NFL Player News

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Wednesday that he foresees Dobbins working as a "three-down back," Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Dobbins may not immediately fill that three-down role as a rookie with Mark Ingram hanging around, but the veteran's contract would allow the team to part ways with him following the 2020 season with limited repercussions if it chooses to do so. If that comes to pass, Dobbins, would only have to beat out 2019 fourth-round pick Justice Hill to lay claim to a full workload, as Gus Edwards becomes a free agent after the 2020 season. The prospect of Dobbins potentially handling a heavy workload in 2021 and beyond would make him an attractive target in dynasty drafts.

Gore signed a contract with the Chargers on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old split time between the Redskins' and Chargers' practice squads last season, and he's now making his way back to Los Angeles. Gore went undrafted out of Louisiana-Monroe in 2019 and is still looking to make his NFL debut.

The Jaguars cut McNichols on Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McNichols' only game action with the Jaguars last season came Week 17, when he logged three offensive snaps without touching the ball. Since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2017, McNichols has appeared in four contests while spending most of his time on practice squads.

Holly joined the Chargers on a one-year deal following the NFL Draft.

Holly only started three games in college, primarily acting as a special teams force during his three seasons at Louisiania Tech. He'll compete with another undrafted rookie free agent, Gabe Nabers, after incumbent Derek Watt joined the Steelers earlier this offseason.

Conner (quadriceps) projects as the leader of a committee backfield in Pittsburgh, Ed Bouchette of The Athletic reports.

Unable to build on his 2018 breakout, Conner missed six full games plus the majority of two others in 2019, and he also noticed a significant dip in yards per carry (4.0) and a smaller dip in yards per target (6.6). Both numbers were better than what the Steelers got from Benny Snell (3.9 YPC, three catches) and Jaylen Samuels (2.7 YPC, 5.4 YPT), but now there's another body -- fourth-round pick Anthony McFarland -- entering the backfield mix after the team devoted a middle-round selection to the position for the fourth consecutive year. Conner has plenty of time to recover from last year's assortment of injuries and still figures to take the first snap at training camp, but he'll likely have to play out the final season of his rookie contract without an extension.

Coach Frank Reich envisions Mack and Jonathan Taylor as a "one-two punch" in the backfield, Mike Wells of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor's combination of talent and draft capital makes him the favorite to emerge with the lead role sooner than later, though custom dictates that it'll be Mack getting the first snap with the starting offense once the Colts are able to practice. Reich believes the two backs will complement each other, pointing to Mack's vision, acceleration and comfort level running outside zone, while Taylor earns praise for his size, speed and explosiveness. The idea of splitting work isn't unreasonable, but it becomes a real crunch with passing-down specialist Nyheim Hines also getting regular snaps. While the Colts seemingly still have a plan for Mack in the final year of his rookie contract, it won't come as any surprise if his role is eventually minimized.

Ward has signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

During four seasons at Central Michigan, Ward had an up-and-down career, reaching 1,000 rushing yards in both 2017 and 2019 while combining for 412 yards on the ground in 2016 and 2018. Issues with fumbles -- he had seven in his last two seasons, losing six -- and pass protection seem to be to blame, but Ward does bring versatility as a pass catcher to the pro ranks, posting 98 receptions for 909 yards in 42 games. He'll seemingly compete with D.J. Foster for what could be the final RB spot on the Cardinals' roster.

General manager Bob Quinn suggested Huntley will be in direct competition with Ty Johnson for a role in the backfield, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports. "...Huntley will be our smallest guy, but he's extremely fast. So [I'm] very confident that we'll find a role for him, and he is going to be in competition with Ty Johnson."

Detroit took Johnson in the sixth round ahead of the 2019 campaign, but the Maryland product ultimately left something to be desired as a change-of-pace back. It sounds like Huntley will now get a chance to push Johnson for his depth role, and Twentyman thinks it's also possible for Huntley to handle some of the passing-down responsibilities the Lions gave J.D. McKissic last year. However, with 2018 second-rounder Kerryon Johnson and 2019 breakout runner Bo Scarbrough now joined atop the depth chart by 2020 second-rounder D'Andre Swift, Huntley may need an injury or an extremely impressive offseason to earn meaningful offensive snaps as a rookie.

Penny (knee) could open the 2020 season on the PUP list, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

The Seahawks have consistently been optimistic about Chris Carson's recovery from a hip fracture, while the tone has been far more cautious when discussing Penny's rehab from ACL surgery. GM John Schneider cautioned that the timeline could be tricky, noting that the 2018 first-round pick suffered his major injury late in the season (Dec. 8 to be exact). Reports from January suggested the damage in Penny's left knee went beyond an ACL tear, but he did show visible progress in March when he posted a video of himself doing footwork drills. The Seahawks haven't prioritized backfield additions so far this offseason, scooping up DeeJay Dallas in the fourth round and Anthony Jones as an undrafted free agent.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach expects Damien Williams to "come in as the starting running back," while Edwards-Helaire will compete for playing time to form a one-two punch in the backfield, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk reports.

Williams figures to take the first snap with the starting offense whenever the Chiefs are able to practice, but that doesn't necessarily mean the rookie won't have a shot at the lead role early on. Veach referred to Edwards-Helaire as a "franchise running back, true playmaker, someone special and unique," and the Chiefs presumably expect some form of immediate return on their first-round draft pick. The competition for snaps and touches between Edwards-Helaire and Williams will be one of the key storylines to monitor for fantasy football in 2020.