NFL Player News

Kansas City declined Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option for 2024, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Injuries have prevented Edwards-Helaire from building on a rookie season in which he led the team with 803 rushing yards. During the 2022 campaign, the 2020 first-rounder lost the starting job to seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco and rushed for just 302 yards in 10 games before suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 11 against the Chargers, ending his regular season. Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option would have been fully guaranteed at $5.46 million, but now he's a candidate to enter free agency in 2024. He figures to work behind Pacheco in a Kansas City backfield that also includes Jerick McKinnon, who the team re-signed Tuesday.

Gore was waived by the Saints on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Gore signed a reserve/future contract with New Orleans back in January, but he didn't make it to OTAs. The 28-year-old spent most of last season on the Saints' practice squad, and he has not played in an NFL game since 2021, when he rushed for 256 yards and two touchdowns on 51 carries.

Kansas City re-signed McKinnon on Tuesday, ESPN's Field Yates reports.

The Super Bowl champions did nothing to address their running back room in free agency or the draft prior to reuniting with McKinnon, who will slot in behind Isiah Pacheco atop the depth chart. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will open training camp as the distant No. 3 back. McKinnon caught a whopping nine touchdowns last season after entering 2022 with seven receiving TDs in his previous 87 NFL contests. That pace isn't sustainable, but McKinnon should remain heavily involved as a pass-catching complement to Pacheco after seeing 71 targets last year.

Jackson will face competition from 2023 fifth-round draft pick Evan Hull for the pass-catching role out of the backfield, The Athletic reports.

While Hull was just a Day 3 pick, he's seen as a skilled receiver with 94 receptions for 851 yards in his college career at Northwestern. Jackson rushed 68 times for 236 yards and one touchdown while catching 30 of 34 targets for 209 yards and one touchdown last season. He returned for the veteran minimum, so he's not a lock to make the roster if Hull wins a larger role. However, Jonathan Taylor should get the vast majority of playing time and leave few touches for the rest of the backfield.

Shampklin was waived by the Colts on Tuesday.

Shampklin's NFL career started with the Cowboys last spring when he was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard. However, after suffering an ankle injury in the preseason the rookie was waived with an injury settlement, and ultimately signed with the Colts' practice squad last December. The 23-year-old failed to make an appearance on the 53-man roster and despite inking a reserve/future deal with the team in January, he'll now need to find a new opportunity with another franchise.

Evans was waived by the Colts on Tuesday.

Evans just signed with the team in March. The 24-year-old appeared in six games for the Bears last season, recording 14 carries for 64 yards and a catch for 33 yards on his only target. A third-round pick of the Titans in 2020, he'll now look for a new opportunity elsewhere.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday that Walker and rookie Zach Charbonnet "will be battling", Seattle Sports 770 reports. "We're gonna find out how far [Charbonnet] can take it in terms of the receiving part of it," Carroll said. "We know he's really good at it. But so is Kenneth, so those guys will be battling."

It isn't quite clear from Carroll's comment if he's referring to competing for playing time in general or specifically on passing downs. Charbonnet, an incoming second-round pick, caught 61 passes in two seasons at UCLA, whereas Walker (a 2022 second-rounder) had only 19 receptions in three seasons between Wake Forest and MSU. Walker did catch 27 balls as a rookie, though for only 165 yards (6.1 per catch, 4.7 YPT) while doing nearly all of his damage on the ground to the tune of a 228-1,050-9 rushing line. The impressive running makes him a strong favorite to keep the starting job and lead role, but there's no question a prospect of Charbonnet's caliber poses a threat to Walker's touch volume. A split between the two could be problematic for fantasy managers, especially if the Seahawks settle on DeeJay Dallas or seventh-round rookie Kenny McIntosh as their third-down/hurry-up specialist ahead of Walker or Charbonnet.

Haskins will have competition for the backup running back role after the Titans selected Tyjae Spears in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Titans selected Haskins in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and his primary contribution in his rookie campaign was as a kick returner. He may be limited to that role once again after Tennessee selected Spears, a well-regarded runner out of Tulane, in the third round of the 2023 Draft. Due to his ability on special teams, Haskins' spot on the roster should remain safe even if he's bumped down the running back depth chart.

Laborn is in line to sign with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent.

Laborn found success during his final season at Marshall, totaling 1,513 yards and 16 touchdowns on 302 carries. He also tacked on 16 receptions for 116 yards. Laborn will join fellow undrafted free agent Ronald Awatt as San Francisco adds depth at running back.

Evans signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent Monday, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.

After not hearing his name called during the 2023 Draft, Evans will join the Rams for their offseason program. In his lone year at Louisville, Evans caught the ball 83 times for 525 yards and six touchdowns.