NFL Player News

Rams running back Isaiah Pead's name was involved in some trade discussions during the weekend of the draft, Bleacher Report noted this week. Pead has seemingly fallen out of favor in St. Louis after Zac Stacy thrived as a rookie. The team also added running back Tre Mason in the draft. 

Pead has 17 career carries for 75 yards and 14 catches for 94 total yards. He has yet to score and has only one NFL start since getting drafted in Round 2 of the 2012 draft. 

When asked about the depth his team has at running back, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen listed the five most prominent rushers on his team, but there could be more to it than meets the eye. 

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, who listened to Allen's interview on SiriusXM, the coach ran off his team's "great RB depth" by listing them in the following order: Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew, Marcel Reece, Korey Sheets and Latavius Murray. 

Murray, a second-year rusher with some skills and potential, is seemingly still in Allen's dog house after struggling last season. He's expected to do nothing but serve as depth if he makes the team's final roster this summer. He's not worth drafting. 

The Redskins signed sixth-round pick Lache Seastrunk, a running back out of Baylor, to a four-year deal.

The Bears agreed to terms on a four-year deal with running back Ka'Deem Carey, a fourth-round pick. Carey comes to Chicago after winning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2013.

He rushed for a school-record 4,239 yards and 48 touchdowns in his three-year career with Arizona.

New Jags running back Storm Johnson has talent and plenty of potential but doesn't have great speed and isn't a strong runner. He's a good fit for the Jaguars as a backup to Toby Gerhart. We wouldn't spend anything better than a late pick on Johnson in any long-term type of draft.

After rolling for 1,496 total yards and 14 touchdowns in his last season at school, Buccaneers rookie Charles Sims figures to be a key role player right away for the Bucs behind starter Doug Martin. He'll compete with Mike James and Bobby Rainey for playing time in training camp, but he's the one we'd draft as a handcuff to Doug Martin (or as a reserve rusher in deeper leagues). Sims can be found with a late-round pick in seasonal leagues, a mid- to late-round pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a late-second to third-round choice in rookie-only drafts.  

Forget about just getting a roster spot, Browns rookie Terrance West could end up competing for playing time.

The big, record-setting back from Towson had 2,519 yards rushing last season playing in the FCS. He can catch the ball out of the backfield and work just as well between the tackles, making him a player who could be a factor in the Browns run game (which they appear to be reliant on in the wake of their passing game problems). There will be competition to back up starter Ben Tate but West seems like the guys most likely to not only do that but also pick up work as at least a passing downs back.

We'd grab West with a mid- to late-round pick in seasonal drafts, especially if Tate made his way on to your roster earlier. We also like West with a mid- to late-round pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a Top 20 pick in rookie-only drafts. 

The Cardinals released running back Ryan Williams, who was inactive for all 16 games last year. A second-round pick in 2011, Williams had his career derailed by multiple injuries.

By getting taken by the Bears in the draft, rookie rusher Ka'Deem Carey finds himself in a good situation to contribute a little bit this season. He totaled over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns last season for the University of Arizona and should have the edge on Michael Ford in the battle to back up Matt Forte this season. 

Of course, backing up Forte doesn't guarantee a ton of playing time. Of the 430 touches Bears running backs had last year, Forte had 363 of them (84.4 pct.). That should tell you just how limited Carey's reps would be should he earn the backup job.

He's a great handcuff to Forte worth a late-round pick in standard seasonal leagues, a good late-round pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a second- or third-round pick in rookie-only drafts. 

With the 222nd pick in the draft, the Jaguars selected running back Storm Johnson out of the University of Central Florida.

Johnson established himself as a big part of the UCF offense in 2013, after failing to find his footing as a transfer from the University of Miami. He rushed for 1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Knights, and has a chance to carve out some playing time on a Jaguars team that lost Maurice Jones-Drew this offseason.