NFL Player News

Redskins running back Roy Helu earned a raise after his performance in 2013, reports the Washington Times.

The report says Helu reached the "proven performance escalator," a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that rewards players who were drafted in the third through seventh rounds who are entering the final year of their rookie contract. That means Helu, who was supposed to earn a base salary of $645,000 this season, will instead earn a base salary of $1,389,000. 

Helu qualified for the clause by playing in more than 35 percent of the Redskins’ offensive plays during two of his first three seasons.

With Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch coming off 400-plus touches, an intriguing battle for the backup spot is shaping up between Robert Turbin and Christine Michael, reports the Seattle Times.

Turbin excels in pass protection and the team trusted him to spell Lynch down the stretch. He averaged 3.4 yards on 77 regular-season carries. 

A second-round pick last year, the more explosive Michael finished his rookie season with 79 yards on 18 carries. He'll push Turbin in training camp. 

New Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner likes to rely on big receivers, and they've put up huge numbers in his scheme. Vincent Jackson (6-5, 230) did it in San Diego, and Josh Gordon (6-3, 225) did it in Cleveland last year.

Thus the Vikings' website looks for big things from Cordarrelle Patterson, a 6-2, 220-pounder who brings "a unique blend of speed, quickness and size. That is a combination that will serve him well in Turner's offense."

Patterson earned more playing time as his rookie season progressed and finished with 45 catches for 469 yards and four touchdowns.

The Chiefs hope second-year running back Knile Davis will be ready for offseason workouts after suffering a broken leg in the playoff loss to the Colts, reports ESPN.

The report says if Davis can't participate in any of the offseason work, that will set him back greatly because his is a game that needs development in many areas.

With Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Marcus Lattimore expected to be part of the 49ers' backfield, running back LaMichael James could find himself on the trading block this summer, reports CSNBayArea.com. If the 49ers want to move James, however, "they must have a plan for someone else in the return game," the report said.

James returned 23 punts for 251 yards and 12 kickoffs for 321 yards.

New Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner hopes the team lands a dynamic young quarterback but believes running back Adrian Peterson remains the key to success, reports the Minneapolis StarTribune.

“We want to make big plays, we want to be an explosive offense, and we want to run the ball,” Turner said at his introductory press conference. With an offense that includes Peterson, receiver Greg Jennings and all-purpose threat Cordarrelle Patterson, Turner believes Minnesota can improve quickly.

“I looked at the roster, I looked at the offensive side of the ball," he said. "I think this is a group that can be real good, and I think we can be good real fast.”

Colts running back Trent Richardson has no excuses in 2014. He's got to improve dramatically on the 2.9 yards per carry he averaged after being traded from Cleveland to Indianapolis.

To that end, Richardson said he plans to spend the offseason delving into the playbook. “Learn the system, not just memorizing it,” Richardson told ESPN.com. “Learning the whole concept of the system. There's a difference between having it memorized and feeling comfortable with the system.

"I’m going talk to a lot of veteran players, talk to Adrian (Peterson), talk to (LaDainian Tomlinson), talk to Emmitt Smith to make sure I’m the best I need to be next year.”

New Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team is not going to rush its decision on Chris Johnson. A candidate for release after averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per carry, the 28-year-old running back is owed $8 million each of the next two seasons and $9 million in 2016.

“This is a high-profile player that's had a lot of success in this league," Whisenhunt said, per ESPN.com. "I think because of that, we're going to go through the process and do it the right way. It's not just necessarily with Chris Johnson, it's with all of the players on our team. You have to do that. Once again, where we are starting out, we want to start fast, we want to be a good team and you've got to make those decisions. 

“So it's not something you can do, I think, after just watching some games and making a decision based off that. I think an important thing is sitting down with [running backs coach] Sylvester Croom and talking about the dynamic in the running back room and how those guys work and talking to some of the defensive coaches and their perspective on some of the players.

"And I'm talking about some of the coaches that were here. That's one of the pieces of the puzzle that's important too, is having some coaches on the staff that were here before. Because, you've heard me say this, chemistry is an important piece of it, and it is."

The Broncos got several minor offensive contributions in their Super Bowl loss. Tight end Julius Thomas caught four of six targets for 27 yards, and tight end Jacob Tamme had two catches for 9 yards.

Running back Montee Ball was held to 1 yard on six carries, and he caught two balls for 2 yards. Running back C.J. Anderson carried twice for 9 yards and added a 14-yard catch.

The Seahawks declared receiver Bryan Walters, running back Christine Michael, offensive tackles Michael Bowie and Caylin Hauptmann, tight end Kellen Davis, defensive end Benson Mayowa and defensive tackle Jordan Hill inactive for the Super Bowl. All are healthy scratches.