NFL Player News

GM Trent Baalke said Saturday that the Jaguars will exercise the fifth-year option on Etienne's rookie contract, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

The same can be said for fellow 2021 first-round pick Trevor Lawrence, which will become official by Thursday's deadline to lock in such options. After getting drafted three years ago, Etienne's pro debut was delayed due to a Lisfranc injury during the preseason in August 2021, but he's since rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both of the last two seasons while racking up 93 catches for 792 yards in 34 regular-season contests. He'll continue to lead Jacksonville's backfield for the next two campaigns ahead of Tank Bigsby once the aforementioned option is exercised.

Gore intends to sign with the Bills as an undrafted free agent, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

The son of longtime NFL back Frank Gore, Gore spent all four years at Southern Miss and carried the ball 759 times for 4,022 yards and 26 touchdowns during his collegiate career. He led the team in rushing all four seasons and earned an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl, where Gore was named Offensive MVP. A college workhorse, Gore joins a light depth chart that includes James Cook, fourth-round rookie Ray Davis, Ty Johnson and Darrynton Evans.

Johnson is in line to sign with the Titans as an undrafted free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

After three years at Mississippi State, where he functioned mainly as a pass-catching back, Johnson transferred to Washington for his senior season, exploding for a 233-1,195-16 rushing line and 24 catches for 190 scoreless yards. Johnson was a a second-team All-Pac-12 selection and will join a depth chart in Tennessee led by offseason pickup Tony Pollard and second-year back Tyjae Spears.

Schrader is slated to sign with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent, Jordan Schultz of BleacherReport.com reports.

Schrader had a mid-to-late-round draft grade from most analysts but somewhat surprisingly wasn't selected Saturday. Already 24 years old, Schrader walked on at Missouri after four years at Truman State. He was a bellcow back for the Tigers from 2022-23, amassing 446-2,372-23 on the ground and 41 catches for 328 scoreless yards. He led the SEC in rushing as a sixth-year senior last season. Schrader joins a backfield that includes Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor.

Bailey intends to sign with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Bailey (5-foot-7, 206 pounds) started his college career at Louisiana before transferring to TCU after a strong redshirt freshman season. As a one-year starter for the Horned Frogs, Bailey registered a 223-1,209-8 rushing season, adding 25-184-1 as a receiver after Kendre Miller and Emari Demercado left college for the NFL the year before. Bailey will try to win a job behind Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire this summer.

The Raiders selected Laube in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 208th overall.

Laube was an extremely productive workhorse at New Hampshire, but at 5-foot-10, 206 pounds Laube has a frame more conventionally seen among third-down backs. That should suit Laube just fine -- Laube averaged more than five catches per game in his final two seasons and is clearly comfortable catching passes. Zamir White appears locked in as starter for Las Vegas and the duo of Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah both excel on passing downs, but Laube has better pure pass-catching ability than any of them.

The Texans selected Jordan in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 205th overall.

Jordan led Louisville in rushing yards last season (1,128) and compiled 13 touchdowns on the ground, but the running back will turn 25 at the start of the season and is very slight (5-foot-9, 193 pounds) for a ball carrier that doesn't have a ton of straight-line speed (4.53 40-yard dash). Jordan's vision and craftiness to set up blocks made him an explosive playmaker in college, but that sort of time won't be allotted to him at the professional level.

The Falcons selected McClellan in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 186th overall.

Like many Alabama backs, McClellan had to wait his turn before becoming the lead runner. He got the chance in 2023 and averaged 4.9 yards per carry, illustrating a relative lack of explosiveness. McClellan's draft stock took another hit as he ended the season with a foot injury, which prevented him from working out at either the NFL Combine or Alabama's Pro Day. He also isn't likely to see the field much in the short term with Atlanta, as the team already boasts Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier as options in the backfield.

The Chargers selected Vidal in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 181st overall.

After a litany of RBs went off the board in both the fourth and fifth round, Vidal represents one of the few remaining backs capable of carving out a sizable role in an offense, and he couldn't have landed in a better situation than Los Angeles. While both Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins!(knee), if healthy, form a reliable duo, Vidal was a true workhorse for Troy over the past three seasons, registering 3,494 rushing yards including a Sun Belt-leading 1,661 last season. At 5-foot-8, 213 pounds, Vidal's stout frame and supreme balance mask what was a fine, but not stellar, 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. The 22-year-old doesn't have the prospect profile of someone like Isaiah Spiller, but it'd be a surprise at this point if Vidal doesn't at minimum push for one of the final roster spots, and possibly replace the disappointing 2022 fourth-rounder Spiller down the road.

The Jets selected Davis in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 173rd overall.

Davis becomes the second running back drafted by the Jets during Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft and joins presumed top backup Israel Abanikanda as the second running back drafted by the team in the fifth round in consecutive years. Davis was the catalyst for South Dakota State's back-to-back national championship stretch, tallying 3,029 combined yards on the ground and 33 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He doesn't provide much in the passing game, and it's unclear if his 4.57 speed will translate to the NFL level, but the 22-year-old is at least an intriguing candidate to push for snaps in a loaded Jets backfield.