NFL Player News

Strong (back) had 63 carries for 291 yards and one touchdown to go with five catches for 47 yards on eight targets while appearing in all 17 regular-season games.

Strong spent his rookie season with the Patriots in 2022 but was traded to the Browns in August. Nick Chubb's season-ending knee injury opened up an opportunity, but the Browns promoted Jerome Ford to the top of the depth chart and re-signed Kareem Hunt, leaving Strong in a little-used third-string role. Chubb is expected to be recovered by the start of the 2024 season, and Ford remains on hand as well, so Strong's usage isn't projected to increase moving forward. On a positive note, the back injury that kept Strong from playing in the team's wild-card round loss to Houston last weekend isn't expected to affect his availability moving forward.

Dillon (neck/thumb) remained sidelined at practice Wednesday, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Dillon, who was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate, thus has one more chance to upgrade his participation in practice ahead of Saturday's divisional round contest against the 49ers. If Dillon -- who last suited up in Week 17 -- remains sidelined this weekend, Emanuel Wilson and Patrick Taylor would be next up for backfield snaps that don't go to starter Aaron Jones.

Laird reverted to Tampa Bay's practice squad Tuesday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Laird was elevated from the practice squad Monday but was left inactive for Tampa Bay's 32-9 win over the Eagles in the wild-card round. With Rachaad White, Chase Edmonds and Sean Tucker healthy, Laird is unlikely to crack the game-day roster for the divisional round Sunday in Detroit.

Head coach Sean McVay said that Williams underwent a successful procedure Tuesday to repair a broken bone in his hand, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

Williams, who suffered the injury in this past Sunday's 24-23 wild-card round loss to the Lions, will have plenty of time to recover before the Rams take the field again in OTAs this coming spring. Heading into the start of the 2023 season, Williams was expected to work behind Cam Akers in the team's backfield. However, by Week 2, Williams moved into a starting role that resulted in the 2022 fifth-round pick logging 228 carries for 1,144 yard and 12 touchdowns to go along with 32 catches (on 48 targets) for 206 yards and three more scores in 12 regular-season games. Looking ahead to the 2024 season, Williams projects to remain the Rams' lead back, though Los Angeles could look to add more viable competition through the draft and/or free agency. Beyond Williams, 2023 sixth-round pick Zach Evans is the only Rams running back currently under contract for the upcoming season, as Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman are slated for exclusive-rights free agency and unrestricted free agency, respectively.

Patterson finished the 2023 campaign with 50 rushing attempts for 181 yards and caught nine of 12 targets for 38 receiving yards and a touchdown in 14 appearances. He also totaled 153 kick-return yards.

A thigh injury cost Patterson the first three games of 2023, and he struggled to carve out a role after that, resulting in his worst statistical campaign since 2015. After a breakout in 2021, the veteran scored a career-high eight rushing touchdowns in 2022, but he was firmly planted behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier on the depth chart this season. Patterson is entering back-to-back void years on his contract, and it remains to be seen if he'll stick in Atlanta for his age-33 season. Arthur Smith has been fired, and the Falcons have yet to replace him, so Patterson's standing with the franchise is just one of numerous questions surrounding the team heading into the offseason.

Allgeier finished the 2023 campaign with 186 rushing attempts for 683 yards and four touchdowns and caught 18 of 23 targets for 193 yards and an additional score over 17 appearances.

After totaling 226 touches for 1,174 yards in 16 games as a rookie, Allgeier recorded 204 touches for 876 yards across 17 appearances in Year 2. Allgeier's drop in production was expected after the addition of 2023 first-round pick Bijan Robinson, but it wasn't necessarily due to a reduced role on offense. The 2022 fifth-round draft pick simply struggled to replicate the 4.9 yards per carry he generated last season and posted a modest 3.7 mark in 2023. It's unclear if Cordarrelle Patterson will return next season, but Robinson and Allgeier should be back at the top of Atlanta's running back depth chart in 2024, barring a major splash in free agency. However, it's also worth noting that head coach Arthur Smith has been fired, so the Falcons' run-heavy offense may be overhauled depending on whom gets hired as his replacement.

Edmonds rushed seven times for 12 yards and brought in one of two targets for eight yards in the Buccaneers' 32-9 wild-card win over the Eagles on Monday night.

Edmonds filled his usual backup role behind Rachaad White. Dating back to Week 14, Edmonds has recorded at least four rush attempts in four of six contests, but his pass-catching work remains extremely modest with the exception of a five-reception tally against the Saints in Week 17. As long as White is healthy in front of him, Edmonds figures to see single-digit touches again in Sunday's divisional-round road matchup versus the Lions.

The Packers listed Dillon (thumb/neck) as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Green Bay did not hold an official practice, but Dillon would not have been able to participate had they done so. That means the fourth-year running back has yet to practice since suffering a neck stinger in Week 17. Since he has been sidelined, Patrick Taylor and Emanuel Wilson have served as options behind Aaron Jones (knee) in the backfield.

Jones was listed as a limited partiipant on Tuesday's practice estimate due to both a knee and finger injury, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

The Packers did not have an official practice Tuesday, so this is just an estimation of what Jones' status would have been. The veteran running back has been a consistent presence on the injury report since returning to the lineup in mid-December, but he had a monster day in Green Bay's wild-card victory over the Cowboys with 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. AJ Dillon (neck) has missed three straight games and was listed as a non-participant, so Patrick Taylor and Emanuel Wilson are currently the only two healthy options behind Jones on the depth chart.

Wilson secured one of two targets for six yards during the Dolphins' 26-7 wild-card loss to Kansas City on Saturday.

Wilson had a quiet end to an underwhelming 2023 campaign in which he racked up 188 rushing yards on 41 carries (4.6 average) across 10 regular-season appearances, plus 14 catches for 85 yards on 17 targets. Despite missing the first six games of the season to rib and finger injuries and seeing a substantial downtick in total production, Wilson's end-of-year efficiency metrics still stand out, and his versatility makes him a valuable depth piece for Miami behind Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. Wilson's set to make $3 million in 2024 on the final season of his current contract, but the Dolphins could cut him loose this offseason while only incurring a $782,500 dead-cap hit, meaning that in order to stay with the team he will likely have to negotiate a restructure.