NFL Player News

Chargers running back Branden Oliver is not resting on his laurels after a breakout season in which he contributed 853 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and through the air combined.

"My power, strength, speed and agility am focusing on," he told the team website. "I want to get better at everything. I don't really focus on just one particular thing. I like to be well-rounded and won't limit myself to one area."

Oliver was particularly effective early in the season, rushing for 272 yards and two touchdowns during one three-game stretch. He is seeking greater consistency in 2015.

"(This year) I'm more comfortable and know the offense. Now I can just go out there and ball. I'm gelling with the guys and am more open to them because I know them better. It's really just crazy to be going into my second year already. But I feel real good."

Veteran running back Chris Johnson, who was shot in the shoulder earlier in the offseason, is back working out, a TMZ video has revealed. He is shown doing sprints and pumping his arm to show that the bullet wound is no longer bothering him.

The 29-year-old Johnson is seeking employment as a free agent after a poor season with the Jets in which he rushed for less than 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He finished with 663 yards on 155 carries for a 4.3 YPC average.

With Gary Kubiak implementing his zone blocking scheme with the Broncos, the fullback will be a part of the offense.

Without a true fullback on the 2014 roster, the Broncos will shift one of their own to the position. According to The Denver Post, Juwan Thompson will move to fullback and compete for the starting spot with recently-signed fullback Joe Don Duncan.

Thompson was Denver's fourth-string running back a season ago as a rookie, but did get some playing time when injuries occurred to Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman. Duncan played college football at Dixie State.

This would mark a change for quarterback Peyton Manning, who would run a lot more plays under center with a fullback in the offense. 

After struggling the past three seasons in Oakland, Cowboys running back Darren McFadden is ready for a bounce-back campaign. He said in an appearance on NFL Network on Friday that the world has not "seen the best of Darren McFadden."

McFadden rushed for 1,620 yards in 38 games (31 starts) over the last three seasons in Oakland before signing a two-year deal worth up to $5.85 million this offseason, with the hopes of replacing DeMarco Murray in Dallas.

McFadden expressed his lack of concern over the possibility of the Cowboys acquiring Vikings running back Adrian Peterson via trade, and revealed that the team will likely add another running back in the draft.

"It wouldn't surprise me at all," McFadden said. "I'm a guy who's been in the league seven, eight years now. A team doesn't want to just put their everything on a guy. ... I feel like they're going to take a running back, and it's not going to be something that changes how I feel about the team. I'm a competitive guy, it'll bring out the best in me."

If the Rams don't add any player through free agency of the draft, then coach Jeff Fisher appears comfortable with running backs Tre Mason and Zac Stacy leading the charge on first and second down, and with Benny Cunningham handling third-down responsibilities.

"I think that you assume...going into it now, as we finished up last year, the second half of the season, Benny became the third-down back," Fisher said, per ESPN.com. "He’s just really good out of the backfield. He’s probably the better protector of the three. That’s some work that Tre and Zac need and we’ll get that done whenever we can during the offseason. So with Benny being the third-down back, then we’ve got a one-two punch with Tre and Zac.”

Although, it appears Fisher still hopeful Isaiah Pead can also be a factor out of the backfield.

“Yes, obviously Isaiah is coming back as well," Fisher said. "You should see him on the field. So, with him included, yes we do. Tre and Benny and Zac and Isaiah coming back, it’s a good group.”

Colts running back Dan Herron signed his exclusive rights tender on Wednesday, according to the Herald Bulletin. Herron started three of 16 games for the Colts in the regular season, and all three postseason games. The 26-year-old rushed for 351 yards and one touchdown on 78 carries. He rushed for 170 yards on the ground in the postseason.

After visiting wth the Bears on Tuesday, running back Jacquizz Rodgers has signed a one-year contract with the team, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

Rodgers, formerly with the Falcons for four seasons, has totaled 1,116 yards rushing, 1,104 yards receiving and 10 total totuchdowns in his career. 

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak declared that C.J. Anderson was the team's starting running back entering OTAs. 

"He made a big jump as a player, and I think he's earned the right to walk in to the offseason program -- the OTAs -- and line up as our starter," Kubiak said, per DenverBroncos.com. "But he's got to continue to earn it on a daily basis. I think he's shown he has all the ability to be an excellent starter in this league, so we're really looking forward to working with him."

Anderson rushed for 849 yards and eight touchdowns last season, most coming late in the season, after Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman went down to injury. 

"All those guys are young. I think all three of those guys ... have all kind of had their little spurts of success with the club when they've had their opportunity," Kubiak said. "But they're all young. Who's going to be the bell cow, who's going to play every down, who's going to be the three-down player, they've got to sort that out. C.J. has shown the flashes of doing that."

Redskins coach Jay Gruden said this week at the NFL owners' meetings running back Chris Thompson will get the first chance to secure third-down responsibilities, according to The Washington Post. Silas Redd will also get consideration for the role of third-down back.

“Chris [Thompson] came in last year at the end and did some things, and we’re hoping that he can come back and stay healthy in the offseason and give us a little jolt back there,” Gruden said. “And Silas Redd will get every chance to do some things also.”

Although, the Redskins could look to bring in some competition before training camp begins.

“I also think that at the running back position in the draft, there’s a ton of them,” Gruden said. “It’s a very deep running back draft in my opinion, and we’re excited to add another piece at some point, hopefully. We have seven picks. Hopefully one of them will be a running back, or a free agent to compete. There are some good free agents that haven’t been signed yet. But, giving Chris an opportunity, Silas, Alfred (Morris), that’s where it starts. And we’ll add some more later on for competition.”

Giants running back Shane Vereen is being viewed as much more than just a third-down running back, according to nj.com.

The team is excited about his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, but he'll be relied on to do more than that.

"I see him in that regard as a pass receiver coming out of the backfield, a pass protector, a guy who runs the ball in the three-wide offense in the run game, if you will, which is very prevalent today in our sport," coach Tom Coughlin said at the NFL Annual Meetings this week. "So I see him in that regard."

Last season the Giants did not have one receiving touchdown by a running back. Vereen, formerly of the Patriots, had three receiving touchdowns out of the backfield last year.

"Well, you know what [Vereen] can do. Quite frankly, it's something from an attack standpoint we've had some success with, but not to the extent that he has," Coughlin said. "When you look at Vereen, a lot of the [Tom] Brady hookup with Vereen was the ball was almost automatically going to him. First down, if it was zone coverage, they were dropping the ball down and he would scoot. So we know that. Will we open it up to more parts of it?"

The 26-year-old has 907 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the ground, adding 107 receptions for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns through the air in four years.