NFL Player News

Helu (hip) may have to compete for a roster spot, according to ESPN's Paul Guiterrez.

The Raiders already appear to have three roster locks at running back, with incumbent starter Latavius Murray joined by fifth-round rookie DeAndre Washington and kick returner Taiwan Jones. The team could opt to keep four RBs on the roster, but even so, Helu might have to fend off George Atkinson and rookie UDFA Jalen Richard. After playing just nine games in his first season with Oakland, the 27-year-old Helu missed the entire offseason program while recovering from hip surgery. Head coach Jack Del Rio does expect Helu to be available for training camp.

McKinnon could see an increased role in the passing game during 2016, the Vikings' official site reports.

The third-year tailback recorded just 27 and 21 receptions during his first and second seasons, respectively, but was noticeably more involved in Minnesota's offensive attack during the final five weeks of 2015. Across said stretch, McKinnon corralled at least three balls on three separate occasions. Prior to that, McKinnon had gathered just eight receptions across 11 total games. With fellow RB Adrian Peterson the unquestioned centerpiece of this offense, McKinnon may not see many more opportunities on the ground than he did last year (52), but if he can remain as involved in the passing game as he was to end the 2015 campaign, McKinnon could conceivably surpass 100 total touches in 2016, should he stay healthy.

Joining Drake (hamstring) and Jay Ajayi in the Miami backfield is veteran Arian Foster (Achilles), who signed with the team Monday, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Drake, who the report describes as "a talented pass-catcher but unproven downhill runner," now faces added competition for touches in the Miami offense, with his fantasy upside taking a hit due to the fact that a (presumably) healthy Foster is a candidate to earn a good chunk of both carries and catches in the Dolphins' 2016 backfield.

Rodgers will have an opportunity to see work on third down, as the Bears could employ a running back by committee approach, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rodgers could parlay his past experience as a third-down back into a role he can hold onto for "a while". After Jeremy Langford struggled with dropped passes last year, and as he tries to improve in pass protection, Rodgers will have an opportunity to get into the mix on third down if he's able to earn it during training camp.

Carey will work with running backs coach Stan Drayton during training camp to try to become a more versatile player, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Bears' staff wants Carey to become tougher and more energetic so that he becomes a more complete back. He'll have a great opportunity to carve out a role, as head coach John Fox wants to limit the workload of his running backs while employing the hot hand approach. With no player in the backfield seeming to have a death grip on any particular role, Carey can force his way into the mix with a strong training camp.

"All indications" suggest Murray will be a bell cow back for the Raiders in 2016, the team's official site reports.

Murray assumed lead-back duties for the first time in his career during 2015, but his increased workload led to a precipitous drop in his efficiency, as his YPC fell from 5.2 in 2014 to 4.0 this past year. Nonetheless, Murray was the first Raiders tailback to top 1,000 yards on the ground since 2010, management only added competition for Murray in the form of rookie scatback DeAndre Washington, and the offensive line in Oakland only became an even more formidable unit with the offseason addition of G Kelechi Osemele. To boot, the growing rapport between third-year QB Derek Carr and second-year WR Amari Cooper could force defensive attention away from the running game in general.

Williams was arrested and charged with DWI on Thursday and will have a hearing later in the morning, KATV.com in Little Rock reports.

The Bills can't be happy with their running back corps right about now. LeSean McCoy, while cleared, was investigated for an offseason brawl that saw some off-duty cops get injured; Karlos Williams showed up to camp looking like a midnight stop at Dunkin' Donuts was part of his offseason routine; and now Williams, a rookie with high hopes to have a key role, is suspected of drunk driving.

The Chiefs "haven't been shy" about getting Davis first-team reps this offseason, the Kansas City Star reports.

Davis seemingly fell from grace early on in the 2015 campaign. He had largely served as Jamaal Charles' backup since being drafted in the third round by the Chiefs in 2013, and was expected to handle the majority of the work out of the backfield for Kansas City when Charles went down with a knee injury in October. However, he was ultimately passed up by both Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware on the depth chart and relegated to a role on special teams returning kicks. Both West and Ware were signed to contract extensions this offseason, while Davis did not (with just one year left on his deal). Seemingly, Davis will enter training camp firmly behind each of Charles, West and Ware.

Rawls (ankle) expects himself to be "full go the first week of training camp", Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times reports.

In late May, Rawls was reportedly expected to be "eased" into training camp when the time came. Now, further into the summer and just weeks before the start of camp, Rawls' self-endorsement of health doesn't mean his ankle has fully recovered, but suggests the running back hasn't experienced any setbacks in his return and further supports the notion that he will be ready for Seattle's season-opener in Miami.

Anderson believes that the team's increased use of fullbacks this offseason portend a run-heavy offense in 2016, ESPN reports.

Head coach Gary Kubiak's preference for running an offense predicated on the rushing attack has never been in doubt since his first stint in Mile High. Given the Broncos' question marks in the quarterback room, which features the ho-hum Mark Sanchez and two youngsters who have yet to attempt an NFL pass, leaning on the running game and defense seems to be a sound strategy. The question is not if Denver will run, it's who will run. Arian Foster ranked among the top 6 in the league in attempts three straight years under Kubiak in Houston, and Anderson might see himself filling a similar role. Though Anderson might be thinner in the midsection and thicker in the wallet than in years past, he has yet to put together a complete season. Until he does, both last year's leading rusher Ronnie Hillman and fourth-round pick Devontae Booker pose threats to Anderson's bounty.