NFL Player News

Etienne has lined up at running back and wide receiver at rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Urban Meyer said when the 22-year-old was drafted 25th overall the Jaguars planned to utilize the tailback on the outside, and Meyer has followed through on those initial comments. Etienne caught 85 passes for 1,020 yards over his final two seasons at Clemson, and the extra versatility might help keep him and James Robinson on the field at the same time. Etienne's big-play potential could open things up for Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the offense.

Sermon impressed in OTAs as a receiver out of the backfield and is in line to make an impact as a rookie if he can carry that over into training camp, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Sermon still has Raheem Mostert (knee) and Wayne Gallman to contend with for reps out of the gate, but his competition thinned a bit after Jeff Wilson was forced to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in late May that will keep him out for 4-to-6 months. He should be in the mix for carries come Week 1 as a result, though training camp figures to be a determining factor in how expansive his role is initially.

Though the versatile Patterson profiles as "a gadget guy" for the Falcons, Tori McElhaney of The Athletic suggests the 30-year-old, who can also feature as a wideout and returner, could be used in a more traditional backfield role this coming season.

Unless the Falcons make a move to bolster their backfield personnel, Patterson's main competition for backup slotting behind presumed starter Mike Davis figures to come from Qadree Ollison, Tony Brooks-James and Javian Hawkins. Once training camp gets rolling, we should gain added clarity with regard to the team's running back pecking order, but this is a situation to monitor, given that Atlanta no longer rosters its top three rushers (Todd Gurley, Brian Hill and Ito Smith) from 2020.

The Falcons' coaches have "been pleased with what they've seen" from Ollison this offseason, according to Tori McElhaney of The Athletic.

With Atlanta's top three rushers from 2020 (Todd Gurley, Brian Hill and Ito Smith) no longer on the roster, there's an opportunity for Ollison to carve out a role in the team's offense behind presumed starter Mike Davis. It's possible that the Falcons may add further backfield depth, but for now Ollison will battle for backup slotting with Cordarrelle Patterson, Javian Hawkins, Tony Brooks-James and Caleb Huntley. Since being taken in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Ollison has logged 23 carries for 53 yards and four TDs in 11 games, but given the team's current running back personnel, the 6-foot-1, 232-pounder has a chance to see an expanded role in his third season as a pro.

Mixon is pleased with the hiring of offensive line coach Frank Pollack, who previously held the same job for Cincinnati in 2018, ESPN's Ben Baby reports.

The 2018 season was the best of Mixon's career, featuring high-water marks for rushing yards (1,168), total yards (1,464), touchdowns (nine) and YPC (4.9), even though he missed two games. He voiced his frustration on Twitter back in 2019 when the Bengals parted ways with Pollack and allowed new head coach Zac Taylor to bring in Jim Turner for the O-line job. Turner is now gone, with Taylor recruiting Pollack in January and giving him the additional title of run-game coordinator. Pollack is tasked with fixing a line that was one of the league's worst last season, hoping the offseason additions of veteran RT Riley Reiff and rookie guard Jackson Carman (second-round pick) can help turn things around. A healthier season from Mixon would also go a long way, and the veteran back reportedly looked healthy at OTAs after missing 10 games with a foot injury last season. He'll turn 25 in July, entering the first season of a four-year, $48 million extension.

Evans displayed "sure hands and smooth route running" during the Bengals' OTAs and minicamp, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Though Joe Mixon remains the Bengals' clear-cut top back and Samaje Perine is on hand to spell him in early down situations, Evans' pass-catching skills could lead to a role in the team's offense following the offseason departure of Giovani Bernard. In order to cement a spot in the team's backfield pecking order, however, Evans -- a rookie sixth-round pick -- will need to continue to impress in training camp, where he'll compete for slotting with Perine, Trayveon Williams, Jacques Patrick and Pooka Williams.

Vaughn has impressed coach Bruce Arians during his time in Tampa, but the second-year running back's chances of seeing increased playing time in 2021 may hinge on his improvement on special teams, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "Ke'Shawn's made a nice move, but he has to be a better special teams players right now because of what's in front of him," said Arians. "But I have all the confidence in the world in him as a runner and a receiver."

"What's in front of him," as Arians puts it, are Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette. Meanwhile, veteran Giovani Bernard was added this offseason, and all those factors leave Vaughn's prospects for playing time murky at best. The Vanderbilt product logged just 31 touches (26 rushes, five catches) during his rookie campaign, recording a touchdown through the air and averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Vaughn played just 37 special-teams snaps and was a healthy scratch for six regular-season games and the final three postseason contests, but it appears he could have a chance to increase his overall profile in the offense with a strong training camp and preseason in all phases.

Coach Bruce Arians remarked that he viewed both Jones and backfield mate Leonard Fournette as No. 1 backs during mandatory minicamp, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports. "It's a hell of a group," said Arians. "Both those guys are starters in my mind. Whoever goes out first doesn't really matter to me. But that will be determined in camp."

Jones opened the 2020 season as the clear-cut top back with Fournette having just joined the team prior to Week 1, and he earned the right to hold onto that designation for most of the 14 regular-season games for which he was healthy. Jones compiled 978 rushing yards and seven touchdowns (5.1 YPC) while adding a 28-165-1 line through the air. However, an ill-timed quad contusion sustained in pregame warmups before a wild-card game against Washington altered the postseason fortunes of both Jones and Fournette, as the latter thrived with the lead-back job in that game and held it throughout the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, Jones' body of work over the last two campaigns following an abysmal rookie season certainly hasn't been forgotten, and it therefore appears both players could be headed for a dreaded timeshare scenario in 2021 as long they're healthy and replicating last year's production.

Singletary says he's gained a bit of extra speed this offseason after working with a personal trainer in South Florida, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports. Said trainer Nick Hicks: "We didn't sit there and try to make him into 100 meter sprinter. We just tried to make him, I guess two-tenths, three-tenths faster than what he what he what he was coming back in. We literally left no stone unturned this offseason, so yes he's going to be way faster, way more explosive than the Devin Singletary you guys are used to. Motor's got a motor now."

Singletary, while shifty and excellent in small spaces, has really lacked breakaway speed as an NFL running back (he ran a 4.66 40 at the combine a few years ago), so even if the story is a bit overblown this can only be a good thing for the third-year running back. The Florida Atlantic product will be competing in camp with Zack Moss and newcomer Matt Breida for carries, though between perhaps the hint of extra speed to go with the fact that Moss still isn't able to practice following ankle surgery, the offseason news seems favorable toward Singletary's quest to gain as large a share as possible. That said, Singletary isn't much of a touchdown threat with just four rushing scores over his first two seasons. Plus, quarterback Josh Allen frequently takes away scores from the entire running back crew.

Homer (calf) didn't take part in Thursday's minicamp practice, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Homer dealt with a number of health concerns last season, but a calf injury wasn't one of them. Through two pro campaigns, the 2019 sixth-rounder hasn't been much more than a depth piece in the Seahawks backfield, averaging 4.7 yards on 43 carries and 7.3 yards on 20 catches while scoring one TD in 25 appearances. Homer still resides behind Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny (knee) on the depth chart, meaning he likely will need one of the duo to miss time in the fall in order to become a consistent part of the offense.