NFL Player News

Mitchell (groin) participated in the 49ers' first open practice of OTAs on Tuesday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mitchell dealt with injuries to both of his knees in addition to a late-season groin injury in 2022, so it was a positive sign to see him take part in the early stages of OTAs, with Chan noting that the running back "ran with power, taking reps from the backfield and as a pass catcher." The 25-year-old was still productive last season despite being limited physically, averaging 6.2 yards per carry while spelling starter Christian McCaffrey. With both backs looking healthy early in camp, San Francisco should begin the 2023 campaign with one of the top rushing duos in the league, assuming Mitchell can stay on the field.

Robinson (knee) is participating in OTAs without any apparent limitations, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Robinson missed Week 18 of his rookie season with a knee injury, but it may not have had any impact on his offseason plan given that the team never reported that the required surgery. The 2022 third-round pick had an eventful debut campaign, missing the first four games after he was the victim of a shooting before he returned to average 17.1 carries for 66.6 yards (3.9 YPC) over the next 12 games. He caught only nine passes and scored only three times, but Robinson and Antonio Gibson could be headed for similar-sized roles under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, whose backfield at the start of OTAs consists of four holdovers from the 2022 Commanders (Robinson, Gibson, Jaret Patterson, Jonathan Williams) in addition to rookie sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez.

Gibson (knee/foot) was spotted practicing Wednesday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Gibson played through a foot fracture last December but then missed the final two weeks of the season after spraining his knee. He had surgery on his foot in the first week of January and seems to be back healthy for spring practices. The Commanders didn't add competition for Gibson's passing-down role this offseason, as the lone new face in the backfield at the start of OTAs is a sixth-round pick, Chris Rodriguez, who caught 20 passes in 40 games at Kentucky. Brian Robinson may get another shot as the lead runner, but Gibson is also a candidate for that role if anything goes wrong, having averaged 214 carries for 916 yards and nine touchdowns over his first two pro seasons. The 2020 third-round pick then had career highs for targets, catches, receiving yards and yards per target in 2022, but it was accompanied by new lows for carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and yards per carry.

Pierce (ankle) is practicing Tuesday, Deepi Sidhu of the Texans' official site reports.

Pierce was running routes at full speed and caught a pass from rookie QB C.J. Stroud at Houston's first OTA practice. The 2022 fourth-round pick gained only 165 yards from his 30 receptions last year, but he was eighth in the league with 72.2 rushing yards per game and started each of his 13 appearances before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Pierce suggested in January that he could've suited up Week 18 if the Texans had more to play for, so it seems he enjoyed a healthy, normal offseason without significant training limitations. He does have more competition for playing time this year after the Texans signed Devin Singletary, who produced between 956 and 1,099 scrimmage yards in each of his four seasons with Buffalo.

Hall (knee) isn't practicing Tuesday at OTAs, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

As expected, with Hall rehabbing an ACL tear suffered in October, the Jets are not pushing the running back during the offseason program. He also damaged his meniscus, but that issue wasn't considered serious and likely won't complicate his recovery. The Jets seem optimistic about having the 2022 second-round pick available for Week 1, with coach Robert Saleh telling reporters in April that Hall looked "fantastic". If it doesn't work out that way and he ends up missing games in September, the Jets can turn to Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and Israel Abanikanda in the backfield.

Ekeler is expected to remain with the Chargers for 2023 after they added $1.75 million in incentives for the final season of his contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Ekeler requested a trade earlier this offseason, and while a minor adjustment to his current contract isn't exactly what he wanted, it'll apparently be enough to keep him in Los Angeles for one more year without a holdout. The 28-year-old led the NFL in touchdowns each of the past two seasons, scoring 38 times in 33 games while averaging 96.8 scrimmage yards. Ekeler figures to be busy again this season given the questionable backfield depth behind him, though Justin Herbert is expected to push the ball downfield more with the help of new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and rookie first-round wideout Quentin Johnston.

Wilson was signed by the Packers on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Wilson signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Fort Valley State but was ultimately waived last Monday. He'll now work to make the most of his opportunity in Green Bay.

Ekeler wasn't present Monday for the first day of Los Angeles' OTAs, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ekeler wanted an extension ahead of the 2023 campaign, which is the final year under his current four-year contract, but with no progress made, he requested and was granted permission to seek a trade. However, he still remains with the Chargers following the draft, and it's becoming more likely he'll have to stick in Los Angeles for at least one more year before testing the open market in 2024. Despite the offseason antics, head coach Brandon Staley has remained steady and expects Ekeler to be present for the mandatory offseason workouts in June.

Teague was waived by the Steelers on Monday.

Teague was signed by the Steelers in January after the team let him go from its practice squad in December, but he'll once again be a free agent. The running back has yet to appear in an NFL game after a four-year college career with Ohio State. Considering he's only 23 years old, it seems highly likely that he'll find another opportunity in the near future.

Perine could see his most substantial workload of his career this season, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Perine was signed by the Broncos this offseason due to the uncertainty of starter Javonte Williams' availability heading into the 2023 campaign. Though Denver appears to be optimistic that Williams could be ready for the start of training camp, it seems Perine is viewed by the Broncos coaching staff as more than just a backup plan. In discussing the veteran's signing, head coach Sean Payton indicated that "this is a guy that gave us flexibility. We signed him because we knew he was durable and reliable." Payton added, "I was taught a long time ago to stack them up at that position." Perine's potential for a higher usage rate should not come as much of a surprise, as Payton has a long history of using multiple running backs throughout his tenure as head coach of the Saints. According to Kosmider, "the Saints' second-leading rusher had more than 95 carries 11 times" in his 15 seasons with New Orleans. It appears the 27-year-old should have every opportunity to build upon the 4.4 yards per carry he averaged in his last three seasons with the Bengals, regardless of when Williams returns to the field.