NFL Player News

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.

Ravens coach Jesse Minter said Henry has "run every scheme throughout his career" but will still need to adjust to terminology changes under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Henry and other Ravens have expressed excitement about Doyle's scheme, with the 32-year-old running back telling reporters this offseason that "change can be good," and "everything is new, so we're all just trying to learn." Quarterback Lamar Jackson and wide receiver Zay Flowers made stronger comments during the offseason program, both praising Doyle for originality/creativity. The Ravens lost some key pieces of their running game this offseason, namely C Tyler Linderbaum and FB Patrick Ricard, but they also improved at the guard spots and still have a strong core of veteran standouts on both sides of the ball. Henry finished second in the league in rushing yards each of his first two seasons in Baltimore, and after a red-hot finish to the 2025 season, he's again going in the second round of most fantasy drafts.

Ahead of training camp, Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson remain atop the Patriots' RB depth chart, as they did last season, Avery Hill of the Boston Globe reports.

Stevenson and Henderson are thus on track to continue to share the bulk of New England's rushing load in 2026. In 14 regular-season contests in 2025, Stevenson gained 603 yards and seven TDs on 130 carries, while adding 32 catches for 345 yards and a pair of receiving scores. For his part, Henderson recorded 180 carries for 911 yards and nine TDs to go along with 35 catches for 221 yards and another score in 17 games. Though any sort of backfield time-share can complicate things from a fantasy perspective, both backs should still see enough work to generate fantasy utility while working in an offense helmed by rising young QB Drake Maye. That said, one thing that could tilt things Henderson's way is a re-occurrence of the ball-security issues Stevenson endured during the 2024 campaign, when he racked up a total of seven fumbles (three lost).