NFL Player News

The Bills selected Singletary in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 74th overall.

The man nicknamed "Motor" adds some much-needed youth to a Buffalo backfield headlined by LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore. Singletary's production at Florida Atlantic is second to none compared to his fellow running backs in this class. He racked up 66 career rushing touchdowns in three seasons, highlighted by a 32-touchdown campaign in 2017. Singletary (5-foot-7, 203 pounds) uses his low center of gravity to his advantage and is tough for opposing defenses to find in the backfield. He will have to fight for carries early in his career as long as McCoy, For and T.J. Yeldon are in the fold, but the backfield could be Singletary's by 2020.

The Bears selected Montgomery in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 73rd overall.

Montgomery (5-foot-10, 222 pounds) is a runner who can handle a workhorse burden and offers a clear pass-catching upgrade over Jordan Howard. Free agent acquisition Mike Davis won't be easy to knock out of the running back rotation, but Montgomery should be able to force a stalemate in the meantime, and anything can happen once you get your foot in the door. Montgomery's limitation is obvious -- he was not elusive at Iowa State and might struggle to evade tacklers with his 4.63 speed and 28.5-inch vertical jump. Montgomery works best when he can accumulate carry volume and wear the defense thin with his tackle-breaking ability. At the very least, he possesses standout balance, which makes him a nice fit for a Chicago team looking to amplify its defensive strength with the ability to control time of possession. Montgomery is worth approaching in 12-team redraft leagues, though it's tough to guess now where he should go in the draft order. Perhaps the Chicago depth chart will make itself clearer closer to the season. If Davis does get out of the way, Montgomery would have considerable value.

The Eagles selected Sanders in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 53rd overall.

Sanders had to wait behind Saquon Barkley for his chance to start at Penn State, but he was a hit in his lone starting season in 2018, running for 1,274 yards (5.8 YPC) and nine touchdowns while adding 24 receptions for 139 yards. Sanders is untested as a pass catcher and has ball security concerns, but he's an uncommonly springy athlete whose ability to anchor and change direction explosively gives him interesting upside in a mostly nondescript running back class. Sanders (5-foot-11, 211 pounds) demonstrated his plus athleticism with a 4.49-second 40, 124-inch broad jump, and 11.08 agility score. While he is a longshot to earn a featured role in Philadelphia as a rookie, Sanders is a candidate to evenly split snaps with Jordan Howard and Corey Clement in any given game.

The Raiders selected Jacobs in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 24th overall.

Oakland had been circled as a team that could scoop Jacobs with one of its three first-round picks, especially after Marshawn Lynch's retirement. Jacobs did end up there and immediately steps into a fortuitous position. The first running back off the board, Jacobs comes to the NFL with plenty of tread left on his tires. He had just 252 career carries during his time at Alabama, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Jacobs had a true breakout in 2018, scoring 11 touchdowns for the SEC champs while flashing a complete skill set. Jacobs is not a flawless prospect, however. Most years, he would not be the top running back taken. His athletic testing was inconclusive; a groin injury prevented him from working out at the combine and he ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at his pro day. Heading into Year 1, Jacobs has a clear path to a starting role, needing only to overtake Isaiah Crowell.

Jacobs only visited a select group of teams in the pre-draft process and didn't hold a private workout for any of them, Chase Goodbread of NFL Network reports.

Perhaps he simply wanted to limit the number of opportunities in which he might get unnecessarily injured, but it's nonetheless interesting that Jacobs wouldn't schedule more visits with teams that hold picks near the end of the first round of Thursday's draft. It could be the case that the three teams with whom Jacobs visited -- the Colts, Eagles and Ravens -- simply represent the running back's preferred landing spots. In any case, the Alabama product could very well slip to the second round anyway given both his non-electric workout numbers as well as his lack of history as a lead runner.

The Cowboys exercised Elliott's fifth-year option Tuesday, keeping him under contract through 2020, Rob Phillips of the team's official site reports.

The decision to pick up the $9.1 million option was an easy one for the Cowboys, as the 23-year-old has established himself as one of the NFL's few three-down bellcows since entering the league in 2016. The option may end up serving merely as a placeholder while Elliott and the Cowboys turn their attention to working out a long-term extension that will keep the Ohio State product in Dallas for the duration of his prime.

Foreman, who appears to have "lost a significant amount of weight," reported to the offseason program at 230 pounds, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Texans are reportedly pleased with Foreman's progress, though news of his evolution isn't a huge surprise overall given how Foreman had already drawn praise this offseason for slimming down. After playing at a listed weight of 235 pounds last season coming off a torn Achilles, Foreman is clearly taking total advantage of his first full offseason program in the pros, uninhibited by any rehab work. Entering the draft, he seems to be the odds-on favorite to open the 2019 campaign in the No. 2 role behind Lamar Miller.

Team executive Stephen Jones said Wednesday that the Cowboys expect to pick up the fifth-year option on Elliott's contract before the May 3 deadline, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Since he was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft, Elliott is the only player in the league with more than 1,000 touches (1,003, to be exact), through which he's produced 5,247 yards from scrimmage and 34 touchdowns in 40 games. Those numbers make the Cowboys' upcoming decision a no-brainer, especially with DeMarcus Lawrence's long-term extension out of the way. Aside from Lawrence and Elliott, the team also may seek to lock Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper into long-term deals.

General manager Jason Licht said Jones has impressed the new coaching staff more than any other player so far this spring, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

The 2018 second-round pick barely played as a rookie and struggled with his rare opportunities, but coach Bruce Arians made it clear Jones would have a chance to prove himself in a new system. While he could face more competition after the 2019 NFL Draft, the 21-year-old currently finds himself in an underwhelming backfield alongside Peyton Barber, Shaun Wilson, Andre Ellington and Dare Ogunbowale. The Buccaneers do seem to be fond of Barber, who managed just 3.7 yards per carry and 4.6 per catch as a 16-game starter in 2018, finishing with 963 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns on 616 snaps (254 touches).

Clement (knee) isn't sure when he will be cleared for practice, but he doesn't have any concern about his Week 1 availability, Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic Philadelphia reports. "I'm back at it," Clement said Monday. "It wasn't an ACL. None of that. I'm hitting the ground running. You can expect Corey to be out there Game 1."

Clement still hasn't provided specifics on the season-ending knee injury he suffered Week 14, but he at least seemed to clarify that it wasn't a major ligament tear. He also mentioned wanting to play at around 210 pounds, believing a lighter frame (he's listed at 220) can help him become a more versatile player. It makes sense for Clement to focus on his quickness and pass-catching skills after the Eagles traded for Jordan Howard to serve as their bruiser on early downs. With Darren Sproles still pondering retirement and Wendell Smallwood far from a lock to earn a significant role, Clement has a path to regular playing time in passing situations. It sounds like the 24-year-old will be absent or limited throughout the offseason program, but he should get back on the field to compete for a role at some point during training camp.