NFL Player News

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.

Harris saw added reps during the Patriots' recent minicamp due to the absence of fellow running back Sony Michel (knee), Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reports.

Michel was unavailable for the workouts after undergoing an arthroscopic knee procedure. Though Michel should be good to go for training camp, his history of knee woes is something the Patriots will have to consider when plotting their top back's workload. While Harris shouldn't be viewed as a short-term threat to supplant Michel, he does figure to see some carries out of the gate with an eye toward not wearing Michel out. In the event that Michel suffers any additional injury setbacks, Harris -- who profiles as a physical downhill runner -- would likely see an uptick in early-down work, with James White entrenched as the team's top pass-catching back and versatile Rex Burkhead in the mix to see complementary touches out of the New England backfield.

Edmonds is confident he'll have a regular role in the Cardinals offense in his second season, Kyle Odegard of the team's official site reports. "Me and Dave are definitely pushing for (two-back looks)," Edmonds said during OTAs. "It opens up his dynamic ability and mine as well. Whether it's two-back sets or Dave in the slot, me in the slot, it doesn't really matter."

Edmonds is referencing backfield mate and 2016 All-Pro David Johnson, who has averaged 94.5 yards from scrimmage per game and scored 42 offensive touchdowns in 49 regular-season appearances. Clearly a bell cow, Johnson's noted ability as a receiver allows him to line up just about anywhere in the formation, whether its out of the backfield, in the slot or outside. This versatility should give Edmonds, a 2018 fourth-round pick, more chances to get on the field this fall. In a dreadful offense last season, he managed 311 scrimmage yards and two TDs on 80 touches, numbers that should increase with a corresponding boost in offensive snaps within new coach Kliff Kingsbury's scheme.