NFL Player News

Kelly signed a reserve/future contract with the Browns on Tuesday.

Kelly spent most of the 2020 season on the Browns' practice squad. The 2018 sixth-round pick faces long odds to make the roster in 2021, as Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson are all under contract.

Jones signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Jones spent the first 16 weeks on the practice squad before being called up in Week 17 after a COVID-19 situation occurred in the running back room. He rushed three times for 13 yards and took a back seat to Ty Montgomery. Jones likely will need to make an impact on special teams to secure a roster spot in 2021.

The Ravens signed Williams to a reserve/future deal Monday.

Williams spent most of the 2020 campaign on Baltimore's practice squad, and while he didn't appear in a game, the rookie showed enough to land another shot with the team. The running back is unlikely to be a key member of the Ravens offense, as J.K. Dobbins, restricted free agent Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Mark Ingram are ahead of him on the depth chart.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that he's "hopeful" Dillon (quadriceps) will be "ready to go" for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Buccaneers, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

LaFleur also said he's unsure whether Dillon will be on the field when the Packers next practice Wednesday, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The rookie running back only handled six carries for 27 yards during the divisional-round win over the Rams before being forced out with a quad injury. Jamaal Williams will stand to handle slightly more reps behind top back Aaron Jones if Dillon isn't ready to face the Buccaneers.

Boone completed his season with 11 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown through 16 games. He also caught both of his targets for 10 yards.

In a much quieter season for Boone compared to his last, the 25-year-old wasn't utilized in the offense much with Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison dominating the backfield. After competing with Ameer Abdullah (16 touches) for the No. 3 spot in Minnesota this year, both running backs have finished their contracts, and neither of their roles are guaranteed heading into 2021.

Johnson did not play on offense and returned two kickoffs for 37 yards in Sunday's 22-17 playoff loss to Kansas City.

Johnson was a distant third on the depth chart behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt all season while appearing in all 16 regular-season games and both playoff contests. He had 33 carries for 166 yards while playing 81 snaps. Both Chubb and Hunt are under contract for 2021, so no change is expected for the running back depth chart. Johnson will be the primary kick and punt returner entering 2021 training camp, but teams typically bring in other candidates to challenge for return jobs.

Kamara rushed 18 times for 85 yards and caught three of six targets for 20 yards in Sunday's NFC divisional-round loss to the Buccaneers.

Kamara reached the century mark in combined yards in consecutive playoff performances, but he was unable to hit pay dirt this time around as the Saints ultimately fell to their division rivals. The dual-threat back finished the regular season with a combined 1,688 yards and a whopping 21 total touchdowns, both of which were new career highs. There is no questioning Kamara's talent and status as one of the game's best fantasy performers, but quarterback Drew Brees' retirement decision this upcoming offseason may affect the superstar back. Even with Brees' steep drop-off in arm strength and overall effectiveness in his age-42 season, he still boosted Kamara's value as a receiving threat on short and intermediate routes out of the backfield. In the four games that Brees missed this season, Kamara averaged just 2.5 receptions, 12.8 receiving yards and no touchdowns with backup and potential replacement Taysom Hill. The Saints could go in another direction whenever the first-ballot Hall of Famer decides to hang 'em up for good, but the play style of that quarterback could alter Kamara's usage.

Jones (quadriceps) rushed 13 times for 62 yards and failed to bring in his only target during the Buccaneers' 30-20 divisional-round win over the Saints on Sunday.

Eight days after having to sit out the wild-card win against Washington due to a quadriceps contusion suffered in pregame warmups, Jones was back on the field and filling a robust role in the ground attack. However, he worked in tandem with Leonard Fournette, who served as the true lead back with 17 carries and another five touches in the passing game. Nevertheless, Jones was actually the more efficient of the two with 4.8 yards per rush, and given the extreme cold expected at Lambeau Field for next Sunday's NFC Championship Game, the duo could be quite busy once again versus a Packers defense that's been vulnerable to the run.

Chubb rushed 13 times for 69 yards and caught two of five targets for four yards in Sunday's 22-17 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC divisional round.

Chubb was bottled up in the first half, mustering just 12 yards on five carries and three targets. He finally got going on Cleveland's first touchdown drive in the third quarter, ripping off runs of 23 and 18 yards on consecutive plays to set up a Jarvis Landry touchdown catch. Chubb also converted a 4th-and-1 later in the quarter, reestablishing himself as the leading figure in the Browns' offense. Even with Kareem Hunt -- who scored a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown -- siphoning off a sizable chunk of touches in Cleveland's backfield, Chubb has established himself as one of the premier running backs in the league with consecutive seasons over 1,000 rushing yards and over 5.0 yards per carry.

Williams rushed 13 times for 78 yards and caught all four of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Browns in the AFC divisional round.

Williams worked as the lead back with Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) inactive, as Le'Veon Bell had just two carries and two targets. The third-year pro out of LSU made a pair of pivotal second-half plays, taking a toss 12 yards on 4th-and-1 to set up a third-quarter field goal and later gaining five yards on a 3rd-and-4 swing pass to help the Chiefs run out the clock in the fourth. Even if Edwards-Helaire returns for next week's AFC Championship Game against the Bills, Williams has likely earned himself a substantial role in Kansas City's backfield for that contest.