to miss at least the first four games of the schedule. Ford's role should sort itself out over the coming weeks.

Watson is expected to be recover from a slight leg muscle tweak that landed him on the Broncos' active/non-football injury list, Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post reports.

Watson's placement on the NFI list is seemingly a procedural matter heading into training camp. A quick recovery would be in the undrafted rookie's best interest, as he is attempting to earn a depth role in Denver's backfield. Thus, the more time on the field the better.

Spiller is slated to compete with rookie sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal for the No. 3 running back job behind Gus Edwards (undisclosed) and J.K. Dobbins (Achilles) during training camp, Alexander Insdorf of BoltBeat.com reports.

Spiller, a 2022 fourth-round pick, is averaging just 2.5 YPC on 55 rush attempts across two seasons in the NFL, so he'll likely need to take a big step forward this offseason in order to earn a notable backfield role. Neither of Edwards nor Dobbins are a lock to stay healthy and play a full 17-game slate this season, though the former did accomplish that in 2023 with Baltimore, making the Chargers' third running back spot a position that could eventually hold fantasy value. Plus, new offensive coordinator Greg Roman figures to install a run-heavy scheme, and potentially one that could suit Spiller's elusiveness. However, Vidal boasts similar bulk and notably superior speed to Spiller.

The Vikings placed McBride (undisclosed) on their active/non-football injury list Monday.

The nature and severity of McBride's injury is currently unknown, but he'll now begin Minnesota's training camp on the NFI list. McBride, a 2023 seventh-round pick out of UAB, is still eligible to practice or play at any point in the preseason, but this injury could jeopardize the 23-year-old's chances at making the Vikings' 53-man roster.

Lloyd isn't practicing Monday due to a hip injury, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

It's a suboptimal start to training camp for a rookie hoping to push AJ Dillon for backup work behind Josh Jacobs. While his 220-pound frame and 4.46 speed hint at lead-back potential, Lloyd could be brought along more slowly than a typical third-round pick after fumbling 11 times on 325 touches during his college career.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that Mixon (undisclosed) will not practice and could miss a few days but "will be fine," Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Mixon hasn't practiced the last two days, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com, but it doesn't appear that he's facing a long absence. It remains undisclosed whether Mixon is dealing with an illness or injury, or whether his absence is of a personal nature, but in the meantime Dameon Pierce figures to handle the bulk of the first-team reps, while Dare Ogunbowale, Jawhar Jordan and new backfield addition Cam Akers (Achilles) also could benefit from increased opportunities.

Edwards-Helaire passed his physical Sunday after the Chiefs placed him on the active/non-football illness list Saturday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Veterans reported to Kansas City's training camp Saturday, and after showing up with some sort of ailment, Edwards-Helaire was able to join his teammates on the practice field one day later. He's thus slated to serve as the primary backup to starting running back Isiah Pacheco in the coming campaign, which amounted to 88 touches in 10 regular-season games in 2022 and 87 touches in 15 such contests last season.

Estime (knee) avoided being placed on the active/PUP list by the Broncos prior to the start of training camp Tuesday, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.

Estime missed the majority of the team's offseason program while recovering from a knee scope, but as head coach Sean Payton said earlier in July, the running back appears to be on track to participate immediately at training camp. Estime was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and will compete with the likes of Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine for touches out of the backfield this preseason.

Akers (Achilles) and the Texans agreed on a contract Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Akers worked out for Houston on Sunday, and the team must've seen enough from the running back, inking him to a contract ahead of their training camp beginning Tuesday. The 25-year-old suffered the second Achilles tear of his career in November, and it's unclear how close he is to being ready for full contact at practice.

The Texans hosted Akers (Achilles) for a workout Sunday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Akers tore his Achilles for the second time in his career last November and finished the season on IR. Prior to the injury, the veteran tallied 167 rushing yards and a touchdown on 60 carries and added 70 receiving yards on 11 receptions over seven games between the Rams and Vikings. Houston is looking to add running-back depth behind starter Joe Mixon and backup Dameon Pierce, among others.