NFL Player News

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.

Rivers "seemingly has the best chance to be the No. 3 running back" for the Rams, according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire.

Rivers was the No. 2 back at times last season but now figures to fall behind rookie third-round pick Blake Corum, who reportedly has been impressive at training camp. With Corum profiling as Kyren Williams' backup, Rivers and Boston Scott are the favorites for back-end roster spots, which might mean more playing time on special teams than offense.

Edwards-Helaire (illness) is not practicing Tuesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Edwards-Helaire looks to primarily be competing with 2023 UDFA Deneric Prince for the No. 2 role behind starter Isiah Pacheco, so having to miss further reps could be significant. The fifth-year veteran landed on the active/non-football illness earlier in camp, and he missed a few days late in July due to sickness, but it remains to be seen whether his current ailment is a related issue.

Tyrone Tracy is leading the training-camp battle to be the Giants' No. 2 running back behind Devin Singletary, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, which would push Gray to third on the depth chart.

Roles are far from set in stone at this point in camp, especially among a Giants running-back corps that will have an entirely different look without the presence of Saquon Barkley. Singletary was brought in during the offseason to take over the lead-back role, but he may not be used as a workhorse to the same extent that Barkley was and hasn't yet demonstrated Barkley's pass-catching acumen. As such, the team's No. 2 back could get considerably more opportunities this season than Matt Breida (who has since moved on) did in the role last year. Gray was a fifth-round pick by New York in 2023 and got his feet wet last year but struggled with 17 carries for just 48 yards. He's listed as second at the running-back position on the team's initial depth chart, per Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site, but according to Dunleavy, Tracy has developed the upper hand for the spot in training camp. Tracy's experience as a wide receiver (he was a wideout during most of his time in college) could be particularly useful in a Brian Daboll offense that could look to use the short pass as an extension of the running game.

Freeman left Monday's practice with what appeared to be a groin injury, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran running back was having a good camp, but any lengthy absence for Freeman could cost him standing in Dallas' backfield. Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott remain the favorites to handle the biggest roles in a potential committee. Freeman's availability for Sunday's preseason game against the Rams should become clear over the next few days.

Luepke has been used more often as a tight end or H-back so far in training camp, Nick Harris of DallasCowboys.com reports.

An undrafted rookie out of North Dakota State last season, Luepke surprisingly won a spot on the 53-man roster and played in all 17 regular-season games plus the Cowboys' wild-card loss to the Packers, but he saw most of his action on special teams rather than at fullback. With the Dallas backfield likely to be a committee in 2024, Luepke could find more snaps as a lead blocker, pass catcher and occasional short-yardage option, but he's still unlikely to provide much fantasy production.

Edmonds (undisclosed) has missed nearly two weeks of practice and won't participate Tuesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Edmonds has been nursing an undisclosed injury since the early days of training camp. He was expected to compete with rookie Bucky Irving and others for backup roles behind starting running back Rachaad White, who played 78.1 percent of Tampa Bay's snaps on offense during the 2023 regular season.

Brieda has agreed to a deal with the 49ers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Breida spent his first three seasons in San Francisco before stints with Miami, Buffalo and the Giants. His most productive years were those he spent with the 49ers, and he will now look for another opportunity to showcase his talents in the Bay Area. Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) was selected by the team in the fourth round of this year's draft and was expected to back up Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell in the backfield, but he is now expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks. As a result, Breida will compete with the likes of Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor and Cody Schrader for a depth running back role heading into the season.