NFL Player News

Singletary is expected to fill the third-string running back role for the Giants in 2026 behind Cam Skattebo (ankle) and Tyrone Tracy, Gene Clemons of SI.com reports.

Singletary is projected to continue providing a veteran presence in a change-of-pace role similar to the one in which he produced 437 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the 2025 regular season. That rushing yards total exactly matched Singletary's output in his first season with the Giants in 2024. Of Singletary's 119 carries in 2025, 91 came after Skattebo suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 8.

After a quiet rookie season, Giddens will compete against Seth McGowan for the backup running back role behind Jonathan Taylor for the 2026 season, Paul Pretl of USA Today reports.

Giddens was a fifth-round selection of the Colts in the 2025 NFL Draft. He finished his rookie year with 26 carries for 96 yards across nine regular-season games, though 20 of those touches came in Weeks 1 and 18. Per Bretl, Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters in early June that Giddens' growth and knowledge of the team's offensive scheme puts the latter ahead of McGowan for the RB2 job heading into training camp.

Pacheco appears locked into Detroit's No. 2 running back role behind Jahmyr Gibbs as training camp approaches, Ben Raven of MLive reports.

Running backs coach Tashard Choice has challenged Pacheco during spring activities to "love every possession," emphasizing the importance of maximizing a complementary workload behind Gibbs rather than focusing on snap counts. After injuries slowed Pacheco over the past two seasons in Kansas City, the 27-year-old is embracing his new opportunities and is expected to play a key role in Detroit's backfield. While Gibbs remains the Lions' clear workhorse, Pacheco's physical running style should earn him steady touches and give him significant fantasy upside if he's forced into a larger workload. Sione Vaki is also in the mix for reps behind Gibbs.

Heidenreich, who is currently listed as both a running back and wide receiver on the Steelers' official website, "overwhelmingly lined up in the backfield" in team drills and worked mostly with the running backs for individual drills during OTAs, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Heidenreich excelled as both a wideout and running back in college with Navy, and Steelers running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. has fittingly referred to the rookie as a "Swiss Navy knife." That seemingly boosts Heidenreich's chances of making the opening 53-man roster, but DeFabo still sees the seventh-round draft pick as more likely to begin his NFL career on the practice squad. Still, Heidenreich is an intriguing young player due to his unique skill set, which also includes the ability to return kicks. Should Pittsburgh decide to open up the playbook more, Heidenreich could fit in as a change-of-pace weapon, though he's probably going to need to prove capable in pass protection -- something he was rarely asked to do while at Navy.

Houston's offseason acquisition of Montgomery should help the team have a more punishing running game and improve in the red zone as well as in play action, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports.

The Texans struggled on the ground last season, ranking fourth-worst in the league with an average of 3.9 YPC and tying for second-worst with just nine rushing TDs. The team brought in Montgomery via a trade with Detroit in early March to add power to the position while cutting Joe Mixon (foot) and presumably parting ways with Nick Chubb, who remains a free agent. Montgomery is thus set to lead the team's RB corps alongside Woody Marks, who took hold of the top job as a rookie last season but is slated to work in more of a pass-catching role in 2026. Offensive coordinator Nick Caley has stated that he's also interested in having Montgomery and Marks on the field together in split-back sets at times, per Wilson.

Ahead of training camp, Sampson is in line to reprise his role in a Cleveland backfield that will be led by Quinshon Judkins and also includes Raheim Sanders and Ahmani Marshall, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Easterling projects that all four backs will make the Browns' initial 53-man roster ahead of Week 1. While Judkins (230 carries in 14 regular season contests last season) is the clear-cut starter provided he can stay healthy, Sampson, who rushed 65 times for 175 yards and caught 33 passes (on 40 targets) for 271 yards and three receiving scores in 15 games as a rookie last year, could see enough pass-catching volume in 2026 to merit attention in deeper fantasy PPR formats.

As training camp approaches, Mason is slated to reclaim a key role in a Minnesota backfield that also includes Aaron Jones and rookie sixth-rounder Demond Claiborne, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Though the Vikings have yet to declare a starting QB between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, there's continuity elsewhere in the offense, with the team's top two RBs, WRs and TEs from last year back for another campaign. Mason is coming off a 2025 regular season in which he recorded 758 yards and six TDs on 159 carries to go along with 14 catches for 51 yards in 16 contests, while Jones carried the ball 132 times for 548 yards and two touchdowns, adding 28 catches (on 41 targets) for 199 yards and a score in 12 games. With Mason and Jones both still around, another RB timeshare -- one that favors Jones in PPR formats -- is in the making for 2026, while Claiborne is a candidate to mix in on passing downs.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer notes that the difference has been "night and day" in terms of Blue's performance during this year's offseason program, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

Blue, who the Cowboys took in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, logged just 38 carries for 129 yards and a TD and one catch for five yards in five regular-season games as a rookie. While Malik Davis emerged as Javonte Williams' primary backup last year, Blue will have a chance to compete for that role this summer with Davis, as well as Phil Mafah. Williams remains the team's unquestioned lead back, but if Blue can parlay the speed and explosiveness Schottenheimer has noted he possesses into a larger complementary role, the Texas product could carry fantasy sleeper appeal in 2026.

Dowdle, who signed with the Steelers in March, is set to work in tandem with Jaylen Warren this coming season, Kevin Hutchinson of steelersnow.com reports.

On the heels of back-to-back seasons (one with Dallas and one with Carolina) during which he topped 1,000 rushing yards, Dowdle bolsters a Steelers backfield that saw Kenneth Gainwell depart via free agency this offseason. It remains to be seen how the carries/targets will be divided between Warren and Dowdle in 2026, but the two players' different skill sets could lead to a "thunder and lightning" approach utilizing Warren's shiftiness and quickness and Dowdle's bruising style. Also in the mix for complementary touches are 2025 third-rounder Kaleb Johnson and versatile rookie Eli Heidenreich, with added context regarding Pittsburgh's backfield approach set to arrive once team drills commence in training camp.

Barkley spoke this offseason with retired running back Todd Gurley, who played for the Rams at the same time as new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, NFL.com's Bobby Kownack reports.

Mannion is overhauling the Philadelphia offense, including new terminology, while head coach Nick Sirianni shifts to a more hands-off, executive role. That could always change if things don't go well early in the season, but it nonetheless sounds promising for Barkley in light of his disappointing 2025 campaign in a stagnant offense. Of course, he's not the only one who will need to adjust to a new scheme, with fantasy results partially depending on how QB Jalen Hurts and the offensive line respond to Mannion's changes.