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Melvin Gordon RB | BAL
Chargers' Melvin Gordon: Recovering well from knee, hip injuries
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.
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Terrence Magee RB | ATL
Seahawks' Terrence Magee: Staying in Seattle
Magee officially signed his exclusive rights tender with the Seahawks on Tuesday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.
Magee joined the Seahawks in late December and will now compete for a spot on the 53-man roster this offseason. The 24-year-old is one of 10 running backs in Seattle's young backfield, but his past experience with the team could separate him from the crowd.
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Doug Martin RB | LV
Buccaneers' Doug Martin: 'Looks great' in first day of OTAs
Martin (suspension) joined the Bucs as expected for the start of offseason work Monday and made a positive impression on general manager Jason Licht, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. "He looks great right now; he looks as good as I've seen him since I've been here, from a physical standpoint," Licht said. "He was in very good spirits. We're excited to have him, excited to see how he does out here in OTAs."
Martin's physical and mental well-being has been the subject of considerable intrigue this offseason, although reports have consistently had him doing very well in all aspects after completing a rehabilitation program early in 2017. This is a particularly pivotal time of year for the former Pro Bowler's future with the Bucs, with Licht acknowledging that the early, pre-draft portion of OTAs is a golden opportunity for the running back to "assert his place with the team." That wording seems to at least partly imply that the team is giving serious consideration to investing a premium draft pick on a running back, and recent visits and workouts with the likes of Florida State's Dalvin Cook, Texas' D'Onta Foreman, and Oklahoma's Joe Mixon lend further credence to that theory. While the 10-day period preceding the draft naturally won't tell Tampa everything it needs to know about Martin's overall condition, the fact that he's arrived and looking as good as previously advertised is certainly a step in the right direction. Unwavering support expressed by team leaders Jameis Winston and Gerald McCoy on Monday also speaks volumes, and the reality is that the Bucs will likely take plenty of time to make a final decision on Martin's future, potentially even having him complete his suspension over the regular season's first three games before making a definitive call on his future.
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Mike Gillislee RB | NE
Bills' Mike Gillislee: Signs offer sheet with Patriots
The Patriots have extended an offer sheet to Gillislee, who is a restricted free agent, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.
Per the report, their offer is for two years and a total of $6.4 million, including $4 million in the first year of the proposed deal. According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, if the Bills don't match the offer, they'd receive a fifth-round draft pick from the Patriots. If Gillislee does end up with New England, it would effectively end the team's interest in re-signing power back LeGarrette Blount, who led the NFL with 18 rushing TDs in 2016, while averaging 3.9 yards a carry. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Gillislee put up some intriguing numbers of his own, running 101 times for 577 yards (5.7 YPC) and eight TDs in 15 games for Buffalo. He also caught nine passes for 50 yards and a receiving score. The Patriots' current backfield is comprised of newcomer Rex Burkhead, along with pass-catching aces Dion Lewis (hamstring) and James White, with D.J. Foster and Brandon Bolden in reserve.
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Ameer Abdullah RB | JAC
Lions' Ameer Abdullah: Not concerned with possibility of added competition
Abdullah is committed to staying healthy and isn't worried about any added competition for snaps ahead of the 2017 season, ESPN's Michael Rothstein reports. "I'm never a guy to shy away from any situation, whether that's bringing in competition or just putting it all on me," Abdullah said. "We don't know the future. No one knows what's going to happen, really. I just know for what me and Theo [Riddick] give to this team, we need to be on the field and that's our goal this year, to be on the field."
Although Abdullah missed 14 regular season games as well as the Lions' lone playoff appearance last season with a torn ligament in his left foot, he isn't "injury prone" by any means; the 2015 second-rounder previously hadn't missed a contest since his days in high school. Of more concern to his fantasy stock is the potential for Detroit management to select a running back with an early pick in the upcoming draft. While Abdullah may not necessarily be worried about losing out on any snaps to a rookie, owners should be concerned over the possibility of the team adding a power runner that could operate as a headache-inducing touchdown vulture, which would effectively put a cap on Abdullah's upside.
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Tommy Bohanon FB | BAL
Jaguars' Tommy Bohanon: Signs with Jags
Bohanon signed a contract with the Jaguars on Monday, Ryan O'Halloran of Jacksonville.com reports.
The Jaguars haven't utilized a fullback in two years but will break that trend by signing Bohanon, who was the lead blocker for Chris Ivory for three years with the Jets from 2013 to 2015. Coincidental or not, those three seasons were the most productive of Ivory's career.
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George Atkinson RB | NYJ
Browns' George Atkinson: Re-signs with Browns
Atkinson re-signed with the Browns on Monday.
Atkinson played in all 16 games with Cleveland last season but didn't see any rushing attempts until Week 17, when he had seven carries for 34 yards and a touchdown. He'll look to continue as a special teams player in 2017 while also pushing for a larger role in the offense.
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Doug Martin RB | LV
Buccaneers' Doug Martin: Reports for workouts
Martin (suspension) reported Monday for the start of offseason workouts, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.
Martin rejoined his teammates Monday after being suspended four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy and subsequently spending time in rehab this offseason. Those troubles followed Martin signing a lucrative five-year, $35.75 extension last March, and then going on to average just 2.9 yards per carry in his mere eight appearances in 2016. Because of Martin's suspension, which has three games remaining, the Bucs could cut him and save $7 million. However, in light of positive feedback from his time in rehab, it appears they'll give the 28-year-old a chance to redeem himself, starting with Monday's first workout session.
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Damien Williams RB | ARI
Dolphins' Damien Williams: Visits Patriots
Williams recently visited with the Patriots, ESPN's Field Yates reports.
This doesn't look like much of a fit, with the Patriots in the market for a power runner to join a backfield that already includes Dion Lewis, James White, Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden. Williams is valued mostly for his receiving skills and special teams contributions, which would make him redundant on the current New England roster. The Patriots may just be gathering information in an effort to learn more about him for the future. Williams doesn't seem to have drawn much interest since the Dolphins gave him a one-year, $1.797 million restricted free agent tender in early March.
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Mike Gillislee RB | NE
Bills' Mike Gillislee: Visits with New England
Gillislee recently visited with the Patriots, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.
A restricted free agent, Gillislee carries an original-round tender, which means any team that signs him to an offer sheet would have to surrender a fifth-round pick if the Bills decide not to match the contract. With other options still on the table, New England probably isn't ready to seriously consider giving up a fifth-round pick for a running back of Gillislee's caliber. The team could still re-sign LeGarrette Blount, sign Adrian Peterson or another veteran, or even use an early draft pick on a running back. The Patriots are in the market for a power runner to fill the role Blount so capably handled the past two-plus seasons. Gillislee likely will end up playing at least one more season in Buffalo behind LeSean McCoy (ankle).