NFL Player News

Expectations might not be high for the Raiders' pair of older running backs coming off of injuries, but so far through minicamp both Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden have passed the eyeball test of their peers, says the Contra Costa Times. 

Quarterback Matt Schaub has seen them showing good burst and making explosive plays as a receiver, believing that the way they complement each other "is going to be a key to our success."

Head coach Dennis Allen agrees. 

"When you watch 'em practice, you see guys that still have explosion, guys that still have run skills, guys that still make people miss," Allen said. "I don't pay a lot of attention to what the statistics may say. I just see what I see with my eyes, and I see a couple of guys that if they can stay healthy, have the ability to perform at a high level."

That is a big "if" from Allen -- McFadden hasn't been able to stay healthy throughout his career and Jones-Drew is a year and change removed from a Lisfranc foot injury. 

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce remains limited after getting his right shoulder surgically repaired this offseason. He only did individual drills in minicamp this week. But the Baltimore Sun thinks he should be ready to go by the time training camp kicks off in late July. 

Pierce might be called into action early on as the team's starter given the looming suspension facing running back Ray Rice. 

Jets coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday that running back Chris Johnson wouldn't participate in team drills during this week's minicamp but would continue to do individual drills, The Associated Press reported. 

Johnson had surgery for a meniscus tear in January, an injury he played with all of last season. His running backs coach said this week he anticipates Johnson being a regular part of the offense so long as he doesn't struggle. He will compete with Chris Ivory for playing time. 

Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas continued to work with the Dolphins starting offense on Tuesday as the team opened minicamp. Free-agent signee Knowshon Moreno was there according to the Palm Beach Post but only did individual drills. Moreno's conditioning has become an issue since early June when he admitted he was out of shape. 

Jets running backs coach Anthony Lynn doesn't see a whole lot of downside with Chris Johnson , who the team signed this offseason to give their run game a jolt. Lynn came away impressed with Johnson after last season when he played through an injury. 

"He obviously played hurt last year," Lynn told the New York Daily News. "He could have had surgery and sat out. He chose to compete and show up every Sunday. I like the way he played through that and competed. He played last year pretty damn good with a bad knee. His numbers were down but he chose to play through that injury, which was really impressive to me."

Lynn made it clear the Jets do plan to use more than one back and will play the hot hand. But Lynn does think Johnson can and will contribute for the Jets. How successful can he be?

"That's up to him," Lynn said. "He's definitely going to get the ball. So, it's what he does with the ball. ... He can have as many yards as he wants."

The Buccaneers announced Thursday that they have signed rookie running back Charles Sims, the Tampa Tribune reports.

Sims was drafted in the third round from West Virginia. He's expected to compete for playing time with starter Doug Martin and play on passing downs.

Rookie running back Terrance West is getting first-team reps during team drills and should "play a major role for the Browns offensively," reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "West has shown power through the first level and quickness when eluding defenders."

Free-agent acquisition Ben Tate participated in individual drills the first two days of minicamp; it was unclear why he missed team drills. The paper noted Tate played through four cracked ribs last season, so it could be a maintenance issue. With Tate watching, Chris Ogbonnaya also took some first-team reps.

Browns running back Terrance West signed his rookie contract this afternoon, reports the Akron Beacon Journal.

West received a four-year contract worth $2.796 million. The Browns traded up to draft West in the third round (No. 94 overall). The rookie from Division II Towson University is expected to compete with Ben Tate for the starting job.

West believes he's an ideal fit to run behind the zone-blocking scheme used heavily by new Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan because of his one-cut rushing style.

"That's where I get my money at," West said. "I was doing that at Towson. I'm pretty good and confident in what we're doing. It's instinct. That's how I run — one cut and downfield."

Even though the Buccaneers plan to use multiple running backs this season, Doug Martin is still the primary option according to coach Lovie Smith, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

"What I've said is I like Doug a lot. Doug's a good football player," Smith said. "Everywhere I've ever been, if you look at my history, our history, we've played more than one running back. ... One running back just can't make it through the season."

In nine seasons in Chicago as the Bears coach, Smith's leading rusher started all 16 games four times, averaging 14.5 starts. Smith's leading rusher each year accounted for 60.4 percent of his team's total rushing yards in Chicago, averaging 1,055 yards per season.

That statistic comes in contrast to what Martin has known in his short Bucs career -- as a rookie in 2012, he rushed for 1,454 yards, or 79.2 percent of the Bucs' team total; in five games in 2013 before his shoulder injury, he rushed for 82.5 percent of the team's total rushing yards.

Smith dismissed talk of a lesser role for Martin on Tuesday as "chatter," maintaining that he'll still have a central role for the Bucs, even if it's part of a group effort from the running backs.

The Vikings on Tuesday signed rookie third-round pick Jerick McKinnon, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

McKinnon, a running back from Georgia Southern taken with the No. 96 overall selection, is expected to be utilized as a third-down back and compete with Matt Asiata to be Adrian Peterson's primary backup. McKinnon was in line to receive a signing bonus of $515,000 and a total deal worth about $2.75 million over four years.

"I think we're going to find some things for him to do," coach Mike Zimmer said during organized team activities last week. "He's short in stature, but he's got big legs and a big rear end. He's got explosiveness, so I think we'll find some things for him to do."