NFL Player News

Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey told reporters Thursday that he's "really excited" about Cook and believes he has "three-down back" potential, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

The Bills gave Cook a minor vote of confidence this offseason when they let Devin Singletary leave for Houston and settled for Damien Harris and Latavius Murray -- signed for less than $2 million apiece -- as veteran backfield additions. Cook, a 2022 second-round pick, did well with his chances last year, averaging 5.7 yards on 89 carries and 8.6 yards on 21 catches, with the stipulation that much of his work came in garbage time. Harris and Murray will compete for work, especially carries between the tackles, but Cook is at least a slight favorite over Harris to play the most snaps of the bunch. Passing-down specialist and punt returner Nyheim Hines is out of the Buffalo backfield equation for 2023 after sustaining an ACL injury in a jet ski accident.

Robinson said Friday that he feels healthier than he ever was last season, ESPN's John Keim reports.

Four months after being drafted in the third round last spring, Robinson was shot in the leg twice in an attempted carjacking two weeks before the start of the regular season. He came back Week 5 and quickly became Washington's lead runner, averaging 17.1 carries for 66.4 yards in 12 games. It sounds like Robinson anticipates being more explosive this year, after averaging only 3.9 yards per carry with a long gain of 24 last season. He also mentioned the likelihood of seeing more targets (12 last year) under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, though Antonio Gibson recently suggested he'll be the one getting most of the snaps in obvious passing situations. A shared backfield with Robinson doing more of the running and Gibson more of the receiving is logical given the former's size (225 pounds) and the latter's background as a college wideout. For what it's worth, RBs coach Randy Jordan agrees that Robinson looks more explosive this summer and has been more confident making cuts.

Dobbins (undisclosed) is an observer at Friday's practice, Brian Wacker of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Dobbins remains on the PUP list with an unspecified injury, though his frustration with extension negotiations is rumored to be a factor after he told reporters in June that "the business side is very hard" and "it's never just roses and daisies." The 24-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie contract and his first year under OC Todd Monken, who likely will call fewer rushing plays than former OC Greg Roman but could also given Dobbins more of an opportunity to catch passes. Behind Dobbins in the backfield, Baltimore has veterans Gus Edwards, Melvin Gordon, Justice Hill and undrafted rookies Keaton Mitchell and Owen Wright.

Evans was waived by the Panthers on Friday.

Evans has spent time with both the Rams and Panthers this offseason, but the undrafted rookie out of Louisville has yet to gain a foothold in the NFL. He'll hope to get a look from another NFL team in training camp.

Cook (shoulder), who is slated visit to the Jets this weekend, said Friday that he thinks the chances he signs with New York are "pretty high," Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.

While other teams could remain in the mix to sign the free-agent running back, Cook expressed optimism Friday in his appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" that he'll be able to work out a deal with the Jets. If Cook does in fact join New York, he would provide quality depth and experience to a backfield that currently features Breece Hall (knee) -- who is making his way back from surgery to repair a torn ACL -- Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda and Zonovan Knight.

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said Thursday that Mattison "always knows what he's going to do" and is a better player than people realize, Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reports.

Mattison ran a 4.67 40-yard dash coming out of Boise State in 2019 and didn't have a single 20-yard gain on 89 touches last year, but what he lacks in explosiveness he arguably makes up for with versatility, having proven himself competent as a blocker and pass catcher while also possessing the size and strength to handle large rushing workloads. Although Phillips acknowledged that the Vikings will miss Dalvin Cook's big-play ability, the OC seemed to hint that Mattison should do a better job keeping the offense on schedule and avoiding runs for no gain or lost yardage. Whether that's true remain to be seen, but it's at least clear the Vikings have confidence in Mattison, as they re-signed him to a two-year, $7 million contract and still haven't added a veteran RB to compete for carries. In fact, they're the only team in the NFL with fewer than five tailbacks on the roster at the start of training camp, with Mattison joined by 2021 fourth-round pick Kene Nwangwu, 2022 fifth-round pick Ty Chandler and 2023 seventh-rounder DeWayne McBride.

Montgomery (undisclosed) is participating in training camp, Mike O'Hara of detroitlions.com reports.

His undisclosed injury from spring practices apparently hasn't lingered into summer. Montgomery thus figures to get plenty of first-team reps throughout training camp, with the question being to what extent he shares that work with first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs. It's a safe bet both enter Week 1 in significant roles, likely with Montgomery doing more of the rushing and Gibbs doing more of the receiving, though both are capable of beating a defense on the ground or through the air.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Thursday that he's "100 percent" comfortable using Conner as a bell-cow back, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

The Cardinals didn't add any draft picks or veteran free agents to their backfield this offseason, despite having one of the league's thinner depth charts at the position. Conner's ability to both run between the tackles and catch passes allows him to play in all situations without hurting the team, but he's missed multiple games in each of his six NFL seasons and has never been one to rip off long gains. Even accounting for his own shortcomings as well as those of the Arizona offense, Conner is a sensible choice for fantasy managers seeking an RB2 or RB3 after the first five or six rounds of drafts. Despite arguably having one of the better Week 1 volume projections at his position, Conner will enter August with an ADP outside the Top 75 on most sites.

Williams (knee) indicated Thursday that he's been cleared for contact, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Given that Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury (including a torn ACL) in Week 4 last year, we'd expect the Broncos to proceed cautiously with the young running back this summer, but the pace of the 2021 second-rounder's recovery is nonetheless very encouraging. For his part, Williams suggested Thursday that whether he plays in the upcoming preseason will be up to the team's coaching staff.

New York is hosting Cook (shoulder) for a visit this weekend, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Cook, who was released by the Vikings back in June, has popularly been linked to the Jets due to the team's addition of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the ongoing recovery of top running back Breece Hall (knee) from an ACL injury. Rodgers is fresh off agreeing to a re-worked deal with New York on Wednesday, which essentially frees up $33.715 million from the $108.715 million he was owed on his prior deal with the Packers. That pay cut could make it easier for the Jets to maneuver their salary cap to add additional veterans such as Cook, a four-time Pro Bowler and former NFC North division rival of Rodgers.