NFL Player News
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Christian McCaffrey RB | SF
49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Honored before Super Bowl
McCaffrey was named the Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Even by his own lofty standards, McCaffrey had an incredible season, racking up a career-high 21 total touchdowns while also totaling 2,023 yards from scrimmage across 16 games. His ultimate goal still lies ahead with the 49ers set to square off against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday, and he's chipped in an additional four scores across two postseason contests.
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Trayveon Williams RB | CLE
Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Doesn't see much action
Williams played in all 17 regular-season games for the Bengals in 2023 but recorded only 15 carries for 69 yards and no touchdowns and seven catches for 10 yards and no scores.
The running back will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Williams signed a one-year deal with the Bengals before the 2023 campaign. The 2019 sixth-round pick has not yet scored a TD in five NFL seasons, all with Cincinnati.
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Jerick McKinnon RB | KC
Chiefs' Jerick McKinnon: Another limited session
McKinnon (groin) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
McKinnon is recovering from sports hernia surgery that he underwent in early January and now has managed to turn in two capped practices ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl matchup against the 49ers. It has been previously reported that he's unlikely to suit up for the contest, though an upgrade to a full session Friday could change his outlook. Without McKinnon in the mix, Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) will handle the bulk of the work out of the backfield this weekend.
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Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB | KC
Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Comes down with illness
Edwards-Helaire practiced in a limited capacity Thursday due to an illness.
Isiah Pacheco (toe/ankle), the Chiefs' top running back, has been operating without practice restrictions this week, but reserve RB Jerick McKinnon (groin), who was designated to return from IR on Saturday, has been limited, and Edwards-Helaire joined him in that regard Thursday. As such, the situation behind Pacheco is up in the air just three days before Super Bowl LVIII versus the 49ers, with La'Mical Perine currently the healthy backfield option on the active roster.
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Jerick McKinnon RB | KC
Chiefs' Jerick McKinnon: Limited in practice Wednesday
McKinnon (groin) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
McKinnon was designated to return from injured reserve last week after completing his recovery from sports hernia surgery and a procedure to address a fractured pelvis. He's eligible to play in Sunday's Super Bowl matchup with the 49ers, but head coach Andy Reid has already stated that McKinnon is unlikely to be cleared in time for that contest. Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire should continue to handle backfield duties for the Chiefs this weekend.
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Jerick McKinnon RB | KC
Chiefs' Jerick McKinnon: Not looking good for Super Bowl
McKinnon (sports hernia) hasn't been practicing this week, with Kansas City coach Andy Reid saying Tuesday that the running back is unlikely to play in the Super Bowl, NFL.coms Kevin Patra reports.
The team designated the 31-year-old running back to return from injured reserve Saturday, creating some hope that he'd be available against the 49ers this coming Sunday. That now sounds like a long shot. The snaps that went to McKinnon earlier this season have been divided between Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire in recent weeks.
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Mohamed Ibrahim RB | MIN
Mohamed Ibrahim: Heads to free agency
Ibrahim's practice-squad contract with the Lions expired Monday, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.
Ibrahim was placed on the Lions' practice squad injured list in October due to a hip issue. He appeared in one game for Detroit during the 2023 campaign, logging six snaps on special teams.
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Latavius Murray RB | BUF
Bills' Latavius Murray: Tails off at season's end
Murray finished the season with 79 carries for 300 yards and two touchdowns plus 17 catches (on 22 targets) for 119 yards in 16 regular-season games.
Murray saw some run as the No. 2 back for a good stretch of the season, and it led to some nice results, with him peaking on a 6-68-1 line in Week 12. After the team's bye in Week 13, however, Murray saw only nine carries the entire remainder of the season. While he suited up in the playoffs, he didn't see a single carry. Ty Johnson clearly passed Murray in the pecking order for the stretch run. Murray turned 34 last month, and while he still ran with some power and proved to be a nice veteran asset for the Bills as an complement to James Cook, he probably doesn't have much more football left in his fine career.
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Jerick McKinnon RB | KC
Chiefs' Jerick McKinnon: Cleared to practice
McKinnon (sports hernia/pelvis) was designated to return from injured reserve Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
McKinnon appeared to be unlikely to play at any point during Kansas City's playoff run after he was placed on IR on Dec. 24 before undergoing sports hernia surgery and another procedure to repair a fractured pelvis, but he's seemingly made quicker progress than anticipated. The veteran running back was helped by the fact that the Chiefs advanced to the Super Bowl, and if McKinnon can resume practicing during the upcoming week without any discomfort, he could have an outside chance at being available for the Feb. 11 matchup with the 49ers. Even if McKinnon demonstrates enough progress and is added back to the 53-man roster ahead of the Super Bowl, he would likely be in store for little more than a light backup role behind Isiah Pacheco, who has handled a three-down workload thus far in the postseason. Rather than Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire would be more at risk of losing snaps if McKinnon is activated for the Super Bowl.
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Emari Demercado RB | KC
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Nets 79 touches as rookie
Demercado tallied 284 yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries and hauled in 21 of 30 targets for 119 yards in 14 regular-season games in 2023.
The undrafted rookie had a moment in the spotlight from Weeks 5-8, a span in which he earned two starts in place of an injured James Conner and netted 228 yards from scrimmage and one TD on 52 touches. Otherwise, Conner dominated the Cardinals backfield, and midseason waiver-wire pickup Michael Carter even surpassed Demercado on the RB depth chart over the final six outings of the season. All of Conner, Carter and Demercado will be back in 2024, so Demercado again won't be higher than No. 2 or 3 at the position as the roster currently stands.