NFL Player News

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.

Thomas was charged last week with fifth-degree possession of marijuana, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The incident stems from January, when officers executed a search warrant on Thomas' apartment. It's expected that he'll face punishment from the league.

Coach Pete Carroll said Penny will push Chris Carson for more playing time and expects the duo to form a one-two punch, John Boyle of the Seahawks official site reports.

Penny had a bumpy rookie season, as he missed most of training camp with a broken finger and fell behind Chris Carson and sometimes even Mike Davis in the backfield pecking order. He was still highly explosive and averaged 4.9 YPC to reach 419 rushing yards and added nine receptions for 75 yards. Carson was dominant and more consistent, however, racking up 1,314 scrimmage yards through 14 games. Penny has the potential to be a lethal running back, but he's facing an uphill battle since Carson is already a proven commodity. However, there's clearly room for Penny to earn a more stable workload, considering the Seahawks ranked second in the league with 33.4 rushing plays per game. The battle for how touches will be divided should go on through the offseason program and training camp.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said the starting job at running back is Williams' to lose, Brooke Pryor of The Kansas City Star reports.

Williams emerged over Spencer Ware after Kareem Hunt was released, scoring 10 touchdowns over the final six games of the season (including playoffs). The Chiefs rewarded Williams with a two-year, $5.1 million extension Dec. 27, while Ware is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. The team figures to bring in backfield help via the draft and/or free agency, but Williams should still be on track to open training camp with the first-team offense. Given that Tyreek Hill may soon join Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins atop the team's cap sheet, Kansas City isn't likely to make a splash signing at running back. There's a real chance Williams demands consideration in the early rounds of 2019 fantasy drafts.