NFL Player News

Bigsby is expected to have "plenty of opportunity" to win the Jaguars' No. 2 running back job behind Travis Etienne, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Harvey believes Bigsby could even out-touch Etienne some weeks, "depending on who has the hot hand." The Jaguars rode Etienne pretty hard after the James Robinson trade last season, as Etienne averaged over 15 carries per game from Week 7 onward and saw 17-plus carries five times over the final 10 games. Jacksonville wants to lighten Etienne's workload, and Bigsby gives the team a capable between-the-tackles runner at 6-foot, 210 pounds. Bigsby should be a popular late-round fantasy pick given his third-round draft pedigree, Etienne's missed 2021 with a foot injury, and the Jaguars' desire to get the former involved.

The Patriots waived Robinson on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Robinson signed a two-year contract with New England this offseason, but there was no guaranteed money included in the deal due to the running back's health concerns. If he clears waivers, the Illinois State product will be free to sign with any team that shows interest. The 24-year-old rushed for 1,837 yards and 15 touchdowns over his first two NFL seasons in Jacksonville, but he struggled to stay healthy last year, totaling 425 rushing yards across 11 appearances split between the Jaguars and Jets.

Prince has impressed his coaches and teammates during OTAs, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Price went undrafted out of Tulsa, but he's making the most of his opportunity in Kansas City. Not only has he shown an ability to excel as a pass catcher out of the backfield, he could also potentially earn a role on special teams, specifically as a kick returner. Special teams coach Dave Toub believes Prince has an opportunity to handle that role, depending on how he progresses during training camp and the preseason, despite having just four kick returns in college. The 23-year-old still may face an uphill battle making the 53-man roster, but he's at least proving he deserves consideration thus far.

Homer figures to be a key special teamer for the Bears and could also earn a role on passing downs, Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune reports.

He struggled to stay healthy in Seattle and didn't get many opportunities as a runner, but Homer nonetheless managed to develop a reputation for pass-blocking while also handling a lot of special teams snaps whenever healthy. The 2019 sixth-round pick signed a two-year, $4 million deal with $1.75 million guaranteed this March, making him part of a Chicago backfield that also includes Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman and rookie fourth-rounder Roschon Johnson.

Barkley said Sunday that sitting out the 2023 season amid contract negotiations is "a card I could play" if he and the Giants remain at an impasse, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Barkley, who hasn't yet signed his franchise tender and looks set to skip the Giants' mandatory minicamp this week, noted that he wants to remain with the team for his entire NFL career. That said, the 26-year-old also made clear his frustrations with ongoing contract talks and acknowledged the possibility of a regular-season holdout. "That comes up in conversation if something don't get done by July 17," Barkley said of the deadline for both sides to agree on a long-term contract. The Pro Bowl running back's importance to the Giants offense can't be overstated, so the team will have plenty of incentive to get the situation under control. Barkley is coming off a bounce-back campaign in which he rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 scores.

Gibbs (ankle) is participating in the Lions' mandatory minicamp this week, Tim Twentyman of the team's official site reports.

Gibbs was bothered by a minor ankle injury during rookie minicamp, but he appears to have moved past the issue and is participating in full team drills at mandatory minicamp. The rookie first-round pick figures to play a major role in Detroit's backfield this season and has already displayed a versatile skill set during offseason workouts. Gibbs and David Montgomery can be used interchangeably, but the former profiles as the quicker, dual-threat option.

The Vikings officially released Cook (shoulder) on Friday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

It was reported Thursday that Cook had been informed of his release, but the Vikings waited 24 hours to see if they could engineer a last-minute trade. The move will save Minnesota at least $9 million in cap space in 2023, and the four-time Pro Bowler is now free to sign with any team. The soon-to-be 28-year-old running back has finished with at least 1,000 rushing yards in four straight seasons and has 52 career touchdowns, but he's currently rehabbing from shoulder surgery, though he's expected to be fully healthy by the start of the 2023 campaign. Cook figures to have plenty of suitors on the open market, but the Dolphins and Broncos appear to be the most interested.

The Panthers claimed Evans off waivers Thursday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports

Evans signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in May but was let go by the team Tuesday. The Panthers wasted little time picking up Evans, who rushed for 525 yards and six touchdowns on 83 carries in 2022 with Louisville. He'll now compete for a depth role in Carolina's backfield, which is currently led by Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard.

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips told reporters Thursday that Chandler will "have to be" ready to take on an increased role with the Vikings set to part ways with Dalvin Cook, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

The 2022 fifth-round pick logged limited snaps last season as he operated behind Cook and Alexander Mattison, with all six of his carries for 20 yards coming in the last game of the 2022 season. Chandler could now assume a key backup role behind Mattison with Cook on the way out, but he will have competition from Kene Nwangwu and DeWayne McBride, who the team took in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Minnesota will continue attempting to finalize a trade for Cook (shoulder) on Thursday, and will otherwise officially release him Friday, Adam Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Cook has been surrounded by trade rumors all offseason, and while Schefter reports that the Broncos and Dolphins remain interested, at this point it may be likelier that he's released than a last-minute deal comes to fruition. The four-time Pro Bowler's shoulder surgery isn't expected to impact his regular-season availability and could even have a positive long-term influence on his durability, and he remains one of the league's true every-down backfield options. Heading into his age-28 season, Cook is coming off four straight seasons of over 1,100 rushing yards and boasts a career 4.7 yards per carry, so he should have no lack of suitors if he does hit free agency.