NFL Player News

Latavius Murray will replace Mark Ingram as Kamara's complement in the New Orleans backfield, ESPN.com's Mike Triplett reports.

The team's willingness to accept a modest downgrade at a lower price is a sign of confidence in Kamara, who has yet to miss a game due to injury through two seasons. He more than held his own with an increased workload in 2018, averaging 4.6 yards on 194 carries and 8.8 yards on 81 catches -- good for 18.3 touches per game. While a modest workload increase for 2019 seems perfectly reasonable, it's quite clear the Saints don't want Kamara in the same range as Ezekiel Elliott (25.4 touches per game) or even Todd Gurley (22.5) and Saquon Barkley (22). Even so, Kamara's phenomenal per-touch production should keep him as an easy top-10 pick for 2019 fantasy drafts.

The Ravens signed Mark Ingram to join Edwards and Kenneth Dixon in the backfield, ESPN.com reports.

Coach John Harbuagh referred to Edwards as his No. 1 running back a couple weeks ago, but it's pretty clear that won't be the case unless Ingram misses time with an injury. The 29-year-old former Saint is coming off four straight seasons with at least 4.6 yards per carry and six rushing touchdowns, and he's also far more proven than Edwards and Dixon in terms of blocking and receiving (228 career receptions). The team should still have a role for Edwards in a run-heavy offense, but he'll presumably be competing for the No. 2 job instead of the starting gig.

Patterson finalized a two-year, $10 million contract with the Bears, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports.

It's really a one-year commitment, devoid of any guarantees beyond 2019. The Bears likely will deploy Patterson as their No. 4 wide receiver and kickoff return specialist in his age-28 season, with the potential to get him some carries on jet sweeps or even out of the backfield. He displayed impressive versatility with New England in 2018, spending a few weeks in the backfield when the team was hit by injuries.

The Redskins declined to tender Kelley a contract for 2019 on Wednesday, making him an unrestricted free agent, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

No surprise here, as Washington was able to re-sign Adrian Peterson on Wednesday and otherwise has the promising Derrius Guice (knee) on a rookie deal. Given Kelley's historical lack of efficiency while running the ball, he seems to have long odds of securing a fantasy-relevant role in advance of the 2019 season.

Bolden agreed Wednesday with the Patriots on a two-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Bolden spent the first six years of his career in New England before jumping to Miami in 2018. In his return to the Patriots, Bolden projects to receive most of his time on special teams, as the team already has more established running backs in Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead under contract through 2020.

Patterson intends to sign a contract with the Bears, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Patterson is planning on joining the Bears after one season in New England. He was used more as a runner than a receiver in 2018, carrying the ball 42 times for 228 yards while catching 21 passes for 247 yards. He'll likely handle kick return duties for Chicago and serve as a gadget player on offense.

Zenner is re-signing with the Lions, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Zenner's strong finish in 2018 could put him second in line for carries behind Kerryon Johnson, though it's still too early in the offseason to project the 27-year-old's role with much certainty. Zenner took 51 carries for 237 yards (4.6 average) and three touchdowns over the final four weeks of the 2018 campaign, plus he maintained a key role on special teams even after his involvement on offense skyrocketed.

Murray is set to join the Saints on a four-year, $14.4 million contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The contract suggests Mark Ingram priced himself out of the Saints' comfort zone, forcing the team to assess external options to pair with Alvin Kamara in the backfield. It's hard to sell this as anything but a downgrade from the team's perspective, but it does appear to be a decent outcome for Murray, who will now take on a complementary role in an excellent offense. Ingram averaged 11.5 carries and 2.3 targets per game in 2018, with seven touchdowns in 12 appearances. It's reasonable to expect a similar workload for Murray in 2019.

Williams could lose red-zone touches following Saturday's signing of Carlos Hyde, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

It's fair to question whether the Chiefs believe Williams can be a true three-down back despite evidence supporting the notion throughout Week 15 and carrying into the postseason, in which the fifth-year back tallied 362 rushing yards, 210 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in five starts. Hyde's one-year deal likely won't stop the Chiefs from adding more depth at the position throughout the rest of the offseason, so while the two-year extension Williams signed in late December should be seen as a vote of confidence from the organization, it's difficult to project just what kind of timeshare the 26-year-old might face entering the 2019 regular season.

Mostert (forearm) was tendered to a one-year contract Thursday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mostert served as both a consistent special-teams player and reliable depth running back last season for San Francisco. With both Jerick McKinnon (knee) and Matt Breida (ankle) back in the fold this upcoming season, though, Mostert will likely lose a lot of the playing time he saw on offense.