NFL Player News

Mixon (lower body) is not participating in voluntary team activities Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Mixon has sported a walking boot recently due to an injury Wilson's sources describe as minor, though head coach DeMeco Ryans has yet to comment on the starting running back's status. All expectations remain that Mixon will be a full-go for the start of training camp in late July, if not mandatory minicamp in June. Mixon's inaugural season with Houston saw him dominate backfield reps, compiling 245 carries for 1,016 yards (4.1 YPC) and eight scores across 14 regular-season appearances while adding 36 grabs for 309 yards (on 52 targets) and another score. While Mixon faded in terms of efficiency down the stretch of the regular season, he managed a surge during the Texans' two playoff contests, combining for 43 carries for 194 yards and two scores. Mixon remains secure in a workhorse role entering his age-29 season, with Dameon Pierce and Woody Marks set to compete for No. 2 reps.

Davis took first-team running back reps at Thursday's voluntary team activities with James Cook absent, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.

Davis figures to be the primary beneficiary of increased first-team reps as long as Cook's desire for a contract extension keeps him away from the team, though Ty Johnson may also get some extra work. Cook led Buffalo's impressive rushing attack last season with 207 carries for 1,009 yards and a shocking 16 touchdowns (after scoring just twice on the ground in the two years prior) in the regular season, while Davis took a back seat with 113 carries for 442 yards and three scores while playing in all 17 regular-season games. At 220 pounds, Davis boasts a significantly larger frame than Cook or Johnson, which resulted in him facing more stacked boxes and suffering in terms of efficiency compared to his backfield mates. However, his size also makes it conceivable that more of the Bills' scoring opportunities on the ground could swing his way in Year 2.

Miller (concussion) participated in voluntary OTAs on Thursday, while starter Alvin Kamara (groin) was not in attendance, Luke Johnson of NOLA.com reports.

Miller missed New Orleans' regular-season finale due to a concussion in 2024, after a pair of hamstring injuries had forced him to miss all but two of the team's first 12 games; however, he's now fully healthy. Miller will turn only 23 in June, so he still has an opportunity to secure the No. 2 role behind Kamara, a three-down workhorse who is entering his age 30-season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and rookie sixth-rounder Devin Neal represent Miller's top competition for backup reps. Head coach Kellen Moore said he views this offseason as "a blank slate" for Miller, per John Sigler of USA Today, but the reality is that the 2023 third-round pick is likely running out of chances to prove he can stay healthy. Injuries have limited Miller to just 14 regular-season appearances (out of 34 possible games) since entering the league, and he's mustered 80 carries for 304 yards (3.8 YPC) and two scores in that span.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Thursday that Pacheco "looks tremendous" at OTAs and has "put on some good weight," Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.

Pacheco missed Week 3 through Week 12 last season due to a broken fibula and looked like a shadow of his usual self when back in action, averaging just 3.4 YPC across Kansas City's five remaining regular season games and three playoff contests. When healthy Pacheco is an explosive, physical ball carrier capable of overrunning would-be tacklers, as demonstrated by his 4.9 YPC and 4.6 YPC averages in 2022 and 2023. An offseason to return to full form should securely position Pacheco atop the Chiefs' running back depth chart, especially in the wake of the team's decision to forego early-round additions to the position in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Chiefs re-signed Kareem Hunt and added Elijah Mitchell in free agency, both to one-year deals, and added Brashard Smith in the seventh-round of April's draft, but all three backs seem more likely to push for complementary snaps than an actual committee if Pacheco can indeed return to 100 percent strength.

Conner (knee) was present for the Cardinals' first OTA of the offseason program Wednesday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Prior to hurting his right knee Week 16 of last season, Conner had racked up six 100-yard rushing efforts through 15 games, and while he attempted to gut through it Week 17, he managed just six touches before departing early and then was placed on IR before Week 18. Overall, he handled 236 carries and hauled in 47 of 55 targets en route to a career-best 1,518 yards from scrimmage along with nine total touchdowns in 16 regular-season contests. More than five months removed the aforementioned injury, Conner is healthy, stating, "I'm ready," as Arizona kicks off on-field work this spring.

Moss (neck) participated in the Bengals' opening session of OTAs on Tuesday, Albert Cesare of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports

Moss signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Bengals last offseason and reworked the deal in April to add guaranteed money for the 2025 campaign, which the contract did not previously include. That positions him to kick off Week 1 as one of the top backups to Chase Brown alongside free-agency signing Samaje Perine, a role that Moss looks increasingly secure in with Cincinnati's only backfield addition in the 2025 NFL Draft having been Tahj Brooks in the sixth round. Moss looked uninspiring across his eight appearances last season, logging 74 carries for 242 yard (3.3 YPC) and two scores before landing on IR with a neck injury. The 27-year-old nonetheless seems the favorite to earn the top reserve role behind Brown, but he will have to show some signs of increased efficiency to insulate his role against pressure from Perine and/or Brooks.

Brown (ankle) participated in Cincinnati's opening session of OTAs on Tuesday.

Brown appears back to full health after an ankle injury forced him to sit out the Bengals' regular-season finale against Pittsburgh last year. The 25-year-old running back is fresh off a Year 2 breakout in which he rushed 229 times for 990 yards (4.3 YPC) and seven scores while adding an impressive 54 catches (on 65 targets) for 360 yards and four touchdowns. Brown's 2024 performance is particularly impressive considering that as a rookie fifth-rounder in 2023, he logged just 44 carries for 179 yards. Cincinnati opted to keep Zack Moss (neck) around via a reworked deal rather than significantly add to the backfield in free agency beyond Samaje Perine, or in the 2025 NFL Draft other than sixth-rounder Tahj Brooks. Those decisions imply confidence from the team in Brown's ability to reprise a significant starting workload, a role that he's already proven an ability to translate into high-end fantasy upside.

Cook wasn't present for Tuesday's voluntary organized team activities, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports.

While Cook isn't participating in the Bills' voluntary OTAs, coach Sean McDermott noted that he's remained in contact with the running back, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal and seeking a contract extension. "Yeah, we're staying in touch, like you'd expect a player and a coach to do," McDermott said of the 2022 second-rounder. "So, James will be here when he's ready to be here and we move forward." While it remains to be seen whether Cook will be on the field for the team's mandatory minicamp (June 10-12), GM Brandon Beane maintains that he expects Buffalo's leading rusher to be ready to go for the 2025 season. Assuming that's the case, Cook will continue to lead a backfield that returns his top two backups from last season, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson.

Lloyd (appendix) has no restrictions at practice and is slated to be a full participant when Green Bay's OTAs begin May 27, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Lloyd was limited to just one appearance in his rookie season, first due to a hamstring injury sustained during the Packers' preseason opener, then an ankle sprain that required seven weeks on IR to heal, and finally appendicitis that popped up just after his practice window opened. Now that he's healthy, the 2024 third-rounder again faces opportunity to compete for the No. 2 role behind workhorse Josh Jacobs. Green Bay didn't make notable additions to the running back room in free agency or April's draft, though Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks proved capable last season and remain on hand. Lloyd boasts playmaking speed and pass-catching chops, but after having missed most of training camp and the regular season in Year 1, he may still have developmental work to do relating to the ball-security issues that plagued him in college.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that the team intends to deploy a backfield distribution that allows Pollard and Tyjae Spears to "play a little more evenly" in 2025, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Callahan said Pollard, who compiled a career-high 1,079 rushing yards plus five scores on 260 carries (4.2 YPC) last season, "was our most productive running back" but acknowledged that he "was battling the second half of the year quite a bit" and struggled to remain fully healthy, as did Spears. "So hopefully that division of labor gets a little more evenly distributed so [Pollard] doesn't have to take the brunt of it," Callahan said while also expressing a desire to work a third back into the mix, which could be either Julius Chestnut or rookie sixth-rounder Kalel Mullings (abdomen). Pollard said the right high-ankle sprain he dealt with late in 2024 is "ready to go" and that "getting more guys involved, keeping guys fresh" would be "ideal." A decrease in overall workload could allow the 28-year-old Pollard to better maintain his efficiency for a full 17-game slate, and even if he doesn't reprise a workhorse role, he's positioned to repeat as Tennessee's top backfield option. With Cam Ward now under center rather than Will Levis, there's also room for the Titans' offense to improve as a whole and provide enough increased scoring opportunities for Pollard's fantasy value as an RB2 to remain safely intact.