NFL Player News
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Breece Hall RB | NYJ
Jets' Breece Hall: Will be tagged if no long-term deal
Jets general manager Darren Moughey said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that the team intends to place the franchise or transition tag on Hall (knee) if he isn't signed to an extension before the start of free agency, James Palmer of The Athletic reports.
Hall would play out 2026 on a one-year deal worth roughly $14.5 million if he receives the franchise tag. The transition tag would be worth an estimated $11.7 million and allow the running back to negotiate with other teams, though New York would retain the right to match any offer sheet he receives. Across 16 regular-season appearances in 2025, and despite numerous hurdles caused by the Jets' struggles on offense, Hall managed to log the first 1,000-yard rushing campaign of his career, totaling 243 carries for 1,065 yards and four scores, plus a 36-350-1 receiving line on 48 targets. While Hall's fantasy prospects could improve were he to hit the open market, it appears the Jets will prioritize retaining the 2022 second-round pick. Though he missed Week 18 due to a knee injury, there have been no reports that his availability is in any jeopardy for the start of training camp.
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Quinshon Judkins RB | CLE
Browns' Quinshon Judkins: Out of boot, on track for camp
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that Judkins (ankle) has shed his walking boot and is on track for the start of training camp, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.
Judkins underwent successful surgery to address a dislocated right ankle in late December, and he's on track to enter 2026 at full health. As a rookie, the 2025 second-round pick logged 14 regular-season appearances, gaining 827 yards and seven touchdowns on 230 carries (3.6 YPC) while securing 26 of 36 targets for 171 receiving yards. He appears set to lead Cleveland's backfield next year, while 2025 fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson could be the favorite for the No. 2 role, as Jerome Ford is slated to become an unrestricted free agent.
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Joe Mixon RB | HOU
Texans' Joe Mixon: Recovering from offseason surgery
Texans general manager Nick Caserio said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that Mixon (foot/ankle) had surgery this offseason, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Mixon missed the entire 2025 season due to a foot/ankle injury that Caserio said in January was a "freak thing" and "as unique a situation" as he has dealt with. Though the running back has one year left on his contract, his status with the team remains uncertain. Caserio also said in January that the Texans' medical staff will need to evaluate Mixon before determining whether he will be able to play in 2026. The news of Mixon undergoing a new offseason procedure adds a further wrinkle to the situation, though Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports that the team would like to have Mixon back if he's healthy. Across 14 regular-season appearances with Houston in 2024, Mixon gained 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns on 245 carries while adding a 36-309-1 line through the air.
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Kenneth Gainwell RB | TB
Steelers' Kenneth Gainwell: Steelers hoping for new deal
Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan said Tuesday that the team has been in communication with Gainwell, an impending free agent, about a new contract, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Gainwell earned internal team MVP honors after playing 2025 on a one-year deal and totaling a career-best 537 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 147 carries while suiting up for all 17 regular-season games. He added a career-high 73 catches for 486 yards on 85 targets and another three scores through the air. Given the versatility and efficiency Gainwell demonstrated, it will be no surprise if Pittsburgh prioritizes inking him to an extension before he hits free agency. Jaylen Warren remains under contract through 2027, but the Steelers could release him this offseason with a minimal dead cap hit of about $4 million.
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Antonio Gibson RB | NE
Antonio Gibson: Released by New England
The Patriots released Gibson (knee) on Monday.
Gibson is still rehabbing a torn ACL, which he suffered in Week 5 of this past season. Prior to the injury, he rushed 25 times for 106 yards and one touchdown, while adding two catches for six yards on three targets. Gibson will turn 28 years old in June and has appeared in 83 career regular-season contests. In addition to his offensive duties, Gibson is also an experienced return man.
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Najee Harris RB | LAC
Chargers' Najee Harris: Progresses to running
Harris has progressed to running at 15 mph on a treadmill in his recovery from a torn Achilles, agent Doug Hendrickson announced Monday on X.
In a video posted by Hendrickson, Harris is shown running with relative ease five months after suffering the injury that ended his 2025 season back in Week 3. Harris played last season on a one-year, $5.25 million deal, so he's again set to become a free agent next month. Prior to 2025, Harris had never missed a single at the NFL level. He turns 28 years old in two weeks.
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Javonte Williams RB | DAL
Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Inks three-year deal with Dallas
Williams (shoulder) and the Cowboys agreed to terms on a three-year, $24 million contract Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The new deal includes $16 million in guaranteed money and ensures that Williams doesn't enter the new league year as an unrestricted free agent. The North Carolina product inked a one-year deal with the Cowboys in March of 2025 after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Broncos, and he enjoyed a breakout season in his first year with Dallas, when he turned 252 carries into 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 35 passes (on 51 targets) for 137 yards and two scores over 16 regular-season games. The deal solidifies Williams as the Cowboys' RB1 while Malik Davis (eye) and 2025 fifth-rounder Jaydon Blue both operate in rotational roles.
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Zach Charbonnet RB | SEA
Seahawks' Zach Charbonnet: Undergoes surgery Friday
Charbonnet posted on social media that he underwent surgery to repair his torn ACL on Friday, Corbin K. Smith of SI.com reports.
Charbonnet suffered the ACL tear during Seattle's victory over San Francisco in the NFC divisional round. While Smith notes that it's not uncommon for a player to have surgery several weeks after the occurrence of an ACL injury, he also posits that the timing figures to push Charbonnet's recovery timeline further into the 2026 season. At this point, a definitive timeframe for the running back's return to game action hasn't been announced, but it's certainly possible that Charbonnet will miss a significant portion of the upcoming campaign.
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Kendall Milton RB | CIN
Bengals' Kendall Milton: Staying with Bengals
Milton signed a one-year deal with the Bengals on Friday, the team's official site reports.
Milton, who spent the majority of the past two seasons on Cincinnati's practice squad, will thus have an opportunity to compete for a depth slot in the team's backfield ahead of the 2026 campaign. In his only regular-season appearance in 2025, Milton, who played his college ball at Georgia, logged two carries for two yards.
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Kenneth Walker III RB | KC
Seahawks' Kenneth Walker: Not expected to be franchise tagged
The Seahawks are not expected to extend the franchise tag to Walker, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Seattle will have a number of tough roster decisions following the team's Super Bowl LX victory, with a contract extension for Jaxon Smith-Njigba likely being the top priority. Walker played a full 17 regular-season games for the first time in his career in 2025, rushing 221 times for 1,027 yards and five scores while securing 31 of 36 targets for 282 receiving yards. He was even more dominant during the postseason, culminating in Super Bowl MVP honors after he rushed for 135 yards versus the Patriots, adding two catches for 26 yards. The franchise tag would lock him into a 2026 salary of $14.5 million, however, which could be more than Seattle can afford. While the Seahawks could still attempt to sign Walker to an extension, it may be difficult for the team to compete with the offers the 25-year-old running back projects to receive on the open market. Seattle still also has Zach Charbonnet (knee) under contract, though after having suffered an ACL tear in the divisional round his availability for Week 1 is uncertain at best.