NFL Player News

Sims (pectoral) will have competition for his pass-catching role from 2017 fifth-round pick Jeremy McNichols, who snared 103 receptions for 1,089 yards and 11 touchdowns in his college career, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Sims has primarily cut his NFL teeth through the air, having compiled 94 receptions across 31 games over his first three seasons. However, McNichols brings virtually the same pass-catching acumen while also offering a much more impressive track record than Sims as a runner. Head coach Dirk Koetter emphasized that he views McNichols, who started his college career as a receiver, as a "three-down guy" and an above-average blocker in the backfield. While Sims has proven valuable to the Bucs during his tenure, he's also missed 17 games over his three campaigns with an assortment of injuries and has limitations in the ground game. A strong training camp and preseason from McNichols could thus lessen Sims' potential usage this season, particularly if Doug Martin (suspension) resumes his role as the top running back after serving his ban over the season's first three weeks.

McNichols (shoulder) is already highly familiar with Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter's offense, having played under the same system at Boise State, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Jeremy's going to walk in there and be football intelligent. He's going to know protections and speak the language," said Boise State coach Bryan Harsin, who played quarterback for Koetter at Boise State. "He'll understand what they're teaching, and that's a carryover from my time with Dirk."

While his pre-training camp preparation will be compromised to an extent by his recovery from post-Combine labrum surgery, the fifth-round pick will at least have a solid knowledge base to carry with respect to the offense he'll be playing in. In addition to playing quarterback under Koetter when the latter helmed the Broncos' program, Harsin also served as the team's offensive coordinator from 2006-10 before returning as head coach in 2014. His play-calling tenure included four seasons coaching Bucs running back Doug Martin, a Boise State alumnus to whom he compares McNichols favorably in terms of power and elusiveness. McNichols can largely erase the stigma of his draft freefall by mirroring the path of former college teammate Jay Ajayi, who rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns with the Dolphins in a breakout 2016 campaign after dropping to the fifth round in 2015 . "I feel like he was as ready as Jay when he came out," Harsin said. "Jay went through some of that, too. He dropped a little bit from what people expected, and look where he's at now."

Richardson was waived by Jacksonville on Monday, the team's official site reports.

Richardson has bounced around plenty during his small NFL tenure so he could find a new home relatively soon depending on fit. His best season came back in 2012 when he rushed for 475 yards for the Rams.

Hill was waived by the Jaguars on Monday, the team's official site reports.

Hill appeared in just three games for the Jaguars last season in his first season out of Eastern Michigan. His departure was said to have helped open up room for several undrafted free agent signees.

Barner or Branden Oliver (Achilles) could be in line for more touches as a complementary running back to starter Melvin Gordon (knee), Jack Wang of the Orange County Register reports.

After losing Danny Woodhead (knee) in free agency over the offseason, the Chargers opted not to draft a running back in the 2017 NFL Draft, opening up an opportunity for Barner to jump in as the team's change-of-pace back. While Gordon filled in admirably as a third-down back in 2016, the team has been vocal about reducing his workload in an effort to keep him healthy for an entire season, meaning Barner, Oliver, or even Kenneth Farrow (shoulder) could see more snaps in 2017. While neither of the trio is expected to see a significant enough boost to earn fantasy relevance out of the gate, the competition for the backup job will be an interesting one to note, given Gordon has missed five games in the last two years due to injury.

Oliver (Achilles) and Kenjon Barner are expected to compete for the "change-of-pace" running back position behind Melvin Gordon (knee), Jack Wang of the Orange County Register reports.

The Chargers opted not to draft a running back in the 2017 NFL Draft, meaning that Oliver, Barner, and, to some extent, Kenneth Farrow (shoulder) will all be competing for the affection of new head coach and former running back coach Anthony Lynn. "I do like the backs that we have on the roster," Lynn said. "We have to get better, but I think these guys are working at it. I think they will get better. I didn't want to reach for a guy." After losing Danny Woodhead (knee) in free agency, there remains some discussion as to who will take over his role as a nifty, change-of-pace threat out of the backfield. Oliver, who missed all of last year after tearing his Achilles, doesn't seem to fit the profile, as the 25-year-old has primarily been used as a one-cut-and-up-the-field type of player, but that role could expand should he gain the confidence of Lynn.

Michael is expected to be released by the Packers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Michael joined the Packers amid a backfield crisis during the second half of last season and finished with 114 yards and one touchdown in six games for them. Although he re-signed with Green Bay in March, the team's selection of three running backs during Saturday's portion of the draft has apparently made him and Don Jackson, who was released Monday, expendable. The 26-year-old will now look to land elsewhere ahead of training camp.

Martin (suspension) has additional competition in the Buccaneers' backfield after the selection of Jeremy McNichols (shoulder) during this year's NFL Draft, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

One can speculate that the Buccaneers didn't select a running back before the fifth round due to Martin's showing in the offseason program to date. Indeed, he impressed general manager Jason Licht on the first day of the offseason program, looking "as good as I've seen him since I've been here, from a physical standpoint," according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Having said that, Martin will likely have to avoid any stumbles in the coming months in order to solidify his previous standing as the Buccaneers' No. 1 running back. As for the other members of the backfield, McNichols will strive to compete with Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims (pectoral) for that spot during Martin's suspension to start this season, but the rookie's climb will be hampered by rehabilitation from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. Assuming Martin continues to hearken back to better days, he's the logical candidate to serve as the team's top RB for the final 13 games of the campaign.

McNichols underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder following the Combine, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McNichols strangely took a nosedive during this year's NFL Draft, falling to the Buccaneers as the 162nd overall pick, but head coach Dirk Koetter revealed the running back's recent health concern during a media session on Saturday evening. Koetter believes McNichols will be healthy by the time training camp rolls around, almost certainly hindering his participation during the rest of the offseason program. Although adept as both a runner and pass catcher, McNichols may be left behind in the competition for top running back during the remaining three games of Doug Martin's suspension to begin the upcoming season. On the other hand, an impressive training camp and preseason slate could help McNichols jump Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims (pectoral) in the RB pecking order.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said Abdullah will be the team's starting running back, ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reports.

Abdullah has quietly been one of the offseason's biggest winners, as the Lions haven't made any notable free-agent additions at running back and also didn't use any draft picks on the position. What's more, Abdullah was medically cleared in March to return from the foot injury that cost him the final 14 games of last season -- giving him a full offseason to prepare for his third professional campaign. Theo Riddick (wrist) is locked in on passing downs and Zach Zenner or Dwayne Washington could handle the short-yardage work, but Abdullah seemingly has a clear path to a role as the primary ball carrier. Following the offseason additions of right tackle Ricky Wagner and right guard T.J. Lang, the Lions could have a productive running game for the first time since 2013. The team produced less than four yards per carry and 90 rushing yards per game in each of the past three seasons, deploying a revolving door of lead backs along the way. Abdullah has the requisite running ability and supporting cast to finally seize the reins, but durability and ball security remain major concerns, buoyed by his lack of ideal size (5-foot-9, 203 pounds) for a lead back.