NFL Player News

Breida was traded to the Dolphins on Saturday for a fifth-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Raheem Mostert's improbable playoff run gave the 49ers yet another running back to their burgeoning glut, so it makes sense to see Breida move for a relatively healthy compensation. The third-year tailback has yet to register a season with more than 180 touches, but he could soon find plenty of work in the Dolphins' backfield. A two-year, $10 million offseason deal with Jordan Howard figures to block Breida's immediate path to the starting lineup, but the former 49er is unquestionably the more explosive of the two backfield options and likely will get plenty of chances to unseat the Indiana product's grapple hold on the two-down carries.

Seattle selected Dallas in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 144th overall.

Dallas joins former Miami (FL) teammate Travis Homer in the Seattle backfield. The 21-year-old Dallas had his junior year cut short by an elbow injury but was able to test at the combine, where he ran a 4.58 40-yard dash and added unimpressive times in the agility drills. What Dallas lacks in top-end athleticism he makes up for with vision and a physical running style at 5-foot-10 and 217 pounds. He'll need a strong preseason to crack the 53-man roster and may need to make an impact on special teams as well.

The Steelers selected McFarland in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 124th overall.

This is an incredibly intriguing selection, as McFarland was arguably one of the best skill-position players still left on the board in the fourth round, while he goes to a team that might be in quiet need of a running back. The Maryland product runs hard, and his 4.44-yard dash is reflective of what you see on tape. Injuries potentially hindered McFarland's outlook, as a high-ankle sprain was evidently a massive hindrance on his 2019 season. A look back to his redshirt freshman season when he carved up the Ohio State defense for 298 yards on 21 carries shows the kind of explosive upside McFarland offers when he's full-go. James Conner is still unquestionably the starter in Pittsburgh, but McFarland is now perhaps the most explosive option in the backfield and should push for more snaps in due time given the lack of speed elsewhere in the Pittsburgh backfield.

The Jets selected Perine in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 120th overall.

The Florida product was the team's top runner for three consecutive seasons, but he likely profiles as a change-of-pace back at the NFL level. Perine did catch the third-most passes of any running back who attended the NFL Combine, but he seems to lack a certain type of burst to be an effective receiving weapon. Perine has a punishing running style, using his dense 5-foot-10, 216-pound frame to run through arm tackles. He'll likely compete with Josh Adams to be Le'Veon Bell's backup.

Williams will face competition for carries in 2020 after the Packers selected running back AJ Dillon in the second round of this year's draft.

Williams was an effective complement behind Aaron Jones the last couple seasons, but both players will be free agents in 2021, so the Packers decided to use a high pick on a running back to improve their stability at the position. Jones is still set to be the top option in Green Bay's backfield, and Williams figures to play some sort of regular role as well, particularly on passing downs. However, Williams has never been a dynamic runner as a professional, so he could cede some snaps and carries to Dillon, whose power style makes him more likely to usurp work from the sturdier Williams than the quicker Jones.

The Chargers selected Kelley in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 112th overall.

A natural runner with 4.49 40-yard dash speed, Kelley compiled 1,060 rushing yards as a senior at UCLA. Impressive balance and quick acceleration could bring Kelley success as an interior runner at the next level, though it's worth noting that he didn't see much usage as a collegiate receiver (11 receptions for 71 yards in 2019). He stands to immediately compete for a role behind Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson in Los Angeles' backfield.

Jones will be joined by a new running back in 2020 after the Packers selected AJ Dillon in the second round of this year's draft.

The Packers' running back room was in good shape heading into both the draft and the 2020 season, as it contained Jones and Jamaal Williams, who combined for over 2,200 yards from scrimmage and 25 touchdowns in 2019. However, both players will be free agents in 2021, so Dillon was added to provide some long-term security at the position. Dillon is a power back, so he will be more of a threat to Williams' opportunities than Jones', and Jones -- who accounted for over 1,500 yards and 19 scores himself last year -- still figures to be the Packers' primary running back in any games that are played in 2020. That will remain the case should he sign an extension with Green Bay, but with Dillon on board, the Packers could be less inclined to shell out big bucks for Jones next offseason.

Mack faces increased competition for playing time in the Indianapolis backfield after the Colts took Jonathan Taylor with the 41st pick in the NFL Draft. "Marlon is a good kid. He's a special teammate. He knows that Taylor is going to make us better and that he's going to make Marlon better," GM Chris Ballard told The Fan 1070 am Indianapolis.

Ballard said that he texted Mack about the pick and Mack responded with "Let's go. Let's go win." Mack is entering the final season of his rookie contract and the team hadn't been talking to him about a contract extension, so this could be his last year with the Colts. Mack's work on the ground has been solid, but he's missed multiple games in each of his three seasons, and his Pro Football Focus grades for pass blocking and receiving have consistently been poor. The Colts haven't indicated yet how the workload in the backfield will be divided, but Mack no longer can be seen as true lead ball carrier when healthy.

Jones will have competition for carries in the form of rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn, whom the Buccaneers selected in the third round (76th overall pick) Friday night.

Vaughn wrapped up his college career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Vanderbilt, and though he was clearly a tier below the top prospects at his position in this year's draft, he has the talent to push Jones and slide into the role vacated by the departed Peyton Barber. Jones has been the subject of praise on more than one occasion from general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians this offseason, and the selection of Vaughn isn't a referendum on the USC product's standing with the team by any means. In fact, Greg Auman of The Athletic believes the fact Tampa passed on drafting a back in the second round -- when the likes of J.K. Dobbins and Cam Akers were still available -- is a tacit endorsement of Jones. However, both Licht and Arians have also made clear that they're looking to ideally utilize two diverse tailbacks in their base offensive plans. Therefore, much like last season, Jones could find his carries frequently capped in the 15-to-17 range if Vaughn remains healthy and develops as expected.

Singletary could be in for some competition for carries in 2020 after the Bills selected Utah's Zack Moss in the third round Friday.

For Singletary's sake, we suppose that's better than the team bringing in a top free agent such as Todd Gurley, but Moss was a top-five running back in several prospect rankings and he'll pose a serious threat for carries if he gets his career off to a good start. That said, Singletary did nothing but shine after passing Frank Gore on the depth chart last season, and with perhaps a shortened summer for Moss to get up to speed with his new team, Singletary should still head into the season as the No. 1 back. Moss, however, has enough of a pedigree to make this a 1A-1B setup along the same lines that many other teams in the league operate under.