NFL Player News

Jones (hip) agreed to terms on a restructured contract Wednesday that will allow him to remain with the Vikings for the 2026 season, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Jones is lowering his base salary for the 2026 season to $5.5 million, a figure that makes it more realistic for Minnesota to retain the 31-year-old veteran for the 2026 campaign rather than release him in a cap-saving maneuver. Last year Jones was limited to just 12 regular-season appearances due to a combination of injuries, missing Week 18 due to a hip issue, but there have been no reports that the veteran running back will be limited at all during spring activities. Jones logged 132 carries for 548 yards and two touchdowns while adding 28 catches (on 41 targets) for 199 yards and another score in 2025 and currently stands alongside Jordan Mason atop the Vikings' backfield, though the team could still make further additions to that unit in free agency and/or April's draft.

Taylor (shoulder) is slated to re-sign with the 49ers, per his representation at Equity Sports.

Taylor missed the entire 2025 campaign due to a shoulder injury suffered during the preseason, for which he required surgery, but he's presumably now fully healthy and ready for the start of offseason activities. In what will be his age-28 season, Taylor projects to provide backfield depth behind Christian McCaffrey, Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo.

Benson (knee) faces increased competition for touches in 2026 after the Cardinals signed Tyler Allgeier and restructured James Conner's contract, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Benson could potentially be the odd man out of a big-bodied 1-2 punch featuring Allgeier and Conner, as Donnie Druin of SI.com reports, though Benson's big-play potential could make him effective in a change-of-pace role. The 2024 third-round pick had a big opportunity last year following Conner's season-ending foot injury, but Benson then suffered a meniscus injury in Week 4, ultimately missing the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery at the beginning of October. While the exact split of Arizona's 2026 backfield remains to be seen, Allgeier and Conner have established themselves as more consistent rushers than Benson, who will need to prove his health and then compete for a roster spot under new head coach Mike LaFleur.

New teammate David Montgomery is expected to replace Marks as Houston's starting running back, ESPN.com's DJ Bien-Aime reports.

The Texans gave up a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick and OL Juice Scruggs in exchange for Montgomery, who has one season remaining on a three-year contract. A new deal may be coming soon. Either way, Marks likely will be No. 2 on the depth chart at the start of the offseason program after posting a 198-703-2 rushing line (3.6 YPC) during the regular season of his 2025 rookie campaign (16 games, eight starts). Fellow second-year pro Jawhar Jordan should be back to compete for a depth role in Houston's backfield this spring, while veterans Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon (foot) don't seem to be part of the plan for 2026.

Knight is re-signing with the Cardinals on a one-year contract, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Knight was Arizona's lead runner at one point in 2025, but only after James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) both suffered season-ending injuries. Conner and Benson still are under contract, now joined by free-agent addition Tyler Allgeier. It doesn't look good for Knight landing any higher than third or fourth on the depth chart come training camp. He should at least be healthy, having reportedly avoided surgery on the ankle injury that ended his 2025 season in December.

Pacheco has agreed to terms on a contract with Detroit, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Pacheco fits into the Lions' backfield alongside superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs, replacing David Montgomery. In his first two seasons with Kansas City, Pacheco averaged 4.7 YPC and scored 12 rushing TDs in 31 regular-season game as a bruising between-the-tackles runner. In part due to injuries, however, the 2022 seventh-round pick has now logged back-to-back seasons with less than 500 rushing yards and under 4.0 YPC, with only two rushing scores in 20 regular-season contests. Pacheco could rebound in Detroit with opposing defenses honing in on Gibbs, but he may not see the same touch volume that Montgomery did.

Dowdle is slated to sign with the Steelers, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

Per NFL.com, it's a two-year, $12.25 million deal for Dowdle, who is set to move over to the AFC after one year in Carolina. He produced a 236-1,076-6 regular-season rushing line last season with the Panthers, which was nearly identical to the 235-1,079-2 line he posted during his 2024 breakout campaign with the Cowboys. Dowdle also caught exactly 39 passes each of the past two seasons, totaling 546 yards and four touchdowns, and he's chipped in as a kick returner throughout his career. The Steelers have Jaylen Warren locked in as their primary RB, so Dowdle figures to form a 1-2 punch with the incumbent starter, though his role may be somewhat different from that of Kenneth Gainwell, who featured as a pass catcher in 2025 but is departing in free agency to Tampa Bay.

Dobbins (foot) is re-signing with the Broncos, Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports. It will be a two-year contract for Dobbins, per Mike Klis of 9 News Denver.

It's no surprise Dobbins has chosen to return to the Broncos considering he expressed his desire to do so at his end-of-season press conference in January, describing himself as "a Bronco," per Luka Evans of the Denver Post. Dobbins has recovered from the foot injury that kept him out after Week 10 of the 2025 regular season. Prior to that point, Dobbins rushed for 772 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He'll likely return to a backfield split with 2025 second-round pick RJ Harvey moving forward.

The Ravens aren't placing a tender on Mitchell, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Mitchell went undrafted back in 2023, which means his original-round tender ($3.52 million) as a restricted free agent wouldn't have entailed any draft compensation. The Ravens opted against it, even though Mitchell averaged 5.1 carries for 30.3 yards (5.9 YPC) over the final 11 games of last season. Derrick Henry will return as Baltimore's lead runner, while passing-down specialist Justice Hill has been mentioned as a potential cap casualty (something that may or may not change with Mitchell becoming a free agent). Meanwhile, Fowler mentions the Giants as a potential suitor for Mitchell.

Kamara (knee) isn't in line to lead the Saints backfield in 2026, as Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Travis Etienne agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract with New Orleans on Monday.

Kamara has been the Saints' primary backfield option when healthy for each of the past eight seasons, starting 92 of the 110 regular-season games in which he has appeared during that stretch after making only three starts in 16 games as a rookie in 2017. Etienne has a similar three-down skill set and is almost four years younger than Kamara, who will turn 31 in July. Kamara agreed to a restructured contract with the Saints in March but still could be cut prior to the 2026 season. Even if Kamara remains on the roster and fully recovers from the MCL injury that sidelined him after Week 12 of the 2025 season, he would likely have to settle for a complementary role barring an injury to New Orleans' new lead back.