NFL Player News

McLaughlin (head) has been participating in OTAs, Isaiah J. Downing of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

McLaughlin played all 17 games for the Broncos in 2023 after going undrafted out of Youngstown State last spring, averaging 5.4 yards on 76 carries and 5.2 yards on 31 receptions. He seems to be healthy after suffering a head injury Week 18, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll have a role in Denver's crowded backfield in 2024. The team still has Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine under contract and recently brought in fifth-round pick Audric Estime and undrafted free agent Blake Watson. Listed at 5-foot-7 and 187 pounds, McLaughlin is the smallest of the bunch, though perhaps the quickest.

Perine is competing for a role in Denver's backfield but could end up being a cap casualty if the Broncos are satisfied with their reserve options behind starter Javonte Williams, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Perine has a non-guaranteed $3 million salary for the second season of his two-year contract. That's a reasonable number for someone who offers good pass protection and reliable hands while also playing special teams, but the Broncos could nonetheless cut or trade Perine if they feel comfortable with Jaleel McLaughlin, Blake Watson or Tyler Badie as a passing-down specialist. None of those other backs can match Perine for size, blocking or experience, but they would probably have an edge over him in terms of speed and quickness. Meanwhile, Williams and fifth-round pick Audric Estime are more likely to get playing time on early downs.

Hall was spotted working in the rehab area during practice Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Hall's presence with the rehab group suggests he picked up some kind of minor injury during a previous OTA session or workout. Any absences from team drills could free up first-team reps for Israel Abanikanda, Braelon Allen or Isaiah Davis, with recent signing Tarik Cohen potentially an option for third downs and two-minute drills.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday that Achane has made "some strength gains" and improved his understanding of Miami's offense, Andre Fernandez of The Miami Herald reports.

Achane seems to be off to a good start to the offseason program, potentially allowing him to earn a larger share of the snaps in the backfield in 2024 behind returning starter Raheem Mostert. Both backs should have significant roles after the impressive work they did in 2023, while fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright is a wild card to earn occasional carries. Adding some weight might lower Achane's injury risk a bit and/or allow him to take on more touches, though he'll still be one of the smallest and fastest running backs in the league, at least among players competing for a significant number of carries and early down snaps. He ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at 188 pounds at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, then took 103 carries for 800 yards (7.8 YPC) and three touchdowns in 11 regular-season games as a rookie. Achane also drew 37 targets and recorded three receiving touchdowns, with the pass-catching work allowing him to stay involved even when Mostert was healthy and gobbling up carries.

Cohen agreed to a one-year contract with the Jets on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Cohen will turn 29 years old in July and hasn't played in an NFL game since Week 3 of the 2020 season, when he suffered an ACL tear that derailed a promising career. He missed all of 2021 while rehabbing from the knee injury and all of 2022 after suffering a torn Achilles' tendon during the spring. Cohen then landed with the Panthers in 2023 and spent most of the season on their practice squad, but he struggled with a hamstring injury, never got a promotion and ultimately was released in early May. He's unlikely to make noise in a backfield that has Breece Hall and two incoming draft picks, but Cohen should get a look on kick and punt returns this offseason.

Williams (foot) went through an up-tempo workout Tuesday with athletic trainers, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

While he won't practice at OTAs or minicamp, Williams is at least able to get out on the field and move around with the Rams' training staff. The activity would seem to support head coach Sean McVay's recent comments downplaying the severity of Williams' foot injury, though it's worth noting that the running back suffered a broken foot early in the 2022 offseason, shortly after the Rams took him in the fifth round of the draft. McVay said Williams will miss offseason practices before returning for training camp, at which point the third-year pro will take his spot atop the depth chart. His absences from practice this spring could open up first-team reps for third-round pick Blake Corum, offseason pickup Boston Scott and even Ronnie Rivers or Zach Evans.

With the Commanders not selecting a running back in last month's draft, Rodriguez profiles as the team's No. 3 option at running back behind Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson,Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

Per Standig, Rodriguez, who's presumably past his late-season ankle issue, appears to be the clear early-down backup to Robinson. However, with Ekeler also in the mix and destined to see plenty of touches, notably in passing situations, Rodriguez doesn't initially have a path to steady volume as the 2024 season approaches. As a rookie, the 2023 sixth-rounder recorded 51 carries for 247 yards and two TDs to go along with two catches for 12 yards in 13 regular-season contests. Also currently in the Commanders' depth RB mix are Jeremy McNichols, Austin Jones and Michael Wiley (thumb).

Perine and the Steelers agreed on a one-year contract Thursday.

Perine was waived by Kansas City this past Friday and it took less than a week for him to find a new home in Pittsburgh. The running back compiled 77 rushing yards on 22 carries while also recording three catches for 33 yards over five games with Kansas City in 2023. He'll be in line to operate as a depth option for the Steelers behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren if he secures an active roster spot in 2024.

Cook said Thursday he hopes to compete in training camp this offseason with a new team, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Cook said he wants to participate fully in training camp this offseason to "get my legs back under me and feel like myself again." The veteran back is coming off the worst season of his career by a good margin, but says if given a chance to compete, he believes he'll be able to impress new coaches and teammates. Cook averaged just 3.2 yards per carry across 15 games with the Jets last year, and he made a minimal impact after linking up with Baltimore in the postseason.

Doug Pederson said during OTAs that the Jaguars want to lean on Etienne less during the 2024 campaign in order to keep him healthy, Michael DiRocco of ESPN reports.

Pederson said it's "hard to put necessarily a rep count" on Etienne's weekly touches, but that looking ahead to 2024 season the coaching staff is "making sure [Tank Bigsby] gets opportunities to get out there and take some of the pounding off of [Etienne]." As DiRocco notes, Etienne finished 2023 accounting for 76 percent of the running back touches for Jacksonville, a high workload that coincided with a disappointing rookie showing for Bigsby. If either D'Ernest Johnson or Bigsby can emerge as a more consistent backup, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Etienne's total touches do indeed decrease this season. While that would certainly represent a blow to Etienne's fantasy ceiling, the 2021 first-round pick does his damage more with efficiency and speed than grinding out carries between the tackles. Jacksonville picked up Etienne's fifth-year option earlier this offseason, which keeps him under contract through 2025.