NFL Player News

Swift has shown a more muscular physique upon reporting for OTAs this spring, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

The report is merely based on visual observations made by Twentyman, but any added muscle could probably be considered a positive sign for a 5-foot-9 running back who has missed at least three games in both of his first two professional seasons. While it's not fair to consider Swift "injury prone" this soon into his career, it's possible that his fantasy value could be higher heading into 2022 if he hadn't been slowed down by head and shoulder injuries in consecutive years. After all, when not counting the games in which Swift was limited by injury in 2021, his 97.5 scrimmage yards per game would have ranked eighth among all running backs.

Penny (hamstring) participated in Tuesday's practice, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Penny sat out of OTAs last week due to a slight hamstring issue, so it's encouraging to see him back at practice, even if it was a lighter session. The 2018 first-round pick finished last season with 119 carries for 749 yards and six touchdowns -- all career highs -- and figures to be a vital piece for the Seahawks in 2022. Penny and second-round pick Kenneth Walker are currently the top healthy options in Seattle's backfield with Chris Carson still nursing a delicate neck injury.

White's versatile skill set could allow him to enjoy a sizable role during his rookie season, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "He's a good talent, that's why we drafted him," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. "Leonard is our starter, obviously. We look for White to compete with Vaughn and Gio and we'll see from there. ... He has good size. He has good feet and good speed. But he's capable of spelling Leonard, he's capable of catching a ball."

The investment of a third-round pick in White already speaks to the belief the Buccaneers have in his ability, and both the Arizona State product's college body of work and Bowles' comments indicate there could be plenty of opportunity for him behind lead back Leonard Fournette. With Ronald Jones now in Kansas City and Giovani Bernard primarily suited for a pass-catching/third-down role, White's primary competition for any complementary early-down reps appears to be Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who's yet to establish himself after being taken in the third round in his own right in 2020. White's pass-catching chops also could be a significant factor in earning snaps, with running backs coach Todd McNair noting the rookie's range and catch radius are particularly impressive.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said Leatherwood is working at multiple spots along the offensive line during voluntary OTAs, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

McDaniels said Leatherwood isn't the only offensive lineman that's getting work at multiple positions, so it appears like the Raiders are trying everything they can to revamp a subpar group from a year ago. While the Leatherwood was being moved around, Reed did clarify that the 2021 first-round pick still spent the majority of practice at right tackle.

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.