NFL Player News

Ekeler faces competition for the backup role after the Chargers selected Justin Jackson in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Jackson finished his senior season at Northwestern as the school's all-time leading rusher, earning at least 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons as a starter. He figures to be healthy competition for Ekeler after the latter's surprisingly productive rookie season. The undrafted free agent is easily the better pass-catching threat of the two, but Ekeler's diminutive stature (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) might open the door for Jackson to wiggle in as the team's No. 2 running back, similar to how the Chargers utilized the since departed Branden Oliver.

The Panthers didn't add any competition for Artis-Payne during the 2018 NFL Draft, Max Henson of the Panthers' official site reports.

While it would've been surprising if Carolina used an early pick on a running back for a second straight year, it did seem likely that the team would find a body in the middle or late rounds to compete with Artis-Payne for Jonathan Stewart's old role. The Panthers will still bring in competition in the form of undrafted free agents -- and possibly a veteran at some point -- but the decision to pass on a running back in the draft does hint at some degree of confidence in Artis-Payne and Christian McCaffrey. A 2015 fifth-round pick, Artis-Payne is comparable to the 2016-17 version of Stewart, offering good power and size but limited speed and pass-game skills. He's taken 99 caries for 422 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns in 23 career games, doing most of his damage in contests Stewart missed. McCaffrey also figures to take on some of the 198 carries that went to Stewart last season.

Kelley (ankle) finds himself in a crowded backfield alongside Chris Thompson (leg), Samaje Perine and rookie second-round pick Derrius Guice, Kimberley A. Martin of The Washington Post reports.

Kelley is quite clearly the least athletic player among that quartet, offering little in terms of speed, explosiveness or pass-catching ability, though he does have a decent combination of power, vision and football smarts. He may nonetheless find himself on the roster bubble during training camp, coming off an injury-shortened 2017 campaign in which he averaged 3.1 yards on 62 carries. Kelley at least figures to be back at full strength for training camp, if he isn't there already. He'll compete with Guice and Perine to earn carries, while Thompson figures to handle passing downs if he regains his health.

Perine finds himself in a crowded backfield alongside Chris Thompson (leg), Rob Kelley (ankle) and rookie second-round pick Derrius Guice, Kimberley A. Martin of The Washington Post reports.

Despite having a clear advantage over his backfield mates in terms of running ability, Guice presumably will need to compete for carries with Perine and Kelley during training camp, while Thompson is a lock for passing downs if his recovery from December surgery stays on track. A fourth-round pick last year, Perine averaged 3.4 yards on 175 carries as a rookie, adding 22 catches for 182 yards on 24 targets, with only two scores on 197 touches. Guice is even more talented than his draft position (No. 59 overall) would seem to suggest, as he might have been taken in the first round if not for concerns about his strong personality and lack of pass-catching experience at LSU.

While Mack would appear to be the clear starter at running back after the Colts failed to select a running back early in the draft, head coach Frank Reich said he's open to utilizing multiple backs, the Indianapolis Star reports. "I'm very comfortable with the running back-by-committee," said Reich. "I'm very comfortable with (competition)."

Indianapolis selected two running backs in the draft with Nyhelm Hines taken in the fourth round and Jordan Wilkins taken in the fifth round. Mack should be the clear leader for the starting job and Indy's lack of signing a veteran free agent or spending a high draft pick on a running back is good news for his fantasy value and we may not want to read too much into Reich's statement. Still, Mack will need to prove he can be the starter, which would be helped if he gets the bulk of playing time in training camp.

General manager Bob Quinn said Abdullah will have to compete for his snaps ahead of the 2018 season, Michael Rothstein of ESPN reports.

Abdullah has failed to spark the Lions' dormant run game since the team made him a second-round pick in 2014. In an effort to turn the tide, Detroit bolstered the depth chart by signing LeGarrette Blount in free agency before adding Kerryon Johnson out of Auburn in the second round of this year's draft. With Johnson having the skills to be a featured back, Blount the most fit for goal-line work, and holdover Theo Riddick a standout receiver, Abdullah seems to be on the outside looking in. In fact, his mere spot on the roster could be in danger.

Following the Patriots' first-round selection of running back Sony Michel, Gillislee, Jeremy Hill and Brandon Bolden could end up fighting for one roster spot, WEEI.com reports.

With Michel, Rex Burkhead and James White locks to make the team, it stands to reason that Gillislee, Hill and Bolden will jostle for depth slotting in the New England backfield. Bolden brings special-teams utility to the table and Hill was a free-agent acquisition, so reading the tea leaves, it could take an injury or two for Gillislee to stick around in the wake of a 2017 season in which he was a healthy scratch for much of the second half of the campaign.

Sims signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay on Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Sims played in all 16 games for the Bucs last season, collecting more receptions (35) than carries (21). He'll likely remain limited to passing downs, though the 27-year-old did begin to see work on special teams in the back half of last year. Sims will have to compete with Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers for offensive snaps, and likely will face additional competition after the upcoming draft.

Anderson has drawn interest from eight teams in free agency, Mike Klis of 9 News Denver reports.

While it isn't clear which organizations have reached out to Anderson, there aren't many teams around the league that have a clear opening at running back, so it's not certain he'll return to a lead role like the one he held in Denver the past few seasons. Furthermore, the 2018 class of running backs is regarded as one of the deepest in recent memory, so there's a chance the market for Anderson's services could diminish by the end of the draft this weekend. Cut by the Broncos last month, Anderson rushed 245 times for 1,007 yards and three scores in 16 games during the 2017 season.

Cook (knee) has been doing some work on the field during the Vikings' voluntary offseason program, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "Really, Dalvin's knocked the rehab out of the park," Vikings athletic trainer Eric Sugarman said. "He's done a great job. He's been here every day since the injury occurred post-surgery. He'll participate in [Organized Team Activities and minicamp] on a limited basis. Then the plan is for him, hopefully when he gets to training camp he'll be a participant just like everybody else."

Cook admits that he struggled with the early stages of his rehab after suffering a torn ACL in Week 4, but it doesn't seem that the initial frustration prevented him from taking a proactive approach. He stayed close to his team throughout the season and into the offseason, perhaps noting that the Vikings training staff has a good reputation. Cook should slowly increase his activity level in the coming months, aiming to be ready for the start of training camp in late July. Latavius Murray likely would dominate first-team reps if Cook were to miss a significant portion of camp after the Vikings lost Jerick McKinnon to the 49ers in free agency. Cook, Murray and Mack Brown are the only tailbacks on the roster as Minnesota prepares for the 2018 NFL Draft.