NFL Player News

Pacheco (ankle/toe) appears to be practicing Thursday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Pacheco was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimate, but there isn't any real concern about the running back's availability for the Super Bowl after he played through the same toe and ankle injuries in a 17-10 win over the Ravens this past Sunday. In the process, Pacheco took 80 percent of Kansas City's snaps on offense and accounted for 28 of the team's 31 backfield touches.

Tucker was active for 11 regular-season games in the 2023 season, rushing 15 times for 23 yards and bringing in both his targets for nine yards.

Though he wasn't chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft, Tucker parlayed a productive college career at Syracuse that he capped off with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons into a three-year deal with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. After an impressive summer showing, Tucker earned his way onto the 53-man roster. However, Tucker was unsurprisingly used sparingly once the regular season began, as three-down lead back Rachaad White enjoyed good health throughout the campaign. Tucker recorded all his touches from scrimmage in the first three weeks of the season while Chase Edmonds was on injured reserve with a knee injury, and the former logged just one Week 10 snap on offense the rest of the season. Tucker was a healthy inactive from Week 15 through the Buccaneers' two-game postseason run, but as he enters the second season in Tampa Bay, he should have a chance to compete for the No. 2 role. Edmonds is a pending free agent and may not be retained.

Pacheco (toe/ankle) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

The Chiefs didn't actually practice three days after beating Baltimore to advance to the Super Bowl. Pacheco took 28 touches in the AFC Championship Game and didn't appear to aggravate either of his injuries, so he should be fine for the Super Bowl against San Francisco next Sunday. He'll likely continue to dominate the snaps and touches out of the Kansas City backfield.

Hill finished the 2023 regular season with career highs for carries (84), rushing yards (387), rushing touchdowns (three), catches (28), receiving yards (206) and receiving touchdowns (one).

Hill was Baltimore's running back of choice for obvious passing situations for most of the season, though rookie Keaton Mitchell (knee) took some of that work away from early November to mid-December before suffering an ACL tear. The fifth-year back also ended up with a larger-than-expected role in the rushing game, especially early in the season after J.K. Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles' tendon Week 1. The two-year, $4.5 million contract Hill signed in March ended up working out well for the Ravens, as he played nearly as many snaps on offense (436) as in his first four NFL seasons combined (554). Hill could play more on special teams and less on offense in 2024, though that's far from a certainty with both Dobbins and Gus Edwards scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Hill is due for a non-guaranteed $2 million base salary and $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses for the second and final season of his contract.

Mitchell had four carries for seven yards and a touchdown Sunday in the 49ers' 34-31 win over the Lions in the NFC Championship Game.

Mitchell punched in a three-yard run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, making the most of his minor role on the day. The 25-year-old finished with just six snaps on offense, with most of his reps coming late in the game when starting running back Christian McCaffrey exited in the fourth quarter after coming just a few yards short of his third rushing touchdown of the contest. McCaffrey's departure appeared to the result of him landing hard on his head, but with the 49ers offering no indication that the 27-year-old has entered concussion protocol, he should shoulder a heavy workload out of the backfield against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. As such, Mitchell should be viewed as little more than a low-end DFS option, despite provided a touchdown run in the NFC Championship Game.

Jefferson (undisclosed) signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions on Tuesday, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Jefferson has spent his entire three-year career in the Lions organization, though he hasn't seen any NFL action since 2021 and has spent the better part of the past two seasons on the practice squad. The Oregon State product will stick around with the Lions heading into 2024 and will look to compete for a roster spot, provided he's made a full recovery from the health concern that caused him to be placed on the practice squad injured list last week.

Funk signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions on Tuesday, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Funk signed with Detroit's practice squad last week and will now have an opportunity to stick around in the organization heading into the 2024 season. The 26-year-old was most recently a member of Baltimore's practice squad before he was cut loose earlier this month when the Ravens added Dalvin Cook. Prior to his stint in Baltimore, Funk's lone NFL appearances this season came as a member of the Colts, with whom he appeared in four games and carried two times for 10 yards to go with a 12-yard reception.

Johnson gained 132 rushing yards on 30 carries (4.4 yards per rush) and caught all seven of his targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in 10 regular-season games this season.

Earlier in the season, the veteran RB saw most of his action on special teams, but by the time the Bills got to their playoff run, Johnson had climbed over an injured Damien Harris (head/neck), a freshly signed Leonard Fournette and an aging Latavius Murray on the depth chart. Johnson actually saw 20 carries in the playoffs, suggesting the team trusts him in its dynamic offense. The former Lion and Jet is still just 26 years old and the Bills could bring him back in a depth role behind James Cook in 2024, but Johnson will need to be re-signed in the offseason in that case.

Hunt underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured adductor, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran back joined the Browns in Week 3 after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury. Hunt then spent much of the season getting listed regularly on the injury report due to a groin issue. The 28-year-old saw significant usage in the red zone and finished the season with 495 total yards to go along with a career-high nine touchdowns as he heads back into free agency.

The Ravens signed Wright to a reserve/future contract Monday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Monmouth following the 2023 NFL Draft, Wright was amongst Baltimore's cuts following the preseason. He spent much of the season on the Ravens' practice squad but did get elevated for an Oct. 29 game against the Vikings in which he played eight special teams snaps.