NFL Player News

The Panthers' signing of C.J. Anderson suggests they weren't comfortable entering the season with Artis-Payne as their top between-the-tackles runner, Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer reports.

A 2015 fifth-round pick, Artis-Payne has taken 99 carries for 422 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns in 23 career games, getting most of his playing time when Jonathan Stewart was injured. The Panthers' decision not to draft a running back suggested the 25-year-old would replace Stewart, but the team then signed Anderson on Monday to fill the role. Artis-Payne now figures to compete with Fozzy Whittaker for the No. 3 job behind Anderson and Christian McCaffrey.

Hood was waived by the Raiders on Monday.

A seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2017, Hood ended up seeing action in just one game as a rookie, as he spent the bulk of the season on the practice squad. Hood was always considered a long shot to make Oakland's roster ahead of the upcoming season, and the fact that he's being cut so early in the offseason doesn't bode well for his chances of making a roster elsewhere.

Anderson signed with the Panthers on Monday, Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The fit makes a lot of sense, as the Panthers otherwise would've been counting on Cameron Artis-Payne to replace Jonathan Stewart (Giants) as the power complement to Christian McCaffrey. Anderson was released by Denver just under a month ago to save cap space, despite reaching 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career last season. He should form an effective duo with McCaffrey, whose fantasy outlook takes a hit with this signing.

Watson was waived by the Giants on Monday.

The Giants made a round of cuts Monday to clear room ahead of rookie minicamp this week. Watson has appeared in 11 games over his two-year NFL career, racking up 36 yards on 14 carries. He could garner some interest among running back-needy teams as a free agent.

The Chargers officially exercised Gordon's fifth-year contract option Wednesday.

Gordon's mark of 3.9 yards per carry last season doesn't jump off the page, but he did rank among the league leaders in volume, rushing 284 times and snaring 58 passes. Only Le'Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy and Todd Gurley handled more touches than Gordon, who had minimal help late in the season after Austin Ekeler suffered a broken left hand. The Chargers didn't invest much in their backfield during the draft or free agency, merely adding seventh-round pick Justin Jackson. Given the likelihood of another large workload this upcoming season, Gordon probably doesn't mind having his 2019 salary guaranteed for injury under the terms of the fifth-year option. This does, however, give the Chargers some leverage in negotiations on a contract extension, as the fifth-year option salary will probably look like a modest bargain if Gordon makes it through 2018 relatively unscathed.

Colts general manger Chris Ballard revealed Tuesday that Mack played through a torn labrum in his shoulder as a rookie and underwent surgery during the offseason, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Ballard said Mack should be a full participant at the start of training camp, when he'll likely be the favorite for the lead role in a backfield that includes veterans Robert Turbin, Christine Michael and Josh Ferguson along with rookies Nyheim Hines (fourth round) and Jordan Wilkins (fifth round). The Colts' decision to pass on running backs in the early rounds of the 2018 draft can be taken as a sign that the team isn't too worried about Mack's shoulder. The 2017 third-round pick was inconsistent yet promising while stuck behind Frank Gore last season, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry despite ripping off six gains of 20 or more yards among his 93 totes. New head coach Frank Reich recently mentioned that he would be comfortable using a committee in the backfield.

Pumphrey may end up competing with Wendell Smallwood and undrafted rookie Josh Adams for a single roster spot with the Eagles, Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com reports.

Selected in the fourth round last year, Pumphrey struggled throughout training camp and the preseason, then landed on injured reserve with a torn hamstring in mid-September. He's back at full strength for the Eagles' offseason program, where Jay Ajayi and Corey Clement find themselves atop the depth chart in the backfield. Pumphrey's odds of making the 53-man roster looked better before Philadelphia re-signed Darren Sproles last week, though it remains to be seen how the 34-year-old recovers from the torn ACL and broken arm he suffered last season. The Eagles might ultimately decide that the time is now for Pumphrey to replace Sproles as their undersized pass-catching back. If not, Pumphrey will need to battle for his roster life.

Victor was released by Arizona on Tuesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

The 24-year-old was signed to a reserve/future contract in January, but the Cardinals recently picked up fullback Austin Ramesh as an undrafted free agent and are expected to give him a legit shot. Victor spent his rookie season on the Cardinals' practice squad and may be looking for a similar role in 2018.

Jones was released by the Colts on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

A 2015 third-round pick, Jones only lasted two seasons with the Redskins and then spent last year buried on the Colts' depth chart. He has plenty of time to find another team before training camp, but he'll probably be a long shot to make a 53-man roster even if he finds a favorable landing spot.

Rodgers is part of a Tampa Bay backfield that added Ronald Jones with the 38th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, NFL.com's Herbie Teope reports.

The Bucs released Doug Martin in February, but they re-signed pass-catching specialist Charles Sims last week, shortly before adding an element of explosiveness with Jones. The team also brings back Peyton Barber, who closed out the 2017 season with five straight performances featuring at least 12 carries, 51 rushing yards and 3.9 yards per carry. Rodgers had only six touches on offense in that same stretch, getting most of his snaps on special teams. He may need to compete for a spot during training camp and probably won't have a major role on offense even if he cracks the 53-man roster again.