NFL Player News

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.

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.

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.

Mostert (thumb) had 181 carries for 891 yards and three touchdowns across 16 appearances with the Dolphins in 2022. He also secured 31 of 42 targets for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

Mostert bounced back in impressive fashion by reuniting with coach Mike McDaniel on a one-year deal in Miami, but he's scheduled to hit free agency during the offseason. The same is true for in-season trade addition Jeff Wilson along with Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin. This year's class of free-agent and rookie running backs promises serious potential, so it remains to be seen whether the Dolphins will have serious interest in bringing back the 30-year-old Mostert. A broken thumb sidelined Mostert during Miami's wild-card loss to the Bills, but there's no indication he's in danger of missing any offseason activities.

The Eagles signed Brooks to a reserve/future contract Thursday.

Brooks is now slated to stick around Philadelphia into both the offseason and training camp after he reached a new deal with the Eagles on Thursday. The undrafted rookie running back has yet to suit up for his first NFL game.

Coach Andy Reid said Thursday that the Chiefs are "probably not" activating Edwards-Helaire (ankle) from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's divisional-round game against the Jaguars, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Edwards-Helaire has been sidelined since sustaining a high-ankle sprain back in Week 11, missing the final seven contests of the regular season as a result. After the team's first-round bye, he finally returned to practice Tuesday, but it appears he isn't quite healthy enough to get back on the active roster. Ultimately, Kansas City has until 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday to make such a decision. In the meantime, Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Ronald Jones will continue to man the Chiefs backfield.

The Chiefs re-signed Ealy to the practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Ealy has spent time on and off the Chiefs' practice squad this season, and he'll now re-sign with the team for the second time in two weeks. The undrafted rookie spent the preseason with Kansas City, though he was never able to earn a roster spot and has yet to make his NFL debut. To make room for Ealy, the team also cut defensive tackle Daniel Wise from the practice squad Tuesday.

Tampa Bay signed Laird to a reserve/future contract Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Laird spent the entire 2022 campaign on Tampa Bay's practice squad. With his new contract, he'll have a chance to compete for a larger role during the upcoming offseason.

Edwards-Helaire (ankle) will practice Tuesday and has been designated for return from injured reserve, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Edwards-Helaire has been sidelined since late November after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Kansas City's Week 11 game against the Chargers, but following nearly two months of recovery, he's now preparing for a return to the field. In Edwards-Helaire's absences, the team has gotten quality production from the running back tandem of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon, with Ronald Jones even scoring a touchdown in the regular-season finale, so Kansas City may not be eager to rush Edwards-Helaire back into a prominent role following a lengthy layoff. Even if the 2020 first-round pick isn't activated from IR ahead of the divisional-round game against the Jaguars on Saturday, Kansas City would still have up to two more weeks to evaluate him in practice before adding him back to the 53-man roster.

Hill had two receptions for 10 yards in the Ravens' playoff loss to the Bengals on Sunday.

The fourth-year back had his best professional season thus far by setting a new career high in rushing yards (262) and yards per carry (5.3). It was his first year back from an Achilles injury that wiped out his 2021 campaign. Baltimore had to mix and match at running back for much of the season with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards both battling different injuries and workload restrictions, and Hill performed ably when called upon. Hill and fellow veteran Kenyan Drake will be unrestricted free agents this offseason, but the club could entertain bringing one of them back to serve as the third running back. If Hill does not return to the Ravens, he could still draw some interest from teams on the open market after performing well this season.