NFL Player News

Coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that he's excited to see if Jones can do some of the things with Tampa Bay that David Johnson did in the offensive scheme Arians oversaw during his tenure with the Cardinals, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

It's hard to make a serious comparison between the two players, given that Johnson holds a clear advantage in nearly every aspect besides straight-line speed. To be fair, Jones didn't have much chance to succeed as a rookie second-round pick in 2018, seeing just 23 carries and nine targets in nine games behind a bad offensive line. While he still offers some promise as a big-play threat, the USC product hasn't displayed much aptitude in the passing game, which is a serious obstacle to earning playing time. Arians is hoping Jones can take advantage of a full, healthy offseason to develop some of those skills. Regardless of what happens with the Tampa Bay backfield this offseason, the 21-year-old Jones will enter training camp with a lot to prove.

General manager Mike Mayock said he's excited to see Warren on the practice field this summer, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Warren made a bid for the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie in 2018 after leading the NFL with 292 rushing yards during the preseason. Oakland stashed him on injured reserve with a knee injury before Week 1, with the 246-pound bruiser then getting surgery for his nagging injury. Warren should be healthy for the start of the offseason program, where he'll begin building his case for a spot on the 2019 roster. If nothing else, Warren's size hints at potential for short-yardage situations and/or special teams.

Mixon will split his offseason between Cincinnati and California, focusing on his stamina and durability in anticipation of large workloads under new head coach Zac Taylor, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official website reports.

It's easy enough to draw up comparisons to Todd Gurley, who also boasts above-average speed and excellent receiving skills while checking in around 6-foot-1 and 220-to-230 pounds. Mixon expects his new coach to borrow heavily from mentor Sean McVay, whose play-action-heavy offense propelled Gurley to per-game averages of 18.4 carries, 4.2 catches, 135 scrimmage yards and 1.4 touchdowns the past two seasons. Of course, Mixon won't have the same caliber of talent surrounding him on the field in Cincinnati, but he did prove capable of putting on a one-man show in 2018 when he led the AFC in rushing yards (1,168) despite missing two games. After averaging exactly 20 touches per game in 2018, the 22-year-old could be headed for a modest uptick in 2019, though the Bengals still have Giovani Bernard under contract for one more year. Bernard is one of the better No. 2 backs in the league, but he averaged just 5.4 touches per game in the second half of 2018, primarily playing in obvious passing situations.

Hood (knee) is signing a one-year deal to stay with the Panthers, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Hood was a long shot to make the 53-man roster this past summer, but the Panthers kept him on injured reserve after he suffered a torn ACL in the preseason finale. The timing of Hood's injury should allow him to be ready for the start of training camp, where he'll once again face a difficult path to make the team. The 230-pound bruiser was selected by Oakland in the seventh round of the 2017 draft and spent most of his rookie season on the Raiders' practice squad.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert pointed to Conner and Jaylen Samuels as part of the impetus for the organization's decision not to place a transition tag on Le'Veon Bell, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

With the Bell saga finally coming to an end, Pittsburgh will move forward with Conner and Samuels in the backfield, hoping to regain some semblance of balance after ranking second in the NFL in pass-play rate (67.4 percent) in 2018. Conner did his part with 973 rushing yards, 497 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 games, though he trailed off in the second half of the season even before he missed three weeks with a knee injury. The backfield arrangement in the Steelers' Week 17 win over Cincinnati might provide a glimpse into the future. In that contest, Conner had 14 carries and three catches, while Samuels had two carries and seven receptions. Conner developed into a useful pass-catcher in 2018, but Samuels provides more of a threat in obvious throwing situations.

Ellington signed a contract with the Buccaneers on Tuesday.

Ellington spent 2018 out of football, unable to latch on with a team after splitting the previous campaign between Arizona and Houston. A reunion with coach Bruce Arians makes sense for all parties, with the 30-year-old running back hoping to rediscover some of his magic from an impressive rookie season with the Cardinals back in 2013. Ellington will need to battle for a spot on the 53-man roster, hoping to secure a role on passing downs.

Running backs coach Eric Studesville said Drake never complained about his lack of carries (7.5 per game) during the 2018 season, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports.

One of the few holdovers from the old coaching staff, Studesville said he doesn't want Drake to change his all-or-nothing running style -- something former head coach Adam Gase implied was a primary reason 35-year-old Frank Gore (foot) handled 11.1 carries per game. Gase does have a point that Drake was often stopped for a loss -- 15 percent of carries in 2018 -- but the 25-year-old made up for it with a plethora of big plays, ultimately averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 9.0 per catch with a team-high nine TDs on 173 touches (53 receptions). The new coaching staff would be wise to put the ball in Drake's hands more often, though Miami does have 2018 fourth-round pick Kalen Ballage to absorb some of the rushing volume if Gore moves on or has his role reduced. Studesville said he doesn't know if Gore will be offered another contract.

Richardson has taken 42 carries for 99 yards and three touchdowns in two games with the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football.

Richardson leads the league in carries and rushing TDs, but his mark of 2.4 YPC is the worst among all players with double-digit opportunities. It's only fair to note that the goal-line chances weigh down his average, and he does have seven receptions for 64 yards. The 2012 first-round pick still has more work to do before NFL teams can view him as a serious option to compete for a 2019 roster spot.

Mostert (forearm) is scheduled to become a restricted free agent and likely will stay with the 49ers, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Best known for his prowess on special teams, Mostert finally made a dent on offense in 2018, taking 34 carries for 261 yards (7.7 average) and a touchdown before a broken forearm ended his season Week 9. The 49ers may want to consider a multi-year extension, as an original-round RFA tender doesn't provide any draft compensation when a team fails to match an offer sheet for an undrafted player (like Mostert). The second-round tender would prevent other teams from making offers, but it comes at a cost of approximately $3.1 million for one season. Mostert should be healthy long before training camp.

Walton is potentially facing misdemeanor battery charges after being arrested Friday in Miami, David Orvalle of The Miami Herald reports.

Walton apparently got into a scuffle outside his condo with the police indicating the incident began due to the fact his vehicle was blocking the building's parking garage. The 21-year-old is currently free on bond, while the league office is likely to do its own investigation to see if the incident warrants any further action.