NFL Player News

Brown bumps up to the No. 2 spot on Cincinnati's depth chart behind Zack Moss, with Joe Mixon in line to be traded to the Texans, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports.

Brown earned a larger role in Cincinnati's offense during the second half of his rookie season, securing the No. 2 gig for himself during the final six games of the campaign, but he ended the year with just 44 carries for 179 yards, plus 14 catches for 156 yards and a score. Though Moss is coming off an impressive season in Indianapolis, Brown could offer him real competition for touches, depending on what other additions the Bengals make to the running back depth chart.

Dallas is set to sign a contract with the Cardinals, Jordan Schultz of BleacherReport.com reports.

Dallas will stay in the NFC West after a four-year start to his career in Seattle. The 25-year-old is better known for his work as a return man than in the backfield and likely will be working to hold down return duties in Arizona.

White is situated as Las Vegas' top running back entering the new league year, with Josh Jacobs slated to ink a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

White is facing real opportunity atop the Raiders' depth chart after an impressive end to the 2023 campaign in which he averaged 114.3 yards from scrimmage per game across the team's last four contests, as Jacobs was sidelined. While Las Vegas still could add significant backfield competition via free agency or the 2024 NFL Draft, White currently has few established names behind him aside from special-teams ace Ameer Abdullah, whom the Raiders opted to re-sign. White's final numbers across 17 regular-season appearances in 2023 came to just 104 rushes for 451 yards and one touchdown, plus 15 catches for 98 yards on 19 targets, but the 2022 fourth-round pick has a clear path to a significantly increased workload looking ahead to the 2024 campaign.

Gainwell is poised to operate as the backup to Saquon Barkley, who slated to sign a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

Gainwell looks set to remain Philadelphia's No. 2 running back, but instead of backing up D'Andre Swift (who is set to join the Bears on a three-year, $24 million contract), he'll look to complement an established, true three-down workhorse in Barkley. That could spell less opportunities for offensive touches for Gainwell, who tallied career-high marks with 84 carries for 364 yards and two scores in 2023, but he should retain quality value as an insurance option behind Barkley. Gainwell's versatility makes him a solid depth option for Philadelphia, though the team could still add further reserves to the backfield.

Johnson is re-signing with the Jaguars on a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Johnson operated as the team's No. 3 running back for the majority of last season, seeing limited opportunities behind Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. It likely didn't help that the South Florida product averaged just 2.6 yards per carry on 41 attempts across his 17 appearances. He'll likely head into the Jaguars' offseason program working to hold onto his third-string role in 2024.

Henry is signing a two-year contract with the Ravens, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It's a match that's been rumored all offseason, after the Ravens infamously attempted just six RB carries in an AFC Championship Game loss to Kansas City. For Henry, it'll be the first change of scenery in his pro career, following an eight-year stint with the Titans that featured five 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including three over 1,500 and one over 2,000. He led the league with 280 carries in 2023 and hit pay dirt 12 times, though he averaged a career-low 4.17 yards per attempt while ceding nearly half of Tennessee's backfield snaps to rookie Tyjae Spears. There's reason to believe the 30-year-old's YPC mark will rebound with the move to Baltimore, where he'll have superior QB play and likely a better offensive line. Henry's contract reportedly has a base value of $16 million over two years, with $9 million guaranteed and then another $4 million available via incentives.

Spears faces a new backfield situation that's set to add Tony Pollard via a three-year, $24 million contract, while Derek Henry remains slated for free agency, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

Spears, a 2023 third-round pick, is coming off a strong rookie season in which he compiled 838 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns, showcasing versatility and explosiveness despite only getting one chance to handle double-digit carries in a game. The Titans' decision to sign Pollard appears to simultaneously signal the end of Henry's era with the team. Spears could have an easier path to genuinely competing for touches with Pollard, whereas Henry was firmly entrenched as a true lead back, and both players profile similarly. Spears and Pollard are each versatile and elusive runners, which will allow Tennessee's offense to swap both players off the field relatively freely. Spears and Pollard look the part of a solid 1-2 punch, though for fantasy purposes it's possible they could both limit each other from attaining a true workhorse workload.

Hines (knee) is slated to sign a one-year deal with the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The report indicates that Hines' deal is worth up to $3.5 million. The 27-year-old is attempting to bounce back from a left ACL injury that he sustained last July and which cost him the entire 2023 season. When healthy, Hines should provide the Browns backfield with an experienced pass-catching/change-of-pace option while also adding utility as a kick returner.

Robinson is slated to compete for backfield work with veteran Austin Ekeler, whom the Commanders are set to sign to a two-year contract, Kris Rhim of ESPN reports.

Robinson will also lose one form of competition with Antonio Gibson set to sign with the Patriots, but it's seems clear that Washington felt the need to bring in an established pass catcher out of the backfield. Ekeler is coming off the worst season of his career in terms of efficiency, though he did deal with a high-ankle sprain and questionable blocking. Robinson, on the other hand, improved his YPC to 4.1 after managing only 3.9 as a rookie, finishing with 733 rushing yards and five scores across 15 games, in addition to a respectable 36-368-4 receiving line. New offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could envision Gibson as the preferred option for between-the-tackles work and Ekeler as the go-to-receiving back, but training camp could also go a long way in determining the eventual backfield split.

The Bengals are slated to trade Mixon to the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Previous reports indicated that Cincinnati intended to release Mixon, but instead the running back is in line to be dealt to Houston for a conditional seventh-round pick, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. The 27-year-old will thus fill the void created by the departure of Devin Singletary and is on track to lead a Texans backfield that also includes Dameon Pierce. In 17 regular-season games with the Bengals in 2023, Mixon had 257 carries for 1,034 yards and nine TDs to go along with 52 catches for 376 yards and three more scores.