August 2016 4for4 Player News Articles

Is Jace Amaro safe?

The 2014 second-round pick had a really strong start to training camp, but has fallen off since. He has done virtually nothing in the games, and missed last week’s game with the Giants because of a groin injury.

This coaching staff has never seemed to embrace Amaro, perhaps because of his liabilities as a blocker. I think he could be in jeopardy this weekend.

Amaro is fighting with Kellen Davis, Zach Sudfeld and Brandon Bostick at tight end. Davis’ spot looks secured with the others up in the air, the story said.

Tight end Jimmy Graham won’t be in the lineup for the Seahawks on Thursday when they close the preseason against the Raiders, but the fourth week of the preseason has never been the date on people’s minds when it comes to Graham’s return to game action.

Week 1 against the Dolphins is the date that everyone has been watching and there’s still no answer from the team about whether Graham will play. Coach Pete Carroll was typically upbeat on Wednesday, but said a determination won’t be made for another week or so.

“Jimmy has been practicing full-go, and we’re thrilled about it,” Carroll said, via the team’s website. “He is too, he has had a lot of fun being back out with the fellas and all. He had a full week of practice, he’ll have another full week of practice, and we’ll just keep taking it day-to-day. … We won’t know until late next week.”

Taking Graham off the physically unable to perform list is a good sign that the Seahawks expect to have Graham in the lineup in the first few weeks of the season, but there’s not much to gain from pushing for the first of 16 games if it creates undue risk about the next 15 on the schedule, the story said.

John Brown, who is still suffering recurring headaches from a July 31 concussion.

Although Brown returned to practice last week, he's not prepared to declare himself ready for Week 1.

"I'm just taking it one day at a time," Brown said Monday, via The Arizona Republic. "My focus right now is just being able to practice, just being able to get through a full practice."

Brown noted that this is his first career concussion, and he felt "fine" after Monday's practice. Coach Bruce Arians continues to take a cautious approach with the third-year wideout and Arians said he's been concerned the whole time. J.J. Nelson and Jaron Brown are next up on the depth chart should John Brown not be able to go.

Ravens running back Justin Forsett became a late bloomer in NFL circles two years ago, when he rushed for 1,266 yards during his first season in Baltimore. Now approaching 31 and coming back from a broken arm that shortened his 2015 campaign, Forsett is ready to build on what he did in 2014.

Appearing Wednesday on PFT Live on NBC Sports Radio and NBCSN, Forsett said he’s 100 percent again. He also said that he’s feeling great and fresh because, for most of his early years, he didn’t have the same wear and tear that other running backs experience. He also has noticed something positive about being an experience (i.e., older) player in the NFL.

The Ravens took a bit of a hit at the position with Kenneth Dixon missing the next couple of weeks. Some who follow the team feel Dixon will eventually claim the RB1 spot but for now it looks to be Forsett again. Javorius Allen will also be in the mix as will Terrance West.

The Seahawks enter the season without Marshawn Lynch for the first time since 2010. That's not good news. The good news is that they already managed to find a suitable replacement in Thomas Rawls, who burst onto the scene last year when Lynch battled injuries.

The even better news: Rawls' recovery from a broken ankle, which ended his season last December, is going along as planned. On Wednesday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed that Rawls will be out there for the Seahawks' season opener against the Dolphins two Sundays from now.

"He continued to have a great week," Carroll said, per ESPN. "There's no question that he looks to be able to play in the opener."

The big question is will there be some kind of split with Rawls and Christine Michael in the backfield. Michael seems to have turned the corner in his career and had a very good preseason leading Carroll to call the duo a "one-two punch" at one point in camp. Rawls hasn't played in the preseason but could in the team's final contest. Either way, he could be eased into things if he is active Week 1.

Browns rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman received a crash course on Murphy’s law last week during his NFL preseason debut.

He caught a screen pass for a 9-yard gain from quarterback Robert Griffin III late in the first quarter, but the play was negated by receiver Terrelle Pryor’s pass interference penalty.

He was targeted twice in the second quarter but lost his footing and fell both times before the ball arrived. He even lost a shoe the first time.

He squabbled with Pryor during the game.

The story said HC Hue Jackson said Coleman was pressing. Coleman and the rest of the starters will get a chance to redeem themselves in the final preseason game as the starters are expected to play. It's not clear how long the starters will be in the game. Coleman has missed five practices and sat out two preseason games thus far, the story said.

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will get some more work in before the preseason wraps. Cruz is expected to play approximately a series or two (8-10 snaps) in Thursday’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots, according to multiple sources.

Cruz will be paired with rookie wide receiver Sterling Shepard. Some of the Giants' offensive starters will receive work as they try to erase the taste of a rough preseason. Star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and quarterback Eli Manning are not expected to play.

How long players play seems to be a case-by-case basis HC Ben McAdoo said in the story. Cruz has spent the last two weeks with the team's first-team offense but the entire unit has struggled for the most part in preseason.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan went a little deeper to improve an element of his game.

Teammate Julio Jones was the first to say Ryan's arm is much stronger than it was last year, and Ryan would be the first to agree. After eight NFL seasons, the 31-year-old Ryan decided to step out of his normal offseason routine, in part, to enhance his ability to throw deep.

Ryan visited Tom House and Adam Dedeaux of the acclaimed 3DQB training facility in Los Angeles after hearing recommendations, the story said. House, a former major league pitcher and pitching coach, and Dedeaux, a former pitcher at USC, developed a program aimed to improve the overall throwing performance of quarterbacks by focusing on four key areas: functional strength and conditioning, mechanics and motion analysis, mental and emotional management, and nutrition. They've worked with Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer, to name a few.

Antonio Brown is getting some of his money early.

The Steelers franchise receiver restructured his deal, NFL Media's Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday. A photo of Brown looking as though he just finished signing something with his agent Drew Rosenhaus standing over him emerged early in the morning on the wideout's Twitter.

Garafolo is reporting Brown will now earn north of $10 million this year after being due $6.25 million initially. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport added that the new money (with an $8.975 million signing bonus) comes with the promise of a new deal next year, according to a source with knowledge of the contract.

Adam Gase brings with him an offensive system that combines elements of his various stops in the NFL, but one constant: Over the past few years, he always had a tight end to count on.

Whether it was the Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas in Denver or a two-headed attack in Chicago, Gase has moved players around like chess pieces, always managing to find mismatches that benefited tight ends.

The struggles the Dolphins have had in incorporating tight ends in their passing game this preseason have been on display for all to see and dissect ad nauseam. What hasn’t been in the public’s sights: how Gase has focused on getting more out of Jordan Cameron as a receiving tight end.

“I’m starting to get a good feel for what he likes,” Gase said Tuesday. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with him over the last couple of weeks as far as, ‘What do we need to do different that I can get you a little bit in a rhythm?’ I feel like we’re kind of starting to hit some of those things.”

Gase said TEs need to be make more of an impact in the passing game as well as blocking. It’s not all on Cameron. Together with No. 2 tight end Dion Sims, they have managed just six receptions for 34 yards this preseason, with drops earning more attention than catches, the story said.

Malcolm Mitchell isn’t letting an unfortunate setback slow him down.

The Patriots rookie wide receiver suffered a gruesome-looking elbow injury in the team’s preseason opener against the Saints, but it was a lot less severe than it appeared to be. Mitchell, wearing a brace, was back at practice in limited action just days after, and it seems the rookie is doing his best to not let it hinder his early development.

“I’m not a big fan of hesitating or letting something slow me down,” Mitchell said. “Injury’s an injury, you just deal with it. I think it’s worse if you think about it too much. Obviously you have to be smart about it, but at some point you just gotta let it go and just play.”

It’s unclear just exactly when Mitchell will be back playing again — the initial timetable suggested he would be out four weeks, which is around the time of the Patriots’ opener at Arizona — but he’s doing everything in his power to get back as quickly as possible, the story said.

After three preseason games, Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said the thing that stands out about quarterback Brock Osweiler is the way he commands the offense.

Not that it came easy.

The story has been told about how hard Osweiler worked this offseason to learn the Texans' offense. O'Brien and offensive coordinator George Godsey's scheme is complex, and several players have said it took them more than a year to truly "get it."

The story said Osweiler spent a lot of time learning the offense quickly and that it seems to be paying off. There doesn't seem to be a ton of fantasy hype around Osweiler with lots of higher-ranked options, but Osweiler has a stud WR in DeAndre Hopkins as well as some other up-and-comers. The Texans will likely stick to a run-first game plan, but the run game should also open things up, especially for play action. Osweiler at least should have some streaming value this season and is ranked 26th on our QB list.

The Pittsburgh Steelers walked away from last season with an affinity for Jesse James but unsure if that relationship would graduate to love. The signing of tight end Ladarius Green to a four-year deal confirmed that status.

Now that Green will start the season on the physically unable to perform list, the Steelers need the love to flow through the Three Rivers.

It is officially Jesse James time. And he's ready.

"I feel really good. I feel confident," said James, who recorded four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans last week. "I want to be a primary option for us."

The story didn't predict James would become a primary option, but did feel, at 6-6, he's a huge red zone target with sure hands. He works hard at blocking and isn't elite but wants to get better, the story said. It sounds like he could make for a lower-end TE1 or high-end TE2 fantasy option if all goes well. Ben Roethlisberger likes to target the TE so it may just be a matter of gaining James' trust in key situations as well as the red zone.

Teddy Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury today at practice. The injury was quickly identified as a dislocated knee. The injury was stabilized, and he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and evaluation. After undergoing an MRI, it was determined that Teddy suffered a complete tear to his ACL and other structural damage.

The statement went on to say there appears to be no nerve or arterial damage. Surgical repair will be scheduled within the next few days. Although the recovery time will be significant, we expect Teddy to make a full recovery, it said.

It's a major blow to Minnesota's Super Bowl hopes and the overall upside of the team's passing game, including Stefon Diggs. Shaun Hill is a capable backup, though the team may want to trade for depth (or a potential starter) at the position. Hill has a career 62.0% completion rate, and a 49-to-30 TD-to-INT ratio. His career 6.8 YPA is a half-yard less than the league average (7.3 YPA) in 2015. While Bridgewater is more of a game-manager, Hill is known as a gunslinger who's willing to take some chances, so this isn't a major downgrade for the Vikings' skill position players.

Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham continues to see his workload increase. The 29-year-old took part in pregame warmups versus the Cowboys and has taken part in team drills during practice this week as he works his way back from surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon.

The story said Graham has looked impressive, but offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said Graham now needs to spend time getting used to playing in on-field traffic as he attempts to return for the Seahawks regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 11.

Cardinals HC Bruce Arians said Tuesday that wide receiver John Brown can play against the Denver Broncos.

Brown has been suffering from headaches after his first concussion. Arians didn't say whether he would suit up Brown in this final game. Brown had a couple of headache-free days so this is good news he's been cleared.

Chargers undrafted running back Kenneth Farrow has made some noise of his own.

“I really liked the way he ran the ball against Tennessee,” Chargers coach Mike McCoy said this week of the rookie's outing Aug. 13.

McCoy praised Farrow’s “physical” and "downhill" style.

The stakes will rise for the University of Houston alumnus on Thursday. No. 3 running back Branden Oliver sustained a season-ending injury last Sunday, and Farrow is seen as a potential replacement despite having missed the past two exhibitions.

Farrow, who was joined in the competition Monday by Atlanta Falcons castoff Gus Johnson, will work in his second NFL exhibition. Versus the Titans, he rushed 16 times for 60 yards (3.8 per carry) and caught two passes for 25 yards. If Farrow gets the job, he's a Melvin Gordon injury away from possible significant carries so this is a name, and a camp competition, to watch as we head closer toward the season.

The Broncos used a first-round draft pick on quarterback Paxton Lynch, then told him to wait. They put Trevor Siemian and Mark Sanchez through a ringer to decide on a starting quarterback. But the competition will not stop when the season starts.

Lynch is on a fast track, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday. And Denver is pressing the 22-year-old rookie from Memphis as much as he can be pushed.

“As fast as we can get it,” Kubiak said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

Lynch will likely play the first snap to last Thursday in the Broncos’ final preseason game, at Arizona against the Cardinals. Siemian, who will start when the season opens Sept. 8 against the Carolina Panthers, will not play. If there’s a moment when Lynch can’t go Thursday, Sanchez would be his backup, Kubiak said.

The author senses the team is in a hurry to get Lynch up to speed, and rushing toward their future. Kubiak says he wants to seem consistent improvement from Lynch. Another issue is getting too deep in the gun, due to his height. The story added the team is impressed with his internal clock.

Redskins rookie wide receiver Josh Doctson raised expectations for a return to practice by tweeting, “It’s finally go time!” on Monday evening. He even apologized to the team’s fans, writing “Sorry for the wait … ”

But there was no increase in the first-round wide receiver’s workload during the portion of Tuesday’s practice that was open to reporters at Redskins Park. Asked afterward what Doctson had meant by “Go time,” Coach Jay Gruden answered with a quip.

“Let’s ‘go’ back to the training room, for him,” Gruden said with a chuckle, adding that the rookie was “very, very close” to returning.

The Redskins placed Doctson on the Physically Unable to Perform List on July 28, after he’d been sidelined by an Achilles’ tendon strain suffered during spring practice. Gruden added he doesn't think Doctson has "full full-speed burst" yet but he's very, very close.

Competition for the Rams final wide receiver spots appear wide open heading into the final preseason game, against the Vikings.

The shoulder injury sustained by No. 3 receiver Pharoh Cooper, who is expected to miss at least the first regular-season game, has created some uncertainty beyond Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin and Cooper.

Four undrafted rookies -- Paul McRoberts, Nelson Spruce, Mike Thomas and Duke Williams -- remain in a battle. So do Austin Hill and Bradley Marquez, who has fully recovered from his ankle injury. And veteran Brian Quick could be on the bubble due to prior drops, the story said.

Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez said Tuesday that he’d like to stay with the Broncos even though he did not win the team’s starting job and intends to keep working as if he will be with the team, at least until he is told he is not.

Coach Gary Kubiak formally named Trevor Siemian the Broncos’ starting quarterback Monday and now has to decide who the team’s No. 2 quarterback will be -- rookie Paxton Lynch or Sanchez. That leaves Sanchez, who did not play in this past Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams and will not play Thursday night in Arizona unless Lynch needs to come out of the preseason finale for some reason, with an uncertain future after he had arrived in Denver calling his place with the Broncos "an opportunity of a lifetime."

Needless to say, Sanchez's fate is in limbo, the story said. There have been reports the team is offering him up in trade talks, specifically to the Cowboys. He's an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Teddy Bridgewater suffered a “significant (left) knee injury” in Tuesday’s practice at Winter Park, according to Mike Zimmer, but the coach said the team did not yet know the extent of the injury suffered by the quarterback.

Bridgewater reportedly did not take a hit before falling to the ground after he dropped back to pass and planted his foot. Players gathered around Bridgewater and some began to pray. An ambulance was brought in to transport the third-year quarterback to the hospital.

ESPN reported that trainers rushed to Bridgewater’s side and began inflating an aircast, as Bridgewater held his leg. Zimmer said Bridgewater was sedated and was undergoing an MRI as he spoke at a press conference around 5 p.m. eastern time. We'll continue to update.

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles is behind schedule from his knee injury. The Chiefs said during the offseason that barring a setback, Charles would be ready to participate when training camp started.

There was no setback, but Charles wasn’t ready for the start of camp. He hasn’t regained the role – full-time featured back – he had before last season’s torn ACL.

Charles was back and a playing full time by this point of his return from his previous ACL tear, in 2012. But he was four years younger then

“I’m happy where I’m at,’’ Charles said. “Every time is always different than the first time. I can’t treat it like when I had the first ACL. I’ve got to treat it different.

“The first time I tore it the second game (of the season). This time I tore it the fifth game. So it’s totally different. The doctor told me when I had (this injury), ‘Don’t do it like you did the first one because it’s totally different.’ Every knee is different.’’

In the meantime, Spencer Ware generally gets a lot of the starter’s snaps in practice. Charcandrick West gets some. Sometimes there are a few left for Charles, too, the story said. Ware and West proved to be more than capable NFL backs last season filling in for Charles. So even if Charles can play Week 1, owners have to wonder just how many snaps he'll get. He'll likely be eased back in - at best. It's possible his workload is reduced even if he's back to full strength.

The Titans have released running back David Cobb, a fifth round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Cobb was one of two players released on Tuesday as the team got down to the league-mandated 75 players.

Cobb had a disappointing rookie season in 2015. He spent the first half of last season on injured reserve with a calf injury. During the second half of the year, he had limited success carrying the football. The Titans have a pretty deep backfield, trading for DeMarco Murray and drafting Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. The team also has running backs Dexter McCluster, Antonio Andrews, Bishop Sankey and David Fluellen.

Running back Carlos Hyde, who sustained a concussion Friday night in the 49ers’ exhibition game against the Green Bay Packers, has cleared his baseline level of signs and symptoms and has started non-football activity.

Hyde will not play Thursday night in the 49ers’ exhibition finale against the San Diego Chargers, but he appears to be on pace to return to practice next week for the 49ers’ regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, Sept. 12.

Hyde, and all players returning from a concussion, must remain symptom-free after light aerobic exercise, strength training , football-specific activities and full clearance to return to practice. Hyde was on a side field on Tuesday going through non-football activity, the story said. Keep in mind this is a Monday night game so Hyde's status hopefully isn't in question leading up to the game.

Ladarius Green will continue to sit out.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Tuesday they placed the tight end on the physically unable to perform list to start the season.

The move doesn't come as a surprise. Green hasn't participated in workouts after signing a four-year, $20 million contract this offseason.

NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala reported earlier this month that Green was dealing with recurring headaches after suffering multiple concussions during his four years in San Diego.

The Steelers and Green insist his ankle has been the reason he's missed workouts, but the tight end's agent told Kinkhabwala the ankle is "fine."

Green was ramping up his activity, but he’ll miss at least the first six games as he continues to rehab his ankle (or deals with lingering headaches from a 2015 concussion, depending on who you believe). He has fantastic potential in this offense, so his status is worth monitoring in September and October as a possible midseason pickup. But he’s no longer worth a late-round pick in all but the deepest leagues. Jesse James takes over as the starter and is a sneaky play for the first half of the season. James has terrific size and should serve as a nice target in the red zone.

The 49ers placed WR Bruce Ellington on the Injured Reserve List.

Ellington (5-9, 197) was originally selected by San Francisco in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. In his two seasons with the 49ers, he has appeared in 26 games and registered 19 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns to go along with seven rushing attempts for 35 yards and one touchdown. On special teams, he has returned 42 punts for 325 yards (7.7 average) and 50 kickoffs for 1,279 yards (25.6 average) throughout his career.

Ellington was shaping up as a nice sleeper, especially in PPR formats since it looked like he could lead the 49ers in receptions. The team recently traded for Jeremy Kerley, whose 56-827-2 season in 2012 seems like a lifetime ago. Still, he’s just 27 and could fill the slot in Chip Kelly’s offense, a place where Jordan Matthews stood out under Kelly with the Eagles. With Torrey Smith completely MIA in the preseason, the 49er passing game is in a bad way. Quinton Patton and DeAndre Smelter could also battle for snaps.

The Vikings just called off practice after 25 minutes, when Teddy Bridgewater went down on a non-contact play. Trainers immediately rushed to Bridgewater's side, while players dropped to one knee in prayer.

Other outlets are reporting it is a knee injury and it looks serious. If he misses extended time, it's a blow to Minnesota's Super Bowl hopes and the upside of the team's passing game, including Stefon Diggs. Shaun Hill is a capable backup, and can hold down the fort for a few weeks if Bridgewater's injury isn't season-ending. Hill has a career 62.0% completion rate, and a 49-to-30 TD-to-INT ratio. His career 6.8 YPA is a half-yard less than the league average (7.3 YPA) in 2015.

The Ravens moved running back Lorenzo Taliaferro (foot) to reserve-physicals unable to perform list, which means he will miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season.

This could turn out to be a shrewd move for the Ravens. If one of Baltimore's top four running backs (Justin Forsett, Terrance West, Kenneth Dixon and Javorius Allen) goes down with an injury in mid-October, the Ravens can activate Taliaferro and get a fresh pair of legs. Taliaferro, who has averaged 4.2 yards per carry, has the potential to help out in short yardage and in the red zone.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills (back) and DeVante Parker (undisclosed) participated in a walkthrough on Tuesday, one day after not finishing practice.

Coach Adam Gase confirmed that Stills has his back lock up. It was a scary scene as Stills was lying on his back in apparent serious pain on Monday. But one day later, Stils was jogging with little apparent discomfort. Stills has emerged as quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s second-favorite target in the preseason.

Gase didn’t say specifically what was troubling Parker, but his continuous bout with nagging and seemingly minor injuries have become frustrating for him and the team. Parker has all the physical tools to become an upper-echlon receiver, but Gase noted that his propensity for injury is starting to remind him of what Demaryius Thomas experienced early in his career in Denver.

Good news for both receivers. A report yesterday speculate that Parker's injury was a re-tweak of his hamstring but the Dolphins don't appear to be commenting on that.

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew and receiver Corey Fuller will miss the first six games of the season after the Detroit Lions placed them on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list Tuesday.

Pettigrew has not been able to practice since tearing his ACL in a game against the Rams on Dec. 13. Coach Jim Caldwell has refused to answer any questions about his status, his recovery or when he's expected to return.

The Lions TE situation is a bit of a mystery. Eric Ebron has been out and his status is up in the air for Week 1. Matthew Mulligan was cut which made Pettigrew the team's best blocking option. Tim Wright is out for the year. That leaves Cole Wick as the first team option and the story said he could get the start Week 1 if Ebron isn't ready. With Pettigrew out six weeks at least, Wick should have a role even when Ebron is back.

Eagles RB Wendell Smallwood first missed time with a quad injury, and is now suffering from a concussion. He was not at practice on Tuesday, and it is unlikely he plays against the Jets on Thursday.

It's been a rough camp for Smallwood, who seemed to be in line for a lot of work if something happened to often-injured Ryan Mathews. Without a lot of time on the practice field, Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner would likely have some kind of split over Smallwood, at least to start the season.

The Jets aren't exactly the healthiest team heading into their preseason finale against the Eagles.

Receiver Brandon Marshall (hip) was among the players not on the practice field during the portion of practice option to the media on Tuesday.

Marshall was a surprise scratch for the Jets' third preseason game against the Giants on Saturday, and sat out practice on Monday.

James Jones had a big year in Green Bay in 2015, But Jones could not recreate his summer magic in San Diego, and struggled to pick up the playbook, according to reports.

Jones very well may have something left in the tank. But there is not a huge market for 32-year-old No. 3/No. 4 wide receivers who lack elite speed and don't play special teams.

The story said Jones may need to sit home for a few weeks and wait for an injury to hit somewhere before he gets another chance. As for the Bolts, it could mean good news for Tyrell Williams or Dontrelle Inman. Previous reports said Keenan Allen could play the slot which would put Williams on the outside, while Inman is more of a slot receiver which could keep Allen on the outside.

Dennis Pitta, Crockett Gillmore and Maxx Williams have all made their marks with the Ravens. They all can be the No. 1 tight end, and they would likely split snaps and targets if they can avoid issues that have sidelined them in the past.

This obviously isn't a great fantasy situation. Right now, Gillmore has had the most practice time and would probably have the edge at least to start the season. Pitta and Williams have just returned, but Pitta hasn't played a game since Week 3 of 2014. Williams was the top TE drafted in 2015 but just needs to stay healthy to get a chance. Pitta has been a top red zone target for QB Joe Flacco and that may be a place where he stands out. This is looking like a wait-and-see fantasy situation and perhaps one to avoid until we learn more.

Randall Cobb juked one defender and ran over another on the way to his 6-yard touchdown catch last Friday against the San Francisco 49ers.

On the sideline, fellow Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson couldn't wait to give Cobb a hard time.

"I told him the old 190-[pound Cobb] wouldn't have made it in," Nelson joked. "But whatever he is now got in."

It's not the only reason Cobb decided to put on some weight this offseason but if it means breaking a few more tackles, then that's fine with him. Cobb looked both quick (when he side-stepped cornerback Chris Davis) and strong (when he bulldozed cornerback Keith Reaser) on his catch-and-run score in the second quarter against the 49ers.

Last year's shoulder injury played a big role for Cobb adding weight. While he played every game, he lost a lot of strength by the end of the season and is looking to stay injury free with a consistent weight of 195 or 196 compared to the 184 pound he sunk to at one point last year, the story said.

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had a Pro Bowl season in 2015, and he did so without having consistency at the quarterback position.

In just his third NFL season, Hopkins caught 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns from four different starting quarterbacks.

During the offseason, the Texans gave Hopkins some help, signing quarterback Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract in March and drafting two receivers, Will Fuller and Braxton Miller, who should give him some help in the passing game.

Osweiler got to work right away to get to know the Texans' star receiver. Osweiler started the process of building a relationship with Hopkins and other Texans receivers when he invited them to work out in Arizona before the start of the offseason conditioning program, the story said. In June, Osweiler told reporters that he and Hopkins have a "tremendous relationship" and that he respects the receiver's work ethic. Offensive coordinator George Godsey said he has seen the bond and the chemistry grow between Osweiler and Hopkins this offseason, and that it is something both players have worked at. It's obviously good news for Hopkins, who also seems to have some help talent-wise with an emerging Fuller who continues to get positive press in camp.

When Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson attended Jon Gruden's QB camp in 2012, one of the topics they discussed was going empty.

That is, an offensive look with five pass-catchers going out into routes and no running backs in the backfield. It's a concept that Wilson had success with in college and one that the Seahawks used to destroy defenses in 2015.

"I think we've done a great job of that, really for a while now of being in empty," Wilson said. "Kind of reviewing at the halfway point last year, especially. We were like, 'That's something that we do really well and we want to be in that, it's a good thing for us.' Then obviously when Marshawn [Lynch] and [Thomas] Rawls went down, OK, let's capitalize on that even more and got the playmakers out in the flanks that can make those plays.

Wilson averaged 10.3 passing yards per attempt when the Seahawks were in empty last year. That was the top mark in the NFL. He completed 74.7 percent of his passes, which was fourth. The story added the Seahawks like to use motion or shifts to empty, and showed an example in this story of Fred Jackson in the backfield shifting out wide. Of course this year, that's likely to be Christine Michael or C.J. Prosise, who was drafted to be a third down back. The Seahawks used empty 11-percent of the time last year, fifth most in the league, and the story said it could be a bigger part of the offense this year.

All summer long, coach Browns Hue Jackson's mantra has been: to play good football you have to practice it.

In keeping with that theme, he'll depart from the norm and play his starters Thursday in the fourth preseason game against the Bears at FirstEnergy Stadium.

"We're going to play our guys,'' Jackson said. "I feel comfortable that we need to play our starters on both sides of the ball."

Jackson said how much the starters play is up in the air. Perhaps a good drive or two and they will exit, but Jackson added that they "need to play" to "get better as a football team."

The biggest unknown is Cards wide receiver John Brown, who suffered a concussion on July 31. He returned to practice last week but is still suffering from recurring headaches.

“This is my first concussion, my first time dealing with it,” Brown said. “The coaches and the trainers are doing a great job taking their time with it. We’ll just wait and see what the outcome will be.”
Brown was hurt trying to catch a pass and it looked innocuous enough, but he has yet to return to full speed nearly a month later.

“I’ve been concerned the whole time,” coach Bruce Arians said. “You hate to see them linger this long, because you don’t really know what’s causing them, whether it was the concussion, or if it’s medicine, weather, whatever it is. He’s had two headache-free days, so hopefully we can exercise and have a headache free day.”

Brown did some work in practice on Monday afternoon. In the past, the headaches would arise immediately after sudden movements, the story said. He said that wasn’t the case this time and said he's doing fine and Monday was "a better day."

For the past three weeks, Eric Ebron has watched from the sidelines. The Detroit Lions tight end hasn't practiced. He hasn't played in games. He has been doing some mentoring of younger tight ends, and that's about it.

All the while, he has had one thing in his head as he has watched the Lions play without him.

"I need to get my ass out there on that field," Ebron said Monday in his first comments since suffering an ankle injury Aug. 6. "'Cause I'm not a huge person that's [into] watching. I like action. I like to be in action. It just sucks being on the sideline, man. It's not my lifestyle. I wasn't born for this. I wasn't bred to do this but I got to right now."

Ebron said he and the Lions are taking things slowly as he recovers. That includes likely not playing in the preseason finale Thursday against the Buffalo Bills. He also deflected questions about whether he'll be a go Week 1. Brandon Pettigrew is still on the physically unable to perform list recovering from an ACL injury. Timothy Wright is on injured reserve with an ACL injury.

Out since an Aug. 2 hamstring injury suffered in practice, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright returned to action Monday only to re-tweak the injury.

He's now not likely to take the field Thursday night in Miami in what would have been his lone game action of the preseason.

"It looks like he may have strained it again, a little different area," coach Mike Mularkey said of Wright's left hamstring. "I'd pretty much say with the time frame he probably will not play. We're looking at it."

Wright said he was feeling good and probably overdid it.

"I think I'll be all right, and I think I'll be able to play in the opener [Sept. 11 against the Vikings]," he said. "Same thing, but it really doesn't feel as bad as it did."

The Titans' offense has played well in his absence as rookie receiver Tajae Sharpe has emerged as a prime target for quarterback Marcus Mariota, the story said. Wright said it won't take him long to get back into action. Harry Douglas has played in the slot with Wright out of practice. Tre McBride has also worked there, the story said.

Robertson Daniel had never before covered Jordy Nelson; the cornerback joined the Green Bay Packers last season on the practice squad three weeks after Nelson was lost for the season.

So Daniel, the only cornerback to cover Nelson on a deep route Monday, might not be the best judge when it comes to evaluating how Nelson looked on his first day of team (11-on-11) work since tearing the ACL in his right knee more than a year ago.

But to Daniel, who spent most of last season the practice squad, he looked good.

“It was a good route,” Daniel said after practice. “It seemed like he was moving pretty good. It was also a pretty good ball. Him and Aaron [Rodgers] have that connection.”

Nelson made one other noticeable play -- a sliding catch during an 11-on-9 period -- during Monday’s hour-and-45-minute practice, the story said. The deep ball over Daniel was the one that stood out. Nelson appeared to make a one-handed catch against solid coverage along the left sideline on a well-placed ball from Rodgers.

Redskins receiver Josh Doctson continues to increase his activity working on a separate field than his teammates. Doctson won’t play in the preseason finale, but Gruden said there’s still a chance he’ll play in the season opener.

Gruden threw to Doctson for the first time, giving him a chance to evaluate him up close. “He looked good coming in and out of breaks,” Gruden said. “Looked very good.”

Doctson likely isn't going to jump right in and make an immediate impact even if he plays Week 1. Owners should expect to stash him for a while until there are signs of progress. Given the injury history of guys like DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon at the position, Doctson has a chance to contribute at some point this year.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones missed his second consecutive practice with an ankle injury Monday but is expected to return to the practice field no later than the start of next week.

Coach Dan Quinn said Jones is unlikely to play in Thursday night's final exhibition against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a game where the starters typically rest. Jones and quarterback Matt Ryan played one snap in last year's final preseason game against Baltimore.

Quinn remains optimistic about Jones' status in preparation for the Sept. 11 season opener against Tampa Bay. Jones was banged up in the second quarter of last Thursday's 17-6 preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins while trying to track down a deep ball from Matt Ryan.

Two of the Miami Dolphins' starting receivers suffered injuries during Monday's practice.

Kenny Stills, the Dolphins' starting flanker, and DeVante Parker, the team's starting split end were hurt.

The story said Stills' injury is undisclosed. He was involved in a collision during 1-on-1 drills. Stills laid on the turf inside the practice bubble for a couple minutes while a trainer examined his back. He eventually got up on his own. The story speculated Parker might have re-aggravated his hamstring injury during the same 1-on-1 drill. Parker caught a deep touchdown pass over Lafayette Pitts and came up limping. He never returned to practice after limping back to the huddle. It would be especially bad news for Parker who seems unable to stay healthy. We'll continue to monitor.

The Chicago Bears welcomed back two key members on offense as tight end Zachary Miller and receiver Eddie Royal passed the NFL’s concussion protocol and practiced without restrictions Monday for the first time in close to a month.

“We’ve had them out practicing, but we just had them out of contact,” coach John Fox said. “So I think their conditioning level is pretty good. I think we’ve got some timing and stuff like that in the passing game that needs to be worked on. But [they’ve] really not been on the shelf, so to speak. They’ve been out practicing.”

Miller and Royal are eligible to play in Chicago’s preseason finale at Cleveland, but Fox seemed to downplay the importance of preseason action for experienced players. Both will be key receivers in the middle of the field with Royal in the slot position between a struggling Kevin White and veteran Alshon Jeffery.

The Detroit Lions cut Matthew Mulligan, their top healthy blocking tight end, which suggested Brandon Pettigrew might be nearing a return.

But Detroit practiced without him once again a few hours later.

Pettigrew remains on the physically unable to perform list while rehabbing his way back from a torn ACL. He suffered the injury in a Dec. 13 game against the Rams, and there's no word on what his status is with less than two weeks until the season opener in Indianapolis.

"We'll see," coach Jim Caldwell said. "Got a little time yet here and he's still recuperating."

Pettigrew's absence is exacerbated by the Eric Ebron injury as well. Ebron injured his ankle almost a month ago. He tried to come back once last week, but that lasted only one day before he was back on the mend. Along with Tim Wright, who is already on injured reserve and done for the season, the Lions are without their top three tight ends from last season. Mulligan had been filling in for Pettigrew as the primary blocker, but was swept up in the first round of cuts that came down earlier Monday. It remains unclear how the Lions will fill those duties, the story all said.

Wide receiver Breshad Perriman has a chance of playing in his first game for the Baltimore Ravens.

Perriman, a 2015 first-round draft pick, will make his Ravens debut in Thursday's preseason finale in New Orleans if he is cleared by doctors. He has missed every preseason and regular-season game since being the No. 26 overall pick 16 months ago because of two knee injuries.

"If he can play, he will play," coach John Harbaugh said after Monday's practice. "I do want to see him playing before he gets in a regular-season game. That's something we would want to see him do if he can. But that will be up to the docs."

Perriman has not missed a day of practice since being activated off the physically-unable-to-perform list on Aug. 23. He warmed up before Saturday's preseason game before not suiting up. The Ravens are expected to start Steve Smith Sr. and Mike Wallace in the Sept. 11 opener against the Buffalo Bills, but Perriman should be either the team's No. 3 or No. 4 receiver. Kamar Aiken will also be in the mix.

The Ravens’ depth at tight end took a major hit when Benjamin Watson was lost for the season with a torn Achilles.

But they’re getting closer to getting some of it back.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters that tight ends Dennis Pitta and Maxx Williams would be back before the regular season opener.

The Ravens have been beat up at TE and WR. Pitta has played three games the last two seasons because of hip problems. Williams has been out with an undisclosed injury. At least for the short term, Crockett Gillmore appears to be the TE1.

With running back Keith Marshall out for at least three weeks after suffering a sprained elbow and the roster cut looming, the Redskins’ coaches are going to have some tough decisions to make. Marshall’s hopes of making the team’s 53-man roster may fall victim to bad timing.

All NFL rosters must be cut to 53 players by Saturday. Matt Jones and Chris Thompson are locks to be two of the running backs. It looks like Robert Kelley, who took advantage of the opportunity that he had when Marshall went out against the Bills, is a strong favorite to claim a third spot.

And beyond the three-week window, the Redskins have to be concerned about Marshall’s durability. He lasted until the seventh round in the draft due to his difficulties staying on the field when he was at Georgia. Marshall also wasn't stellar in practice nor did he stand out in preseason games, however the team may decide to put him on IR and keep him around to give him a try next year, the story said.

Jordan Matthews is on track for Week 1.

The Philadelphia Eagles' No. 1 receiver has insisted he'll be back by the regular season opener, despite sitting out all of preseason due to a knee injury.

On Monday, Matthews will return to the practice field, coach Doug Pederson said.

Matthews becomes even more key now that the Eagles cut veteran WRs Chris Givens and Rueben Randle. It looks like Nelson Agholor with get his chance on the outside leaving Josh Huff and Dorial Green-Beckham for the other outside spot.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien is pleased with the way quarterback Brock Osweiler has progressed through the preseason, which likely ended for Osweiler after he turned in a strong performance against the Cardinals on Sunday.

Among Osweiler’s 11 completions in the game were a 35-yard strike to first-round pick Will Fuller and a 26-yard touchdown a bit later in the proceedings. Osweiler expects that he and Fuller will continue to make connections during the regular season and that Fuller will emerge as a key player for the team.

“Will’s a very special football player,” Osweiler said, via the team’s website. “What people really need to know about him — obviously everybody knows about his speed, they saw him all last season, they saw him at the combine — but it’s his work ethic. That’s what really makes him special. He comes in every single day, he works extremely hard, studies hard and practices hard. We expect big things out of Will this season.”

This isn't the first time we've heard good things about Fuller's potential. Fuller’s speed makes him dangerous down field and this summer has shown that it can also create some space for DeAndre Hopkins to operate. Throw in rookie Braxton Miller, who Osweiler also looked to early in Sunday’s game, and the Texans have a lot of potential in their receiving corps in Osweiler’s first season with the team, the story said.

Broncos announce Trevor Siemian will be their Week 1 starting quarterback.

We just posted a news item today that said it was possible the Broncos would roll with Siemian and Paxton Lynch as their top-two QBs this season, leaving Mark Sanchez's roster spot up in the air. Sanchez would count $4.5 million against the salary cap, and the Broncos don't have to surrender a conditional draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles if Sanchez is not on the roster to open the season.

As for Siemian, he doesn't have any game experience but certainly has the weapons on offense to work with in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders at wide receiver. In the preseason, Siemian has completed 27 of 43 passes for 285 yards (6.63 YPA). He looked confident and comfortable running the offense this past weekend, according to reports. He's a low-end starter playing in a good situation, but the Broncos may end up taking a run-first approach with C.J. Anderson, and what is a competitive battle for the RB spots behind him.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is doing his job. Now it’s up to the people who catch his passes – the tight ends and wide receivers – to do their jobs.

The Dolphins’ wide receivers and tight ends have too many dropped passes so far, the bulk of those coming in the last two games against Dallas and Atlanta.

“I think we have to clean up the drops,” coach Adam Gase said Sunday.

Here’s the way you have to look at this situation: the wide receivers and tight ends must make Tannehill better, not the other way around.

The Dolphins have waited four years for Tannehill to make the receivers better and it hasn’t worked.

The notable exceptions here have been wide receiver Kenny Stills, who has been outstanding, and tight end Dion Sims, who has met expectations. The other starting-caliber pass catchers have been shaky. Unofficially, tight end Jordan Cameron has three drops (two in the end zone), wide receiver Jarvis Landry has three (two in the end zone), wide receiver DeVante Parker has two (one in the end zone), the story pointed out.

Trevor Siemian looked confident and comfortable running the offense. And the Broncos will like the touchdown drive Siemian led, as well as the drive for a field goal just before halftime that featured a 43-yard completion to Demaryius Thomas. They won't be as thrilled with his near interception -- it was dropped by Rams’ safety Christian Bryant and was a far worse decision than his actual interception -- when Siemian tried to jam a pass into tight quarters to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Overall, Siemian looked like the guy who believes he can -- and will -- be the team's starter.

Paxton Lynch's entry into the game came at halftime.

All this means Mark Sanchez's roster spot could be tenuous. Sanchez did not play on Saturday. On the business side, he would count $4.5 million against the salary cap and the Broncos don't have to surrender a conditional draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles if Sanchez is not on the roster to open the season. The story added the team wants to name a starting QB this week.

The good news for the Bengals is that the injury to wide receiver A.J. Green (knee) was not as severe. Green came up limping in the first quarter.

“I think I just came down on it, banged knees, but I’m fine. It sucks because I wanted to play a little bit longer,” Green told NBC’s Michelle Tafoya at halftime of last night’s broadcast.

We'll stay with this story as we get more information, but it appears the Bengals avoided a disaster, especially with TE Tyler Eifert currently injured. Don't expect to see Green in the final preseason game, but based on this he should be ready to go Week 1.

After a brief acclamation period, Jordy Nelson appears to be on the verge of taking another major step in his return to the field.

While it’s unlikely the Packers’ Pro Bowl receiver will play in Thursday night’s preseason finale against Kansas City, Nelson told reporters Sunday that he’s expecting to participate in 11-on-11 team periods during practice this week.

It would be the first time Nelson has stepped on the field for full-speed work since he injured his left knee last August in Pittsburgh. Nelson, activated from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 17, only worked individual drills last week, along with running routes in pregame warmups before the Oakland and San Francisco preseason games, the story said.

Baltimore Ravens rookie running back Kenneth Dixon is expected to miss four weeks with a medial collateral ligament tear in his left knee that will not require surgery, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Dixon, a fourth-round pick, was the Ravens' best runner this preseason, leading the team with 107 yards rushing and a 4.9-yard average. He was injured in Saturday night's preseason game against the Detroit Lions late in the second quarter, when defensive tackle Haloti Ngata fell on Dixon's left leg on a goal-line run.

The news that Dixon could miss the first couple of weeks of the regular season confirms what coach John Harbaugh said after Saturday's game. “Does not look like an overly serious injury," Harbaugh said.

Dixon had just moved up the depth chart, getting some reps with the first team Saturday night and becoming the second running back to get into the game behind starter Justin Forsett. With Dixon sidelined, Terrance West could get additional carries. West started camp on fire but has since cooled off with Dixon moving past him. This is Dixon's third injury since being the 134th player drafted this year.

Five targets. Five receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's win over Indianapolis, more proof that tight end Trey Burton is going to have a featured role in the Eagles' offense this season.

Once an undrafted rookie trying to make the transition from a Do-Everything player at the University of Florida, Burton has accepted coaching from Justin Peelle, has learned from the veterans around him and has become a tight end - whom the Eagles plan to do a lot with - with a lot of upside in the NFL.

"He does so many things well," offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. "I remember early in the spring I was watching tape of a practice and I saw Trey line up at wide receiver and run a route and he looked so smooth and precise. He was very natural. I couldn't tell at first if it was a wide receiver or a tight end running the route. That's how impressive he was. You can do a lot of things with a player like that."

We had a news story on Burton earlier this summer that stated he would have a role, and based on Saturday night's game against the Colts it appears to be true. Burton, who along with Brent Celek and Zach Ertz give the Eagles the kind of versatile, move-them-anywhere tight ends to use liberally. There will be many times when the Eagles have two tights on the field together this season and there will even be times when all three are in at the same time, forcing defenses to make decisions.

The Philadelphia Eagles released wide receivers Rueben Randle and Chris Givens on Sunday.

Randle caught eight touchdowns for the Giants in 2015 but was up and down during his time in New York, and did not generate a ton of demand in free agency. He ended up signing a one-year deal worth just over $1 million to join the Eagles in the hopes of proving that concerns about his approach to the game were based largely on misunderstandings.

We had the Givens news a bit ago, but that piece thought Randle may be safe - wasn't the case. Randel didn't show a lot of enthusiasm during preseason games and those who follow the team said he never really stood out at practice. Paul Turner was having a real nice camp and stood out in preseason games and likely played a big part in the Eagles decisions. Dorial Green-Beckham caught a red zone TD on Saturday and it looks like he's going to have a role quicker than most thought. Josh Huff also displayed some playmaking skills Saturday and should make the team.

San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is ready to start the regular season.

The Wisconsin product created his second explosive play of the preseason, a 39-yard touchdown run set up by a great audible by quarterback Philip Rivers in a 23-10 loss on the road to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

“I liked the big touchdown run from Mel,” Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said. “That was great for him, and a great check by Philip against the pressure there.”

Gordon finished with four carries for 51 rushing yards on the day. He also scored on a 44-yard touchdown reception from Rivers in the first exhibition game, and continued to play with more confidence on the field. The Bolts reportedly lost RB Branden Oliver for the season with a torn Achilles in Sunday's game, so the team will need Gordon even more now. With really only Danny Woodhead the other threat at RB, San Diego may need to add at the position.

The cuts have started -- and this one is fairly surprising.

According to Rand Getlin of NFL Network, the Eagles have released receiver Chris Givens, the veteran they signed this past offseason.

Givens had just one catch in three preseason games for 19 yards.

The Eagles have yet to confirm or announce the release. The team signed Givens to a one-year deal for $840,000 with $180,000 guaranteed.

What the Eagles do at receiver when it comes to final cuts will be interesting. Likely locks are Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff and Dorial Green-Beckham, with Randle and Turner's chances now increased. In fact, it may have been Turner's play to this point that cost Givens.

It appears Jordy Nelson will go into the regular season without any preseason action.

The Green Bay Packers receiver said Sunday that he doesn't expect to play in Thursday's preseason finale at Kansas City. If that's the case, he will head into the regular-season opener at Jacksonville on Sept. 11 without a single game rep since he tore the ACL in his right knee more than a year ago.

Nelson, who was activated off the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 17, went through pregame warm-ups before each of the last two preseason games but then watched from the sidelines in street clothes.

"I think if everything would've gone smooth coming into camp, we would've been in a different situation," said Nelson, who had a setback with his left knee shortly before training camp. "But it's the situation we're in, and I think we've handled it well. We're where we need to be. We have two weeks of what most likely for me will be normal practices going into Jacksonville, and I think we'll be ready to go."

The intensity should ramp up this week. Nelson said he expected to do some team (11-on-11) drills in practice on Monday and Tuesday even if it's just running scout-team reps with Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the starters who aren't expected to play, the story said.

San Diego Chargers running back Branden Oliver was taken off the field on a cart late in the first half of Sunday's preseason tilt with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Chargers announced it was an Achilles injury for Oliver and he won't return to the game. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports, via a source informed, the running back tore his Achilles and will miss the season.

The Chargers lost tight end Jeff Cumberland to an Achilles injury last week. The devastating injury could have struck twice for the Bolts.

Oliver was looking like the backup to Melvin Gordon with Danny Woodhead the third down and pass-catching specialist. Dreamius Smith and Derek Watt are next up on the Chargers depth chart so it's not out of the question the team looks to add at this position for some insurance behind Gordon.

In Friday night's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, 49ers RB Carlos Hyde was diagnosed with a concussion after rushing four times for 30 yards in the first quarter. According to 49ers coach Chip Kelly, Hyde is now in the NFL's concussion protocol and must clear all of the requisite tests to get cleared to return.

The story said it would make Hyde unlikely to play in the preseason finale Thursday in San Diego, not that he was necessarily going to appear in that game anyway. The goal now will be to get Hyde fully healthy and ready for the season opener on Sept. 12, which is Monday night. Shaun Draughn, who is Hyde's primary backup, has not played in either of the past two exhibition contests because of a rib injury though that isn't believed to be long term. Mike Davis and DuJuan Harris are next up on the 49ers depth chart.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is wearing a back brace as he begins his recovery from a compression fracture of his L1 vertebra that he suffered Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Dallas Cowboys went 1-11 without quarterback Tony Romo last season, and they may have to turn to rookie Dak Prescott early on this season.

For now, Romo's rehab will consist of rest and immobility, but Garrett will not rule him out of the Sept. 11 season opener against the New York Giants. A source said Romo will miss 6-10 weeks.

"We've gotten a lot of different timetables for when he can return," Garrett said. "We also know that he's played with a broken bone in his back before, so there's no reason for me to stand up here and put a timetable on this. I think a lot of other people outside of this building have suggested they know what the timetable is. That's not the world we live in. We live in the world day by day, do what you can to get yourself better and we'll update you as we go."

Dak Prescott took the first-team reps on Sunday with Jameill Showers the backup. The Cowboys are expected to look for a veteran backup while Romo is out.

For the first time since suffering a concussion in practice last week, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant returned to the field.

Bryant suffered his concussion after a glancing blow from safety Barry Church on Aug. 22 and didn't make the trip to Seattle for last week’s preseason game.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Bryant will go through individual drills Sunday but would not go through any team drills. He is scheduled for more tests later. The Cowboys have not played their starters in a final preseason game in years, so the next game action for Bryant is likely to be Week 1 against the New York Giants on Sept. 11, the story said.

Stevan Ridley can't play offensive line, but he does play another position of some concern for the Colts.

The Colts are facing the possibility of playing without starting left guard Jack Mewhort, but that didn't prevent it from signing today the veteran running back recently cut by the Detroit Lions.

Ridley participated in a workout with the Colts on Friday and had been weighing his options in the days since. There were believed to be other teams interested in his services, which is a reason no immediate decision was reached with Indianapolis. Ridley ended up agreeing to a 1-year deal for the veteran minimum salary, according to a league source.

Frank Gore is the undisputed starter, but the signing seems to impact rookie Josh Ferguson and veteran Jordan Todman most. If the Colts elect to keep just three backs, the likely three would be Gore, Ridley and Robert Turbin. Ferguson's issues with pass protection haven't helped him, although the Colts were very excited about adding him as an undrafted free agent, the story said.

The Chicago Bears receiver has just one catch in each of the three contests. The trio of snatches has gone for a grand total of 12 yards, with a long of six. That's not exactly what the Bears had in mind after making him the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

White's struggles continued Saturday afternoon in a 23-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that saw the Bears' first-team offense rack up a whopping 20 yards on 18 first-half plays. For the day, White caught one pass for three yards on four targets, had a poor drop and ran a bad route in the red zone.

White missed all of last season due to injury and hasn't hit the ground running thus far in preseason.

"It's just growing pains," quarterback Jay Cutler said of his receiver, via CSN Chicago. "It's just kind of how it is, his 'rookie' year, not really playing a lot of college football... . We're working with him and he's doing everything he possibly can to work through it and be where it's supposed to be.

White has the size and speed to be a difference maker but has yet to flash any of that skill in the preseason. The Bears aren't even asking White to use all that talent. White ran a 4.35 40-yard-dash at the Combine, but Chicago is utilizing White mainly on bubble screens, shallow crossers and quick outs. The Bears haven't even attempted to stretch the field with the fast receiver, which is akin to buying a speed boat and never leaving the no-wake zone, the story said.

Matt Forte, the Jets' new running back, made his unofficial debut with the organization in Saturday's Week 3 preseason game against the Giants.

It will be Forte's lone preseason game action before the Sept. 11 regular season opener against the Bengals. While recovering from a hamstring injury, he didn't play in either of the first two preseason games.

The best news for Forte, coming out of Saturday's first half: He felt physically healthy and didn't experience any setbacks. That's what matters most. Forte looked smooth while running, though he didn't put up big numbers Saturday.

Forte only carried 10 times for 28 yards but emerged healthy after seeing his first preseason action. The team wants to keep him healthy for the long haul so expect to see Bilal Powell and Khiry Robinson this season. Powell is especially effective in the pass game, like Forte, so the two could take away potential touches from one another.

Working on accuracy down low and on short and intermediate passes is one thing. But to put the ball in the absolute perfect spot on a deep throw?

"Reps," Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said. "Rep after rep."

As a kid, Carr said his father would have him fling the ball from 38 yards away, then from 40, 42, and 45 yards as he grew older and stronger.

"He wouldn't let me leave until I threw three perfect ones," Carr said.

Two perfect strikes followed by one off the mark?

"Do it again," was the remark.

In Saturday night's 27-14 exhibition loss to the Titans, Carr had two perfectly placed balls on long throws that elicited wonderment. The first one was a 41-yard strike down the right sideline to Michael Crabtree on 3rd-and-3 from the Raiders' 49-yard line. Three plays later, Carr hit rookie running back DeAndre Washington for a 6-yard touchdown on a slant pass, the story said. Carr is shaping up to be a nice, later-round QB option in fantasy drafts. The Raiders offense has another year together and is poised to put up fantasy numbers. Carr is 15th on our QB list, but is getting taken a few rounds before guys like Mathew Stafford, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota who are all rated around him.

A win in Saturday's preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams was gravy, but one of the other major successes was leaving Sports Authority Field at Mile High without any significant injuries. Three Broncos were treated for injuries during the game, but the most notable was a knee injury to wide receiver Cody Latimer.

Latimer said in the locker room after the game that he has a hyperextended knee, and added, "It should be all right, though. I feel good."

Like Latimer, Head Coach Gary Kubiak also was not too concerned about it, adding, "We do not think it's serious."

Running back C.J. Anderson and fullback Andy Janovich also suffered injuries during Saturday's game, but neither kept them out of the game. Anderson had a cut on his ear and Janovich has a banged-up shoulder

The night belonged to five-year veteran Ronnie Hillman. The Broncos running back entered the game feeling the pressure to make a good impression, and he responded.

Hillman was the only back to score a touchdown Saturday night, as his seven-yard rush in the middle of the third quarter gave the Broncos comfortable separation that would last through the final whistle. He was the “Flash” to Anderson’s “Thunder” and finished the game with 45 yards on just five carries, including an electric 21-yard dash in the fourth quarter.

Many feel Hillman will be the odd man out and not make the team, but Hillman outperformed Kapri Bibbs and Devontae Booker on Saturday night, two guys he seems to be battling for a roster spot. Starter C.J. Anderson did perform well with 50 yards on 11 carries.

Saturday night, it was for the offense, led by Trevor Siemian. And after a deep attempt up the right sideline for Cody Latimer was ruled an interception, it was absolutely necessary to extract some momentum from what will be the starters' final work of the preseason.

"I thought it was huge. I thought it was really huge," said running back C.J. Anderson, who galloped through some wide holes for 35 yards on three consecutive carries that pushed the Broncos to the 1-yard line, setting up Siemian's 1-yard play-action touchdown pass to Virgil Green en route to a 17-9 win.

What set up the series was Siemian's unruffled demeanor. He didn't mope. He didn't panic. He simply stepped into the huddle and oozed confidence. The offense responded from there, the story said. Keep in mind this is a story from the team's official web site, but HC Gary Kubiak was quoted as saying Siemian was calm and had control of the huddle. There hasn't been an official announcement yet, but some feel Siemian has a leg up in this battle for starting QB.

Highlights were hard to find for the Giants offense against the Jets on Saturday night, but one came on a four-yard gain in the third quarter.

That was Victor Cruz’s first catch since tearing his patellar tendon early in the 2014 season and even a modest gain represents a big step forward for a player who went on to miss all of last season with a calf injury. Cruz then missed the first two games of this summer with a groin injury before finally connecting with Eli Manning for the first time in a long time.

“It felt like old times,” Cruz said, via the New York Post. “I caught the ball in the flat and tried to make something happen, but I got to feel a little bit of contact, which was a great feeling. Just to come out here healthy and be in the position to make some plays and catch the football and just come out and feel healthy and feel good about myself.”

Cruz was targeted one other time on a pass that was nearly intercepted by Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist. Overall, the Giants offense struggle again in this preseason game, but having Cruz take some contact is a big step forward.

So much for Brandon Marshall and Ryan Fitzpatrick using the third preseason game to recapture their old chemistry.

Marshall was a surprise scratch on Saturday night for the New York Jets' annual preseason game against the New York Giants. The Jets provided no information on why Marshall was declared inactive.

Marshall was spotted on the field during the pre-game warm-ups. He appeared to be in good spirits, smiling and chatting with team personnel. He declined to say why he wouldn't be playing.

As expected, running back Matt Forte is active and will make his Jets debut. He missed the first two games with a hamstring injury.

Coach Todd Bowles has closely monitored the reps of his older players throughout the preseason, but resting Marshall, 32, in the most important game would be unusual. He played only 23 snaps in the first two games, recording only two receptions for eight yards. It's possible that Marshall suffered a minor injury in practice. Practices are now closed to the media and Bowles doesn't volunteer any injury information, the story said.

The Ravens have lost their first projected starter to a season-ending injury. Tight end Ben Watson suffered a torn right Achilles tendon on the first play of Saturday night’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

The 13-year pro, who was signed as an unrestricted free agent after catching 74 passes for 825 yards and six touchdowns for the New Orleans Saints, appeared to suffer the non-contact injury while running a route. He needed assistance from a pair of trainers to limp off the field and was taken straight to the locker room.

Once a position of depth, the Ravens have been hammered with injuries at TE. Dennis Pitta was battling back from a second major hip surgery when he suffered broken finger in a skirmish with a teammate. Maxx Williams (unspecified) was unavailable in the game. Watson was replaced by Crockett Gilmore. Gilmore and Williams look like they are next in line for the most action with Watson lost. Pitta hasn't played since Week 3 of 2014, so even if he recovers from the finger injury, it's hard to imagine him making an immediate impact.

After a career year in 2015, Rams wideout and former first-round pick Tavon Austin has earned himself an extension.

Austin has signed a four-year extension to stay in Los Angeles, the team announced Saturday. The new deal is worth $42 million with $30 million in guarantees, a source with knowledge of the deal told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. The extension keeps the wide receiver under contract through the 2021 season.

The 25-year-old speedster will be invaluable over the coming seasons, adding another layer to a Rams offense that is desperate for playmakers.

In 2015, Austin caught 52 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 434 yards with four more scores. His 907 yards from scrimmage nearly doubled his previous best -- 569 during his rookie season. He was #23 in standard formats and a #28 finish in PPR leagues. Given his 8.35 YPC, the Rams don’t have any reason to stop giving him regular touches in the running game, and HC Jeff Fisher said that he could “double the catches over what he had last year,” indicating that Fisher thinks Austin could catch 100 balls. While we’re not projecting him to anywhere close to that number of catches, if rookie QB Jared Goff can raise the team’s wholly inefficient passing offense to a respectable level, Austin should benefit. He’s a post-hype sleeper in the 8th round.

Cowboys announced QB Tony Romo suffered a broken bone in his back. They believe he’ll return this season. Rapoport reports that the best-case scenario is a return mid-season.

In an NFL.com article, Rapoport was quoted as saying Romo "broke a different bone than last time," when he suffered a fracture in 2014.

For now, we're assuming Romo will miss the first eight games - several reports are saying he'll be out 6-10 weeks. Dak Prescott has played well in the preseason, so for now we're not significantly downgrading the other Cowboys skill players. For the record, HC Jason Garrett didn't give a timetable and labeled Romo as day-to-day, according to an NFL.com story. More as this situation develops.

The numbers look great: 24 carries for 157 yards in three preseason games. But it's the little things that stand out with Michael.

Twice on Thursday night, he identified the right defender and did a good job picking up the blitz. He's carrying out his fakes on play-action and looks comfortable in the passing game as a receiver.

At this time last year, the Seahawks gave up on Michael, trading him to the Dallas Cowboys for a seventh-round pick. But he's been the story of camp in 2016 and looks poised to be a dependable contributor on offense.

Michael continues to look good deep into camp and preseason. It's one of the bigger fantasy questions of the season in how will Michael's presence affect the fantasy value of Thomas Rawls. HC Pete Carroll has called them a one-two punch a few weeks ago, and other reports say the team won't depend on one running back like they have in the past. Yet other beat writers feel the team has been down this road before with Michael and don't quite believe the hype.

Seahawks RB C.J. Prosise made his preseason debut, carrying four times for 23 yards. He was on the field for 16 snaps.

Prosise looked good on all four carries. The first was a draw on third-and-20, and the second was a 5-yard gain on third-and-10. On Prosise's third carry, he was met by a defender four yards behind the line of scrimmage, but he spun out of a tackle and turned it into just a 1-yard loss. And on his final carry, Prosise broke a tackle and gained eight yards.

The story said the Seahawks drafted Prosise with the hope that he could be their third-down back, but he suffered a hamstring injury on the first day of training camp. It will be interesting to see if they're comfortable using him right away on third downs or whether Prosise needs some more time to carve out a role.

If Friday was any indication, LeVeon Bell will be just fine.

The Steelers running back showed no ill effects from last year's knee surgery, churning out 58 total yards in his first game action in 10 months during a 27-14 win over the Saints.

Saying that he felt "great," per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Bell added: "I can only imagine how I'll feel in a month."

Bell faces a three-game suspension to open the season, but is slated to return in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Shaking off a fumble he attributed to "rust," Bell hauled down five passes for 37 yards and rushed for another 21 yards on three attempts against New Orleans. We saw flashes of Bell's juking ability on a 13-yard catch on Pittsburgh's first drive, the story added.

Orleans Darkwa is used to being patient.

The Giants running back didn't get a carry until Week 7 last season. Darkwa made the most of that opportunity, rushing for 48 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in a 27-20 win over the Cowboys.

Darkwa is hoping to again seize his opportunity in the Giants' third preseason game against the Jets on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., CBS).

"Patience has been my life story," Darkwa said. "You're always going to be frustrated at times, but at the same time, it might be a blessing in disguise. You never know."

Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen are locked into their roles as the lead back and the third-down back, respectively. Fifth-round pick Paul Perkins is all but guaranteed a roster spot. That leaves Darkwa and fellow third-year veteran Andre Williams in a battle for what will likely be the final running back spot, the story said. Williams has got more of a look to this point so this is a Darkwa's big chance. Williams has had 15 carries for 56 yards on 35 snaps.

Remember how quickly Jared Cook made an impact in his first training-camp practice with the Green Bay Packers back on Aug. 9?

Three plays into that practice, Cook caught a 20-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The same thing happened in their preseason debut together. On the Packers’ third play from scrimmage on Friday night against the 49ers, Rodgers fired a slant on third-and-3 that Cook caught and turned into a 19-yard gain. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound tight end proved to be a difficult cover for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong (6-foot-3, 220).

“I think he’s going to be a good part of our offense,” Rodgers said. “He made a lot of plays out there. Did a good job on the basic route on third down that I hit him on, made some contested catches tonight, which was nice to see, and he did a good job with the ball in his hands.

Although it was his only catch from Rodgers in their two series together in the win over the 49ers, Cook caught three more passes and finished with four catches for 54 yards. All four of his grabs were for first downs. Two of them came on third down and another on a fourth-and-4 that went for a 12-yard gain from backup Joe Callahan, the story said. This is a great sign for the Packers as well as those who took a shot on Cook in fantasy drafts. Cook has made a little climb in our rankings but is still only 19th with an ADP of the 15th round, which is presenting great value at the position. We think he has TE1 potential if all goes well.

Running back D.J. Foster caught three passes for 33 yards and ran twice for 9 yards tonight in his preseason debut against the Panthers.

The Patriots were clearly trying to suit his strengths, as they set him up on screens and swing passes, as well as stretch runs to give himself an opportunity to show off his speed and quickness.

“I felt great,” Foster said. “I was telling some guys that was the first time I’ve been hit since college. It felt good getting out there. The coaches gave me the chance to show what I can do.”

James White and LaGarrette Blount appear to be the two lead backs, but the team is an injury away from having to go down the depth chart, so Foster is a name to keep an eye on. The Patriots have never really been predictable with their RBs so it's not out of the question Foster has some kind of role, especially when you consider White hasn't really made an impact to this point.

Based on the New Orleans Saints' first three preseason games, Drew Brees might want to think about holding out for the 2016 season just to stay upright.

The Saints’ starting offensive line has been abysmal, both in pass protection and the run game.

There is still plenty of confidence the unit can turn things around in time for the real thing. It’s not like the Saints' scheme or personnel has changed drastically from last season, when they had the NFL’s No. 2 offense.

But there also wasn’t a lot of sugarcoating going on after Friday night’s 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I know this -- I don’t think that I’ve ever felt as responsible for our team doing poorly as I think we do as a group right now,” Saints veteran right tackle Zach Strief said. “That’s tough, and yet we deserve it, and it will be on us to change it. Nobody else.”

The biggest concern has to be the guard position, which is the only position that has changed since last season, after the Saints decided to part ways with veteran Jahri Evans, the story said. Of course, with guys like Brees, WR Brandin Cooks and RB Mark Ingram being relevant fantasy options in drafts, this is something to take note of.

Jaguars Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon shared first-team duties in the first two preseason games, though Ivory has 12 carries and Yeldon has only six. That doesn’t mean Ivory will get twice as much work.

The Jaguars are going to rotate the backs and go with the hot hand. That could mean Ivory has 15 carries and Yeldon four one week and then those numbers are reversed the following week. I believe they’ll both end up in the 800-yard range, which would still be pretty good numbers.

This falls right in line with what we've been hearing all through the offseason and through camp. We have Yeldon rated higher in both PPR and standard formats, although the gap is very close in standard leagues. Yeldon should stand out in PPR due to his pass-catching but we think Ivory gets the in-close TD chances. It's a potential frustrating situation for owners until we learn a little more when the season starts. Also keep in mind both backs went through injuries last season.

Eagles HC Doug Pederson could use a receiver or two to separate from the pack. Dorial Green-Beckham, who was traded to the Eagles by the Titans last week, is expected to see an increase in snaps from a week ago and will get some looks with the first team, per the head coach.

"He's not where you want him to be, obviously, with the terminology of the offense," Pederson said. "That's why we're going to keep it very simple and keep it to one position for him as a receiver. Put a little package together, two, three, four plays, and just let him go play. And then as he understands that, we can expand the role because he's coming in basically right here at the end of camp trying to learn a system."

Eagles WRs have been unimpressive so far in camp and in preseason games. Jordan Matthews hasn't played because of a bruised knee. In may take some time but the Eagles are hoping Green-Beckham can be that guy to step up on the outside. The story said Pederson did go out of his way to say Nelson Agholor has stood out the last few practices but outside of that it's been a quiet camp for this position.

Wide receiver Josh Gordon provided the Browns with a glimmer of hope and showed he still has what it takes to be an elite playmaker.

“I see it all the time, every time he’s out there practicing with us,” Browns cornerback Joe Haden said. “He’s a special player that can just be able to turn it on and do his thing, and I’m super excited that he’s out there with us.”

Gordon was one of the Browns’ few bright spots Friday night during their 30-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third preseason game for both teams at Raymond James Stadium.

Gordon caught two passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in his 2016 preseason debut and first game action since Dec. 21, 2014.

Gordon used a double move to become wide open on third-and-8 at the Browns’ 27-yard line during their first possession of the game. He caught a 44-yard pass from quarterback Robert Griffin III, his close friend and former teammate at Baylor University, to set up Patrick Murray’s 44-yard field goal with 8:04 left in the first quarter, the story said. Keep in mind defenses likely weren't scheming to stop Gordon or anyone else on the Browns in this contest, but it's nice to see Gordon was still able to make an impact. He's suspended for the first four games of the season, but it's looking like he'll be a big part of the Browns offense as long as he stays out of trouble. Gordon is currently 45th on our WR rankings but has an ADP a round or two higher than some around him in our rankings - which means owners are reaching to grab him earlier.

Blaine Gabbert already had the advantage in the San Francisco 49ers quarterback competition when it came to repetitions. You could also put a check next to Gabbert's name when it came to production. Now, with one meaningless preseason game and a couple weeks of practice before the season opener, time is also on Gabbert's side.

Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick made his preseason debut in Friday night's 21-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. In an exhibition season in which Kaepernick missed two preseason contests and nearly two weeks of practice, Kaepernick's body of work paled in comparison to Gabbert's. The prevailing outside sentiment entering Friday's game was that Kaepernick could still theoretically win the job, but he would need a big performance against the Packers to have a chance.

As you'd expect for someone playing in his first live NFL game since Nov. 8, Kaepernick couldn't muster the magic needed to get back in the mix, the story said. In just one quarter, Kaepernick was 2-of-6 for 14 yards passing with four carries for 18 yards. When Kaepernick was at the helm, the Niners managed just one first down. If Gabbert is named the starter, there's at least some fantasy streaming potential there in Chip Kelly's fast-paced offense that runs a lot of plays.

The Ravens’ running back rotation is still being sorted out, but quarterback Joe Flacco has clearly been impressed by the rookie Kenneth Dixon.

“Kenneth Dixon has had a run each week where you thought he was down for five seconds and he gets 6, 7, 8, 9 more yards out of it,” Flacco said.

"You can see in practice how shifty he is and how well he sees things and some of the cuts he makes. I think he has been pretty impressive transferring that over to the games.”

Dixon leads the Ravens running backs in rushing yards (66) and yards per carry (4.1) through the first two preseason games.

Dixon's ADP has dipped into the 15th round, so he's a cheap way to buy a share of the Ravens' backfield lottery.

Bengals beat writer Paul Dehner gave his statistical prediction for WR Tyler Boyd:

Realistically, he won't top what Marvin Jones provided last year, but he could come close. And his role will only grow as your playoffs grow closer. I'm predicting in the 55-reception, 800-yard range with 5-7 touchdowns.

Boyd didn't test well at the combine, but that doesn't necessarily matter all that much when it comes to the receiver position. College market share is more important, and Boyd fared very well in that regard. With Brandon LaFell's injury woes, it appears that Boyd is going to start opposite A.J. Green and has a capable quarterback throwing him the ball. Throw in some uncertainty at the tight end position and it's a recipe for a good rookie year.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert, who just started jogging, is targeting Weeks 4-6 for his return from ankle surgery, per source. His hope is Week 4.

This report comes on the heels of Paul Dehner's suggestion that Eifert might be ready for Week 1, so the news is obviously mixed. We're going with Rapoport's timeline when projecting Eifert. He was pretty TD-dependent for his fantasy scoring finishing 12th in receiving yards per game and 13th in receptions per game. If his TD rate (an excellent 1.0 per game) regresses, he may struggle to post TE1 numbers when healthy. That said, the Bengals need pass-catchers and he's an excellent red zone threat.

Words and tone from Drew Brees and Sean Payton have told a lot about the Saints' newest tight end. My translation: The Saints yearn for more from Coby Fleener. The former Colts tight end hasn't been reliable enough lately on catching passes. He also isn't on the same page with Brees on some routes. Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but I feel like I've seen Josh Hill more involved in the passing game the last couple of practices. Maybe the weird drop to third team in a Saints "unofficial" depth chart really was a message.

This report came a few days after Sean Payton said that Fleener is still a "work in progress." Brees has spoken very favorably of Fleener this offseason, but the latest buzz isn't terribly encouraging. Fleener has a ton of upside in this offense but he's suddenly looking a bit risky. We're still buying, but we've moved him behind Delanie Walker and Travis Kelce, who are more established in their respective offenses.

Dolphins 1st half WR snap count on 2 WR sets: Kenny Stills 7, Jarvis Landry 7, DeVante Parker 0

It's time to move Stills up and bump Parker down in our rankings. Playing time is obviously a crucial component to fantasy production and it appears that Stills is going to be on the field more than Parker, at least to start the season.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo left Thursday night’s preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks after just three plays after being sacked from behind by defensive end Cliff Avril.

Romo stepped forward in the pocket and escaped pressure to his left while Avril closed from Romo’s backside. Romo began to slide as Avril chased him down and was caught in an awkward position as the two players went to the ground.

Romo immediately reached for his lower back area and was tended to be the Cowboys’ training staff being walking off the field under his own power.

Romo was reportedly asking to go back in the game, so this is probably nothing serious. But it's a reminder of Romo's fragility in recent years.

Anticipation for Victor Cruz’s return to game action continues to build at the facility as Ben McAdoo said the team is “very optimistic” about the chances for Saturday night. A knee injury on Oct. 12, 2014 ended one season for Cruz, a calf injury halted another, and a groin injury kept him out of the first two preseason games this year.

“I’m ready,” Cruz said. “Obviously it’s been a long time coming. I had a good week of practice, everything feels great so I’m just excited to put that out there on the game field for the first time in a long time.”

We'll see how Cruz's body holds up to game action. If he comes back at full strength, he'll alter the outlook for rookie Sterling Shepard, but at this point it seems more likely that Cruz will return to the lineup in a smaller role.

Robert Turbin looks like the likely No. 2 back for the Colts. It’s a job he’s performed before (behind Marshawn Lynch in Seattle) and feels he’s perfectly suited for.

When it comes to Josh Ferguson, the promise he offered coming into the season has not translated thus far. The Colts had extremely high hopes for him after signing him as an undrafted free agent from Illinois, but he has been frustrating to watch rushing for 9 yards on 13 carries this preseason. That’s not to say he had wide running lanes; the run blocking has been lacking, at best. But throw in the fact that Ferguson has had a couple of missed assignments as a pass protector and one could argue he faces an uphill climb against the veterans.

But the Colts still love Ferguson’s potential.

“He’s a third down match-up nightmare,” Chuck Pagano said.

Related players: Frank Gore

Ferguson hasn't carried his OTA momentum into camp or into the preseason games, so he's fallen behind Turbin, apparently. Turbin is a career 4.0 YPC journeyman who can hold down the fort if anything happens to Gore.

Bengals WR A.J. Green said he will miss a game if it comes to that. Said there's no way he misses the birth of his first child.

We say "good for him," while pointing out that there's a 14% (1 in 7) chance that owners will be without Green on game day.

Cardinals WR John Brown back at practice today.

This is great news but we'd like to see him get through a few consecutive practices before considering him a full go for Week 1. In his second season, Brown finished in the top 25 in both formats, though HC Bruce Arians said that the receiver was pressing at the end of the season (which led to a few drops) and he should have finished with 1400 yards instead of 1003. His upside is somewhat capped due to the presence of Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd in the offense.

Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter believes Matthew Stafford could be at his best in a no-huddle offense.

It has been one of the most dramatic changes this season. Detroit was in the bottom third of the league in offensive pace under former coordinator Joe Lombardi, because he wanted to shuffle in personnel and packages at a dizzying rate.

Now, though, Detroit has been in the no-huddle 62 percent of their plays during the preseason. That's up from just 7 percent in the regular season last year.

"I think if you do it right -- if you do it well in general -- it's a more efficient way to go about your business," Cooter said. "Now does that mean we're always playing extremely fast? Absolutely not. But it also doesn't mean we never do that. We like to have all the options at our disposal. Sometimes we play fast, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we're in the huddle, out of the huddle."

The Lions’ offense really took off after Jim Bob Cooter took over as the play-caller, but that probably had more to do with the strength of schedule than anything he did. The Lions played Minnesota twice, Arizona, Seattle, Kansas City and Denver in their first eight games, and the schedule was significantly softer after the Week 9 bye. Still, Stafford was the #4 QB over the final eight weeks, averaging 21.5 points per game. The loss of Calvin Johnson will sting, but if Cooter’s influence is real, then Stafford could push for QB1 numbers if things break his way. Playing at a faster pace should only help, assuming the offense can move the ball effectively and stay on the field.

Eric Decker isn't known as a deep receiver. Never has been. Sure-handed? Absolutely. Superb route runner? Definitely. Technically sound? 100 percent. But for all the things Decker is, he's not regarded as a player that can stretch the field.

The Jets, this season, are hoping to change that perception.

"You'll see more of that this year," Jets receivers coach Karl Dorrell said Wednesday. "Eric will surprise a lot of people."

"Eric can get deep," Dorrell said. "He can sneak by you and do those things."

This year, the Jets are expanding Decker's role. Anyone who attended a Jets training camp practice could tell you that.

Decker runs a 4.60 40-yard dash and isn't known as a speedster, but with his 6'3" frame he can compete for long passes downfield. He's the 24th WR off the board after finishing the season as the #10 WR. Now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is back, not much will change for the Jets and Decker was the most consistent fantasy receiver last season, posting 80-plus yards and/or a touchdown in each of his 15 games played. He's a great value in the 4th round.

Stevan Ridley was a former 1,000-yard rusher who was expected to compete with Zach Zenner for the power running job in the Detroit Lions' backfield.

Even if he lost that battle, he was expected to make the team. He even got $250,000 of his contract guaranteed.

Instead, he didn't even make it to the first round of cuts.

The Lions informed Ridley on Thursday morning that he has been released.

It's a bump for Zach Zenner, who figures to take over the "big back" role formerly occupied by Joique Bell. There has already been speculation that Ridley could land in New England.

Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman says he feels as fast as ever – if not faster – since returning from a knee injury that held him out for two months. (He says he may be faster now that he’s lost three or four pounds from cutting off his dreads).

While that’s good news, there was never any doubt that Perriman would add some major speed to the Ravens’ wide receiver corps once he got back on the field. After all, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds at his pro day.

In perhaps better news, Perriman has improved in other parts of his game during his extended time away from the football field, and Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman has already noticed in Perriman’s first few practices.

“I think his hands and his concentration have even got better since he first got here,” Trestman said Wednesday. “He is much more sure-handed – not that he wasn’t – but he has become even more sure-handed. I think that goes with confidence.”

Due to the opportunity in the Ravens' receiving corps, Perriman looked like a nice sleeper prior to his injury. The Ravens signed Mike Wallace, while Steve L Smith is back and Kamar Aiken emerged as a viable WR2, so Perriman is not guaranteed starter's snaps even though he brings deep speed to the receiving corps. He's a worthwhile late-round flier given the fluidity of his situation.

Eric Ebron missed more than two weeks with an ankle injury.

Then he came back. For a day.

And now he's gone again, with no word on what's up or when he'll return.

The Detroit Lions tight end missed a second straight day of work Thursday, and coach Jim Caldwell sidestepped questions about whether he had suffered a setback in his return from an ankle injury.

Ebron caught 47 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns last season and finished as the #13 TE in PPR formats, though he was actually worse under then-interim and now-official offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. He averaged 13.0 FP (PPR) through the first seven weeks, and 7.3 FP once Cooter was promoted. With Calvin Johnson gone, there are a lot of moving parts in Detroit, so this doesn't mean that Ebron won't produce similar (or better) numbers in his third season, provided he can get healthy. This injury situation doesn't seem to be trending the right way.

Notable news from Patriots practice as TE Rob Gronkowski is back for first time since pulling up Aug. 15.

Gronk has finished as the top overall tight end in each of the last two seasons, though Jordan Reed gave him a run for his money last year. The increased depth at the position make him a less appealing 1st round pick, especially given his injury history.

Seahawks RB Thomas Rawls will NOT play in tomorrow's game but Carroll said he has "no hesitation saying he will play in season opener."

With Marshawn Lynch out of the way, Rawls is first in line for workhorse back duties given his performance in 2015. In the six games in which Rawls played and Lynch did not, the rookie averaged 20.5 touches for 120 yards and 0.84 touchdowns (on a stellar 5.6 YPC). That doesn't even include Week 3, when he turned 16 carries into 104 yards while Lynch was limited to five carries. A fractured ankle ended his season, but he should be ready to play in Week 1.

Cardinals wide receiver John Brown went into the league’s concussion protocol early in training camp and wound up missing three weeks of work before getting cleared to return to practice last weekend.

Brown’s return to action has hit a snag, however. Coach Bruce Arians said, via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, that Brown has a headache and won’t practice on Wednesday.

Brown's departure is a bit alarming given that he already missed three weeks with the concussion. We've bumped him down our rankings a bit due to the chances that he might miss a game or two early in the season. When Brown missed Week 8 of last season, Jaron Brown played 47% of the snaps, catching one pass for 39 yards on four targets. J.J. Nelson played 25% of the snaps and caught three passes for 70 yards on four targets.

Mike Mularkey said Titans will find ways to get Derrick Henry on the field, even though DeMarco Murray is still the starter.

Both players have looked good in the preseason. The Titans drafted Henry with the intention of using him as a rookie, so we're expecting a fairly run-heavy game plan, at least until the Titans fall behind. Henry has a lot of upside as an attrition play if anything were to happen to Murray.

ESPN's Rob Demovsky picked WR Jared Abbrederis as his breakout player to watch:

The third-year receiver has built off the momentum that he established in the playoff loss at Arizona last year, when he came off the bench and caught four passes for 55 yards. Thanks to a strong showing in training camp combined with Jeff Janis' broken hand, Abbrederis continues to move up the Packers' depth chart.

Related players: Davante Adams

Abbrederis is competing with Davante Adams at this point for snaps behind Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. The Packers' WR3 will play 70% or more of the snaps, though he's listed on the Packers' depth chart as Cobb's backup.

Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette was asked how the team's depth chart would shake out. His response:

"Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Eli Rogers in the slot. Backups: Sammie Coates and Darrius Heyward-Bey. If they keep six, Cobi Hamilton or Demarcus Ayers."

Last week, Dale Lolley (@dlolleyor) of the Observer-Reporter gave us the heads up about Rogers' likely role in the slot. If this holds, then Coates is being severely overdrafted in the 9th/10th round of fantasy drafts and Rogers is a deep sleeper, especially in PPR formats. We've favored Wheaton in our rankings all summer, the concern is that he'll now be competing directly with Coates for snaps, and if he doesn't carry over the momentum from late last season, he could find himself on the bench. On the plus side, Wheaton is currently starting in a high-octane passing attack and if that continues, he'll be a steal in the 10th/11th round. He'll have to prove that he can consistently get open on the outside, but he's apparently done enough in camp to earn the starting job.

"We're going to even out those reps with the first group with (Cameron Brake) and (Austin Seferian-Jenkins)," Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said after watching Saturday's tape. "Austin's worked his way right back in there, and when he got moved down the depth chart, all you can ask a player when he gets moved down is that he competes and does better and tries to get back up there, and he's done that.

"The catch in the second half that Austin made on the 'bow-out' -- there's just not a whole lot of guys that can make that play. He's earned a chance to get back and work more with the first group, so we should give it to him.”

The Bucs have recently been employing not just two-tight-end sets -- which also feature 6-6 Luke Stocker, the team's best run-blocker, or hybrid fullback/tight end/jack-of-all-trades Danny Vitale -- but also three-tight-end sets, where Brate and Seferian-Jenkins will both be out on the field together as passing threats.

We're still not as high on ASJ as we were early in the offseason, before a couple of practice blowups and glowing comments about Brate from the team's coaching staff, but it's easier to see a path to TE1-type status if Seferian-Jenkins continues to do and say the right things.

Expect Darren Sproles to be featured in the passing game this season. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said that every week during game planning meetings, they will ask, "How can we get this guy the football?"

Reich was the offensive coordinator in San Diego last season, when Danny Woodhead led the Chargers with 80 catches. He sees similar qualities in Sproles.

"Sproles is the original, right?" Reich said. "He's the original guy. He's the prototype. Right from the start, I remember coming in some of the immediate talk was the excitement of how we get to use a guy like Darren Sproles. . . . In Doug's offense, they've done that in the past. We'll continue to mix in some other things that we've all done, that our staff has done to kind of isolate backs and get good matchups."

As the article mentioned, Reich's history with Danny Woodhead shows that he knows how to get a pass-catching back the football. After Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz, the Eagles are looking for playmakers in the passing game, and Sproles can certainly help in that area. He has finished in the top 30 in seven straight seasons in PPR formats.

Derek Carr and the Raiders' starting offense hasn't exactly lit it up in the preseason.

In seven possessions, the starters have produced two field goals. Carr has completed 60 percent of his passes, but for only 82 yards.

This week's game plan against the Tennessee Titans figures to be rather vanilla with the Raiders scheduled to see them again in Week 3 of the season. Carr's game plan will remain the same.

"I joke around a lot," Carr said. "Sometimes people are going to be mad at me for certain things in the preseason."

Carr is a risk-taker by nature, but particularly in the preseason. Take his interception in last week's game against the Green Bay Packers, for example. His deep shot to Amari Cooper was a 50-50 proposition at best that Packers cornerback Josh Hawkins came down with.

Carr is ranked 14th on our list and has a pair of good receivers in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and an emerging tight end in Clive Walford. The downfall to Carr is the Raiders invested in defense in the offseason so they may not have to throw as much. Still, Carr is worth considering as a second QB if your league requires that, and ranks ahead of guys like Matthew Stafford, Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Jared Cook no longer feels like the new kid on the block in the Packers’ offense

The eighth-year tight end has been immersed in the playbook since he signed as a free agent in March, discovering where he fits into the offense and picking up most of the signals.

Cook has seen 42 offensive snaps in the first two preseason games, catching four passes for 26 yards from backup quarterbacks Brett Hundley and Joe Callahan.

As comfortable as he feels, Cook knows the final exam that awaits him this Friday night when Aaron Rodgers makes his preseason debut against the San Francisco 49ers.

The tempo will pick up with the two-time MVP quarterback running the offense, challenging everything Cook has learned over the last five months.

Cook said having Rodgers run the offense will be a good test for him this week. The story added Cook and Rodgers have developed a rapport since Cook came off the PUP list Aug. 9, a key note for Cook's fantasy potential this year. The piece added Cook has been a popular target in the middle of the field as well. Cook's been climbing our TE rankings a bit and we think he'll compare to what Richard Rodgers did last year - finishing as #11 TE. We think Cook has upside and a chance to post TE1 numbers.

Victor Cruz returned to practice today without limitations and looked very much like … Victor Cruz.

Lining up most often in the slot, Cruz caught several passes and demonstrated an impressive burst running upfield.

“Just seeing him back out there catching some balls, bursting a little bit, it feels good,” Odell Beckham said. “It feels right."

This was considered a big week for Cruz's comeback attempt and it seems to be off to a good start. HC Ben McAdoo said it's important for Cruz to be able to play in one of the final two preseason games.

Jarvis Landry is getting more freedom in the Dolphins offense than ever and believes that could put him in position for his best season yet.

With new coach Adam Gase inclined to rearrange receivers all over the field, Landry is no longer limited to working out of the slot. That likely remains his strength, but Miami won’t hesitate to line him up wide when there’s a match-up that suits him.

“It’s just based on mismatches and creating opportunities to be successful,” Landry said after Wednesday’s practice. “That’s what it’s about at the end of the day— finding the matchup, creating a mismatch and exploiting it until they take it away. Then we go after the next one.”

His task between now and the season opener is to master all of those routes and possibilities, and that effort continues with Thursday’s preseason game against the Falcons. The story made it clear that even with Kenny Stills emerging and DeVante Parker showing flashes as a deep threat, Landry remains the most reliable receiver for the Dolphins.

On Tuesday, Redskins RB Matt Jones worked off to the side at Redskins practice with other injured players, rehabbing from the sprained AC joint in his left shoulder.

Interestingly, the work Jones put in with trainers seemed more focused on his legs than his shoulder, which Jones explained as a way to keep his legs strong when he's not taking reps with the first team offense. More importantly, Jones feels like his injury is moving along quickly.

"It's feeling pretty good. I'm moving fast in my healing process right now," Jones said. "I'm taking big strides."

Asked if his goal was to be back for the Redskins regular season opener against the Steelers on September 12, Jones replied "definitely."

Jones has been shutdown from playing in preseason games. The story said his shoulder wasn't in a sling nor did he seem to be in discomfort. All good signs he should be ready for Week 1.

Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper was a spectator at the beginning of practice Tuesday.

Cooper was in shorts and did not have his helmet while the team was in full pads. Cooper did, however, stretch with the team before position drills began. Cooper has three receptions for 27 yards this preseason, including a 20-yard catch in traffic at the Green Bay Packers last weekend. He did, however, come under scrutiny for not fully fighting for the ball on a long pass from Derek Carr against the Packers that was intercepted.

Trevor Siemian did not throw in Tuesday's practice due to what coach Gary Kubiak described as a bruised right (throwing) shoulder.

Siemian was in uniform for the workout, but he only took part in individual drills and was with the starting offense for its run-game work. He did not throw in any of the other practice periods.

"He just couldn't throw,'' Kubiak said following practice.

"He's got a very sore shoulder ... he did take run game and stuff in practice and took individual. We'll see where we're at (Wednesday)."

Many feel Siemian has an inside track to the starting job in Denver. He's expected to start on Saturday despite the shoulder issues on Tuesday, Kubiak said in the story.

Blaine Gabbert led the 49ers’ first-team offense through the entire offseason program and has continued to build a case to win the starting job at the start of the regular season.

But the 49ers will not name the starter for the 49ers’ first game, Sept. 12 against the Los Angeles Rams, until the time is right, offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins said on Tuesday. That’s because Colin Kaepernick has not had a fair chance, he said.

“It’s not time,” Modkins said. “It’s a competition and Kap hasn’t had a chance to perform, yet. So, when that happens and when coach feels like it’s time, we’ll do that. But right now it’s not time. We’ve still got a ways to go before we play.”

Kaepernick returned to practice Monday after being out with arm fatigue. The team expects him to play Friday night against the Packers. This can be taken a couple of ways - the team is trying to be fair and give Kaepernick a chance, or, it hasn't been impressed with Gabbert to this point and really wants Kaepernick to seize the job.

Head coach Hue Jackson on Aug. 23 got a glimpse of what his offense might look like in October when the Browns met the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a joint scrimmage.

Terrelle Pryor and Josh Gordon lined up at wide receiver for the Browns on a steamy, muggy Florida morning. They have the ability and potential to turn one of pro football’s least productive units into one that can at least find the end zone without using Google maps. Rookie Corey Coleman will eventually make it a threesome.

“They provide us with some opportunities to do some things that we like to do,” Jackson told reporters after practice. “Pryor, (Gordon), Corey, Hawk (WR Andrew Hawkins), we have a lot of good guys, a lot of different pieces that we can use. Those guys are just part of it. We have some other guys and we just have to keep getting better.”

Pryor and Gordon split wide with Coleman in the slot could be on the field at the same time on Aug. 26 when the Browns and Buccaneers meet in a preseason game, the story said. They can’t be together in the regular season until Oct. 9 when the Browns host New England because Gordon is suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the regular season. Pryor has been impressive this camp, making the transition from QB to WR, he seems to be overshadowing Coleman even. QB Robert Griffin III could benefit the most if this trio continues to shine once the regular season starts.

Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater threw during team drills, although reports from the team’s session indicated that he was mostly throwing shorter passes during the workout.

Shaun Hill, who started in Bridgewater’s place, also returned to action after a day off and a day off from throwing to further return things to normal for the Vikes.

The Vikings opted not to play quarterback Teddy Bridgewater against the Seahawks last Thursday and a report emerged in the following days that Bridgewater was bothered by shoulder soreness leading up to the game. That wasn’t confirmed by the team, but the fact that Bridgewater didn’t throw in practice on either Saturday or Sunday seemed to offer further evidence that all wasn’t 100 percent with his arm. Tuesday’s practice provided reason to believe things are headed back that way, the story said.

Josh Doctson could be back on the field as early as next week for the Washington Redskins’ preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept 1.

Doctson has slowly been increasing his rehab work in an effort to get back to the field prior to Washington’s regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 12.

“He did the route tree today, which is very positive – not 100 percent yet obviously – he’s not running full-speed but he’s doing a lot more now than he did a week ago, which the progress that we see is a very, very good sign for us,” Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said on Tuesday. “I have total expectation that he’s going to be ready Week 1, possibly the fourth preseason game, but we’ll still see. Like I said, it’s a new injury to me.”

Doctson has been dealing with an Achilles injury for a few months now that forced him to watch the entirety of his first professional training camp from the sidelines. While he was only able to do some catching and light calisthenics, Gruden believes Doctson is “in good shape right now mentally,” the story said. Fantasy potential is certainly there for Doctson, especially of the run game continues to struggle for the Redskins, and also considering DeSean Jackson has had his share of injuries recently. The concern right now is chemistry with Kirk Cousins and trying to catch up.

The Detroit Lions are halfway through the preseason, which means there’s less than two weeks remaining before the roster has to be trimmed to its initial 53 on Sept. 3.

There are plenty of tough decisions on the horizon for general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Jim Caldwell, which was one of Quinn’s main objectives when taking over in January. Who makes the cut at running back is one of those tough decisions.

Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick are in. That we already know.

Caldwell has entered the regular season with four running backs and a fullback on the roster in each of the last two seasons. That means four players – Zach Zenner, Dwayne Washington, George Winn and Stevan Ridley – are fighting for what will likely be two roster spots. Zenner and Washington have played more consistently and made more plays throughout training camp and the first two preseason games. The story added Washington has made the most splash plays, with a combo of power and speed. The team's RB3 would have some fantasy potential should something happen to Abdullah or Riddick.

Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since injuring his ankle on Aug. 6 during the franchise's mock game at Ford Field.

Ebron was not spotted doing much during the limited viewing period of individual drills at the team's practice facility, but it is another step in the right direction for the tight end. He was spotted jogging to the Jugs machine and then catching passes on it last week.

A source told ESPN Insider Adam Caplan on Tuesday morning that Ebron will play Week 1 against Indianapolis. His return to practice Tuesday would be another strong indicator of that, the story said. Ebron is slated to be Detroit's top tight end this fall. He had been having a strong camp leading up to the injury. Now entering his third season, he called this year a "make it or break it" year for him. He caught 47 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games last season.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott has participated in three full practices the last three days and coach Jason Garrett said he anticipates the Dallas Cowboys' first-round pick will play Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks.

Elliott suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 2 while the Cowboys practiced in Oxnard, California. He missed eight straight practices and the first two preseason games, but he was able to participate in two workouts before the team returned to Texas last week.

"I'm excited to finally get some full-go action," Elliott said Tuesday. "It's been a long time."

Garrett wasn't sure how much Elliott would play against the Seahawks. The third game of the preseason is most like the regular season for the starters, but since this is Elliott's first game some accommodations will be made, the story said.

Panthers TE Greg Olsen sat out the first two games of his rookie season with a knee injury but hasn't missed a regular season game since.

It doesn't look like the back injury that caused him to miss a preseason game will pose any threat to his streak.

"If it had been the regular season, I think I could have made it happen last weekend," Olsen said. "But there was no need to do that, and there's no real concern going forward."

Olsen spoke about the injury Tuesday, when he returned to limited participation in practice after missing more than a week with a back injury. There's no guarantee that Olsen will suit up when the Panthers host the New England Patriots on Friday in the all-important third preseason game, but there's no noteworthy concern, either. Looks like he'll be ready to go Week 1.

Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz didn’t play in last Saturday’s game against the Bills, but he dressed for warmups to move closer to playing in a game than he’s been since tearing his patella tendon in the 2014 season.

The plan for this week is to take the next step and get Cruz on the field against the Jets. On Tuesday, Cruz was a participant in his first full practice since hurting his groin two weeks ago and coach Ben McAdoo said that the team will have him in the lineup if all goes well the next couple of days.

“We’ll find out more today and tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to seeing him,” McAdoo said, via the New York Daily News. “It was nice to see him in the uniform in pre-game the other day.”

The goal is to see how he plays and how his body handles playing to get a better idea of what to expect from him. This remains a big week for Cruz in his comeback attempt.

49ers WR Bruce Ellington rolled his ankle in San Francisco’s Week 1 preseason loss to the Houston Texans.

“It feels good to be back out there competing,” the third-year pro said. “I love competing. Going against those guys, I know they love to compete, too. Everyone is getting better. Iron sharpens iron.”

The 5-foot-9, 197-pound receiver has 19 receptions for 215 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 26 career games. Ellington has an opportunity to surpass those numbers in the upcoming season. His role in Chip Kelly’s offense makes him one of the most critical play-makers to watch this season.

The story said Ellington has learned a lot from Anquan Boldin and feels he's ready to play the position when the season starts. Kelly's slot position receiver on the Eagles last year was Jordan Matthews, who was a main target (due to lack of quality on the outside) so Ellington has a chance to put up some solid fantasy numbers.

The Bengals lined up rookie wide receiver Tyler Boyd in a variety of ways during practice and while he has yet to catch an NFL regular-season pass the Bengals can celebrate Boyd’s ascension into the derby to start opposite A.J. Green in New Jersey on Sept. 11.

“A lot of guys are in that category,” said wide receivers coach James Urban as the staff continues to respond to the off-season departures of the nearly combined 1,000 yards and 100 catches accumulated by Sanu and Marvin Jones last season.

But with seven-year veteran Brandon LaFell returning to practice this week with a damaged ligament in his hand after a 10-day absence, Boyd is the unquestioned leader in the clubhouse as they get set to gauge LaFell in Sunday’s dress rehearsal in Jacksonville.

“We have to see how he transitions through,” said offensive coordinator Ken Zampese.

Also making a push is one of the best stories of the year in James Wright. Wright, the 2014 seventh-rounder from LSU, is coming back from a 21-month layoff as he tries to rebound from the most dangerous of procedures, a micro fracture knee surgery.

One wild card in the Patriots running back situation remains undrafted D.J. Foster of Arizona State, who hasn't played in the preseason because of an undisclosed injury but appeared to increase his practice workload on Monday.

Foster was a priority free-agent signing whose $30,000 in guaranteed money was second highest among the team's undrafted players. He fits into the "passing back" mold of Lewis and top replacement, James White.

The story mentioned Fred Jackson and Roy Helu but they fall more into the passing back category. The story also said the Titans could be a trade partner as they are deep with RBs DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry and Bishop Shankey. We had a story Monday that said Ronnie Hillman may not make the Broncos. The Pats could just be waiting for the next round of cuts, but they appear likely to add to the position and that player could have some fantasy relevance.

Add Dez Bryant to the list of absences from Thursday’s preseason game in Seattle.

The Cowboys revealed on Tuesday morning that Bryant suffered a concussion during the team’s Monday morning practice. Neither Bryant nor Tyrone Crawford will play against the Seahawks, as both players have been evaluated for concussions within the last two days.

This setback will likely end Bryant’s preseason, given that starters typically don’t play in the final preseason game. But with 19 days until the Cowboys open the regular season, the All-Pro receiver will have ample time to recover. Bryant had been on a fantastic run of play during the Cowboys’ first two preseason games. During limited action against the Rams and Dolphins, he caught four passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns, the story all said. Bryant tweeted he'd be OK, but it's still worth monitoring.

The New England Patriots released veteran running back Donald Brown on Tuesday, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates, as an early-camp injury ultimately doomed Brown's chances of sticking on the roster at a position where the club is thin.

Brown, who signed a one-year, $965,000 contract with the Patriots on March 17, was competing for a backup spot behind LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis, the latter of whom will open the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list as he will undergo a second surgery on his left knee.

Brown had pulled up in the fifth practice of training camp -- members of the athletic training staff appeared to be checking his hamstring -- and hadn't been a full participant in practice since. He didn't play in the team's first two preseason games.

By releasing him, the Patriots thin their ranks at a position that was already short on depth. Blount is the top power option, while third-year man James White projects to step in for Lewis as the top "passing back" until his return. The team also has Brandon Bolden (5th year), Tyler Gaffney (3rd year), Joey Iosefa (2nd year) and undrafted rookie D.J. Foster at running back. Yesterday we reported White is getting more running reps. Brown, if healthy, was an option to both run the ball and receive to keep defenses guessing a little.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman participated in his first practice in over two months on Tuesday, and it didn't take long for the 2015 first-round pick to take his first shot of the year.

"Who is the new guy," linebacker Terrell Suggs said when spotting Perriman. "Can he play?"

Perriman, the No. 26 overall player taken a year ago, was on the field for the first time since partially tearing the anterior cruciate ligament on June 9. Not wearing a brace on that left knee, he showed little effects from the knee injury in running routes and making cuts.

Though he wasn't running at full speed, he showed no hesitation in any of the drills. It did appear that Perriman had a slight limp when he was walking in between drills, the story said. He only took part in individual drills, the story said.

Quarterback Tom Brady hasn’t been at Patriots practice for the last two days after being excused from the team’s workouts for personal reasons.

Those absences continued a run of unexpected absences for Brady this summer that also include missing the first preseason game to attend a memorial service and missing the second game after he reportedly cut his thumb with scissors while working on his cleats. Coach Bill Belichick declined to elaborate on the reason for this absence and he shouldn’t have to answer any other questions about it on Tuesday.

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that Brady is back with the team for one of their last practices before Thursday’s game against the Panthers.

Belichick said Monday that he doesn’t view that game as a dress rehearsal for the start of the regular season, so we’ll see how they handle things in terms of getting Brady playing time or if Jimmy Garoppolo continues to do all of the work with the starters ahead of his four-game stint as the team’s starter in the regular season, the story said.

It was a game of 'Where's Waldo' the first 15 days of Jets training camp.

As soon as team drills began, reporters attempted to scope out rookie quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Usually, he was standing next to quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo. Rarely was he on the field. Simply put, the Jets weren't giving Hackenberg more than a handful of reps during the team portion of practice.

This week, things have changed. On Sunday and Monday, Hackenberg received more reps than he had in any other camp practice.

"It's part of the progression," head coach Todd Bowles said. "You give him more reps in there as time goes by. That's just part of the progression."

Hackenberg's playing time has been one of the more talked-about storylines in camp this year. Despite being a second-round pick and the hopeful quarterback of the future, Hackenberg hasn't been playing. Quite literally — He didn't take one snap in either of the Jets' first two preseason games. Hackenberg's performance has been less than inspiring the story said, adding he went just 2 of 12 with nearly an INT. Monday he was 5 of 11 with two INTs.

Despite Bears WR Kevin White’s pedestrian statistics in preseason, Alshon Jeffery thinks the second-year wideout is on track to experience regular-season success.

“He's taking coaching well and learning, because, I mean, he missed the whole year last year, so this year he's progressing right where we need him to be,” Jeffery said. “He listens to the coaches, and he's making plays and he's having fun.”

Jeffery, the Bears’ franchise-tag player, is passing along subtle tips to White, who has missed just one open training camp practice, which, if nothing else, constitutes some progress for player who developed a stress fracture in his shin overtraining for the NFL combine last year.

The best glimpse of White in the preseason could come Saturday versus the Kanas City Chiefs, where the Bears' first team is expected to play at least one full half. While it’s not a requirement, it would be beneficial for White to get more involved offensively, without compromising what Chicago’s offense truly intends to do Week 1 at Houston, the story said.

If Trevor Siemian holds serve and is named the regular-season starter and if, after Saturday's game, the Broncos think they've seen enough from Paxton Lynch to make him the No. 2 quarterback, it's unclear what it would mean for Mark Sanchez. If he was the No. 3 and remained on the roster he would be the team's highest paid quarterback and a game-day inactive.

Sanchez is the highest paid of the three, counting $4.5 million against the cap. If the Broncos were to decide to release Sanchez because they believe Lynch could be the team's backup, the Broncos would take a $1 million dead money hit against their salary cap and would have to pay the $1 million that is fully guaranteed in Sanchez's contract. If the Broncos decide on a Siemian-Lynch depth chart, they could also try to trade the 29-year-old Sanchez. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, so teams would only be taking on the last year of his current contract.

The Dolphins gave running back Arian Foster his first playing time of the preseason against the Cowboys last week, but it was a limited appearance.

Foster was in for nine snaps and got the ball on two of them without finding much running room. Foster lost five yards while getting little help from the blocking on his two carries, leaving coach Adam Gase to make plans to extend Foster’s time on the field against the Falcons on Thursday.

“We didn’t have much to evaluate,” Gase said, via the Miami Herald. “Whatever carries he had, there wasn’t much there to try to create. He did a couple of things on his own. Hopefully we can take a long look at him this week. I don’t want to overdo it with him. Obviously, his resume speaks for itself.”

The story went on to say the Dolphins are expected to keep the first team in the game into the second half on Thursday, so there will be more snaps for Foster as the team works on setting up the look of their backfield for the start of the regular season. With rookie Kenyan Drake still sidelined by a hamstring injury, that look will likely come down to how they balance playing time for Foster and Jay Ajayi.

It's easy to see the things Coby Fleener does well on a football field.

The 6-foot-6 tight end can get open, catch the ball and run downfield, and in a New Orleans Saints offense in which quarterback Drew Brees likes to throw to tight ends, Fleener should have plenty of chances to showcase those skills.

However, some of the finer points of the position could limit Fleener's opportunities as he adjusts to a new offense.

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"I'd say it's an ongoing progression," coach Sean Payton said Monday of Fleener's adjustment process. "I think, man, there's some plays that are real good, and then there's some plays where we've got to be a little bit more detailed and that's something that I know he's got to work on."

As the story pointed out, he's clearly the top tight end for the passing game, both from his performance this summer and his five-year, $36 million contract. Josh Hill bobbling a pass from Brees that resulted in an interception by rookie cornerback De'Vante Harris only provided another reason to think Fleener will be the main target in the tight end group. However HC Sean Payton said there's a lot more to being a TE than catching passes and Fleener still has some work to do.

The Broncos still have 17 days until they open the season against the Panthers. Coach Gary Kubiak won’t wait quite that long to pick a starting quarterback, even if at times it seems that he will.

Kubiak’s decision is coming next week.

“We have three quarterbacks, two of which weren’t on this team last year and one that has one regular-season snap,” coach Gary Kubiak told reporters on Monday. “I knew this was going to take some time. I think it’s a credit to them and how well they’ve pushed each other. It’s down to the nitty-gritty here. I’m going to make a decision next week and we’re going to go to work. They’ve all put themselves in position to go out there and compete.”

Although Trevor Siemian will start the third preseason game, that doesn’t mean he has the inside track to the job over Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch. As the story pointed out, there's no guarantee whoever is named the starter will be a lock for the remainder of the season. This is shaping up to be a potential messy, yet interesting, fantasy situation.

Markus Wheaton and Ben Roethlisberger share lockers next to each other inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex locker room, and it's there that a bulk of the communication between the quarterback and receiver takes place.

Usually.

"He spent so much time in the training room that he couldn’t be next to me talking about things," Roethlisberger said on Monday.

Wheaton was out for most of training camp while dealing with an undisclosed injury, but returned to practice this week as the Steelers returned from St. Vincent to their team facility.

"I’m disappointed he was out of the practices because I felt like we had really grown a lot and the chemistry had grown a lot," Roethlisberger said. "Even if his locker is next to mine and just communicating to each other talking."

Despite having nine less receptions than he had in 2014, Wheaton totaled 105 more yards (749), and averaged 4.8 more yards-per-catch (17.0) with five more touchdowns last season. He's also in the final year of his $2.8 million rookie contract. There is a lot riding on Wheaton this season, but right now, he's still in the process of playing catch-up. Wheaton is slotted as the team's WR2 this year, a potential vital role with no Martavis Bryant and an ailing TE in Ladarius Green.

The closest thing Jordy Nelson did to real football during his first practice in 364 days came at the end of the session, when he ran some half-speed routes while fellow receivers Randall Cobb and Davante Adams acted as cornerbacks during a jog-through.

No wonder Nelson called it "hardly even a practice."

By unofficial count, earlier in Monday's practice Nelson caught 15 passes from Aaron Rodgers and the other quarterbacks at the far end of the field while the rest of the team went through a special-teams period.

Nelson appeared to run closer to full speed in that drill, although never against a defender.

Nelson said he felt good conditioning-wise and added he believes he's on track to play in the season opener on Sept. 11 against the Jags. The team only has one more full practice before Friday's preseason game, which means it's unlikely Nelson will suit up for that, according to the story.

James White carried the ball 22 times for 56 yards, appearing in 14 games. He is a running back who, clearly, did very little running.

Expect that to change in 2016 as White fills in for Dion Lewis, who reportedly will begin the year on PUP.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday that White has been "very dependable, very consistent" entering his third year.

"I think he has worked on his role in the running game, carrying the ball, which he did a lot of in college and hasn't done a lot of here," Belichick said. "(He) was mainly a passing game player last year and didn't play two years ago, his rookie year. He was mainly a passing game player last year, but he has taken a more active role in the running game this year. So he continues to develop, had a good run on the two-point play against New Orleans."

As Belichick pointed out, White ran the ball plenty in college, carrying 221 times for 1,444 yards as a senior at Wisconsin. Belichick added White ran between the tackles but his run skills need refinement for the NFL, however, he's taking more reps running the ball. The Pats likely want the threat of the run while White is on the field rather than giving away the play is a pass if White remains a one-dimensional back.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who left the field a week ago during a joint practice with the Bears, was not spotted on the field Monday.

This is the third straight practice Gronkowski has missed.

No one wants Karlos Williams.

Williams, the talented running back who was cut by the Bills on Saturday, has passed through waivers unclaimed. That means all 31 other teams had the opportunity to pick Williams up for his very affordable salary as a 2015 fifth-round draft pick, and all 31 other teams declined.

That would have seemed shocking not long ago, as Williams has undeniable talent: As a rookie last year, Williams averaged 5.6 yards a carry and scored seven touchdowns.

But Williams has a number of off-field concerns: He had character red flags heading into last year’s draft, he reported for offseason work out of shape and overweight this year, and he will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, the story said. It went on to say if Williams stays out of trouble he may get another opportunity. He's an unrestricted free agent as of now.

Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed said he will play against the Buffalo Bills on Friday. He did not suit up during Washington’s first two preseason games against the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets because of a sprained left thumb, although Reed said he’s been practicing for the past two weeks.

Redskins Coach Jay Gruden has been cautious with Reed’s injury that he suffered during training camp in Richmond. Reed was active during individual drills and during 1-on-1s at the start of Monday’s practice.

Reed said he feels physically fine leading up to the Bills game. It’ll be his first opportunity to face a live-tackling situation this season in what will be the offense’s dress rehearsal game. He one of our top TE picks and poised for another big season as long as he remains healthy.

Colin Kaepernick's comeback from arm fatigue saw him return to practice Monday and stay on track for an exhibition-season debut Friday against the Green Bay Packers, a franchise he has beaten twice in the playoffs.

Kaepernick said his throwing arm felt good and was "very" happy to fully practice for the first time since Aug. 10. When a reporter noted the high-speed velocity on his passes, Kaepernick replied: "Yeah, a little something behind it."

Kaepernick stretched on the locker room floor during the informal chat with reporters an hour after practice, with no ice on his right shoulder that was too tight to throw with for nearly a week, the story reported. Wide receiver Bruce Ellington described Kaepernick's arm as still a "cannon" after the 90-minute practice. Said Ellington: "Kap, his arm is still strong. He's still throwing it in the right places. As a receiver, you like that."

Redskins RB Matt Jones suffered an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder in the first quarter of last Friday’s preseason game against the Jets and didn’t return to the game. On Monday, coach Jay Gruden said that Jones will not play in either of the team’s two remaining preseason contest.

As for the regular season, Gruden said, via CSNMidAtlantic.com, that he has “high hopes” that Jones will be recovered in time to take the field against the Steelers on September 12.

The team has been rumored to be looking for outside help and now that may especially be true with this news. Undrafted rookie Rob Kelley has run 10 times for 48 yards in the preseason and Gruden indicated he’ll get a look with the first team along with seventh-round pick Keith Marshall with third-down back Chris Thompson also on hand, the story said.

The Lions haven't scored much with their starting offense on the field, but they have moved the ball.

But Golden Tate is not concerned.

"I think we can be special," Tate said.

They put together a 12-play drive on their lone series in the preseason opener against Pittsburgh, before a Taylor Decker breakdown led to a sack-fumble. Then they went 10 plays and 79 yards to open against Cincinnati, before Tate dropped a would-be touchdown in the end zone.

QB Matthew Stafford has a 70.6-percent completion percentage, which is actually ahead of the pace he set in the second half of last season, and 171 yards through the air. He has not thrown an interception, though he does have two-sack fumbles.

Detroit has been without TE Eric Ebron and RB Ameer Abdullah as well, which isn't helping their production. Stafford's favorite target continues to be WR Marvin Jones, who leads Detroit with 81 receiving yards on five catches. That includes a 32-yard toe-dragger along the sideline last week, which helped set up a field goal. We've heard a lot about how Jones has been Stafford's go-to WR so far in camp and it's holding true in preseason games.

Trevor Siemian will get another chance to start a preseason game for the Broncos.

Coach Gary Kubiak announced Monday that Siemian will be the first man under center against the Rams.

As you know, that game is traditionally a dress rehearsal for the regular season. That would suggest that Siemian has some edge in the starting quarterback competition. But, there are some complications, according to the story. Kubiak said that Siemian has a sore shoulder as a result of an attempted tackle he made after throwing an interception against the 49ers and that it’s not clear yet whether he’ll be able to practice on Tuesday. Kubiak also said that he wants Siemian, Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch to play the same amount of time on Saturday night, but didn’t say whether Lynch or Sanchez would be the second quarterback into the game. Kubiak didn’t rule out any of the three winding up as the starter following the Rams game. The way this competition is going, this news may not have told us much of anything.

Eagles WR Dorial Green-Beckham expects not only to play more against the Colts on Saturday, but to also be on the field with the first-team offense at some point.

Given the state of the Eagles receivers, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Nelson Agholor looked better in preseason game two, but with Jordan Matthews hurt, no one else has really stepped up. It's hard to imagine DGB making a huge fantasy impact coming to a new team, but if he can show any kind of signs of consistency the Eagles may have no other choice but continue to give him chances.

Rams QB Jared Goff isn't having the best run under center, struggling early to adapt.

Things are going so poorly that, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher/Report, Goff isn't just behind Case Keenum on the Rams depth chart -- he's the third-string quarterback behind Sean Mannion as well.

"Jared Goff is currently not the Rams' starting quarterback and may not be the No. 2 according to sources, I talked to. Two coaches admitted Goff's talent is obvious and he will eventually be the starter. But he's also not ready to take over. Veteran Case Keenum is still running the L.A. offense. Goff is often being outperformed by second-year pro Sean Mannion in practice. Goff was the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft but there's no guarantee he'll be the No. 1 quarterback any time soon."

Goff is listed as the second quarterback on the depth chart at the Rams official site. But those preseason depth charts are often just put out by the PR teams and aren't designed to be official for coaching staff purposes, the story pointed out. Still, Goff seems to be struggling at this point in camp and doesn't seem likely to begin the year as the team's starter.

Tight end Dennis Pitta has a broken finger stemming from his practice fight with rookie linebacker Kamalei Correa on Aug. 1 and he will continue to miss time as the bone heals, Head Coach John Harbaugh announced Monday.

Pitta suffered the injury during the open practice at M&T Bank Stadium Aug. 1, and it was initially believed to be a strain. But further testing revealed he had a fracture, and he has not practiced since getting hurt.

“It’s absurd that it happened,” Harbaugh said. “We need to get him back as soon as we can, but it’s not going to be this week. A bone has to heal.”

It's tough luck for Pitta who is working his way back from a second hip surgery. In addition to losing the veteran tight end for nearly all of training camp, there is also a concern with that the injury could linger once he does get back on the field. The Ravens are deep at TE with Ben Watson, Crockett Gillmore and Maxx Williams.

The Ravens will have a walk-through practice this afternoon and second-year wide receiver Breshad Perriman will be part of it.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh announced today that Perriman, the team's first-round pick in the 2015 draft, has been activated from the physically unable to perform list.

Perriman missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury and then he sustained a partially torn ACL in his left knee during the final week of organized team activities. Perriman is supposed to be the team's deep threat but Mike Wallace has drawn lots of praise so far in camp in that role. Steve L Smith is back and Kamar Aiken appears to be a solid WR2, so where Perriman fits in remains a question.

Bengals Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert has sworn off the Pro Bowl forever after suffering an ankle injury in January’s game that still hasn’t healed. And in a sign of just how serious that injury was, Eifert is just jogging for the first time today.

Geoff Hobson of the Bengals’ website reports that Eifert is trying to jog for the first time since surgery. Eifert said he has previously been running on a treadmill in the pool and feels good.

Eifert has been lifting weights and says he has had no setbacks, but if he’s just jogging for the first time today, it seems unlikely that he’d be ready for the season opener in less than three weeks, the story speculates. Backup Tyler Kroft is trying to recover from what's said to be a minor knee injury. Eifert's stock has fallen to the seventh or eighth round but if he's able to come back sooner than later that's obviously nice potential value at that point in the draft.

Jags RB Denard Robinson has outlasted all the changes at running back over the last few years, but he is still facing competition.

After injured tailback Jonas Gray was waived last week, the trio of Robinson, Corey Grant and Joe Banyard are entrenched in one of the most interesting preseason storylines as each battles for a limited number of roster spots behind starters T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory.

The Jaguars won’t carry a fullback on their 53-man roster, which could create room for a fourth or fifth tailback when the roster is trimmed.

Robinson, Grant and Banyard could be vying for two roster spots — or if each makes the roster, are jockeying for playing time. They appeared in the Tampa Bay preseason game in that order. Yeldon and Ivory are supposed to split time, so the team's RB3 could have fantasy value should Ivory or Yeldon get injured, something that happened to both last season.

In early June, the competition committee approved several changes to the injury report policy — most notable, the elimination of the “probable” designation on the game status report that had been used for players who had a virtual certainty of being available for normal duty in that week’s game.

Instead, if there is any question about the player’s availability for the game, the league says he should now be listed as “questionable” on the status report, which previously meant a player had a 50% chance of playing. If the player is certain to play, he is to be removed from the report, with the club required to provide an explanation to the league and subject to possible discipline if that player ends up being deactivated.

According to a summary of the changes sent by a league spokesman, the probable designation was eliminated because roughly 95% of players listed as probable in prior years played in the game — which makes sense, given it meant "virtual certainty."

The competition committee also eliminated the “out” category from the separate practice report, meaning players can’t formally be ruled out until Fridays before Sunday games, rather than Wednesdays.

Senior Editor John Paulsen here. I briefly discussed my thoughts about these changes on Twitter yesterday, but thought it would be a good idea to go over the changes in a news item as well. Since 2011, I've been responsible for the practice/injury reports that 4for4 subscribers see Wednesdays through Fridays, so I spend a lot of time reviewing team practice reports and trying to read the tea leaves when it comes to a player's actual availability on game day.

The Probable tag meant the player was injured but was fully expected to play. It was helpful that there was a delineation between Probable and Questionable players for obvious reasons. From a fantasy football perspective, the league’s reasoning for removing the Probable tag is asinine. Just because an overwhelming number of Probable players suited up on Sundays is no reason to get rid of the designation, effectively giving the public less information in the process.

Since a team will now be punished if a player doesn’t play after being absent from the injury report, then all (non-Doubtful) players who are not 100 percent are going to be listed as Questionable. This means that every team’s injury report is going to look like New England’s, and that’s not a good thing for fantasy owners.

The silver lining here is that the changes will hurt 4for4 subscribers less than those less-informed fantasy owners (i.e. most of your leaguemates). Sunday 1 p.m. (ET) kickoffs shouldn’t change dramatically, though there will be more “wait for the inactive report” situations on Sunday mornings. The key will be the guessing game for the 4 p.m. games, along with the Sunday night and Monday night games. I’ve been studying injuries for five years now, and I think I’m pretty good at predicting a player’s availability and weighing that injury risk in our rankings.

So even though these changes make things more confusing for everyone, they should be relatively less confusing for 4for4 subscribers. - JP

Ryan Tannehill earned high marks for his passing in the preseason game at Dallas on Friday night, but he also provided a reminder of the impact he can make running the ball.

Tannehill’s performance against the Cowboys will be remembered more for his two touchdown passes to Kenny Stills along with a 55-yard strike downfield to the same Kenny Stills, but his two runs for 16 yards played a big role in the Dolphins’ second touchdown drive in the second quarter.

Tannehill had runs of 9 and 7 yards on consecutive plays to move the Dolphins from the Dallas 49-yard line to the 33. Four plays later, Tannehill threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Stills.

Having a quarterback with Tannehill’s kind of mobility is something new for HC Adam Gase, who spent his three seasons as an offensive coordinator with Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler, the story said. It also added Gase seemed reluctant at first to use Tannehil in the read-option. But Tannehill was quoted in the story that it will be used more as a change of pace, but something the team will do from time to time this season.

The Tennessee Titans didn't have a single wideout catch more than 36 passes a year ago. We don't expect that to be the case in 2016.

Rookie receiver Tajae Sharpe put on another show in Saturday's 26-16 preseason loss to the Panthers, hauling in six passes for 68 yards as a consistent go-to target for quarterback Marcus Mariota. Sharpe now has a team-leading eight catches for 103 yards over two tilts.

"He makes it easy," Mariota said of Sharpe, per the team's official website. "He is a very versatile athlete, and he's done a lot for us already. He creates separation in and out of his routes and we are going to continue to expect these kinds of things out of him."

Sharpe has been all over our news feed throughout much of this camp. The fifth-rounder out of the University of Massachusetts has developed quickly enough to displace the streaky Justin Hunter and allow the Titans to deep-six the Dorial Green-Beckham experiment. Something to keep in mind, which the story also added, is teams aren't going out of there way to try and take Sharpe out of the game and he's no longer a secret. Still, he's projected to start on the outside opposite Rishard Matthews with Kendall Wright in the slot.

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said last week that running back Ronnie Hillman is in “a helluva battle” to make the 53-man roster. It appears that Hillman is losing that battle.

Mike Klis of KUSA reports that it would now be a surprise if Hillman makes the team. That’s a surprise, considering the Broncos re-signed Hillman to a one-year, $2 million contract with $600,000 guaranteed this offseason.

C.J. Anderson is the clear starter in Denver and fourth-round pick Devontae Booker is a lock to make the roster as well. That leaves Hillman competing with Kapri Bipps for what is likely a third and final roster spot. Bipps has played well enough in the preseason that the Broncos would likely prefer to keep him at his $525,000 base salary than Hillman at the $1.4 million remaining they’ll have to pay him if he makes the roster. Hillman should catch on somewhere if he's let go as there are several teams, like the Patriots and Redskins, who may be interested in adding a back.

No matter what Jordy Nelson does when he practices Monday for the first time in nearly a year, it probably won’t reveal much about whether the Green Bay Packers receiver can return to a Pro-Bowl level.

But at least his first practice will give the world a look at where the 31-year-old is in his return from the worst injury of his career.

As coach Mike McCarthy said over the weekend, Nelson likely will be limited to only individual and position-group drills at first. As the story said,oOnly Nelson and the Packers’ medical staff know exactly what they’ll be looking for upon his return from his torn right ACL last Aug. 23. Those looking to spend a high pick on Nelson will be paying attention to how he progresses this week.

The Steelers’ battery of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell could take the field together Friday night in New Orleans. Precedent says Big Ben and Brown will play at least a few series together, unless coach Mike Tomlin heeds caution.

The wild card is Bell, who has yet to be tackled to the ground in live action since tearing multiple ligaments in his knee on Nov. 1 against Cincinnati. Bell can’t start his season until Week 4 because of a three-game ban for missed drug tests, so the Steelers might want to get him a few reps before then, especially considering how good he's looked in practice work. He's been a full participant every day, though he carries the ball with the proverbial "bubble" designated for star players, especially ones coming off an injury.

The story said WR2 Markus Wheaton, who has missed much of the preseason, could also be part of the game plan. Eli Rogers has emerged in the slot and should be part of three-WR sets, but TE Ladarius Green (ankle) remains on the PUP list.

One of the players who faced off against Browns WR Josh Gordon in practice before his suspension and continues to do so know is cornerback Joe Haden.

“He still looks the exact same and it’s just crazy,” Haden said, via Cleveland.com. “He looks a little bigger. I don’t know how that happened, but he’s still out there running around, looking the same, running his routes, floating. It still looks effortless.”

Barring any hiccups in the next few days, Gordon should play his first game since late in 2014 when the Browns face the Buccaneers on Friday, the story said. Of course, Gordon is suspended the first four games of the season.

Victor Cruz's professional life rests on the results of this upcoming week. It’s the biggest week of the New York Giants wide receiver’s career since the summer of 2010, when he needed an enormous preseason performance against the New York Jets to introduce himself to the world.

And whom do the Giants play later this week? The Jets, of course. The perfect stage for Cruz's reintroduction.

Cruz is trying desperately to return to game action this week for the first time in almost two years. He’s been dealing with a nagging groin problem this summer, on the heels of calf and knee injuries the previous two years. It has been almost two weeks since Cruz last finished a practice, and almost two years since he last appeared in a game.

The former Pro Bowl receiver will practice on Monday, when the Giants run a light workout centered on conditioning. Cruz didn’t play on Saturday, but he did participate in warm-ups and run some routes before the game. That was considered a significant step in his comeback.

Alshon Jeffery has been impressed with the strides that fellow Bears receiver Kevin White has made this summer after sitting out his entire rookie season with a leg injury.

“He’s taking coaching well and learning,” Jeffery said Sunday after practice at Halas Hall. “He missed the whole year last year, so this year he’s progressing right where we need him to be. He listens to the coaches and he’s making plays and having fun.”

Jeffery and White possess the potential to develop into one of the NFL’s top receiving tandems. Jeffery already has been voted to a Pro Bowl, his 3,728 yards are the most by a receiver in his first four seasons with the Bears, and he has recorded the top two most prolific games in franchise history by a receiver with 249 yards against the Vikings and 218 yards versus the Saints.

The Bears are hoping that White develops into the impact player they envisioned when they selected him with the seventh pick in the 2015 draft after he caught 109 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns at West Virginia in 2014. Knowing that they’re both big and strong, the 6-3, 218-pound Jeffery has encouraged the 6-3, 216-pound White to use his size as a weapon, the story said. The two could also make QB Jake Cutler a sneaky late pick in drafts.

The Cleveland Browns worked Josh Gordon with the first team during parts of Sunday's practice, another step as the receiver returns form a yearlong suspension.

"It's important for him to be with the ones," coach Hue Jackson said. "Because I think he's going to be one of our better players. So we got to put him out there and see what he's capable of doing."

Gordon will be suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, so Jackson has a balancing act in terms of preparing Gordon for when he returns while giving practice time to those who will be available for the first month.

WR Golden Tate hasn't practiced since losing to the Bengals on Thursday. TE Eric Ebron hasn't practiced since injuring his ankle in a mock game more than two weeks ago.

But it looks like both players -- so critical to the Detroit Lions this season -- are nearing a return.

Tate was seen running on the side during practice Sunday afternoon, while Ebron jogged off the field following practice and then took some balls from the JUGS machine.

Coach Jim Caldwell has declined to address either player's status, but it seems both are not in danger of missing the season opener on Sept. 11 against the Colts, the story said. Tate's injury never really seemed major. Ebron's injury, though, provided Detroit with more of a scare when he had to be carted off the field during Detroit's mock game at Ford Field on Aug. 6, the story added.

Bucs TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins is now splitting reps with Cameron Brate when the first-team offense is on the field.

Seferian-Jenkins, who called getting kicked out of practice “a wake-up call,” had five catches for 46 yards in two preseason outings and has earned good reviews for his blocking. More of the same over the rest of the preseason will likely lead to more than a half-share of the work come the regular season.

When the Buccaneers unveiled their first depth chart of the season, Brate was ahead of Seferian-Jenkins at tight end. That development came after Seferian-Jenkins was kicked out of an OTA practice by coach Dirk Koetter for not knowing what he was doing, the story said. Seferian-Jenkins certainly has the talent and proved it in very limited time last year.

Conventional wisdom said all along that the Broncos starting quarterback job would come down to whoever made the fewest mistakes between Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian. Sanchez was the heavy favorite before the preseason, but two weeks in Siemian has probably pulled ahead, especially after some costly mistakes from Sanchez Saturday night.

Better not rule out rookie Paxton Lynch. Gary Kubiak confirmed as much Sunday, telling reporters Lynch has "always been in the mix" even though he's inherently behind because he's a rookie.

"He's always been in the mix," Kubiak said. "I just told you guys that he's behind the other two from a knowledge standpoint, but we've been out there competing every day. Everybody is in competition to play."

In his immediate postgame interview on television, Kubiak only referenced "two" different quarterbacks, appearing to indicate the starting gig would come down to Siemian and Sanchez. But once he got in front of the podium, Kubiak continued to reference three different players and said the guy who is best for the team will start at quarterback, the story said.

As the team had promised, Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls was a full participant in Sunday’s practice as he continues on his road to recovery from off-season surgery to repair a broken and dislocated ankle.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider has said the team hopes to get Rawls into the fourth preseason game at Oakland on Sept. 1, though it remains unclear if or when Rawls will play in the preseason.

Regardless of what he does in the preseason, though, Rawls remains on track to be ready for the regular season opener Sept. 11, head coach Pete Carroll said Sunday.

Carroll said the emergence of Christine Michael makes it easier for the Seahawks to be patient with Rawls. Carroll said Michael has been a positive addition and will allow them to make sure Rawls is ready to go. Carroll has called the two a one-two punch leaving speculation Michael is going to be a part of the offense.

Jets RB Matt Forte did team periods Sunday for the second consecutive practice (also last Wednesday). He moved around well Sunday.

Forte sat out the Jets' first two preseason games. Will he play Saturday against the Giants? If he doesn't, he'd go into Week 1 with zero preseason game snaps. The Jets have three more practices before they face the Giants.

The story said HC Todd Bowles said Forte will play in that game "if he gets better during the week. We'll try to anticipate it in warm-ups. I'd like to get him a few snaps, if I could." If Forte doesn't play in the preseason it may be a stretch for him to see a bulk of the workload in Week 1, esp. with Bilal Powell in the picture who also excels in the passing game. It's a situation to monitor over the next few days.

Patriots RB Dion Lewis is facing a second knee surgery and will begin 2016 on PUP, according to CSNNE's Tom Curran. Again, James White is poised for a major role.

About the only positive in a day littered with bad injury news for the Patriots: Thus far in the preseason, White has displayed a consistent ability to make defenders miss in space, as we saw on a 14-yard screen pass against the Bears that probably should have gone for a loss.

With Lewis facing a second knee surgery, as first reported by The Globe's Jim McBride, White should be considered a roster lock. He'll have a significant role in the Patriots' offense until Lewis returns.

White can give the Pats maybe 60 percent of what Lewis provided purely as a receiver, but there is no one on the roster that will replace Lewis' production as a runner from spread formations. On 1st-and-10, the Patriots could put Brady in the shotgun, flank him with Lewis and trot out four wide receivers. And from that formation, they could either pass or run.

The story went on to say the Pats may have to show their cards now. When White is in the game, the Patriots are probably passing. When LeGarrette Blount is in the game, they're probably running. The story made a case for Donald Brown, who can be considered a mix of both runner and receiver and perhaps keep defenses on their toes. But Brown hasn't been able to stay healthy and hasn't practiced in camp nor played in a preseason game.

Colin Kaepernick’s dead arm apparently has been revived.

“I think Kap is fine,” coach Chip Kelly told reporters on Sunday. “I saw Kap. He’s fine.”

Kelly said that Kaepernick will “throw some more” on Monday, in practice and not on the side. But it’s not clear whether Kaepernick will throw in both 7-on-7 sessions and 11-on-11 team drills.

Kaepernick has yet to play during the preseason, giving Blaine Gabbert a clear chance to win the starting job, essentially by default. Kaepernick missed the entire offseason program, and he hasn’t practiced in well over a week due to a condition that the team has taken great pains not to call an injury, even though it seemingly is, the story pointed out.

Running back Dion Lewis will be sidelined for another 8-10 weeks after he endures a second surgery on his left knee, according to a source. The ACL, which was repaired in November, is OK, but the Patriots’ medical staff determined they need to clean up an unspecified area in the knee.

The procedure is viewed as “relatively minor,” and Lewis has a good chance of playing in 2016, according to the source.

Assuming Lewis remains on the PUP list during the regular season, he can begin practicing at any point between Oct. 18 and Nov. 22. Once Lewis starts practicing, the Patriots will have 21 days to either promote him to the active roster or shut him down for the remainder of the season. The Pats could technically drag out that decision until Dec. 13.

Related players: James White, LeGarrette Blount

It's good to hear that his ACL is "OK." Eight weeks would put Lewis back on Oct. 16, so he could conceivably return for Week 7 at Pittsburgh. The Patriots have a Week 9 bye, so the team could elect to give him an extra few weeks of recovery to return in Week 10 vs. Seattle. For now, we'll assume he misses the first eight games. James White should produce RB2 numbers in PPR and LeGarrette Blount should provide fantasy starter numbers when the Patriots don't face an elite run defense. The Patriots could add a running back as camp cuts continue. Lewis is worth consideration as a late-round pick, especially in leagues with deep benches and/or an injured reserve slot.

Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz is set to make another try at getting back on the practice field after hurting his groin almost two weeks ago.

Cruz made a brief return, but still felt problems with the groin and has been working on a side field with the training staff recently.

Coach Ben McAdoo said on Sunday that Cruz will take part in Monday’s brief practice with hopes that all will go well enough for him to participate in Tuesday’s full practice as well.

The Cowboys’ first practice at their new facility will feature a new face – or at least a new participant.

Lance Dunbar certainly isn’t new, but it’s been nearly a year since he practiced with the Cowboys after tearing his ACL and his patellar tendon last October. Dunbar has been working diligently on his rehab in the 10 months since, and he’s prepare to take the next step.

“We work our way back into practice, so today I’ll be doing individuals – slowly working back in,” he said on Sunday afternoon.
The fifth-year running back opened training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which made him unavailable for practice. But alongside fellow running back Darren McFadden, he was a constant at strength and conditioning sessions during practice.

After what has surely been a trying wait, Dunbar should be able to finally get his feet wet in his return to football. It’s unlikely he’ll appear in any of the competitive portions of practice, but it’s a start. Dunbar can be a pass-catching weapon for the Boys as well as a gadget player. He played in all 16 games for Dallas in 2014 and had just 29 rushes and 18 receptions. Last year he was averaging five catches a game through four games before the injury. We only project him for 20 receptions this year.

Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles will not finish as the team’s second-leading rusher this season.

Not if running backs Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon stay healthy.

The two are starting to form the enviable tandem Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell visualized.

Both had strong efforts for the second consecutive week, combining for 54 yards and a touchdown in three possessions against Tampa Bay on Saturday night at EverBank Field.

“The better they are, the better the passing game is going to be,” Bortles said. “Those two are going to be a heck of a duo. The offensive line did a really good job letting those guys run and making holes for them. The better those guys are, the more we’re going to be able to be successful with play-action.”

The bad news about the Jags running situation is this looks like a 50-50 split, and the story confirmed that again. Obviously not great fantasy potential. We have Yeldon rated higher in both formats but in standard they are separated by just one spot since Ivory should get the goal line carries. Yeldon seems to be the back to own in PPR formats.

While Matt Jones has cemented himself as the team’s lead running back and Chris Thompson is showing progression as an overall payer, the third running back spot remains up for grabs.

2015 practice squad member Mack Brown, seventh-round pick Keith Marshall and fellow rookies Robert Kelley and Kelsey Youngare all in the running.

While Marshall is listed as the No. 3 running back on the Redskins’ current unofficial depth chart, Kelley could get some work with the first- and second-team offensive units to see how he responds. With Jones banged up (AC joint), this is a key fantasy position to keep an eye on. Jones should be OK for the season, but if he gets hurt again at some point, the team's RB3 could get some significant work with Thompson likely remaining a third down back and change of pace option.

Coach Sean Payton said, “There’s gonna be a lot of dirty hands” when the New Orleans Saints review the tape from their ugly offensive performance in Saturday’s 16-9 loss to the Houston Texans.

But two players, in particular, may be losing their grip on a roster spot after their performances -- running back/kick returner Marcus Murphy and receiver Brandon Coleman.

At best, Coleman is the fourth receiver on New Orleans’ roster after being outperformed by rookie Michael Thomas this summer. But he needs to show vast improvement over the next two weeks to keep that job safe.

The Pats have insurance behind Dion Lewis in James White.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Patriots add a big, young running back to the mix, but they may want to wait until other teams trim their rosters. The Chiefs and Titans, for example, have several young running backs that are in danger of not making the 53-man roster.

The story was about the team possibly picking up recently-released Bills RB Karlos Williams. However Williams was passed by other Bills RBs on the depth chart and remains out of shape despite an impressive rookie season last year. However, the Pats are probably seeing the last year of RB LeGarrette Blount, so Williams could at least be a project guy for the future.

Patriots RB Dion Lewis needs second knee surgery, league source confirms. Timetable for his return is uncertain. Tore ACL last Nov. 8.

Related players: James White, LeGarrette Blount, Tyler Gaffney

This one stings, as Lewis was shaping up as a great value in the 4th/5th round after looking good in spring practices. It's not clear what sort of surgery Lewis needs. If it's a scope, he might only be out a month, but if they need to do a ligament repair, it will take longer. (Update: Adam Schefter described it as a "clean up" procedure, which makes it possible that he will return at some point in the season.) In the meantime, James White is likely to take his place in the lineup. White averaged 6.7 touches (including 4.7 catches on 6.4 T/G) for 53.1 yards and 0.57 touchdowns in seven games that Lewis was sidelined. That equates to solid RB1 numbers in PPR formats (RB2 in standard). He's not going to get the running work that Lewis would have, but he should take over the pass-catching role and turn in RB2 numbers in PPR formats. The news also gives LeGarrette Blount a bump, since he's likely to see a few extra carries assuming he remains in the "big back" role. Tyler Gaffney is pushing Blount for work, but Blount has run well in the preseason.

Redskin running backs actually fared better than I originally thought while watching the game. Maybe that’s a function of low expectations, but in general there was more to build on than in the game against the Falcons.

That’s not to say “problem solved” but just that at least it wasn’t a lost cause. There were more yards after contact, for example. Matt Jones' biggest issue, of course, is durability. But he showed more of what he could do, less stutter-stepping through holes. There was at least one run in which Jones again opted to try to bounce rather than lower his shoulder against a defensive back; coaches don’t like that. So it wasn’t perfect and I still have big questions about the run game this season, but there were more positives than in the preseason opener.

Of course the big issues is Jones now has a banged up shoulder and the team doesn't really have a clear, proven backup. However, it's a bit of good news for the run game it made some progress in Preseason Week 2, at least according to this author. Washington isn't giving up on the run, but many feel the team is poised to throw a lot again in 2016.

In his second preseason game, WR Will Fuller showed the crowd at NRG Stadium just how valuable he was with the Texans first-round draft pick in 2016. On a deep pass to the right side of the field, Fuller made a leaping catch for a 19-yard touchdown. It was the first of his NFL career.

In the 16-9 win over the Saints, Fuller led the Texans wide receivers with four receptions for 73 yards and the score. We have Fuller 63rd on our list and he's getting some late-round draft attention. We're not ruling out Jaelen Strong making a push either, but right now the WR2 job appears to be Fuller's.

Sixth-year tight end Virgil Green, who caught 12 passes for 173 yards in 2015, is making a strong case that 2016 may be his breakout season for the Broncos. Saturday night’s opening drive was a prime example of Green’s potential in the Broncos’ passing game.

On consecutive plays on that first drive, Green caught short passes from Siemian and stretched the catches into double-digit gains. He pushed the Broncos forward 28 yards with those two catches as Denver went from its own 25-yard line to the Niners’ 47-yard line.

“It was a play-action the first play,” Green said. “Wide-open [and] Trevor [Siemian] threw me a nice ball. Caught it, tried to do what I could after the catch. Then, the screen, they rushed a guy, dropped a lot of guys. There was one guy sitting on the sideline. [I] ran past him.”

Jeff Heuerman missed Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury and is having “a hard time staying healthy,” Head Coach Gary Kubiak said. Green has been consistently available since recovering from a finger injury that kept him out of OTAs in the spring, the story all said. We've had other reports about the team re-introducing the TE into the offense, so things could be shaping up for a Green breakout. He's an interesting TE2 draft option who has the chance to climb out charts. But keep in mind his QB situation remains a big question mark and could cap his fantasy potential.

This is a defining week when it comes to the Patriots’ plans with running back Dion Lewis, who remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list as he rehabs from a torn ACL sustained Nov. 8.

Lewis’ rehab has gone well, he took part in the final practice of the spring, and if there were a Super Bowl to be played today, I believe he’d be on the field. At the same time, coach Bill Belichick always considers the big picture and builds his team in a way that positions it to be at its strongest when it counts.

With that in mind, and considering Lewis’ injury history, does Belichick see value in Lewis opening the season on the reserve/PUP list to give him almost a full calendar year before he takes the field again? Lewis would miss the first six games in that scenario. I believe Belichick is considering it, and if we don’t see Lewis on the practice field by the end of this week -- as the Patriots prepare for the “dress rehearsal” third preseason game at Carolina -- that scenario becomes a much stronger possibility.

This isn't the first time we've seen beat writers talking about Lewis staying on the PUP list and missing the first six games of the season. However, we've seen others who follow the team disagree as well. This sounds like it could be a big week for that decision so owners and potential owners want to continue to follow his progress.

Dolphins Jordan Cameron, in his sixth NFL season, has the potential to be a fine NFL tight end. I've seen it. I saw what he did to the Dolphins in that 2013 regular season opener. He caught nine passes for 108 yards that day. And that wasn't his best game that season.

But Cameron has the look of a player needing to be built up now.

He has the look of a player either lacking in confidence or worrying too much about the results.

Cameron needs to be reminded to trust the process of playing his position. Trust his abilities. Trust his training. Trust that if he handles that business, the results will come.

That's not how he's playing now.

The story went on to say, Gase's offense is TE friendly. But, Cameron struggled in the offseason. He struggled early in camp. And Friday against Dallas he had an almost certain TD catch from Tannehill on a short slant in the red zone. But he juggled and dropped it. And he didn't seem to recover strong after that -- another sign he needs a confidence boost. So this week of practice, which starts Sunday afternoon for the Dolphins, could be pivotal for Cameron.

Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez lost two fumbles in Saturday night’s preseason game against the 49ers, and he worries that those two mistakes could cost him the starting job.

“It’s difficult playing like crap on two plays and ruining an opportunity. That’s difficult,” Sanchez said after the game.

Aside from those two fumbles, Sanchez didn’t play badly, completing 10 of 17 passes for 120 yards, with no interceptions.

As the story said, Trevor Siemian, who started at quarterback, didn’t have a great game, completing 10 of 14 passes for 75 yards, with no touchdowns and a pick-six. Siemian’s struggles may be good news for Sanchez, but it’s a bad sign for the Broncos that no one is emerging as the clear starter in Denver.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been looking for a productive wide receiver other than Jeremy Maclin. Chris Conley was that player for the Chiefs in their 21-20 preseason loss to the Rams in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Conley had three catches for a team-high 66 yards. He delivered a big play on each of the Chiefs’ two touchdown drives and another on one of their field goal drives.

Conley beat one-on-one coverage on each of his first two receptions. The first one came on a third-and-5 from the Rams’ 13. Conley caught a back-shoulder throw from quarterback Alex Smith and was tackled on the 2. Conley’s biggest play came on the next touchdown drive. He got open deep down the right sideline on third-and-2 from the Kansas City 33 and caught a 37-yard pass from Smith. The play helped set up a Maclin touchdown catch.

This isn't the first item we had on Conley, as he's been drawing attention through camp. Conley missed much of training camp last year. He pointed out that in 2015, as a rookie, he was only returning to practice from an injury the second week of the preseason, the story said. This year, he didn’t miss a day of practice at camp, so he has a much better grasp of the offensive system. He's just 73rd on our WR list and figures to be behind Maclin and TE Travis Kelce as far as the team's top targets go.

Bills General Manager Doug Whaley called the move “strictly performance based” as far as cutting Karlos Williams, and that he was “so far out of reach” of his target weight that other backs were zooming past him on the depth chart.

“I think it’s just all on the field,” Whaley said, via the Buffalo News. “I mean, if he’s not out there being able to perform and he can’t perform at the level we expect him to, then that’s on him. So it’s not a question. I always say the information makes the decision and the information was he wasn’t ready to play and guys underneath him surpassed him.”

The suspension and lack of conditioning may keep teams from clamoring to add Williams immediately, but last year’s work should help him when he’s eligible to play and if he can get himself back into football shape. It looks like Mike Gillislee figures to serve as LeSean McCoy's backup with Jonathan Williams and Reggie Bush also in the mix.

After a week spent practicing and playing against the defending world champion Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers are officially halfway through the preseason.

The Niners are done with the joint practices and they will transition this week to something closer to regular-season mode when they close practices to the media and prepare for Friday's third preseason game with the Green Bay Packers. For better or worse, by the end of the week, the 49ers should have a much better idea of who their starting quarterback will be for the opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

To this point, the quarterback competition that has carried the conversation for this preseason has mostly fizzled.

This battle has been defined more by Gabbert's steady if unspectacular performances and Kaepernick's sore right shoulder. Gabbert hasn't done much to win the job but he certainly hasn't done much to lose it, either. Kaepernick hasn't been healthy enough to make much of an impact one way or the other. Gabbert does seem comfortable in the system, according to the story, but Kaepernick is supposed to be back at practice this week with a chance to make a push.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah has ditched the red jersey.

For the first time since training camp started back in late July, Abdullah was out at practice without his “no contact” red jersey on.

“It feels right,” he said afterward. “It feels natural.”

The story went on to say Saturday’s practice was a walkthrough in shorts and no helmets, and head coach Jim Caldwell wouldn’t confirm that Abdullah’s contact restrictions would be lifted this week, but the second-year running does appear to be trending in the right direction after joining his offensive teammates in their blue jerseys for the first time since training camp began. Abdullah said he’d even like to play in Saturday’s third preseason game in Baltimore, if allowed.

The Tennessee Titans got good results for the second week in a row when they went no-huddle with Marcus Mariota.

Trailing 10-0, the Titans got the ball for the third time and went no-huddle. It sparked the most efficient play from the first-team offense: a nine-play, 81-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a pretty touchdown throw and catch in the second quarter of a 26-16 loss.

Mariota faked a handoff, rolled right and threw on the move to Harry Douglas, who was heading for the right sideline beyond the pylon in the end zone. He caught it with safety Kurt Coleman in pursuit.

A week earlier, the Titans had success with the no-huddle against San Diego. They used it on their third possession, when Mariota made a good call at the line and adjusted the blocking assignment for Douglas and watched Murray take a handoff 71 yards for a score. Mariota said the offense seems comfortable running it, but for now it's going to remain a change of pace option rather than something the team uses all the time.

Already a special teams leader, Vikings WR Adam Thielen has been a steady presence in the Vikings’ three-man receiver sets this summer.

Thielen, 25, has moved ahead of Jarius Wright on the Vikings’ unofficial depth chart. Wright, of course, has missed the first two preseason games because of a leg injury. But Thielen also is showing more versatility. Thielen is buried down our WR list but could be a name to keep in mind if he keeps his spot on the depth chart.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin will sit out Saturday's preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars due to bruised ribs, a team source told ESPN.

Martin is sitting out for "precautionary reasons," the source said, and the injury is not expected to affect him beyond this week.

The injury absence was first reported by The Tampa Bay Times and confirmed by ESPN.

Martin was a full participant in joint practices in Jacksonville, including Wednesday's padded practice. It is unclear when he suffered the injury, the story said.

One run in the preseason doesn’t signify an overhaul, but it can help explain the difference between running back Christine Michael now and Christine Michael before.

On the Seahawks’ first drive Thursday during their preseason game against the Vikings, Michael took a hand-off out of the shotgun formation. As he neared the line, he had a few choices: He could either bounce the run outside or over the right guard, or he could cut up the middle.

Michael chose inside, squirmed through traffic and gained 10 yards.

So why is that run important? Because of what it represented. Michael, in his fourth season, always had ability but struggled with reliability. The Seahawks couldn’t trust him from play to play.

Michael continues to get positive press and really seems like he's made a turn in his career. It's potentially bad news for Thomas Rawls owners. Doubters say Michael has looked good when it doesn't count before, so it remains to be seen if this will be a one-two punch with Michael and Rawls.

Steelers tight end Ladarius Green on Saturday denied rumors that he's dealing with recurring headaches and reiterated it is his surgically repaired ankle is what is keeping him on the physically unable to perform list.

Speaking for the first time since a NFL Network report Aug. 11 said he was suffering headaches possibly stemming from a pair of concussions during a two-week span last year while playing for the Chargers, Green said he was surprised when he heard about having recurring headaches.

“I don't know what reports those are,” Green said. “I am still on PUP because of my ankle.”

Follow-up reports claimed the Steelers could ultimately release Green, and even Green was contemplating retirement. Hopefully the headache reports are indeed false. Still, Green has missed a big part of camp. He could be a big weapon in the middle of the field for Ben Roethlisberger if he can get healthy.

The Bills released second-year running back Karlos Williams.

Related players: Mike Gillislee, Jonathan Williams, Reggie Bush

Williams played really well as a rookie, rushing for 5.6 YPC while scoring nine total touchdowns. He showed up to camp overweight and HC Rex Ryan said that he wouldn’t give up on the second-year player. A couple of weeks later, he gets cut. Mike Gillislee figures to serve as LeSean McCoy’s direct backup. Jonathan Williams and Reggie Bush are also in the mix. Owners should keep an eye on where Williams lands, but he's facing a four-game suspension (substance abuse) wherever that happens to be.

After Jordan Matthews went down in practice a couple of weeks ago with a knee injury and Zach Ertz had to be tested for a concussion, the tight end expressed his frustration about how the Eagles’ rookies were hitting during practice.

But Matthews said today, in his first media availability since his injury, he’s not upset with Jalen Mills’ low hit and he'll be ready Week 1.

“I’m not the type to get mad. Getting upset or anything isn’t going to help my knee get any better,” Matthews said. “Right after it happened, Jalen came up to me and was like, ‘Yo bro, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.’ I just looked at him and was like, ‘It’s cool, bro. I’m fine.’ I’m just not the type to get pissed off about that. It’s football."

It’s unclear when Matthews will return and if he’ll play in the preseason, but he said he’ll “for sure” be good to go for the regular season. The 24-year-old, who played through a painful hand injury last season, added that the Eagles’ two preseason games are the only games he’s missed in his entire life since he began playing sports.

Pressed for an explanation regarding the failure of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to play Thursday night in Seattle, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said it was his decision. Technically, that’s accurate.

He made the decision, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, because Bridgewater has a sore shoulder. The decision came late, not long before kickoff.

The good news is Bridgewater could have played if it was the regular season, according to reports. The story went on to say the Vikings didn’t disclose the sore shoulder because teams have no obligation to report injuries during the preseason. The first official injury report is due prior to the first regular-season game.

Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has a minor MCL issue, coach Bruce Arians told reporters after Friday’s preseason game against the Chargers. Fitzgerald played in the Week 1 preseason game against the Raiders.

The story went on to say the injury is not serious, although there were no other details. Fitzgerald has 22 days until the regular-season opener against the Patriots. But he should be good to go come Week 1, at least according to the story.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is taking the long view when it comes to rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, but the plan is to give him a little work Saturday to see how he is progressing after suffering a hairline rib fracture in the preseason opener Aug. 11.

"We're going to test him a little bit today, just throwing a little bit. But that's one that I'm not going to rush back," Pederson said. "I know that injury can be a little discomforting but at the same time, want to see where he's at."

Pederson indicated that he is still trying to get Wentz ready to play in the Sept. 1 preseason finale against the New York Jets. The head coach described Wentz as "day-to-day." This is possibly the last chance Wentz would have to play this year as the plan remains to start Sam Bradford with Chase Daniel the backup.

Not just for Dolphins WR Kenny Stills, but if Friday is a sign of things to come, it would pay off for the entire offense. As good as co-MVP Jarvis Landry is, he can’t do it alone. The Dolphins have long claimed they have three talented, complementary receivers when DeVante Parker is healthy. Now it’s time to prove it.

“It’s huge,” Tannehill said of getting Stills involved. “We’re going to target Jarvis a lot, and we’re going to target Kenny a lot and we’re going to target DeVante a lot. So when you have three really explosive, talented playmakers, it makes it tough to take away one guy.”

Stills has been putting in extra work since March, the story said, and is looking to get his career back on track after a disappointing 2015 season when he was acquired via trade from the Saints. Stills is likely still behind Landry and Parker in terms of targets, but is getting some late-round attention in fantasy drafts. The Dolphins offense has really struggled in camp so if Stills can continue to shine he could get more involved.

The Redskins suffered an injury at a position where they could least afford to. Now they will have to wait to see how Matt Jones recovers.

Their starting running back left the game after being tackled on the sideline late in the first quarter. The second-year player suffered a sprain to his left AC joint.

“Just a little bruised up,” said Jones after the game. “Somebody landed on my shoulder. I was going down on my shoulder anyway but somebody landed on it.”

Jones said that he has no history of shoulder injuries and that he really doesn’t have a good feel for how serious this one might be. Although he minimized the pain he was in he appeared to have difficulty raising his elbow up to the level of his chest.

The problem here is that the Redskins have little proven depth at the running back position. Rookies Keith Marshall and Robert Kelley are currently second and third (not necessarily in that order) on the depth chart. Neither was particularly impressive against the Jets with Marshall gaining 26 yards on 10 carries and Kelley gaining eight yards on three carries, the story said. There has been talk of the Skins bringing in another back and Pierre Thomas has been mentioned. Chris Thompson has admitted he's more of a change of pace, third down back than a direct backup to Jones. If Jones misses time, this has the looks of a committee situation, at least right now.

So here's Packers RB Eddie Lacy after two games this exhibition season with similar numbers. In two games, Lacy's limited work resulted in 13 carries for 69 yards, a 5.3-yard average, and one touchdown. He played the first series last week against the Browns and gained 24 yards on four carries. He took only the first series Thursday against the Raiders and posted 45 yards on nine carries.

Lacy could get a longer stint in Friday's game at San Francisco, where quarterback Aaron Rodgers expects to play for the first -- and likely only -- time this preseason.

The story said, if the preseason is any indication -- and based on last year's results for Lacy alone, it often is not -- coach Mike McCarthy wants to establish the run with Lacy as his point man early on. But Lacy does look good after losing weight in the offseason. We have Lacy 12th in PPR league but think he has a chance to be a top-10 back they way things have been trending this offseason.

Panthers HC Ron Rivera says there are "no concerns" with Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, who hasn’t practiced since Sunday because of back spasms.

Backup Ed Dickson also was out Thursday with an injury, so the tight ends today could be Scott Simonson, Beau Sandland, and Braxton Deaver. The staff has been looking for a third tight end to step up as an all-around player as Olsen has been, so this could be the best opportunity for one to separate from the pack -- if Simonson hasn’t already done that, the story said.

The Redskins say RB Matt Jones suffered AC sprain. He'd gone into the locker room with shoulder pain, then has X-rays.

Related players: Chris Thompson, Rob Kelley, Keith Marshall.

Jones returned to the bench, which is probably a good sign. Our injury expert, Russell Manalastas, says this: "Depends on severity, but reports of him in a sling is just precautionary. Minor sprain 1-2 weeks, more significant 2-4 weeks. The Sports Injury Clinic: "A grade 1, 2 or 3 injury is usually treated conservatively without surgery. Grade 4,5 and 6 injuries and grade 3 sprains which do not respond to treatment usually require surgery." For now, we'll assume that he's going to miss 1-2 games to start the season. Chris Thompson is the 3rd-down/change of pace back. Rob Kelley came in as the primary back once Jones left the game.

Steelers running back LeVeon Bell has been suspended three games by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

The running back was facing a four-game suspension but appealed to the league. Though Bell will be eligible to practice and play with the team through the preseason, he will miss the team’s first three regular-season games against the Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles.

He will be eligible to rejoin the team in Week 4, when the Steelers play the Kansas City Chiefs.

This will boost Bell's projections, but he's still a little dicey as a 1st round pick since he'll miss the first three games of the year. He has extra value in leagues where more than half the teams make the playoffs. He's also recovering from MCL and PCL tears but recently declared himself 100 percent, for what it's worth.

49ers WR Bruce Ellington has been perhaps Blaine Gabbert's favorite target this summer, and he seems ready for big season after a series of minor injuries -- hamstring strains, ankle sprains -- slowed his development over the past two seasons.

Ellington, however, didn't practice much this week -- another ankle sprain -- and he is iffy for the Broncos game.

Ellington has risen in our rankings and is a nice late-round flier, especially in PPR formats.

Eagles beat writer Reuben Frank (CSN Philly):

I don’t care if I write this every week, I really like Kenjon Barner. He just looks like a football player to me. Sometimes you see guys put up big numbers in the preseason but you don’t really expect them to ever carry it over into the regular season. Barner hasn’t done anything since he got here in 2014 to make me think he can’t play in this league. He runs hard, slashes through traffic, has a terrific feel for the defenders around him and is tough enough to run through guys (rushing stats: 7 for 35 vs. the Bucs, 6 for 41 Thursday night). He’s explosive in the return game, picks up the blitz, getting better as a receiver. We all know Ryan Mathews’ injury history. We all know Darren Sproles is a gifted player but not equipped for double-digit carries. We haven’t even seen Wendell Smallwood play yet. It’s pretty clear Barner has to be this team’s No. 2 back. Not only that, he needs to have a role on offense as well.

Barner is another deep attrition play given Ryan Mathews' injury history. Darren Sproles is not capable of taking all of Mathews' carries, and Barner is playing well. Smallwood remains sidelined with a quad injury.

Reuben Frank of CSN Philly:

Paul Turner has been the Eagles’ second-best wide receiver this preseason, the best if you consider that Jordan Matthews has been out a couple weeks. Turner has done what you hoped Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff would do. Make plays. Flash. His highlight-reel one-hander from Chase Daniel for 23 yards to set up a touchdown in the third quarter is the kind of play we’ve been waiting to see Agholor make. Turner is an undrafted rookie free agent from Louisiana Tech, and Agholor is a second-year first-round pick, but Turner is flashing in a way that Agholor hasn’t. This team is desperate for wide receivers. So far, one guy is making plays. Not only does Turner deserve to make the team, he’s quickly showing that he deserves to play.

Turner may be worth a look late in drafts. The Eagles are hurting at receiver and the new regime isn't going to show favoritism to Agholor if someone else is outplaying him.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera says MRI on TE Greg Olsen's back was negative. He just has a "big spasm."

Olsen has back-to-back top 5 finishes in both formats, and hasn’t missed a game in eight seasons, so he’s one of the safest options available at his position. The back spasm is worth monitoring, however.

Mike Reiss on TE Martellus Bennett: I subscribe to the theory that with defenses paying extra attention to Rob Gronkowski, it will open up more opportunities for Bennett. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Patriots run more than 80 percent of their offensive snaps with both tight ends on the field, so it won't be a matter of playing time for Bennett as much as how defenses decide to handle the dual threat at the position. It also helps that Jimmy Garoppolo and Bennett have seemed to develop a rapport in the preseason.

Eleven tight ends played 80 percent or more of the snaps in 2015, so if Bennett reaches that sort of playing time, he'll have a good shot at posting TE1 numbers given the overall production of New England's offense. He also has top five upside if anything were to happen to the injury-prone Gronkowski.

Chiefs Jamaal Charles expanding the workload, out there for 9 on 7 drills. Seem to be giving him work faster than expected.

Charles was playing at an elite RB1 pace prior to tearing his ACL in Week 5. Our injury expert, Russell Manalastas, predicts that Charles will be limited in camp and good to go for Week 1, and that his recovery is an opportunity to get him at a discount. The Chiefs found solid contributors in Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware (recommended handcuff and attrition play), so Andy Reid could elect to reduce his workload in an effort to keep him healthy. So far, it looks like Charles is on track to play in Week 1.

Jenna Laine on the Bucs' TE situation:

Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate has shown great chemistry with Jameis Winston and been one of the most consistent pass-catchers in training camp, receivers included. He's not going to get much yardage after contact, but he's still shown he can consistently catch passes in traffic and in the end zone, along the sideline (he's done a great job keeping his feet in bounds) and is terrific on back-shoulder fades. We could see Brate become what Nick O'Leary was for Winston at Florida State, so he's a potential fantasy sleeper pick.

Brate has slowly been moving up our rankings as the positive offseason news continues like a drumbeat. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is doing better of late, but it appears that Brate is poised to see the most snaps at the position.

Michael Thomas has No. 1 receiver potential.

Make no mistake: Brandin Cooks is still the best wide receiver on the Saints. But their second-round pick has been the summer darling thus far, consistently making impressive plays at The Greenbrier and adding a couple more in the preseason opener against the Patriots. Michael Thomas' size, ball skills and run-after-catch instincts should help him contribute significantly as a rookie, and he should continue to grow.

Thomas is expected to replace Marques Colston's production in the lineup, but he could push Willie Snead (who has also had a good camp) if he continues to shine.

The Seahawks are finally ready to admit that tight end Jimmy Graham's rehab might spill into the regular season.

Coach Pete Carroll had a hazy response to questions about Graham's readiness Wednesday, which seemed to dance around the central point: A ruptured patellar tendon is a rough thing to come back from quickly and there is a lot of work involved in doing so.

"We've had no issues at all in the work he's doing on the field," Carroll said, via ESPN.com. "That will continue to increase throughout the next few weeks. Really we're shooting for: Where is he at the start of the season? And we'll evaluate then on how much longer it may take, or he may be ready. We don't know that yet. But he feels good."

Carroll added: "There's some evaluation to be done going into next week, but I don't have any expectations for that right now. We'll just wait and see. We don't have a timetable for this; that he has to meet any schedule at all. We're just working him back, and he's gaining confidence, and it's really important not to have any setbacks. So we're being careful."

This talk will throw some cold water on the good vibes generated when Graham returned to practice. It sounds like it's no sure thing that he'll be ready to play Week 1.

The Giants will be without their Pro Bowl kicker for the season opener at Dallas on Sept. 11.

It was announced on Wednesday that kicker Josh Brown has been suspended for one game for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. It's unclear what Brown did to violate the conduct policy.

Tom Obarski is currently the second kicker in camp. Owners who end up with Brown on the roster should get a Plan B ready for Week 1.

Ezekiel Elliott got two reps, so the lion’s share of the first-team work went to Alfred Morris – who was outstanding. It’s always hard to gauge running backs in training camp, because tackling is not allowed. But Morris seemed to break through to the second and even the third level before he was even touched on most of his runs.

With Darren McFadden on the shelf (elbow), Morris is getting the chance to prove he can be Elliott's primary backup. If anything were to happen to Elliott, the Cowboys' RB1 would hold significant fantasy value.

Mike Freeman of the Bleacher Report on the thought that Texans RB Lamar Miller might lead the league in rushing:

That's what one scout believes. He thinks the combination of a solid offensive line and the presence of a real quarterback will free up Miller to the point where he will be one of the top two runners in football.

I've heard this type of thing before about Miller (and written it). More than a few people in football think he is set for a huge season. Lead the league in rushing? That would be quite a leap, but it's not totally unbelievable. Miller always showed great bursts of talent when in Miami, but because the Dolphins gonna Dolphin, they completely underutilized him. The Texans won't, and I keep hearing from scouts that they think he might have a season for the ages. We'll see.

Miller finished #9 and #5 in the last two seasons in PPR formats, but was underutilized in Miami, which is one reason he signed with the Texans. Consider this: Miller only saw 18-plus carries in three of his 16 games in 2015, while Arian Foster carried the ball 18-plus times in 13 of his last 17 games with the Texans. Foster averaged 22.5 touches per game over that span, and if Miller can maintain the 0.920 FP/touch rate (PPR) from the last two years, he would average around 20.7 FP per game. Last year’s #1 PPR RB (Devonta Freeman) averaged 21.1 FP.

Packers WR Jordy Nelson has passed his physical and is off PUP, per source. Good news for Green Bay.

It appears that the "hiccup" that Nelson had in his other knee (reportedly tendinitis) is getting better and that he's close to making his return to practice. Nelson has had three healthy seasons in his last five, and in those years he finished #2, #11 and #2 in standard wide receiver scoring. He’s currently going in the 2nd/3rd round. If he continues to have a healthy offseason then a return to the top 5 is a real possibility.

Baltimore signed Mike Wallace in free agency because his speed complemented Joe Flacco's strong arm. But he has been more than a "one trick pony," a nickname playfully given to him by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

Wallace has caught passes on fade routes in the end zone. He has pulled in tough catches on back-shoulder throws. He has been a frequent target on underneath routes.

"Mike is awesome," Flacco said. "I think he is going to be a really big hit for us."

"We all know he can run," Flacco said. "But just the way he runs his routes and how good is he at the top of it and coming back to you, and how sure his hands have been. I don't know if I've seen him drop a pass."

Steve L Smith is coming off of an Achilles injury, Breshad Perriman has already had a knee scare, while Kamar Aiken continues to fly under the radar. Wallace finished #74 in PPR formats last season as it turned out that he wasn’t a good fit with Teddy Bridgewater’s deep ball inaccuracy. Joe Flacco can wing it, so his arm would seem to be a good match for Wallace’s deep speed. Prior to last year, Wallace had five straight top-25 finishes, though his age and his production in 2015 has scared most owners away. This is a camp battle to monitor this summer: if Wallace wins a starting job -- and it appears that he will -- then he’ll be firmly on the fantasy radar.

Pete Carroll has said Tyler Lockett is going to be "in the middle" of everything the Seahawks do offensively. He and Russell Wilson struggled at times to get their timing down last year, but Lockett showed he can get open downfield on a consistent basis. And if the summer is any indication, Lockett will see plenty of opportunities in the short game on screens and other plays where he can pick up yards after the catch. That should translate to consistent touches on a weekly basis.

The Seahawks are not a high-volume passing offense, but 900 yards and eight touchdowns is a reasonable projection for Lockett, and he has upside.

As a rookie, Lockett owned the #5 fantasy points per target (FP/T) in standard formats (#3 in PPR), and he plays in a historically efficient passing offense. The only issue is volume. Lockett saw just 69 targets in 2015, but averaged 5.4 T/G (and 57.1 yards) over the final nine games of the season, including the playoffs. That’s an 86-target (and a 913-yard) pace, so if he’s able to maintain his 1.48 FP/T, it would yield 128 fantasy points, which is about what Rueben Randle scored as the #28 WR last year. If Lockett is going to crack the top 20, he’ll need to see 6.0+ T/G. The good news is that Wilson has increased his pass attempts in each of the last three seasons, and with Marshawn Lynch retired, it sounds as if there will be more opportunity in the passing game for Lockett.

Ravens wide receiver Steve L Smith has passed his physical and will be taken off PUP list. He's expected to practice as early as Monday.

It will be interesting to see how much the 37-year-old Smith is able to handle next week at practice. If he's a full go in the next couple of weeks then he'll begin to move up our rankings.

As expected, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott returned to the practice field Tuesday.

NFL Media's Jane Slater reported that the rookie is participating in individual drills after dealing with a hamstring tweak.

The No. 4 overall pick had tweaked his hamstring two weeks ago. The Cowboys planned to take it slowly with their stud rookie runner.

Elliott took part in some walk-throughs, but after missing the team's first preseason game, getting him back on the practice field in pads is a positive step.

Expect the Cowboys to play it safe with their top pick, especially given that hamstrings can be a nagging, persistent injury if not fully healed.
When finally healed, Elliott has the talent to be a three-down workhorse back behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and the focal point of Dallas' offense. Those are all reasons why is one of our top fantasy backs to draft.

The New Orleans Saints created some roster speculation all on their own with tight end Coby Fleener, but they seemed to have rectified the situation.

The Saints website pushed Fleener back to the top of the depth chart Tuesday afternoon after NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and Pro Football Talk wrote a story about the bizarre drop in the depth chart earlier in the day.

The team sent out a press release Monday listing Fleener as the third tight end on the depth chart leading up to its preseason game against the Texans in Houston. The team website actually listed Fleener as fourth on the depth chart as of Tuesday afternoon. Fleener was listed atop the depth chart leading up to last week's preseason opener against the Patriots. The move seemed strange considering Fleener has been the primary passing option at tight end for Drew Brees throughout training camp. It appears it was just a mistake, or maybe a way to see if the media, and fantasy owners, are paying attention.

Jets running back Matt Forte continued to progress in his return from a hamstring injury during Tuesday's practice.

Forte participated in practice for just the third time in training camp. He participated in one practice early in camp, and also on Sunday. The Jets were off Monday.

All three times, Forte has done just position drills, and no 11-on-11 team periods.

"I'm feeling good," Forte said. "I'm just progressing week by week. I'll be out there soon. I do individual drills, and then I do a lot of conditioning stuff, to get back into football shape."

Forte, who was injured while working out before camp, said after Tuesday's practice that he "definitely" will be available for the Jets' Sept. 11 regular season opener against the Bengals. But he isn't sure if he will play in any preseason games. He almost certainly won't play in Week 2 of the preseason, the story said.

Colin Kaepernick hasn’t thrown a pass in practice in six days, keeping in doubt his status for this week’s practices and exhibition at Denver.

Kaepenick, who has a tight throwing shoulder, did hand off the ball twice and ran with it himself once on a zone-read play in his only action of full-team drills during Tuesday’s hour-long practice inside Levi’s Stadium.

The team signed Christian Ponder today indicating Kaepernick likely doesn't play. It seems as if Blaine Gabbert would have the inside track to start Week 1 the longer Kaepernick remains out.

A quiet training camp translated to a quiet preseason opener for Dolphins starting tight end Jordan Cameron.

Cameron didn’t catch a pass against the Giants in Friday’s preseason opener. But head coach Adam Gase isn’t panicking.

“I feel like what’s going on with him right now is that there’s a little bit of a learning curve for him,” Gase said of Cameron. “We went through some struggles there in the spring (and) a little bit at the beginning of camp. The thing about the tight end position is that there’s a lot of responsibility you have. You’re doing multiple phases of the game.”

Cameron caught 35 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Dolphins last year. But the goal is for Cameron to duplicate his 2013 season, when he recorded 80 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns for the Browns. Tight end Julius Thomas finished with 108 catches for 1,277 yards and 24 touchdowns over his two seasons in Gase’s offense with the Broncos, the story pointed out. Cameron is 19th on our TE list coming into this season and has a 17th round ADP.

Josh Hill landed as the Saints first-team tight end after being second on last week's depth chart. Coby Fleener dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart with Michael Hoomanawanui sitting second.

As the story said, this is curious to say the least. Obviously these depth charts this time of year don't mean a whole lot. The team could be trying to send a message or simply reward Hill for good play. It wasn't all that long ago (2014) the very same Saints caused a lot of stink by putting Pierre Thomas as the team's RB3 behind Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson.

Julian Edelman did not receive much work in 11-on-11s, but he roasted the Bears secondary in one-on-ones and seven-on-sevens. Edelman's quickness is unparalleled. Bears corners Tracy Porter and Joel Ross might as well have been blindfolded.

The story added it's the first Edelman has practiced since Aug. 9. He also took a pass over the middle and turned it upfield, taking an unexpected hit that nearly led to another fight. It's good sign Edelman is back and his quickness seems to have returned as well.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco didn’t need any time on the physically unable to perform list to ease himself into training camp after spending the offseason recovering from a torn ACL, but that doesn’t mean everything has returned to the way things were before the injury.

That’s not a problem for Flacco, however. He’s taken every snap the team has wanted him to take during practice even though he doesn’t feel like his knee has fully recovered from the injury.

“My knee is not 100 percent, but it feels great,” Flacco said, via ESPN.com. “I don’t think about it when I’m out there. It’s not perfect. I can feel it standing here right now a little bit. It’s not totally normal. But, as far as going out there and operating on the field, running around and doing things, I don’t pay attention to it.”

Flacco didn’t play in the preseason opener and there’s been no word from the team at this point about whether he’ll be playing against the Colts this week. If he doesn’t, that would likely leave the third preseason game as his only opportunity for live action before the regular season. Flacco is OK if that’s the case, saying it “doesn’t take too long” for him to regain the feel for game speed, the story said.

Chicago Bears coach John Fox tried to downplay concerns about tight end Zachary Miller's (concussion) failure to take part in joint practice against the New England Patriots on Tuesday.

"He had a doctor’s appointment," Fox said to reporters assigned to cover the joint sessions in Foxborough. "So we keep evaluating him, keep looking and trying to make sure we cure all symptoms."

Miller was out of commission for 13 days after suffering a concussion on a hit near the goal line by linebacker Lamarr Houston on July 31, but he returned to practice over the weekend and traveled with the team to New England.

"He’s still coming off the concussion protocol," Fox explained. "We sent him to the doctor today. That’s why he wasn’t out here early at the start of practice. They were stuck in traffic."

Fox refused to call today’s developments a setback for Miller, who set career-highs in receptions (34), receiving yards (439), and touchdowns (five) for the Bears last season. Fox added there was no setbacks but no new prognosis.

Quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Mike Wallace are getting along quite well at Ravens training camp.

Flacco didn’t want to say he’s surprised by how good Wallace has been, because he didn’t know much about Wallace, but he’s certainly happy.

“Mike is awesome,” Flacco said Tuesday. “I think he is going to be a really big hit for us.”

Unlike last year, Flacco has another option in Wallace with Breshad Perriman still out. On Tuesday, Flacco lofted a deep pass for Wallace. The throw was a bit short and tipped by cornerback Jimmy Smith, but Wallace still ran underneath it for the score.

It’s been more than a deep-ball connection, however, that has impressed Flacco so much.

“We all know he can run,” Flacco said. “But just the way he runs his routes and how good is he at the top of it and coming back to you, and how sure his hands have been – I don’t know if I’ve seen him drop a pass. That stuff has been great.”

The Ravens have not had a deep threat since Torrey Smith moved on to the 49ers, and this isn't the first time Flacco has praised Wallace. According to the story, Wallace has also run a lot of intermediate and even shorter routes that could lead to higher reception totals and a place among the Ravens’ top-two receivers. Prior to last year, Wallace had five-straight top-25 finishes, though his age and his production in 2015 has scared most owners away. This is a camp battle to monitor this summer – if Wallace wins a starting job, then he’ll be firmly on the fantasy radar.

After the Bengals finished up their last public session of training camp in a Tuesday morning walk-through, head coach Marvin Lewis indicated he doesn’t expect injured starter Brandon LaFell to miss the Sept. 11 regular-season opener in New Jersey against the Jets.

LaFell, a seven-year veteran wide receiver who reportedly has ligament damage in his right hand, went through individual drills Monday after not playing Friday night in the preseason opener against the Vikings.

Reports today were saying LaFell would need surgery and put at least part of his season in doubt. But this piece said Lewis didn’t rule out LaFell for the next preseason game, Thursday night in Detroit. This is certainly good news for the Bengals offense, which could already be without TE Tyler Eifert.

In a situation that is starting to feel reminiscent to last season, the Baltimore Ravens are uncertain when wide receiver Breshad Perriman will return.

Asked if there was any update on Perriman, coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday, "I don't. I wish I did."

Harbaugh was told Perriman would return by the middle of August after he partially tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee two months ago. But, at this point, Baltimore doesn't have a time frame on when Perriman will get back. The Ravens have until Sept. 3 to determine whether to keep Perriman on PUP. If he remains on the list, he would miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season.

The Dolphins are expecting to get their first look at two important skill players in a preseason game Friday at Dallas: RB Arian Foster and WR DeVante Parker.

Foster signed a one-year deal a month ago and was on the physically unable to perform list the first two days of camp as a precaution as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles’ he suffered against the Dolphins Oct. 25 while playing for Houston. Parker participated in full team drills today. The embattled receiver who’s battled nagging injuries as much as cornerbacks recently, missed about a week of camp with a sore hamstring, the story all said.

Dorial Green-Beckham had been considered one of four locks to make the Titans roster – along with Kendall Wright, Tajae Sharpe and Rishard Matthews.

So which receiver – or receivers – might benefit from Green-Beckham’s departure, keeping in mind the Titans are not likely to keep five on the final roster?

As for the veterans, it clears more room for guys like 31-year-old Harry Douglas and 35-year-old Andre Johnson. It seemed unlikely the Titans would keep both veterans – and that still may be the case – but it’s easier to make a case for that happening now.

The DGB trade could also breathe new life into Justin Hunter, a 2013 second-round pick who – like DGB – has suffered from inconsistency. Another player who benefits is Tre McBride, the second-year player out of William & Mary who spent last season on the practice squad. He wasn’t receiving much attention at the start of camp, but has come on strong over the last few weeks.

The Bengals could be without wide receiver Brandon LaFell for a spell.

LaFell is not practicing on Tuesday and Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that he suffered a torn ligament in his hand and may need to have surgery on it. Per Garafolo, that wouldn’t be a season-ending injury but there’s no word on an expected timeline for LaFell’s absence.

LaFell is currently listed as the starter at wide receiver alongside A.J. Green, but any extended absence would open the door for rookie Tyler Boyd to see a bump in playing time at the start of his NFL career, the story said. With injuries to tight ends Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft creating uncertainty about their availability at the start of the year, Boyd could also be looking at a bump in passes being thrown his way should LaFell not make it back in time for Week 1.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski left Monday’s practice early after pulling up while running a route and his absence extended into Tuesday’s work.

Gronkowski was not spotted among the Patriots players taking part in a second joint session with the Bears ahead of this week’s preseason game between the two teams.

There have been multiple reports that whatever caused Gronkowski to leave practice isn’t considered a serious injury, although coach Bill Belichick didn’t address those reports or Gronkowski’s status during his pre-practice press conference, the story said.

Whatever forced Rob Gronkowski out of Monday's joint practice between the Patriots and Bears does not appear to be a serious injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

No details on Gronkowski's situation have emerged, but it's possible that he simply felt the early signs of a muscle cramp. Temperatures reached the 90s Monday, and Gronk has many muscles to cramp.

In all likelihood, Gronk will sit in the preseason, as will Julian Edelman.

The story was mostly about just how cautious can the Pats be with Gronk. After a healthy 2016, hopefully for owners this was just a cramping situation. At some point, Gronk and Edelman will have to get back out there.

It was a good debut for Raiders RB DeAndre Washington, whom the Raiders are leaning on to be a nice complimentary back to starter Latavius Murray. Washington finished with eight carries for 43 yards in the first preseason game also was the starting kick returner, taking the opening kickoff back 31 yards.

“I think it was a good start,” Washington said. “Your first NFL game, you’re just trying to get your feet wet a little bit.”

After losing two yards on his first carry and gaining them back on his second, his first flash came a drive later when he broke free for a 25-yard run. The offensive line gave him a big hole that he read correctly and then he was greeted by safety Marqui Christian. With a stutter step and a cut back to the left, he was past him for the big gain.

“Those guys definitely created a lane for me and I was just able to hit it,” Washington said. “All you can ask for, a one-on-one with a safety, and that’s what they bring us in here for, to make the safety miss.”

Washington also had a 32-yard catch and run in the game. The story pointed out few teams nowadays go with just one primary back, so the fact that Murray accumulated 73 percent of the Raiders’ rushing yards last season was a concern. It went on to say Oakland needs its overall running game to be more effective. The Raiders were 28th in rushing yards per game. It appears Washington will have a role in this offense which could cap Murray's fantasy value. This is nothing we haven't seen before from teams in the NFL. Still, Murray is 17th on our RB list with a late fourth-round ADP. He's a solid target at that point for those using the Zero-RB philosophy. Murray owners may want to also grab Washington later in drafts (16th round ADP)

The problem with the running game might not be the ball carriers. There were not many openings for the running backs against the Falcons and it’s hard for the best of backs to gain much yardage without blocking.

Matt Jones is still the starter and he has said all of the right things and he has looked pretty good in practice.

“We’re going to keep working on it,” said head coach Jay Gruden. “We’re not going to panic in the first preseason game but we also understand that in these games you are who you are and what you put on tape. We’ve got to make sure that we continue to work on it and get better at it. That’s all you can do.”

Jones appears to be the clear starter but the team doesn't appear to be over it's rushing struggles. Right now, Christ Thompson is the backup to Jones but the story said Thompson admitted he's better off as a third down back, which means the team could possible bring in Pierre Thomas once again. Some of the younger backs looked good against second and third teamers, but that may not translate against first team defenses once the season starts. This is something we've been hearing since the spring: the Skins may have to take to the air more often than they would like again in 2016.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is back on the practice field.

The Chiefs announced Tuesday morning that they were removing Charles from the PUP list and that he would begin practicing on a limited basis.

Charles, who is the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, last played for the Chiefs during Week 5 last season in a game against the Chicago Bears. Charles tore the ACL in his right knee during the game and has been working his way back to the Chiefs lineup ever since. You can expect the Chiefs to take it slow with Charles. Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West proved to be more than capable backs, so it's not out of the question the team reduces Charles' workload once the season starts. Still, he's sixth on our RB list and looks to be a solid, second round target in drafts.

Ask the Arizona Cardinals how running back David Johnson looks at training camp, and you'd think you'd just asked somebody about their buried treasure.

"Man ... people don't know," tight end Darren Fells said. "But they're going to know."

"I'm afraid to say it," coach Bruce Arians said," because then he'll get hurt."

"I don't even want to talk about what I've seen from David Johnson, because I don't want to jinx it," general manager Steve Keim said. "It's scary."

The story said the team is trying to keep Johnson humble because his camp has been that good. One example was Arians screaming at him for missing a blitz pickup, but the story added Johnson does seem to get the message when Arians sends it. Chris Johnson will likely steal some work and Andre Ellington is a pass-catching threat, but Johnson is looking like he'll live up to being our third-ranked running back.

Eagles acquire WR Dorial Green-Beckham from Tennessee in exchange for G/T Dennis Kelly.

From the Eagles side, one thing was pretty obvious in their first preseason game - they need WR help and Beckham has a chance to step right in and be an outside option, complimenting Jordan Matthews who plays the slot. Nelson Agholor wasn't impressive and Rueben Randle looked lackluster at best, so the door is open for a fresh start for Beckham. Beckham struggled his rookie season but did average 17.2 yards per catch with four TDs and had a solid points per target (1.18). However, he was again having a rough camp with the Titans and wasn't projected as a top-three WR, falling behind Tajae Sharpe for an outside spot opposite Rishard Matthews. He was recently singled out for running a bad route in the Titans perseason game which led to a Matt Cassel INT, so he was clearly in the Mike Mularkey doghouse. For the Titans, it's not a big return, but it opens the door for Sharpe to start on the outside with Kendall Wright in the slot. Sharpe's stock and ranking should climb with this news.

Wide receiver Victor Cruz was held out of Giants practice on Monday after a Sunday return to the field ended with Cruz’s injured groin still bothering him after several days on the sideline.

Cruz on the side watching practice has been standard operating procedure for the Giants since he tore his patellar tendon during the 2014 season. The questions raised by the long run of injuries were clear during an appearance by General Manager Jerry Reese on WFAN.

“We’re still not giving up on Cruz,” Reese said, via the New York Daily News. “Hopefully, he’ll make it back.”

There's been some speculation that Cruz could be cut, but it sounds like the team is going to ride this out. It may end up being a different story if the injury lingers and Cruz can't get back to a full go.

Seahawks running back Christine Michael is as sprightly as can be these days, and there are two potential reasons: 1) He has developed into a dependable ball-carrier who can consistently produce at an NFL level; and 2) It’s August.

Let’s not pretend we haven’t seen this before. Summertime in Seattle generally is when Michael mutates into Emmitt Smith.

In 2013 he blitzed through the preseason, racking up 201 yards on 40 carries. In June 2014, he prompted offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to declare that the Seahawks’ offense will be “running back by committee,” even though Marshawn Lynch had spearheaded a Super Bowl win a few months earlier. And on Saturday, Michael’s 44 yards on seven carries in a preseason win at Kansas City got Pete Carroll to say that Michael and Thomas Rawls would be the “1-2 punch” in Seattle’s backfield this year.

The story went on to say a few interesting things - the optimist might be compelled to believe this finally will be the year Michael, 25, tracks down his potential and becomes a mainstay in an NFL offense. The realist, on the other hand, would be compelled to ask: How is this any different? But, the story quoted HC Pete Carroll as saying Michael was a loose cannon before, but has now grown up. Michael has got a lot of positive press lately and it has Rawls owners in a bit of a panic. The point of this story seems to be don't count on a committee or a 1-2 punch in the Seahawks backfield just yet. Also keep in mind the Seahawks drafted three running backs in April.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford whipped a pass toward the sidelines. It went over Nevin Lawson's shoulder -- he was turned, chasing Marvin Jones -- and right into Jones' hands.

It illustrated two things.

First, Stafford has complete comfort in Jones at this point. He likely doesn't make that throw to many other receivers on the roster and it showed just how good Jones' awareness and hands are. He put his hands up at the last possible second -- good trackers of the ball do that -- to throw off the defensive back and make the catch.

Second, the window Stafford threw the ball into was minuscule, even by NFL standards. The only way that pass was going to be completed was if he threw it in a small spot just over Lawson's shoulder. He did. It was complete. It was a heck of a play -- whether or not it counted.

It was a continuation of what has become a strong rapport between Stafford and Jones, the story said. This isn't the first we've heard about this chemistry, and it appears Jones could be the top WR target, passing Golden Tate who many assumed would take that role over from Calvin Johnson. The author went on to say he "can't think of a day when Jones had a bad day of practice."

Rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman practiced for the first time since Aug. 5 and participated in team drills. It’s a sign he may make his NFL preseason debut when the Browns host the Atlanta Falcons at 8 p.m. Thursday.

“We’ll see,” coach Hue Jackson said when asked if Coleman will play Thursday. “Today was another opportunity for him to get out there finally and catch balls, run around. We’ll see how he feels after today, and then we’ll determine that as we move forward.”

His status for the game will depend on how his left hamstring responds, the story said. The muscle kept the first-round draft pick sidelined for five practices.

Robert Griffin III admitted he got a little knee scare Friday night on the 49-yard pass to Terrelle Pryor.

Griffin ran into guard John Greco as he stepped into the throw, and tumbled to the ground. He hesitated for a moment to get up, but then shook it off the pain in his left knee and ran back to the huddle for the next play.

Whether or not he was still rattled, he fumbled the handoff to Isaiah Crowell on the second snap, but recovered the ball.

"My leg got stuck in the ground on the play I was throwing to TP, but I'm fine,'' Griffin said Monday. "Nothing is wrong with me and TP made a great play. That's all you really worry about. We got the completion, made a big play happen and that's what we're looking for – big plays out of our offense."

Griffin told ESPN's Bob Holtzman after the game that he wasn't sure at first if he was fine "and said the hit reminded him of the one that tore Carson Palmer's ACL'' in 2014. Any trauma to Griffin's knee, of course, sends shockwaves through the Browns, who are committed to him as their starter — and hope he can become their franchise quarterback. Fortunately for Griffin, it was his left knee, and the not the right, on which he's undergone two surgeries to repair the ACL and LCL, the story went on to say.

The Minnesota Vikings have not come to a decision yet about whether Adrian Peterson will play in the preseason, coach Mike Zimmer said Monday. If the league's leading rusher does see the field before the start of the regular season, it will be in large part because he wants to get in an exhibition game.

"I'm going to sit down and talk to him about it and if he wants to play then we'll discuss what we think," Zimmer said. "If he goes in there, he's probably not going to get one pass and out. So he's going to play (for a longer period of time if he does play)."

Peterson hasn't carried the ball in a preseason game since he returned from knee surgery in 2012, and his only exhibition game appearance during that time came in 2013, when he played one series in the Vikings' third preseason game against San Francisco, the story said. The piece also added that Zimmer doesn't feel it's necessary to see Peterson in a preseason game before the regular season starts.

Running back Ronnie Hillman is facing a battle to retain his roster spot with the Denver Broncos.

Coach Gary Kubiak said Hillman would see plenty of action in Saturday’s exhibition against the San Francisco 49ers as part of the ongoing evaluation process.

“Ronnie is in a battle, a helluva battle with Kapri and Book right now,” Kubiak said. “There’s no way around that. I’m just being honest with you."

Hillman has appeared in 48 games with 14 starts since being drafted by the Broncos in the third round out of San Diego State in 2012. He is getting competition from rookie Devontae Booker and third-year pro Kapri Bibbs for the right to back up starter C.J. Anderson.

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is looking at a possible return to practice as soon as Tuesday as he works his way through a sore hamstring.

Elliott last practiced on Aug. 2. He has increased his rehab work over the last few days. Elliott did not play in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, but he went through a long running session in pregame warm-ups and was dressed in full pads for the game.

Coach Jason Garrett said Elliott could do some individual work in the early portion of Monday's practice but when the team drills start he would continue to do rehab. In Monday's walk-through Elliott took the first-team snaps for the first time since getting hurt.

By not practicing Monday Elliott will miss eight padded practices. The Cowboys are scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday and hold a walk-through Thursday before returning home to take on the Miami Dolphins, the story said. It's possible Elliott could play but the team could also be extra cautious as to avoid a setback.

Ben McAdoo revealed he had “a nice conversation’’ Sunday afternoon with Victor Cruz, the again-injured Giants receiver who missed another practice Monday because of a sore groin.

“We talked about some different things that may be able to help moving forward, and I’ll let him share that,’’ McAdoo said. “I’m not going to share that. I’ll keep our conversation private.’’

Cruz was not in the sharing mood. He did not speak publicly about his situation, which is growing more tenuous. After initially steering clear of any setbacks as he attempts to come back from knee and calf injuries that kept him off the field since Oct. 2014, Cruz was sidelined with a groin issue that kept him out of the preseason-opening loss to the Dolphins.

“We’re building him up to get to a position where we can make an evaluation,’’ McAdoo said. “He had the hiccup, hoping to get him some work on Wednesday.’’

He has virtually no chance to play in Saturday’s game against the Bills in Buffalo, and the Giants are searching for any sign of progress as the days move forward and Cruz sits, the story said. There have been whispers about the team possibly cutting Cruz, but the same people said it's also not likely - at least yet. Cruz restructured his contract and Giants feel they may own him more time as he tries to battle back from all of his injuries.

With two screws surgically implanted into Jeff Janis’ fractured right hand, there’s little chance the Green Bay Packers receiver will be ready for the start of the regular season.

So where does that leave the third-year pro who was hoping to parlay his playoff performance last year against the Arizona Cardinals into a larger role in the offense?

“I haven’t even thought about that really,” Janis said Monday. “I’m just going to focus on healing up and being ready when I’m ready. I haven’t really thought that far into the future. I’m just going to try to get better.

“They say four to six weeks, but it could be sooner than that, it could be longer. It all depends on how it heals.”

In addition to Janis’ injury, the Packers still don’t have Jordy Nelson (knee) on the field; he remains on the physically unable to perform list. It’s still a relatively deep group that includes Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jared Abbrederis, Ty Montgomery, Ed Williams plus impressive rookies Trevor Davis and Geronimo Allison. The story also said if the Packers still want to play Janis this season, they could carry him on the 53-man roster and declare him as one of the game-day inactives until he’s ready to play. Or they could put him on injured reserve and use their one IR exemption to bring him back at some point.

Third-round pick C.J. Prosise practiced for the first time since the first day of camp and seventh-round pick running back Zac Brooks practice for the first time in more than a week as each returned from hamstring issues.

“That’s a real boost for us to see those guys back out,” said coach Pete Carroll.

They were joined in the backfield by Thomas Rawls, who continued his progress from last week by taking a few snaps during the team period — the first time he has done that since his return.

“Yeah, he looked really good,” Carroll said. “He’s been working really hard. He’s been working like crazy, so just to fit him in is what we were tyring to do today and he looked terrific.”

It remains unclear when Rawls will return to game action but getting back on the field in team drills Monday — even if his reps continue to be closely monitored — was another significant step, the story said. There was no mention of Christine Michael in this story, who has taken advantage of all the injuries with a strong camp. The big question going forward is what will be the role of all these backs. We'll continue to follow.

If the Eagles get the Ryan Mathews who gained 1,255 yards for the Chargers in 2013, there won't be any worries, but that is the only one of Mathews' six seasons in which he played a full 16 games. No, the likelihood is that offensive coordinator Frank Reich will be looking around for other answers, and he just might find one in rookie Wendell Smallwood, who is expected to make his preseason debut on Thursday in Pittsburgh.

Smallwood, who missed the first exhibition game because of a slight quadriceps strain, has been back on the practice field this week, hoping to show why the Eagles selected him in the fifth round of the draft.

Smallwood was the Big 12's leading rusher, gaining 1,519 yards with a 6.4 average, and he did very well at the combine, setting the lowest times among running backs in the three-cone drill and 60-yard shuttle run, the story said. Darren Sproles is effective in small doses, but at 33 years old can't be used that much; and that Kenjon Barner is a career special-teams player. That all means if Smallwood can show anything he may end up behind Mathews on the depth chart and be in line for a lot of carries if Mathews gets hurt.