NFL Player News

Gillislee worked out for the Lions on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Gillislee was released by the Patriots on Sept. 1 and cut by the Saints about five weeks later, finishing 2018 with 16 carries for 43 yards in four games. The 28-year-old would make sense as a potential short-yardage back in Detroit, where LeGarrette Blount presumably will be allowed to walk after turning in an ugly 2018 campaign (2.8 yards per carry). Given their various needs on defense, the Lions likely hope to go cheap behind Kerryon Johnson in the backfield.

Williams signed a contract with the Steelers on Friday, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Williams didn't see game action in 2018 as he was waived/injured by the Falcons at roster cutdowns due to a shoulder issue. The 22-year-old went undrafted out of Louisville last year and he'll look to make his NFL debut in 2019.

Richardson will play for the Birmingham Iron in the Alliance of American Football, Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports reports.

Richardson may be the biggest name in the new league, but he hasn't played football since 2017 (in the CFL) and hasn't appeared in an NFL regular-season game since Dec. 2014. The third overall pick from the 2012 NFL Draft did have a couple nice performances during the 2017 CFL campaign, and he's still only 28 years old. A strong showing in the AAF likely would land Richardson an NFL tryout this spring/summer. Other prominent names in the upstart league include QB Christian Hackenberg, RB Denard Robinson, RB Zac Stacy and DB Rahim Moore.

Speaking at his introductory press conference, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith referred to Henry as a "home-run hitter" with "a rare skill set," Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Henry will enter his fourth NFL season with his third offensive coordinator, though it should be an easy transition given that Smith plans to retain the terminology used by Matt LaFleur in 2018. Assuming he learned something from his predecessor's early mistakes and eventual success, Smith presumably will feature Henry as the lead back while Dion Lewis is mostly used on passing downs. The 247-pound behemoth memorably erupted for 585 rushing yards and seven touchdowns over the final four weeks of the 2018 campaign, nearly dragging a mediocre Titans squad into the playoffs. While Henry still figures to be the centerpiece of most weekly game plans, any reasonable path to success involves the acquisition of better receiving weapons for Marcus Mariota (neck).

Patterson was on the field for four of a possible 72 snaps on offense in Sunday's 13-3 win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

In the process, Patterson ran twice for seven yards and hauled in both of his targets for 14 yards, while adding a 38-yard kickoff return. In 15 regular-season games, Patterson logged 42 carries for 228 yards and a TD, while posting 21 catches (on 28 targets) for 247 yards and three receiving scores. The 27-year-old is slated to become a free agent next month, but it wouldn't surprise us to see the Patriots make a push to retain the 2013 first-rounder, whose versatility and return skills proved valuable to the team in 2018.

Anderson had seven carries for 22 yards and two catches for 12 yards on three targets in a 13-3 loss to New England in the Super Bowl.

Anderson played 34 percent of snaps on offense, while Todd Gurley handled 66 but finished with just 34 yards on 11 touches. Both running backs struggled for a second straight game, and this time the Rams' passing offense wasn't able to pick up the slack. Anderson can now prepare to hit the open market for a second straight offseason, following an unusual 2018 campaign in which he was an afterthought for the Panthers but then played a crucial role in a Super Bowl run for the Rams. He'll celebrate his 28th birthday in February and may want to ditch Los Angeles in favor of a location where he'd have a shot at a starting job. On the other hand, he might be able to prolong his career if he sticks around as the No. 2 back behind Gurley.

Gordon is confident he will reach a long-term agreement with the Chargers, but first he wants to see the contract Le'Veon Bell ends up signing, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.

Scheduled to make $5.6 million in 2019 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, Gordon helped his own cause this past season despite missing four games, producing career-high marks for yards per carry (5.1), yards per target (7.4) and touchdowns (14). His struggles in terms of YPC had been a major point of contention, with the 2015 first-round pick finishing below 4.0 in each of his previous three NFL seasons. In addition to the newfound efficiency, Gordon saw his value rise when backup Austin Ekeler managed just 3.2 YPC and 3.8 YPT in three starts. Gordon now has a much stronger argument to be paid as an elite running back, and he may even get his desired contract before he celebrates his 26th birthday in mid-April.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch said McKinnon (knee) is six weeks ahead of schedule in his recovery process, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

While he presumably hasn't been sprinting or cutting, McKinnon recently was spotted catching passes from Jimmy Garoppolo (knee), who also is working his way back from an ACL tear. The 49ers believe both players are on pace to take the field for the start of training camp in late July, but the positive early progress doesn't make it a sure thing. Once healthy, McKinnon will face stiff competition for playing time from 2018 breakout star Matt Breida (ankle), who ranked fourth among qualified players with 5.3 yards per carry this past season.

Elliott hopes to sign a contract extension before the 2019 season, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The Cowboys will have an easy decision to pick up the fifth-year option (for 2020) on Elliott's rookie contract, potentially giving them another season before the situation truly comes to a head. Of course, the 23-year-old running back presumably hopes to sign his long-term deal as soon as possible, knowing the risk that comes with the massive workloads he handles. The Rams were in the same situation with Todd Gurley last year, eventually settling on a four-year, $60 million extension that kicks in after his fifth-year option season. Elliott can make a solid argument to top Gurley's contract after taking a big step forward as a receiving threat in 2018. The Cowboys also need to figure out extensions for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper (signed through 2019), not to mention a new deal for top pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence (who played under the franchise tag in 2018). The team should have enough future cap space to make it all work, but that doesn't mean things won't get contentious with at least one or two of the aforementioned players. We may start to hear rumors about a holdout if Elliott doesn't get a new contract before the start of the Cowboys' offseason program in mid-April.

Dayes spent his brief time with the 49ers on special teams, failing to earn a carry or target in the 2018 season.

Dayes was promoted from the practice squad in the second half of the season, but his fellow practice-squad mate Jeff Wilson was the one to gain some playing time late in the year. The 24-year-old is still under contract for the 2019 season, but with both Raheem Mostert (forearm) and Jeff Wilson (shoulder) apparently ahead of Dayes on the depth chart behind Jerick McKinnon (knee) and Matt Breida (ankle), the second-year back will have to shine in camp to hang on to a roster spot.