NFL Player News
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Snoop Conner RB | DAL
Jaguars' Snoop Conner: Finishes 2022 with 42 yards
Conner closed the 2022 campaign with 12 carries for 42 yards and one touchdown in eight games.
The 22-year-old had a minimal role in Jacksonville's offense during his rookie campaign, and he played just one offensive snap between the two playoff games. Primary backup tailback JaMycal Hasty is a restricted free agent this offseason, so the Jaguars can choose to bring him back. Conner is unlikely to enter training camp better than No. 3 on the depth chart since workhorse Travis Etienne will also return.
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Jashaun Corbin RB | NE
Giants' Jashaun Corbin: Gets new deal
Corbin signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants on Sunday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.
Corbin signed with New York as a UDFA out of Florida State in May. The 22-year-old spent the season on the team's practice squad, and although he was elevated for the wild-card round game against the Vikings, he was inactive for the contest. He'll now have the opportunity to earn a larger role with the team for next season.
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Matt Breida RB | SF
Giants' Matt Breida: Scores in divisional-round loss
Breida rushed four times for 23 yards and a touchdown and secured his only target for 19 yards in the Giants' 38-7 divisional-round loss to the Eagles on Saturday night.
Breida ended up recording the only score of the night for the Giants on an eight-yard run just past the halfway point of the third quarter. His first-half reception was also noteworthy, as he worked himself open to save a play on which Daniel Jones had to scramble for an extended period. Breida played his first season in New York on a one-year contract, and after doing a serviceable job as a complementary option with a 54-220-1 line on the ground and a 20-118 tally through the air in the regular season, it's conceivable he could be brought back in 2023.
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Kenneth Gainwell RB | TB
Eagles' Kenneth Gainwell: Breaks out in divisional-round win
Gainwell rushed 12 times for 112 yards and a touchdown and brought in one of two targets for nine yards in the Eagles' 38-7 divisional-round win over the Giants on Saturday night.
Gainwell ended up logging just five rush attempts fewer than Miles Sanders, with game script heavily tilting toward the ground attack as the night unfolded. Gainwell, a second-year back, is still most likely to operate in a change-of-pace, low-volume role in an NFC Championship Game battle versus either the Cowboys or 49ers a week from Sunday, but Saturday night's performance, which was highlighted by a 35-yard scoring scamper with 1:51 remaining, served as a reminder of his considerable upside.
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Saquon Barkley RB | PHI
Giants' Saquon Barkley: Limited opportunity Saturday night
Barkley rushed nine times for 61 yards and brought in two of three targets for 21 yards in the Giants' 38-7 divisional-round loss to the Eagles on Saturday night.
Barkley's otherwise quiet night was highlighted by a 39-yard scamper on the Giants' only scoring drive, and his overall touches were limited by game script. The talented back finished a resurgent regular season with 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 295 carries while also bringing in 57 of 76 targets for 338 yards, and he didn't lose a fumble across 16 games. However, he logged just nine carries apiece in the Giants' two postseason contests, although he did score twice in the wild-card win over the Vikings. Barkley is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year, but given this season's results, there should certainly be interest in keeping him in the Big Apple.
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Miles Sanders RB | DAL
Eagles' Miles Sanders: Efficient in divisional-round win
Sanders rushed 17 times for 90 yards in the Eagles' 38-7 divisional-round win over the Giants on Saturday night.
Sanders started ripping off solid gains beginning on the Eagles' second possession, and he ultimately got some rest in the fourth quarter with Philadelphia comfortably ahead. Sanders' lack of a pass-catching role and his minimal red-zone opportunities do make him a bit of a fantasy wild card, but even with the success of backfield mates Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott on Saturday night, Sanders should still retain a lead role for a conference championship clash versus the Cowboys or 49ers a week from Sunday.
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Jerick McKinnon RB | KC
Chiefs' Jerick McKinnon: Disappoints against Jags
McKinnon rushed the ball 11 times for 25 yards in Saturday's 27-20 win over the Jaguars.
McKinnon was stymied as a runner, and he was narrowly out-touched by Isiah Pacheco. While he was bottled up on the ground, the more surprising part of McKinnon's performance was the fact that he was not targeted in the passing game. That likely had to do with Patrick Mahomes' ankle injury early in the contest as well as the game script, and the Chiefs could opt to keep McKinnon in the backfield more regularly to serve as an extra blocker in next week's AFC Championship Game.
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Isiah Pacheco RB | DET
Chiefs' Isiah Pacheco: Makes most of 13 touches
Pacheco rushed the ball 12 times for 95 yards in Saturday's 27-20 win over the Jaguars. He added one reception for six yards.
Pacheco paced the Chiefs' backfield with 13 touches, and he was narrowly more involved than Jerick McKinnon. Pacheco made the most of his opportunity, and his effort was highlighted by a 39-yard gain midway through the second quarter -- a run that set up a one-yard touchdown catch for Travis Kelce two plays later. It remains to be seen how work will be split between Pacheco and McKinnon moving forward, particularly if the Chiefs find themselves in negative game script at any point during the AFC Championship Game.
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Travis Etienne RB | NO
Jaguars' Travis Etienne: Plays well in playoff loss
Etienne rushed the ball 10 times for 62 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 27-20 loss to the Chiefs. He added three receptions for 18 yards.
Etienne paced the Jaguars' backfield in touches, though their gameplan quickly became pass-heavy as the team attempted to keep pace with the Chiefs. Despite the limited volume, Etienne still was a spark in the offense, particularly early in the fourth quarter when he found the end zone on a four-yard rush. His receiving volume remained underwhelming, though Etienne managed three receptions for the third time in his last five games. He will now look toward his third NFL season, and he should be expected to serve as Jacksonville's lead back in 2023.
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Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB | KC
Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Staying on IR for divisional round
The Chiefs didn't activate Edwards-Helaire (ankle) from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's divisional-round game against the Jaguars, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
On Tuesday, Edwards-Helaire mixed into drills for the first time since sustaining a high-ankle sprain Week 11. Getting designated for return from IR gave the third-year pro a chance to get back on Kansas City's active roster, but coach Andy Reid quelled that notion Thursday, telling Nate Taylor of The Athletic that the team was unlikely to make such a transaction. Because that has come to pass, Edwards-Helaire will remain sidelined while Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Ronald Jones man the backfield.