NFL Player News

Williams shared backfield reps with Damien Williams, Carlos Hyde and Darwin Thompson during the offseason program, Blair Kerkhoff of The Kansas City Star reports.

Darrel Williams caught on as an undrafted rookie last year and had a late-season stretch as the Chiefs' No. 2 running back after Kareem Hunt was cut and Spencer Ware was injured. Both players found new teams in the offseason, but Kansas City brought in Hyde and Thompson to compete for depth roles, leaving Darrel Williams on the roster bubble ahead of training camp. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has already named Damien Williams as the starter.

Ellington is one of five running backs currently remaining on the Buccaneers' roster following last Friday's release of Shaun Wilson, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

The veteran reunited with former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians back on Feb. 19, when he inked a free-agent deal with the Buccaneers after spending 2018 out of the NFL. Ellington, a 2013 sixth-round pick, beat the odds over his first two seasons in Arizona, rushing for 1,312 yards, adding another 766 through the air, and scoring nine total touchdowns (six rushing, three receiving). However, after a pair of forgettable campaigns in 2016 and 2017, Ellington finds himself trying to resurrect his career under the man who originally brought him into the league. The 30-year-old back is hoping to hold off Dare Ogunbowale and undrafted rookie Bruce Anderson, both of whom also have special teams experience, for a backup job behind the top duo of Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones II.

Ekeler said he will focus on his route running this summer.

Ekeler often replaces Melvin Gordon on passing downs, though the latter also gets plenty of work as a receiver. Their roles should look much the same in 2019, considering undrafted rookie Jeremy Cox was the only offseason addition to the Los Angeles backfield. Ekeler's career marks of 5.3 yards per carry and 7.8 per target rank as elite by RB standards, but he was limited to 3.2 YPC and 3.8 YPT in three starts last season, failing to approach his usual efficiency when tasked with a larger workload (40 carries, 20 targets in those three games).

The Rams likely will end up cutting Kelly and/or Justin Davis, Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic reports.

With Todd Gurley (knee), Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson locked in, the team only has one available backfield spot, at most, if everyone stays healthy through August. A sixth-round pick last year, Kelly took 27 carries for 74 yards and two catches for 27 yards in four games during his rookie season, logging 50 snaps on offense and 35 on special teams. The lack of involvement on special teams isn't a good sign for his continued presence on the roster, though Davis (133 snaps) wasn't a huge factor in that regard either.

Freeman and Devontae Booker handled first-team reps while Phillip Lindsay (wrist) focused on rehab work during the offseason program, ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold reports.

Denver brings back the same trio of running backs and same group of wide receivers from last season, hoping veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, rookie tight end Noah Fant and new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello can provide a lift. Lindsay figures to handle the lead backfield role after averaging 5.4 yards on 192 carries last year, but his 190-pound frame may inspire the Broncos to limit his workload. The 229-pound Freeman should get plenty of snaps on early downs, along with some work in goal-line and short-yardage situations. It's less clear how Booker fits into the picture, as the Broncos ideally would like to see Lindsay take over passing downs. It's conceivable for both Lindsay and Freeman to provide useful fantasy production if Booker is squeezed out of the picture.

Drake is diligently maintaining an offseason routine that involves "putting everything in place to maximize his ability," Alain Poupart of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Due to his explosive three-down skill-set and previous success as a starter, Drake is the favorite to begin Week 1 as the Dolphins' lead runner with Kalen Ballage in a complementary role. The 25-year-old is appropriately preparing for his fourth NFL season with an offseason routine that could help mitigate the injury risk that comes packaged with increased touches. Miami neglected to invest significantly in the running back position this offseason, adding only rookie seventh-round pick Myles Gaskin in the draft along with free-agency acquisitions Mark Walton and Kenneth Farrow, which appears to speak to the coaching staff's confidence in giving Drake more work in 2019. In his previous three seasons in the league Drake never averaged below 4.5 yards per carry.

Cunningham's pass-catching skill gives him a good chance to make the 53-man roster in Jacksonville, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Cunningham primarily has served as a special teams player and third-down back throughout his career, handling 191 carries and 147 targets. He was barely used last season in Chicago, but he still has an area of expertise that differentiates him from the other running backs on Jacksonville's roster. Alfred Blue has 673 career carries and just 69 receptions, while rookie fifth-round pick Ryquell Armstead (hamstring) caught 29 passes for 175 yards (6.0 average) in four seasons at Temple. It appears the Jaguars will use either Cunningham or starter Leonard Fournette on passing downs.

Coach Frank Reich said Hines is expected to handle third-down duties in 2019 while Marlon Mack serves as the team's lead back, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Reich made his comments after Indy's recent minicamp, indicating that Hines was able to retain the third-down role he held as a rookie despite the Colts' addition of veteran Spencer Ware to the backfield. Along with his duties as a pass catcher, Hines will battle Ware, Jordan Wilkins and Jonathan Williams for carries behind Mack.

Yurachek (undisclosed) signed a contract with Dallas on Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Yurachek was waived by the Raiders on June 6 after agreeing to an injury settlement. The nature of Yurachek's injury was never revealed, but the fact that he put pen to paper on a new deal with Dallas implies he was able to pass a physical. Yurachek will likely have to beat out Jamize Olawale in training camp in order to nail down the the team's only fullback spot heading into 2019.

Washington will try to fend off competition for the No. 3 running-back job from Javorius Allen, Matthew Dayes and undrafted rookie Devine Ozigbo during training camp, Rod Walker of The New Orleans Advocate reports.

Washington is the incumbent, coming off a 2018 campaign in which he logged 173 snaps on special teams and 46 on offense in 13 games. The highlight of his season was an 11-carry, 108-yard performance against the Panthers in Week 17, when New Orleans rested most of its starters to get ready for the playoffs. The experience on special teams certainly helps, but Allen and Dayes probably can offer more in the passing game, while Ozigbo has more potential for development as a runner. This should be a fierce competition throughout training camp and preseason.