NFL Player News

New Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner likes to rely on big receivers, and they've put up huge numbers in his scheme. Vincent Jackson (6-5, 230) did it in San Diego, and Josh Gordon (6-3, 225) did it in Cleveland last year.

Thus the Vikings' website looks for big things from Cordarrelle Patterson, a 6-2, 220-pounder who brings "a unique blend of speed, quickness and size. That is a combination that will serve him well in Turner's offense."

Patterson earned more playing time as his rookie season progressed and finished with 45 catches for 469 yards and four touchdowns.

The Chiefs hope second-year running back Knile Davis will be ready for offseason workouts after suffering a broken leg in the playoff loss to the Colts, reports ESPN.

The report says if Davis can't participate in any of the offseason work, that will set him back greatly because his is a game that needs development in many areas.

With Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Marcus Lattimore expected to be part of the 49ers' backfield, running back LaMichael James could find himself on the trading block this summer, reports CSNBayArea.com. If the 49ers want to move James, however, "they must have a plan for someone else in the return game," the report said.

James returned 23 punts for 251 yards and 12 kickoffs for 321 yards.

New Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner hopes the team lands a dynamic young quarterback but believes running back Adrian Peterson remains the key to success, reports the Minneapolis StarTribune.

“We want to make big plays, we want to be an explosive offense, and we want to run the ball,” Turner said at his introductory press conference. With an offense that includes Peterson, receiver Greg Jennings and all-purpose threat Cordarrelle Patterson, Turner believes Minnesota can improve quickly.

“I looked at the roster, I looked at the offensive side of the ball," he said. "I think this is a group that can be real good, and I think we can be good real fast.”

Colts running back Trent Richardson has no excuses in 2014. He's got to improve dramatically on the 2.9 yards per carry he averaged after being traded from Cleveland to Indianapolis.

To that end, Richardson said he plans to spend the offseason delving into the playbook. “Learn the system, not just memorizing it,” Richardson told ESPN.com. “Learning the whole concept of the system. There's a difference between having it memorized and feeling comfortable with the system.

"I’m going talk to a lot of veteran players, talk to Adrian (Peterson), talk to (LaDainian Tomlinson), talk to Emmitt Smith to make sure I’m the best I need to be next year.”

New Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team is not going to rush its decision on Chris Johnson. A candidate for release after averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per carry, the 28-year-old running back is owed $8 million each of the next two seasons and $9 million in 2016.

“This is a high-profile player that's had a lot of success in this league," Whisenhunt said, per ESPN.com. "I think because of that, we're going to go through the process and do it the right way. It's not just necessarily with Chris Johnson, it's with all of the players on our team. You have to do that. Once again, where we are starting out, we want to start fast, we want to be a good team and you've got to make those decisions. 

“So it's not something you can do, I think, after just watching some games and making a decision based off that. I think an important thing is sitting down with [running backs coach] Sylvester Croom and talking about the dynamic in the running back room and how those guys work and talking to some of the defensive coaches and their perspective on some of the players.

"And I'm talking about some of the coaches that were here. That's one of the pieces of the puzzle that's important too, is having some coaches on the staff that were here before. Because, you've heard me say this, chemistry is an important piece of it, and it is."

The Broncos got several minor offensive contributions in their Super Bowl loss. Tight end Julius Thomas caught four of six targets for 27 yards, and tight end Jacob Tamme had two catches for 9 yards.

Running back Montee Ball was held to 1 yard on six carries, and he caught two balls for 2 yards. Running back C.J. Anderson carried twice for 9 yards and added a 14-yard catch.

The Seahawks declared receiver Bryan Walters, running back Christine Michael, offensive tackles Michael Bowie and Caylin Hauptmann, tight end Kellen Davis, defensive end Benson Mayowa and defensive tackle Jordan Hill inactive for the Super Bowl. All are healthy scratches.

The Broncos listed defensive tackle Sione Fua (calf), cornerback Quentin Jammer, tight end Joel Dreessen, running back Ronnie Hillman, guard Chris Kuper, offensive tackle Vinston Painter and quarterback Zac Dysert as inactive for the Super Bowl.

With Hillman inactive, rookie C.J. Anderson will serve as the No. 3 running back. Cornerback Marquice Cole replaces Jammer on the active roster.

Colts tight end Coby Fleener is overlooking the numbers in his assessment of the trade that brought running back Trent Richardson from Cleveland for a 2014 top draft pick. He called the swap "great" for the Colts and expects Richardson to thrive after a full offseason with the team.

"I think part of it is you're coming into an offense that's probably one of the most complex in the NFL," Fleener told NFL.com. "And so for him to play a week after being there was impressive because it took me a year and a half to learn the offense. I think this camp will do him a lot of good, and then you guys can judge him after that."

Richardson's production deteriorated to the point in which he was barely used in the playoffs. He averaged just 2.9 yards per carry after the trade and lost his featured back spot to Donald Brown.