NFL Player News

Following the recent NFL Draft, Edwards profiles as the Chargers' lead back as the 2024 season approaches, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

In the wake of the offseason departure of prior lead back Austin Ekeler, the Chargers backfield has undergone an overhaul, with Edwards and J.K. Dobbins -- both former Ravens -- arriving via free agency and Kimani Vidal through this year's draft, joining returnee Isaiah Spiller, a 2022 fourth-rounder. In that context, Popper suggests that Edwards, who GM Joe Hortiz described as a "bell cow" back in March, is in line to get the bulk of the team's work out of the gate this season as Dobbins bounces back from his Achilles' injury and Vidal and Spiller make their cases to carve out complementary roles in the Los Angeles offense.

The Cowboys are signing Ezekiel Elliott to join Dowdle in a backfield that otherwise lacks experienced players and early draft picks, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

The Zeke reunion has been in the works for weeks, but most people still expected the Cowboys to add at least one running back during the 2024 NFL Draft. They ultimately didn't select one, leaving Royce Freeman, Malik Davis, Snoop Conner and 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn as the competition behind Elliott and Dowdle. An undrafted free agent or two likely will be added to that mix, but it should still be a favorable situation for Elliott and Dowdle to earn playing time.

Cook is slated to be joined by rookie fourth-rounder Ray Davis in the Bills backfield this coming season, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Cook is coming off a 2023 regular season in which he carried 237times for 1,122 yards and two TDs to go along with 44 catches for 445 yards and four more scores in 17 games. With veteran backs Latavius Murray and Damien Harris no longer in the mix, Davis should have an opportunity to step into a complementary role behind Cook, while potentially claiming a share of the team's short-yardage work. Also in the team's backfield mix are Ty Johnson, Darrynton Evans and reported UDFA signing Frank Gore Jr., though none is likely to prevent Cook from maintaining steady enough volume in his third pro season.

Following the 2024 NFL Draft, White continues to profile as the Raiders' top backfield option, Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic report.

Since the end of last season, the Raiders notably bid adieu to Josh Jacobs, who had served as the team's top RB since 2019. Following free agency and the draft, White remains projected to pace the team's rushing corps in 2024, with newcomer Alexander Mattison on hand to work in a complementary role, while Ameer Abdullah and rookie sixth-rounder Dylan Laube profile as change-of-pace options. Though it remains to be seen how much volume White yields to his teammates, the 2022 fourth-rounder nonetheless appears poised to see a significant enough uptick in touches (after recording 104 carries and 15 catches in 17 regular-season games in 2023) to maintain weekly fantasy utility this coming season.

The Panthers are slated to sign Shirden as an undrafted free agent, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Shirden is on the small side at 5-foot-8 and 187 pounds but was named a first-team All-American in both of his final two seasons at Monmouth, rushing 427 times for 3,200 yards and 23 touchdowns in that span. He didn't do much in the pass game, catching just 25 career passes. Shirden is likely going to need to make an impression on special teams to stick in Carolina.

Holani is slated to sign with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

According to Garafolo, Holani will get a $15,000 signing bonus and $100,000 guaranteed to go to Seattle. The Boise State product stands 5-foot-10, 208 pounds and was a five-year contributor for the Broncos, rushing for 685-3,596-26 and adding 88-777-8 as a receiver. Holani joins a depth chart that includes Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh.

Jones intends to sign with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent, David Harrison of Sports Illustrated reports.

Jones started his collegiate career at Stanford, spending three years there before transferring to USC and spending his final two seasons with the Trojans. He amassed a career 498-2,337-24 rushing line, adding 105-901-3 as a receiver. Jones has plenty of game experience and will try to make a mark in Washington this summer.

The Jaguars officially exercised Etienne's fifth-year option Monday.

GM Trent Baalke said Saturday that Jacksonville would pick up the fifth-year options of both Etienne and quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and the team has now made both moves official. Since missing his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury, Etienne has compiled back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns and totaled 17 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Now signed through the 2025 season, Etienne is locked in atop Jacksonville's backfield for the next two years, with Tank Bigsby and D'Ernest Johnson available to back him up.

Elliott agreed to terms Monday to a contract with the Cowboys, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Pending a physical, Elliott will attempt to reignite his career in Dallas, the team with which he spent the first seven years of his NFL career and earned two All-Pro nods. The Cowboys recently lost Tony Pollard to free agency and, to the surprise of most analysts, opted not to select a running back in the 2024 NFL Draft, giving Elliott an easy path to the No. 1 role in a backfield that also includes Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn (ankle). It's unclear how much the former rushing champ has left in the tank entering his age-29 season, as across 17 games with the Patriots last season he carried 184 times for just 642 yards (3.5 YPC) plus three scores, while adding a 51-313-2 receiving line.

With the Colts not taking a running back in the 2024 Draft, Sermon and Evan Hull are the primary backups to starter Jonathan Taylor, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

It was a mild surprise that the Colts didn't draft a running back or sign a prominent undrafted free agent to compete for the starting role. It's possible the Colts will sign a veteran free agent this spring for depth, but at this point Sermon could have a prominent backup role. He rushed 35 times, including 17 carries in Week 15, for 160 yards to go along with three catches for 13 yards with Indy last season.