NFL Player News

Rawls is slated to visit the Jets on Thursday, the New York Daily News reports.

The 24-year-old logged 157 rushing yards on 58 carries in 12 games for the Seahawks last season, a far cry from the 5.6 yards per carry effort he turned in (on 147 attempts) as a rookie in 2015. If Rawls joins the Jets backfield, he'd profile as a depth option, with Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire already in the mix.

Rawls has a visit with the Jets planned for Thursday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Upon the start of free agency March 14, Rawls became a free agent after the Seahawks opted not to extend him a tender. The meeting with the Jets will be his first with any team, but the fit doesn't seem like an ideal one in a crowded backfield. The team already made one splash on the running-back market with the early signing of Isaiah Crowell, who joined holdovers Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire. Expect Rawls' health to be a large part of any conversation with teams after he missed 14 games in his three seasons in Seattle.

Sims remains unsigned following the first two weeks of free agency, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A 2014 third-round pick, Sims missed 17 games in four seasons with Tampa Bay while averaging only 3.9 yards on 245 carries, but he was a useful third-down option with 129 catches for 1,190 yards and six touchdowns on 177 targets (6.7 yards per target). There are a number of teams that could use a passing-down back, though many of them likely prefer to wait until after the draft, as the incoming class of running backs contains some impressive multi-faceted threats. The Buccaneers may fall in that bucket, likely eyeing a running back within the first few rounds of the draft. The Colts and Giants also stand out as reasonable landing spots for Sims.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Jon Robinson confirmed Wednesday that Henry and Dion Lewis will split playing time, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports. "In my mind, we've got a big running back. We've got a big first- and second-down back," Vrabel said of Henry. "Dion provides a different body type, a different playing style. So how the two will complement each other, I'm not really sure. But I know that one's got a certain skill set and another body type and one is a little smaller, probably a little quicker, and has a different running style."

There was some thought Henry would handle a bell-cow role after DeMarco Murray was released in early March, but the Titans then acted quickly to sign Lewis, who profiles as an ideal complement for the 240-pound Heisman Trophy winner. The former Patriot is a skilled pass catcher and elusive open-field runner, whereas Henry relies on strength, vision and straight-line speed to successfully work between the tackles. Lewis should dominate passing downs and mix in on early downs, with Henry getting a larger share of the carries and the vast majority of short-yardage/goal-line work. It also won't be a huge surprise if Henry gets a shot at a three-down role at some point during the upcoming season, considering Lewis played nine or fewer games each year from 2012 to 2016. The idea of a post-Murray breakout is still alive and well for Henry.

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said Tuesday that he thinks Foreman (Achilles) will be ready for training camp, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Foreman suffered a season-ending Achilles injury Nov. 19 and has undergone intense rehabilitation ever since. O'Brien acknowledged the second-year back won't be able to do much during Organized Team Activities this spring, but Foreman should be ready by June to compete with Lamar Miller for the starting job.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Williams will have to "beat guys out" in order to maintain a spot on the 49ers' 53-man roster this upcoming season, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Williams spent the entire season on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury late in camp. The athletic back impressed Shanahan on tape, but the 49ers' head coach was clear in stating the urgent nature for the 24-year-old to beat out his competition to earn his spot on this team following the acquisition of Jerick McKinnon this offseason and the emergence of undrafted free agent Matt Breida this past year. Williams was even mentioned as a potential special teams candidate, which is a huge step back after he was expected to be part of a strong running back tandem alongside Carlos Hyde before getting injured. Plenty of things could change between now and the start of next season, but third on the depth chart seems like a best-case scenario for Williams, which would certainly eliminate any potential fantasy value for the raw talent.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said he has big hopes for Abdullah in 2018, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Abdullah lost work to undrafted rookie Tion Green down the stretch last season, taking only 15 carries over the final three weeks after returning from a two-game absence due to a neck injury amidst rumors he was essentially a healthy scratch for the second game. The 2015 second-round pick has never lived up to expectations, and the Lions' recent signing of LeGarrette Blount hints at something quite different from what Quinn said Tuesday when asked about Abdullah. Theo Riddick will be locked in on passing downs while Blount likely handles goal-line work and at least some of the early down carries, so Abdullah likely will need to compete for a committee role that's not especially conducive to fantasy production. He may even find his roster spot in jeopardy if the Lions use an early- or middle-round draft pick on a running back.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Artis-Payne will have the opportunity to replace Jonathan Stewart as the team's power back, ESPN.com's David Newton 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, with most of that work coming in contests Stewart missed. The Panthers haven't signed a replacement since losing the 31-year-old to the Giants in free agency, and they probably won't prioritize running backs early in the draft after using the No. 8 overall pick on Christian McCaffrey last year. The likeliest plan features McCaffrey getting a sizable uptick from last year's 117 carries (7.3 game), dominating passing downs while splitting early down work with Artis-Payne or another player. Barring an injury to his more talented teammate, Artis-Payne would have a tough time matching Stewart's total of 198 carries (in 15 games) from last season. It also won't come as any surprise if the Panthers bring in competition during the middle rounds of the upcoming draft, or perhaps in the late stages of free agency.

Cook (knee) is ahead of schedule in his rehab and is expected to be a partial participant at Organized Team Activities in May, Brian Murphy of The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Selected 41st overall in last year's draft, Cook was on his way to a huge rookie season prior to tearing his ACL in Week 4. He'll likely be limited throughout the offseason and possibly into training camp, but the timing of the injury gives him more than 11 months to recover before Week 1 of 2018. With Jerick McKinnon now in San Francisco, the Vikings could ask Cook to take on a larger pass-catching role in Year 2, though Latavius Murray is still around to handle some of the carries. Cook had 74 carries for 354 yards (4.8 average) and two touchdowns and 11 catches for 90 yards on 16 targets in only 3.5 games last season.

Broncos general manager John Elway maintains that Anderson may or may not be back with the team for 2018, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports. "C.J. obviously had a great year for us last year," said Elway. "We'll see where that takes us. Obviously, there's a lot of moving parts to it when you talk about the (salary) cap and all those type things, too, so we'll continue to work on it and see what happens."

Elway made similar comments Feb. 28, and while the Broncos haven't brought in any competition through the first two weeks of free agency, they still have time to bolster a running-back room that also includes 2016 fourth-round pick Devontae Booker and 2017 sixth-round pick De'Angelo Henderson. Anderson had a career-best 1,007 rushing yards while averaging 4.1 per carry in an otherwise lifeless offense last season, and yet his status remains tenuous because the Broncos can escape his entire $4.5 million cap hit for 2018 without leaving any dead money on the books, per OverTheCap. The Broncos ideally would find a trade partner, but they eventually could end up releasing Anderson if they add more talent in the draft or the late stages of free agency.