NFL Player News

The Chargers selected Spiller (groin) in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 123rd overall.

The Chargers didn't have many needs entering the 2022 NFL Draft, but the selection of Spiller shores up an obvious weak spot on the roster. The Texas A&M product was billed as a possible second-round selection after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but after straining his adductor prior to the combine and subsequently running a 4.63 40-yard dash at his pro day, it became clear Spiller was not a high-round back that some projected. That being said, the junior plays much faster on tape, particularly once getting into the open field, and he's a plus receiver even for his size (6-foot, 217 pounds). Los Angeles desperately needed a second back to take some workload off Austin Ekeler, and it's entirely possible Spiller might already be a better backup than lackluster incumbents Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree. Kelley, Rountree and Justin Jackson combined for 137 carries and 28 targets last season as part of the jumbled timeshare behind Ekeler. Expect Spiller to immediately assume most of those opportunities with the possibility for additional workload should the Chargers make good on their promise to limit Ekeler's exposure somewhat in 2022.

The Raiders selected White in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 122nd overall.

This is an interesting pick in light of the Raiders declining to pick up Josh Jacobs' fifth-year option Friday. White was a highly regarded recruit coming out of high school but two ACL tears -- one in high school and one as a freshman at Georgia -- kept him out until 2019. He was lightly used in 2019 before taking on more of a lead role in his final two seasons, when he combined for 304 carries, 1,635 yards and 22 rushing touchdowns. White is a physical, north-south runner at 6-foot and 214 pounds who is unlikely to have much of an impact as a pass catcher. Considering the injury history, White ran surprisingly well at the combine with a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. He can challenge for early down work early in his Raiders career but is not a major threat to Jacobs' workload just yet.

The Texans selected Pierce in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 107th overall.

Pierce is only a middling NFL running back prospect out of Florida, but opportunity is at least as important as talent in fantasy football, and Pierce has an enormous opportunity awaiting him on a Houston roster that badly lacks running back talent otherwise. As much as Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack can't be brushed aside, they're about as weak of a 1-2 punch as any tandem in the league. Pierce (5-foot-10, 218 pounds) offers a denser, more powerful running style than either of Burkhead or Mack, and at Florida he consistently showed the ability to anchor against tacklers and keep moving forward against contact. He lacks speed -- he probably plays slower than the 4.59-second 40 he logged at the combine -- but Pierce should be Houston's best short-yardage runner at the least.

Penny will have more competition in training camp after the Seahawks selected Kenneth Walker in the second round (41st overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Prior to the draft, Penny's main competition was set to be Chris Carson, but the Seahawks have hinted that they have doubts about Carson's ability to return from a neck injury, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reports. Penny has never had a fully healthy season, either. Thus, it's not surprising that the Seahawks utilized a draft pick to bring in another running back, but utilizing this high of a pick signals that the Seahawks believe Walker can be their starter at some point. Nevertheless, it's Penny's job to lose. His production last season was undisputable, as he rumbled for 692 total yards and six touchdowns over the final five games. If Penny can stay healthy, we may witness a situation similar to 2018 when Penny was a rookie first-round pick but Carson -- the second-year player -- never gave up the starting job.

The Buccaneers selected White in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 91st overall.

Ronald Jones' departure in free agency put Tampa Bay in the market for a running back and White is a solid value at this stage of the draft. White has a good frame at 6-foot, 214 pounds but he can get in trouble by running upright at times. Still, that didn't stop him from ripping off chunk yardage during his time at Arizona State. It's a small, two-year sample, but White averaged 6.4 yards per carry over 224 career attempts and ran for 20 scores. He was efficient as a pass-catcher, too, reeling in 51 of 58 targets for 607 yards and two touchdowns. He doesn't have blazing speed (4.48), but it's enough at 214 pounds, and his strong scores in the jumps mean that he has good anchor and burst. Tampa Bay has struggled to find good running backs through the draft in recent years, but perhaps White can buck the trend and secure a role ahead of Ke'Shawn Vaughn.

The Bills selected Cook in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 63rd overall.

Buffalo adds speed and pass-catching ability to its backfield with the Cook selection. A five-star recruit out of high school and brother of Dalvin, Cook took awhile to hit his stride at Georgia but was always impressive on a per-touch basis before breaking out as a senior. He saw a career-high 113 carries for the national champions and converted those into 728 yards and seven touchdowns. Cook's most NFL-ready traits are his route running, pass catching and elusiveness. Georgia often split Cook out wide and used him on downfield routes in 2021. Cook is light for an NFL running back at 199 pounds, so he does not project for a workhorse role, but his explosiveness and passing-down chops should allow him to see the field. He will be competing with other young backs in Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, however, so it will be a battle for him to make a big impact as a rookie.

The Jets selected Hall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 36th overall.

Hall is the first running back off the board and projects to take over as the Jets' starting running back in short order, even with impressive 2021 fourth-round pick Michael Carter already an important part of the Jets offense. At 5-foot-11, 217 pounds with a 4.39-second 40 at the combine, the former Iowa State star has a workhorse frame with big-play athleticism. The Jets should have upwards of 65 snaps per game to distribute among their running backs, and a split like 40-25 or 35-30 should be the eventual outcome between Hall and Carter. Hall was a dominant producer at Iowa State, including as a pass catcher, finishing his Cyclone career with 3,941 yards (5.5 YPC) and 50 touchdowns rushing while adding 82 receptions for 734 yards and six touchdowns in 36 career games.

The Raiders have elected to not pick up Jacobs' fifth-year contract option, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

The same applies to fellow 2019 first-rounders Clelin Ferrell and Johnathan Abram, though GM Dave Ziegler relayed that the team looks "forward to working with all three players and (will) evaluate each situation individually moving forward." With that, Jacobs remains under contract with Las Vegas this coming season, and it's still possible the Raiders will look to keep the 24-year-old around beyond 2022, especially if produces well in the final year of his rookie deal. In 15 games last year, Jacobs carried 217 times for 872 yards and nine TDs, while adding 54 catches (on 64 targets) for 348 yards. He's slated to reprise his lead role in the team's backfield this coming season, with Kenyan Drake set to work in a complementary role and Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah on hand in reserve.

Gordon signed a one-year, $2.5 million base deal with the Broncos on Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

The veteran running back has a chance to make up to $4 million with incentives, though it was previously reported that the contract could be worth up to $5 million. As the figures were clarified Thursday, it appears that the duo of Gordon and Javonte Williams are likely headed toward some sort of split in workload out of the backfield once again in 2022. Both backs found success in what was an inconsistent offense last season. The addition of Russell Wilson at quarterback could be the spark that both Gordon and Williams need to take their fantasy potential to the next level, even if they continue to share duties at a near-even split again.

Williams will be paired with Melvin Gordon in the backfield once again 2022 after the Broncos re-signed Gordon to a one-year deal Tuesday, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Prior to Denver bringing back Gordon, Williams seemed positioned to see a big boost in his workload this coming season, but a timeshare arrangement could now be back in play. Both players logged 203 carries in 2021, and while there should be enough touches for the two to remain fantasy relevant, Williams' ceiling is nonetheless hampered by the continued presence of the capable Gordon. Of the two, Williams profiles as the upside play, but as long as his veteran counterpart is available, the 2021 second-round pick's volume figures to be capped.