NFL Player News

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.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach told Pro Football Talk that Williams will retain his spot atop the depth chart while sharing the backfield workload with Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Veach may be referring to training camp -- whenever that happens -- rather than making any promises for Week 1. After all, Veach may have referred to Williams as his starter, but the GM then referred to the rookie as a "franchise running back" and "special and unique." The Chiefs presumably will allow Williams and Edwards-Helaire to compete for touches, giving the first-round pick an opportunity to emerge as the lead back even if the veteran technically remains the starter. Given the immense potential for backfield fantasy production in an offense led by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, the breakdown between Williams and Edwards-Helaire is sure to be a heavily discussed topic throughout the summer and into fall.

Gibson is expected to be utilized primarily as running back for the Redskins in 2020, ESPN's John Keim reports.

This comes directly from coach Ron Rivera. From a fantasy perspective, Gibson's positional classification could be a major sticking point among different platforms. The 6-foot, 228-pounder's versatility is something to monitor regardless, particularly when Rivera suggests the team's 2020 third-round pick "has a skill set like Christian (McCaffrey)." A wide receiver-only designation for Gibson would likely hamper his fantasy utility, save for deeper leagues. Should he qualify as a running back, however, it doesn't take much imagination to project similar production to that of current free agent Chris Thompson, who piled up 206 receptions and 1,745 receiving yards across five seasons with Washington.

Laird is joined by offseason acquisitions Jordan Howard and Matt Breida in the Miami backfield, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald reports.

Salguero projects Laird for the third spot at running back, ahead of Kalen Ballage, Myles Gaskin (ankle) and De'Lance Turner. While he averaged only 2.7 yards on 62 carries last season, Laird showed some skill in the passing game with 23 catches for 204 yards on 30 targets (6.8 YPT), and he also finished seventh on the team with 259 special-teams snaps. Laird fits the mold of what NFL teams usually like for the final RB spot on a 53-man roster.

Clement signed a one-year contract with the Eagles on Wednesday.

Philadelphia opted not to tender the 25-year-old a contract as a restricted free agent in March, but the team is now bringing him back on a more affordable deal. Clement had a solid rookie campaign as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but he's been limited by injury to 15 games over the past two seasons. The Eagles didn't add any running backs during the 2020 NFL Draft, so the Wisconsin product figures to compete for the backup slotting behind No. 1 option Miles Sanders.

Marshall was waived by the Chiefs on Tuesday, freelance NFL writer Howard Balzer reports.

The 23-year-old spent the 2019 season on Kansas City's practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract after the end of the regular season. Marshall went undrafted out of James Madison last year and is still looking to make his NFL debut.

Perine was claimed off waivers by the Bengals on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 2017 fourth-round pick was waived by Miami over the weekend and will now make his way back to Cincinnati. Perine began the 2019 campaign with the Bengals but played only five offensive snaps in six games before being let go, and he eventually signed with the Dolphins. He's struggled to find his footing to this point in his career, and he has only 13 rushing attempts for 48 yards over the past two seasons.

McKinnon could have a role on third downs this upcoming season, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The San Francisco backfield became a bit less crowded when Matt Breida was traded to Miami on the third day of the 2020 NFL Draft. Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman are left as the clear favorites for carries, but McKinnon could be the top pick for the third-down role if he can prove he's back at full strength after missing the past two seasons with knee injuries. He accepted a pay cut in April to stay with the 49ers, one month after GM John Lynch declared the veteran running back healthy. The 49ers also have third-year pro Jeff Wilson in the backfield, and their class of undrafted rookies includes Salvon Ahmed and JaMycal Hasty.