NFL Player News

The Bengals selected Mixon in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 48th overall.

A clear first-round talent who fell this far due to a 2014 incident when he punched a female Oklahoma student, Mixon's landing spot is not terribly surprising. That the Bengals took him in the second round indicates that they're prepared to give him playing time despite the PR backlash it might bring. So long as he's getting snaps, Mixon (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) should quickly establish himself as Cincinnati's top running back. There's no need to exercise caution on this -- Jeremy HIll and Gio Bernard (ACL) cannot produce at the level Mixon can. That much is true, though it's fair to question how much playing time the Bengals may be willing to give him off the bat. With standout pass-catching skills and breakaway athleticism on a workhorse frame, Mixon has uniquely high fantasy upside despite any risk he might still carry.

The Vikings selected Cook in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 41st overall.

Questions about his past and concerns over his Combine workouts pushed Cook this far. He was a feared and incredibly productive runner in college, totaling 4,464 yards (6.5 YPC) and 46 touchdowns in 38 career games. More likely than not, he'll emerge as a standout NFL starter despite his disappointing Combine. Quick and explosive with excellent balance, Cook should be a three-down player early in his career thanks to his standout pass-catching potential. Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon don't appear capable of keeping Cook on the bench, though an initial committee approach could limit Cook's 2017 fantasy ceiling. If he gets a big workload, though, expect strong production.

The Redskins are shopping Jones, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

Selected in the third round of the 2015 draft on the strength of his workout numbers, Jones has thus far displayed some big-play ability but without any kind of consistency. He has 243 career carries for 950 yards (3.9 YPC), with six lost fumbles in 20 games. Undrafted rookie Robert Kelley usurped Jones for the lead role in Washington's backfield last season, with Chris Thompson handling the obvious passing downs. Regardless of what the Redskins do in the draft, Jones likely will have to compete for a roster spot. He's unlikely to fetch anything more than a sixth- or seventh-round selection in a trade.

The Panthers selected McCaffrey in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

McCaffrey (5-foot-11, 202 pounds) may technically remain behind Jonathan Stewart on the depth chart for the duration of 2017, but in terms of touches and almost certainly in terms of production from scrimmage, McCaffrey should function as Carolina's top running back going forward. If not his talent, then the magnitude of the investment in him made by the Panthers all but dictates this. After totaling 5,128 yards and 31 touchdowns from scrimmage in 37 career games, demonstrating truly rare pass-catching ability in the process, McCaffrey is set to make a significant Year 1 impact for the Panthers. Particularly in PPR scoring, he could land in the RB2 category by the time 2017 fantasy drafts fire up.

Mostert (undisclosed) didn't participate in Wednesday's minicamp practice, CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco reports.

Mostert reportedly sustained some sort of soft-tissue injury, but the details of the affliction aren't clear. The 49ers have issued no timetable for Mostert's return to full activities.

Murray (ankle) doesn't have a timetable for a return, but the running back is aiming for participation at the start of training camp, Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Within a week of signing with the Vikings in March, Murray had bone spurs removed from his right ankle. At the moment, he's a far cry from taking part in on-field drills, as he was seen on a stationary bike on the sideline during Tuesday's offseason session, according to Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Brought in to fill the shoes of the departed Adrian Peterson (knee), Murray is fair as both a runner and pass catcher, boasting 2,278 rushing yards and 91 receptions (on 119 targets) during the first three seasons of his career with the Raiders. Fortunately for Murray, he'll only have to fend off Jerick McKinnon in Minnesota, once he achieves full health.

The Patriots signed Williams' former teammate Mike Gillislee to a contract last week, and the Bills failed to match the offer to the restricted free agent by Monday's deadline.

That leaves Williams as the No. 2 back behind LeSean McCoy. It'll be interesting to see what the Bills do in a running back-heavy draft, where it appears they'll use one of their picks to provide some depth to the group. That said, the team has bigger needs at corner, safety, and wide receiver, so unless the Bills do something crazy with the No. 10 overall pick, Williams stands a good chance to at least be able to earn a shot at the key backup RB spot.

Gillislee will officially join the Patriots after the Bills declined to match the two-year, $6.4 million offer sheet he signed with New England last week, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Gillislee now enters a backfield already headlined by Dion Lewis (hamstring), James White and Rex Burkhead, effectively ruling out the possibility of LeGarrette Blount returning to the Patriots in the process. Although Buffalo's decision not to match will cost New England a fifth-round pick, Gillislee provides the team with an ascending backfield talent. In 15 games last year as LeSean McCoy's primary backup, Gillislee rushed 101 times for 577 yards and eight touchdowns, while catching nine of 11 targets for 50 yards and another score.

Williams would be the favorite to step in as LeSean McCoy's top backup should the Bills choose not to match the offer sheet Mike Gillislee signed with the Patriots on Tuesday, Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com reports.

Williams' rise up the depth chart is far from assured, as the Bills have until Tuesday to decide on Gillislee's offer sheet, and even if the team doesn't match, the upcoming draft will provide plenty of options to bolster its backfield. A fifth-round selection last year, Williams took only 27 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown in 11 games while serving as the No. 3 running back for most of his rookie season. There isn't much competition on the current roster besides Gillislee, and the Bills do have more pressing needs -- namely cornerback and wide receiver -- to address in the early rounds of the upcoming draft.

Gordon, who participated in the team's first on-field workout of the offseason, is still recovering from knee and hip injuries that sidelined him for the final three games of the 2016 season, ESPN's Eric D. Williams reports.

Head coach Anthony Lynn seems to be happy with Gordon's recovery progression stemming from a Week 14 dual hip and knee strains, although he admits the team is taking it slowly with its former first-round pick. "Right now he's kind of doing more things straight ahead, and as we continue on he'll do more lateral movements. But right now he's doing good." One of last year's breakout running backs, Gordon figures to be a major part of the Chargers offense once he returns to full health, especially with former receiving threat Danny Woodhead now in Baltimore. While there's a chance Gordon could see his carries reduced given Lynn's hope to involve multiple running backs in the game plan, the Wisconsin alum should nevertheless be an attractive fantasy option come the start of the new year.