NFL Player News

Redskins rookie running back Matt Jones has been very impressive during organized team activities and minicamp, and he wants everyone to know he'd like to be the top guy at running back, per The Washington Post.

“I’m just grinding every day to be the starter,” he said. “I will put some pressure on Alfred [Morris].”

Jones, a third-round pick out of Florida, has been working on his receiving and pass-protection skills in order to truly challenge Morris for the top running back spot on the roster.

The workload for Cowboys new running back Darren McFadden seems destined to be ramping up at minicamp, per the team website.

Jason Garrett has declared that McFadden might get a bit more work as his strained hamstring is healing.

McFadden spent his first seven seasons with Oakland, where he exceeded 1,000 yards rushing just once and was generally considered a disappointment.

Browns running back coach Wilbert Montgomery has expressed optimism in regard to his backfield after a 2014 season in which friction revolving around free agent addition Ben Tate became toxic.

Tate was waived in November after losing carries to rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell.

"[Tate] came in early and they paid him [free agent] money to come here so he felt he was 'the guy' and the other guys were in his way," Montgomery told the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "Everybody [now] is out relaxing and playing.

"It was bad. They would get into it, you know, in the locker room, just having words, and in the meeting room, and it takes away from what you are doing out on the field. It becomes a distraction. It's a serious thing, it's a hard thing, but then you have to move on like we did and let these young guys grow."

The competition should be heated again this year with the addition of third-rounder Duke Johnson, but Montgomery is claiming that in 2015 there are no personality clashes.

Tate has yet to find a team for this season.

Cowboys new running back Darren McFadden has grown impatient about his strained hamstring that has prevented him from joining his teammates in OTAs.

He hopes to participate at least a bit in minicamp next week, but he remains rankled.

"It's definitely frustrating," he told ESPN. "You always want to be out there taking plays and getting reps, but it's one of those things I'd rather sit out now instead of pushing it and have something linger on me."

McFadden signed a two-year contract with Dallas and could receive the bulk of the carries given the loss of DeMarco Murray to Philadelphia. He has worked some individual drills the last two weeks, but not in 7-on-7 activity.

Chiefs running back Knile Davis might be lacking in logic, but not in confidence. And one should not expect him to be accepting of the notion that his team can't afford to rest star backfield mate Jamaal Charles once the regular season rolls around.

Davis has claimed to be every bit the talent. "I don't feel like there's a gap," he told ESPN.com.

Never mind that Charles has averaged 5.5 yards per carry over seven seasons and that Davis has managed 3.5 YPC in 205 career attempts. The latter is at least realistic about his current status.

"He's the starter. It's his time. I'm waiting (until) my time," Davis said. He added that he does not doubt Charles can fulfull his goal to play another six seasons.

The Raiders will likely settle on Latavius Murray as their featured back in 2015, per NFL.com. The lack of viable competition on their roster would indicate as much.

The team brought in Roy Helu for third-down duties, as well as former third overall pick Trent Richardson, who can hardly at this point be considered a threat to Murray despite the declaration of Jack Del Rio that they will battle for the starting job. The only other backs on the roster are comparative non-entities George Atkinson and Michael Dyer.

Murray came on strong late last year. He rushed for 413 yards over the last six games and averaged 5.27 yards per carry that ranked fifth in the league.

"Getting a chance to start three games (last season), it's something that I definitely want to continue to build off of," Murray told the team website. I had that mentalty in the offseason just to prepare to be the No. 1 guy and play that way and train that way."

Two veteran free agent running backs will work out for the Lions on Tuesday, per a report from NFL.com.

Ben Tate, who has rushed for 2,325 yards in five years with three teams, will fly to Detroit for a tryout, sources say. The 26-year-old Tate played for Minnesota and Cleveland last year. 

Daniel Thomas, the 27-year-old running back, will also work out for the Lions. Thomas has played all four years of his career with Miami, rushing for 1,480 yards. 

The Cowboys announced they have signed running back Lache Seastrunk and linebacker Justin Jackson on Monday, per the Dallas Morning News. 

Seastrunk excelled in high school in the Dallas area and starred at Baylor but has yet to find a niche in the NFL. He's been signed and released by the Redskins, Panthers and Titans.

Jackson has also been signed and waived by three teams, the Raiders, Panthers and Redskins. 

Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson will continue to return kicks this season.

Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said, "In my mind, Cordarrelle Patterson's the best kick returner in the league, so it would be crazy for me to put someone else in that spot," per NFL.com.

Patterson averaged 25.6 yards on returns last year, sixth in the league. He still has room for improvement, Priefer said. 

"There's still things that he can't do this year he did last year, like put the ball on the ground," he said. 

Running back Shane Veeren had a lot of options in free agency. The market is usually big for good players coming off a championship, per csnne.com.

Vereen fielded a number of offers from NFL teams but quickly decided the Giants were the best fit for him.

“There were other offers, but I felt like this was the right fit for me. I felt like this was the right place for me. And I haven’t looked back yet,” Vereen said. “It’s been a learning process, but it’s been fun. I couldn’t even tell you [how many offers I had] because it all happened so fast. Free agency opened and then by about noon West Coast time I was going to be a Giant. It happened so quickly, so I don’t even know if there was much thought process. There were a couple offers, but once I head the Giants were interested, I was very interested as well.”

Vereen rushed for 391 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots last season.