Kevan Barlow passed the Jets’ physical and is now practicing with the team. Look for him to get ample opportunity to win the job…Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones rejoined practice. This was to be one of the more heated running back battles this preseason, but injuries to both players have pushed this competition back, leaving fantasy owners scratching their heads on draft days around the country. Jones had a terrific year in 2005, but the team seems committed to giving Benson a shot to win the job…Dallas owner Jerry Jones said that Terrell Owens may have another MRI on his hamstring to see why the recovery is taking so long…Steve Smith continues to be held out of Panthers’ practices with his sore hammy, but the team seems confident that he’ll be able to start the season…Hines Ward returned to the field after sitting out several practices with a – you guessed it – sore hamstring. He felt a little twinge and sat out the rest of the day, but the team called the move precautionary…Clinton Portis has started rehab on his injured shoulder and the indications are that he’ll be able to start Week 1…KC guard Will Shields suffered a high ankle sprain in Thursday’s preseason game. High ankle sprains are notoriously slow to heal so this could affect his availability in the coming weeks. This is yet another blow to the KC offensive line; Larry Johnson owners cannot be happy about how this preseason has gone…LaDainian Tomlinson is likely to sit out the final two preseason games. There appears to be nothing physically wrong with him, but the team wants to avoid any potential injuries heading into the season. Tomlinson is a veteran, but it would be nice to see him get some game reps with new QB Phillip Rivers.