NFL Player News

Giants co-owner John Mara said Wednesday that the team is "not in any hurry" to extend Barkley (knee) a long-term extension, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Mara also said that he hopes Barkley is a "Giant for life," adding that he's fully confident the star running back will return to full health. According to Kevin Patra of NFL.com, general manager Dave Gettleman said earlier this month that Barkley's injuries have complicated the team's looming decision about whether to pick up his fifth-year option, a choice that will need to be made this spring. Barkley has undeniably been slowed by injury ever since winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2018, and in 2020, he had 19 carries for just 34 yards in two contests before tearing his right ACL. All recent news regarding Barkley's recovery process has at least been positive, so it's difficult to imagine New York simply letting him walk after 2021. However, it's also worth noting that under the new CBA, all fifth-year options are fully guaranteed upon being exercised, which could be prompt the Giants to be more cautious in their deal-making after spending heavily in free agency.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said Tuesday that he expects Vaughn to have a "breakout year" in 2021, Taylor Jenkins of PewterReport.com reports.

Arians wouldn't rule out drafting a running back in April, but he suggested he has confidence in all of Vaughn, Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones. While Fournette's performance in the playoffs makes him a clear favorite for the lead role heading into Week 1, the Bucs could make more of an effort to involve Vaughn in their offense in his second season. The 2020 third-round pick barely played as a rookie, taking 31 touches for 143 yards and a touchdown in 10 games.

Hasty (collarbone) is the favorite to secure San Francisco's No. 3 running back job, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Raheem Mostert (ankle) will be back for the 2021 campaign, and Jeff Wilson signed a one-year extension back in January. With Tevin Coleman now a Jet, the door is open for Hasty to secure the No. 3 job in the backfield. However, his projected role will get cloudy if the 49ers select a running back in the upcoming draft. As an undrafted rookie out of Baylor, Hasty flashed some upside in limited action last year, rushing 39 times for 148 yards and a touchdown and catching seven of eight passes for 33 yards. Both Mostert and Wilson had injury issues last season, so Hasty could be a worthwhile stash for fantasy purposes. Coach Kyle Shanahan often mixes up his backfield rotation too, and his scheme provides high upside for the lead back.

Barner (groin) is a candidate to return to Tampa Bay on a league-minimum deal, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Barner won't have much of a place in the Buccaneers backfield after the team decided to bring back Leonard Fournette, but his utility on special teams could allow him a shot to compete during training camp. Barner currently is a free agent after having ended last season on IR due to a groin injury, and his best chance of signing anywhere when healthy will be as an option in the return game.

Boone is expected to compete for the Broncos' No. 2 running back role behind Melvin Gordon, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

The March 17 signing of Boone immediately boosted Denver's special teams units. With 2018 Pro Bowler Phillip Lindsay (hip) having since moved on to Houston via a one-year contract, Boone now finds himself in the conversation for a meaningful role within the Broncos backfield. The former Cincinnati Bearcat has been effective when granted opportunities over his three-year NFL career, racking up 5.3 yards per carry on 71 attempts as a member of the Vikings. For the time being, Boone's primary competitor for the No. 2 role is Royce Freeman, a 2018 third-round pick who last year accumulated 170 yards over 35 carries for the Broncos' 13th-ranked rush offense.

Though Drake will be working in the same backfield as Josh Jacobs this coming season, the Raiders' free-agent acquisition expects to "be used in a multitude of ways" by his new team, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Despite having Jacobs -- who's topped 1,000 rushing yards in each his first two NFL seasons -- atop their backfield depth chart, the Raiders were aggressive in pursuing Drake, giving him a two-year deal for $11 million guaranteed that includes up to $3.5 million in incentives. That's solid money in the current running back free agent market, which suggests that coach Jon Gruden will look to find different ways to use Drake as a chess piece in the Las Vegas offense. According to Drake, Gruden "was just head and shoulders above everybody in terms of interest in my ability to come in and be a playmaker in a lot of facets of the game." With that in mind, aside from providing the team with quality insurance against an injury to Jacobs, Drake's ability as a pass-catcher figures to keep him involved enough in the Raiders attack to merit PPR consideration, with the report suggesting the team may elect to deploy Drake as a wide receiver at times, a notion put forth by Gruden.

General manager Trent Baalke said Tuesday that he believes Robinson (ankle) could "even take a step forward from where he was a year ago," John Reid of the Florida Times-Union reports.

Baalke spoke of Carlos Hyde, whom the Jaguars recently signed to a two-year deal, in purely complementary terms and as someone who "can compete for roles." It's always possible that Jacksonville adds to the backfield in April's draft, but as things currently stand, Robinson is still locked in as the team's featured back, while Hyde appears set for the backup gig. Hyde's presence could detract from Robinson's overall workload, but if the Jaguars' offense takes a step forward, it's possible the 22-year-old could indeed improve on his 2020 numbers. He rushed for 1,070 yards as an undrafted rookie despite missing the last two games of the season due to an ankle issue.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Mixon (foot) is healthy and feeling good, NFL.com reports.

Mixon missed the final 10 games of the regular season but never ended up needing surgery. His foot apparently got better with rest, so he should be ready to practice whenever the Bengals first take the field. There's been talk of Giovani Bernard being traded or released, which could in turn free up more passing-down snaps and targets for Mixon, a capable pass catcher in his own right.

Breida has agreed to a one-year deal with the Bills, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Breida is probably looking at the No. 3 role for a deep Bills team, but it's not like Devin Singletary or Zack Moss wowed last season, so the speedy veteran will certainly get his share of chances after running for 254 yards and a 4.3 average on 59 carries with the Dolphins last season. Assuming Breida does make the final roster, the Buffalo running back group is starting to look like a true committee for 2021, and that's before we even see what the team does during the draft.

Williams agreed to terms Wednesday on a one-year contract with the Bears, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Williams flourished in an offensive system that Bears head coach Matt Nagy helped to define back during his time as coordinator for the Chiefs, and he worked with Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor back in Miami. As a result, Williams should be an ideal fit in Chicago's scheme. It's worth noting, however, that neither Williams nor Nagy actually held tenure in Kansas City simultaneously. After the Super Bowl LIV star opted out of the 2020 campaign due to concerns relating to COVID-19 before being released earlier this month, he'll now move on to the third stop of his NFL career. Williams will likely mix in as a change-of-pace or backup option along with Tarik Cohen (knee), who's returning from a torn ACL. The presence of two backups skilled enough to warrant their own consistent touches could result in a decline in lead option David Montgomery's workload in 2021.