NFL Player News

Herbert agreed to a one-year contract with the Colts on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Indianapolis is a favorable landing spot for Herbert, who fell out of favor in Chicago last season and then barely received playing time in Cincinnati until Chase Brown missed Week 18 with an ankle injury. Herbert started in 12 of his 48 appearances in three-plus seasons with the Bears, averaging 4.8 yards on 372 carries and 6.5 yards on 45 receptions. He'll turn 27 years old in April and has a nice opportunity ahead, joining an Indianapolis offense that relied on Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson for depth behind Jonathan Taylor in 2024. The downside for Herbert is that he has zero opportunity to become the starter outside of an injury to Taylor.

The Eagles re-signed VanSumeren (knee) to a one-year deal Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

VanSumeren was a key special-teamer for Philadelphia in 2024 before sustaining a season-ending knee injury following a Week 12 win over the Rams. He made 11 appearances and recorded three total tackles (all solo) while playing 209 special-teams snaps. After re-signing with the Eagles, VanSumeren -- who will presumably be past his knee issue when the team takes the field again -- is expected to play a similar role in 2025.

The Steelers agreed to terms with Gainwell on a one-year contract Tuesday, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.

The former Eagle won't have to move far, as he's staying in the state of Pennsylvania. With the Steelers, Gainwell slides into a backfield with a clear opening after Najee Harris left to join the Chargers on Monday. In four seasons with Philly, Gainwell rushed 280 times for 1,185 yards and 12 touchdowns, while adding 102 catches for 721 yards and an additional score in the passing game. He's a quality change-of-pace back, though his skill set feels a bit redundant with Jaylen Warren already on the roster. Gainwell is unlikely to have much fantasy relevance in 2025 barring an injury to Warren, and the Steelers may not be done adding at the position.

Johnson and the Bills agreed to a two-year, $5 million contract Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Johnson finished the 2024 regular season with 497 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns on 59 touches across 17 games, and his 289 offensive snaps were his most since the 2021 campaign with the Jets. Johnson figures to reprise his role as a kick-return specialist and backup running back behind James Cook for the 2025 campaign.

Evans is slated to sign with the Bills, per his representation at Priority Sports.

Evans appeared in five games with Chicago last season while also spending time on the team's practice squad. Across those five appearances, he rushed three times for three yards and played on special teams. Now, the 2020 third-round pick will get a chance to compete for a reserve role in Buffalo.

The Panthers released Sanders on Tuesday, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports.

Sanders made it through two seasons of a four-year, $25.4 million contract, mostly backing up Chuba Hubbard during that time. The deal ended up being a disaster for Carolina, with Sanders arguably the most overpaid running back in the league. He'll turn 28 in May and seems unlikely to be handed a prominent spot in another backfield.

The 49ers are giving Mason (ankle) a second-round restricted free agent tender, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It's a bit surprising to see Mason get a tender for over $5 million after his hot start to 2024 tailed off. The 49ers were in a tough spot, as an original-round tender would've cost about $2 million less but wouldn't have provided any draft compensation if they declined to match an offer sheet from another team, as the running back was undrafted originally. In any case, the 49ers don't necessarily have to keep Mason on the tender; they can use it as a bridge to a multi-year contract or a trade. If he does stay in San Francisco, he'll likely be the No. 2 running back behind Christian McCaffrey, although Isaac Guerendo is capable of pushing for the role. Mason missed the final five weeks of the 2024 season with a high-ankle sprain, but there hasn't been any report of surgery or a prolonged recovery/rehab process.

The Chargers are slated to sign Harris to a one-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It's worth up to $9.25 million. With J.K. Dobbins' contract expired and Gus Edwards recently released, the Chargers were in dire need of a running back. They've found one in Harris, who Chargers OC Greg Roman knows well from their time together in the AFC North. Since being selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, Harris has started all 68 regular-season games, a rarity for running backs in this day and age. While Harris lacks big-play ability and efficiency and doesn't do much in the pass game, he makes up for it with toughness and availability. Harris averaged a subpar 3.9 yards per carry on 1,097 rushing attempts in four seasons with the Steelers and rushed for over 1,000 yards on each occasion. Look for Harris to be coach Jim Harbaugh's new lead back in Los Angeles.

Williams is in line to sign a one-year contract with the Cowboys, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The deal has a base salary of $3 million with the potential to earn $3.5 million overall via incentives. This move appears to be the first step in moving on from Rico Dowdle, Dallas' starting running back last year, as Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis are the other players at the position under contract in 2025. There's still time for the Cowboys to add via free agency and especially the draft, but as the backfield stands, Williams is the clear No. 1 option at the moment. In four campaigns with the Broncos, the 2021 second-round pick averaged 4.0 yards per carry and 62.2 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring 16 total touchdowns in 54 regular-season contests.

The 49ers re-signed Taylor to a one-year deal Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The 26-year-old running back will remain with the 49ers after spending most of last season on the team's active roster. He saw increased offensive action in 2024 due to injuries to Christian McCaffrey (knee), Jordan Mason (ankle) and Isaac Guerendo (knee), appearing in 13 games and taking 39 carries for 183 yards and one touchdown. Additionally, Taylor hauled in three of his 11 targets for 25 yards and accumulated 104 kick-return yards. Expect Taylor to serve as one of San Francisco's top reserve backs again in 2025.