NFL Player News

Cook and Nyheim Hines will face competition for reps out of the Buffalo backfield in 2023 after the Bills signed Damien Harris to a one-year contract earlier this week, Maddy Glab of the team's official site reports.

The addition of Harris helps fill the void created by the departure of Devin Singletary, who recently signed a deal with the Texans. As a rookie last season, Cook logged 89 carries for 507 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a 21-180-1 receiving line in 16 games. The 5-foot-11, 213-pound Harris brings added power to Buffalo's backfield mix and can be expected to absorb a decent chunk of the 177 carries vacated by Singletary, especially in early down and short-yardage situations. Even so, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Cook should still have an opportunity to garner more volume in 2023, while Hines (5-foot-8, 198 pounds) continues to work in a change-of-pace role. As things stand, Cook's fantasy upside hinges on how much of Singletary's prior role (which also included 52 targets) he takes on this coming season while working alongside Harris.

Johnson agreed Wednesday with the Jaguars on a one-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Johnson is coming off a quiet 2022 campaign with the Browns, but he flashed in limited opportunities back in 2021, when he handled 100 carries for 534 yards and three scores. The 27-year-old could now get a chance to complete for with the likes of JaMycal Hasty and Snoop Conner for complementary work behind No. 1 running back Travis Etienne, making him an interesting end-of-roster flier in dynasty or best-ball formats.

The Cowboys signed Jones to a one-year deal Tuesday, ESPN's Todd Archer reports.

Following four years in Tampa Bay, Jones spent last season with Kansas City, rushing just 17 times for 70 yards and one touchdown as a deep reserve who was inactive from Weeks 1-11 before getting some run in the team's Week 18 finale. Jones will compete for a job behind Tony Pollard this summer.

The Cowboys are re-signing Dowdle on Tuesday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dowdle rejoins a Dallas backfield room now lacking Ezekiel Elliott, currently making him the No. 3 man behind Tony Pollard (ankle) and Malik Davis. Of course, the Cowboys will likely still add personnel to the backfield as the offseason progresses. Dowdle mostly handled special-teams work in his five appearances last season.

The Bills and Harris agreed to terms on a one-year contract Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

After losing Devin Singletary to the Texans earlier Monday, the Bills were in need of reinforcements at running back. Harris is the first to join holdovers James Cook and Nyheim Hines. Considering that Cook and Hines ring in at 190 and 196 pounds, respectively, the 5-foot-11, 213-pound Harris becomes the top candidate for early down and short-yardage work with his new squad. In the first four seasons of his career with the Patriots, Harris averaged 4.7 yards and scored 20 touchdowns on his 449 carries across 38 games while also hauling in 40 of 51 targets for 281 more yards.

The Jets re-signed Bawden (undisclosed) on Monday, Howard Balzer of GoPHNX.com reports.

Bawden missed the entirety of the 2022 season with an undisclosed injury but will look to bounce back next season. Currently the only fullback on the roster, the 26-year-old should have the opportunity to help open up holes for Breece Hall and the rest of the Jets backfield next year in addition to providing value as a special teamer.

Singletary agreed Monday with the Texans on a one-year deal worth up to $3.75 million, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

During his fourth season with the Bills in 2022, Singletary carried 177 times for 819 yards and five touchdowns while adding 38 catches for 280 yards and a receiving score on 52 targets. With the move to Houston, Singletary will team up with 2022 fourth-round draft pick Dameon Pierce (ankle) to give the team a solid 1-2 RB punch this coming season. As long as Pierce can stay healthy, he'll likely be the lead option out of the backfield, but even in a complementary role Singletary should see enough volume to yield fantasy utility in 2023.

Speaking Monday, Panthers coach Frank Reich said he views Sanders as a three-down back, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer.

Sanders' four-year, $25.4 million deal with Carolina made him the NFL's 12th-highest-paid running back, and the Panthers apparently have big plans for their new playmaker. In Indianapolis, Reich had Jonathan Taylor, who was featured as an every-down workhorse. And Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown had Cam Akers, whom the Rams rode hard for different stretches in recent years. Sanders only saw 26 targets as an early-down back in Philadelphia last season, but it sounds like that number could grow in Carolina. As a result, he could be an attractive fantasy RB2 likely playing in an offense with a rookie quarterback for much of the 2023 season.

Head coach Dan Campbell indicated at the NFL Combine in early March that Detroit has no plans to give up on Swift, Woodward Sports Network reports. "We thought we had a recipe going into the year, and it didn't work out. ... We're going to start all over from scratch again. Let's find another way to help him stay on the field. ... He's too talented to not have out there."

Injuries forced Swift to miss three games for the third straight season in 2022, and he's been limited by health concerns in many other games. This continued lack of durability, combined with Detroit upgrading from Jamaal Williams to David Montgomery last week, brings high levels of uncertainty to calculations of Swift's 2023 fantasy value. While Campbell's comments -- which were made before Montgomery's signing -- nonetheless suggest that the Lions know what they have in their big-play running back, it will be interesting to see what the next "recipe" may consist of considering the last one was to put less on Swift's plate (he moved from 11.6 carries and 6.0 targets per game in 2021 to 7.1 carries and 5.0 targets per game in 2022). Until further notice, Swift should generally be considered a high-upside, low-floor fantasy option that gets a considerable boost in value within best-ball formats that use PPR scoring.

Hubbard has new competition in the Carolina backfield with Miles Sanders replacing D'Onta Foreman, WCNC's Nathaniel Puente reports.

Sanders recently signed a four-year, $25.4 million contract, including $13 million guaranteed, while Foreman settled for a much smaller one-year deal with the Bears after playing out last year on a similar contract for Carolina. Foreman and Hubbard handled the vast majority of RB snaps/touches after the team traded Christian McCaffrey, with Hubbard notably finishing the year on a high note as he racked up 435 total yards over his final five games. The 2021 fourth-round pick now figures to take a backseat to Sanders, whose uneven tenure in Philadelphia was capped off by a career-best 259-1,269-11 rushing line last season. The Panthers could still add more backfield talent, or perhaps find a passing-down role for Raheem Blackshear, given that Sanders and Hubbard both have struggled with drops and don't look especially natural as receivers or blockers. Hubbard's new role might just be as a backup on early downs, with upside dependent on Sanders missing time.