NFL Player News

The Falcons announced Thursday that Williams will move to running back for the 2022 season.

The 2021 fifth-round pick appeared in 15 games for the Falcons as a rookie and registered 22 tackles (eight solo) and one pass defense. The defensive back also operated as a return man, totaling 490 kick-return yards and 153 punt-return yards. Atlanta will look to capitalize on his return abilities by seeing what the Boise State product can do as a running back in 2022. The Falcons had success utilizing former return-specialist Cordarrelle Patterson in a multitude of ways last season and could attempt to do something similar with Williams, who saw action as a running back in high school and at the start of his college career.

McNichols signed with the Falcons on Thursday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

This will be the eighth team McNichols has spent time with since the Bucs made him a fifth-round pick in 2017, and it'll be the fifth team he's played a regular-season game for if he makes it that far. His chances are better in Atlanta than they would be practically anywhere else, joining a backfield that otherwise has Cordarrelle Patterson, Damien Williams, fifth-round rookie Tyler Allgeier and Qadree Ollison as the top candidates for jobs. Patterson is the lock of the bunch, but he's unlikely to handle a workhorse role, leaving room for someone else to get regular touches. McNichols has made 30 of his 34 regular-season appearances in a Titans uniform, mostly handling passing downs for Tennessee the past two seasons. Last year, he had nearly as many targets (38) as carries (41), even though Derrick Henry missed half the season with a foot injury.

Hines saw some action in the slot during Wednesday's OTA practice as the Colts are working to increase his role without taking carries away from Jonathan Taylor, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports. "If I was going to be in a fantasy league, I think I'd pick Nyheim this year," said head coach Frank Reich.

Hines' catch and target totals last year while working with QB Carson Wentz represented career lows. His lack of usage has been blamed on Wentz not looking for Hines enough while holding out for longer completions, but it may also have been a byproduct of Taylor becoming the team's near every down running back. It's also worth remembering that Reich made similar proclamations about designing plays and making sure Hines was part of the game plan last summer. Still, Hines could be a value in fantasy leagues considering his disappointing numbers last season.

Dowdle isn't participating in OTAs after recently undergoing a knee scope, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dowdle spent the entire 2021 season on injured reserve due to a fractured hip, but he appears to have made a full recovery from that injury. Instead, making a full recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery is now the main concern for Dowdle, who is still expected to be ready to participate in training camp. If available for camp, Dowdle will be competing for a depth role in the Dallas backfield behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

Hill (Achilles) participated in the Ravens' OTA workout Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Hill tore his Achilles at the end of last year's preseason, so he appears to be well ahead of schedule in his recovery. However, Hill is far from certain to be back to 100 percent by the start of the regular season. The 2019 fourth-round pick ran for 225 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie but faces an uphill battle for playing time heading into Year 4. J.K. Dobbins (knee) and Gus Edwards (knee) are also coming off season-ending injuries, so free-agent pickup Mike Davis is currently the top healthy back on Baltimore's depth chart.

Hubbard could lose reps behind starter Christian McCaffrey to offseason pickup D'Onta Foreman, who offers a bigger, more physical complement to Carolina's top back, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Hubbard enjoyed an expanded role with McCaffrey sidelined for 10 games last season, gaining 786 yards from scrimmage and scoring six times over 197 touches as a rookie. However, the 6-foot-1, 236-pound Foreman brings a more imposing presence to Carolina's backfield and is fresh off an impressive showing while replacing the injured Derrick Henry in Tennessee last season. Foreman's addition along with Hubbard's development going into Year 2 should give the Panthers ample insurance if McCaffrey's health remains an issue, as he's now missed 23 games the past two seasons. However, compared to last year when Hubbard faced relatively little competition for the staring role while McCaffrey was sidelined, Foreman could now push Hubbard for the No. 2 gig and cut into his workload.

Carolina is hoping Foreman can provide a bigger, more physical complement to Christian McCaffrey and Chuba Hubbard in the backfield in 2022, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Foreman was brought aboard this offseason after filling in admirably for the injured Derrick Henry with the Titans in 2021. In nine games, he rushed 133 times for 566 yards (4.3 per carry) and three touchdowns, and he caught nine of 11 targets for 123 more yards. Although Hubbard proved to be a serviceable replacement while McCaffrey missed 10 games last season, he doesn't pack the punch that the 6-foot-1, 236-pound Foreman does. When healthy, McCaffrey should be the focus of Carolina's offense, but given his different skill set, Foreman could carve out a decent-sized complementary role and prove useful in short-yardage situations.

McCormick (undisclosed) was placed on IR by the Raiders on Tuesday.

McCormick joined Las Vegas last Monday as an undrafted free agent. The nature of the injury is still unknown, but with the time McCormick is likely to miss it could certainly set back his chances of earning a spot on the roster.

McCaffrey (ankle) looked good while participating in the Panthers' OTAs on Tuesday, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

McCaffrey continues to avoid setbacks this offseason after dealing with various injuries during the 2021 campaign. The 2017 first-round pick has only played in 10 games over the past two seasons after not missing a contest over his first three years in the NFL. McCaffrey appears to be healthy heading into the 2022 campaign, and the Panthers intend to keep it that way by holding him out of preseason games again and possibly taking a different approach with him during practices, per Joe Person of The Athletic.

Williams signed with the Colts on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Williams had his one-year contract tender withdrawn by the Ravens on May 10, but he has found a new home with the Colts. Williams will face stiff competition to make the squad with the one-two combo of Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines returning. The Colts also signed Phillip Lindsay last Tuesday, who will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 2021 campaign. Last season Williams appeared in 13 contests with Baltimore, rushing 35 times for 185 yards and a touchdown while catching nine of 12 targets for 84 yards.