NFL Player News

Snell will likely begin the season as a backup after the Steelers selected Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.

Snell rushed 111 times for 368 yards and four touchdowns last season while working behind James Conner, and it appears as though he'll serve as a secondary option in 2021, even after Conner signed with the Cardinals. The Steelers decided to improve their running game by taking the first running back off the board in the first round of the draft, and coach Mike Tomlin described Harris as a "three-down back" after the team selected the Alabama standout. Snell should compete for touches with Anthony McFarland and Kalen Ballage behind Harris in 2021.

Robinson faces added competition in the Jacksonville backfield with the Jaguars' selection of Travis Etienne in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Mia O'Brien of First Coast News reports. "We want to be Top-8 in the league, and with James Robinson, Hyde and Etienne, we think we're there," said coach Urban Meyer on Thursday.

Per O'Brien, Meyer views Robinson and Carlos Hyde as the "1-2 punch" in the Jacksonville backfield with Etienne settling in as the third-down back. Meyer's comments aside, a team that takes a running back in the first round is going to find a significant role for that player. Robinson's passing down work is already in jeopardy with Etienne in the fold, and his carries are at major risk as well. It's no secret that Robinson had a great rookie season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry in an anemic offense, but Etienne is a rare talent at the position and his draft capital dictates that he will get the chance to take over the starting role in the not-too-distant future. Even if Robinson stays atop the depth chart to open the season, there's a strong likelihood that Etienne moves from "third-down back" to the top option in the backfield before long.

The Jaguars selected Etienne in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 25th overall.

Etienne (5-foot-10, 215 pounds) was an incomparably explosive running back at Clemson, where he produced 4,952 yards and 70 touchdowns on just 686 carries (7.2 YPC), and he logged a 40-yard dash around the 4.45-second mark at the Clemson Pro Day. New coach Urban Meyer clearly prioritized adding speed at running back, where James Robinson is good but for reasons unrelated to his speed. It's not clear where Robinson fits into Jacksonville's plans going forward, but Etienne should prove one of the league's most explosive runners on a per-touch basis, especially with Trevor Lawrence opening up new possibilities in the passing game.

The Steelers selected Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 24th overall.

Harris (6-foot-2, 230 pounds) was immensely productive at Alabama and shows a polished skill set both as a runner and passing-down back, so he should step into a three-down role early on with the Steelers. That alone should make him one of the early running back selections in fantasy drafts, even if Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offensive line are in a state of decline. There's no real competition for Harris in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers have every incentive to feed him to make this selection a good value.

The Raiders selected Leatherwood in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 17th overall.

This comes as a bit of a surprise given that Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw and Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins were still on the board, but Leatherwood nonetheless fills a need. The Alabama product won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best offensive lineman as a senior in 2020 and has experience at both guard and tackle. His projection to the next level is a bit trickier, though, as there are questions regarding his ability to handle speed rushers. He's still a powerful blocker with size to stick at tackle or guard and is an instant improvement to a revamped Las Vegas line.

The Giants exercised the fifth-year option on Barkley's (knee) contract Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Barkley will earn a shade over $7.2 million guaranteed during the 2022 campaign as a result of the transaction. Currently in the midst of his recovery from a torn ACL suffered Week 2 of last season, Barkley is on pace to be ready for Week 1 of the upcoming campaign. At the moment, Devontae Booker is the primary backup to Barkley, though the complexion of the Giants' running-back room could change following this weekend's NFL draft.

Barkley (knee) is on track to be ready for the start of the upcoming season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Giants' star running back tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 season, but his recovery is apparently progressing well enough that he's expected to be available for Week 1 action. As Thursday's NFL draft approaches, Barkley's top backup is Devontae Booker, but it's possible that the team will add further backfield depth with one of its six 2021 selections.

Jones will share backfield duties again with Leonard Fournette in 2021 after the latter re-signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year deal on March 26, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Jones logged a team-high 192 carries in 2020, with Fournette a distant second with 97 attempts while appearing in just one fewer game. However, the latter took off in the postseason, beginning with a wild-card win over Washington that Jones missed after suffering a quadriceps pull in pregame warmups. Given Fournette's productivity at the most critical time of year and his superior pass-catching skills, Jones could find himself in a much closer timeshare arrangement in the coming campaign.

Foreman had a tryout with the Seahawks on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The 25-year-old appeared in six games for Tennessee last season and totaled 22 carries for 95 yards while also catching a five-yard touchdown. Foreman had 410 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over 10 games as a rookie for Houston in 2017, but he's failed to have much of an impact otherwise across the past three seasons.

Penny (knee) is healthy and ready for the 2021 season, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Penny made a long-awaited return from an ACL tear Week 15 last season, but he played just three games before getting hurt again. In that three-game stretch, he rushed 11 times for 34 yards. Now that he's healthy again, Penny will have a full offseason to train ahead of the 2021 campaign. Chris Carson, who signed a two-year, $10.43 million contract with the Seahawks in March, is the likely frontrunner for the top job. However, even Carson admitted that Seattle's backfield will likely shape up as a tandem, so Penny could end up as Option 1B if he can return to his 2019 form. He rushed 65 times for 370 yards (5.7 YPC) and three touchdowns in 10 games that year before suffering the season-ending knee injury.