NFL Player News

Carter compiled 30 carries for 187 yards and 24 catches (on 31 targets) for 101 yards and one touchdown in 15 games between the Jets and Cardinals during the 2023 season.

After racking up 338 touches in 30 contests for the Jets to begin his career, the 2021 sixth-round pick took a back seat to Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook in New York to kick off this past campaign. Carter subsequently was cut loose by the Jets after Week 10 and promptly was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals. From that point on, he was the Arizona running back called on most behind starter James Conner, averaging a healthy 6.8 yards on 22 rushes. Carter has one year remaining on his rookie contract, so he and Emari Demercado likely will serve as the team's top reserve RBs in 2024.

Pacheco (toe/ankle) was limited at Friday's practice but doesn't have an injury designation after the first week of prep for Super Bowl LVIII against the 49ers.

Prior to the AFC Championship Game this past Sunday, Pacheco managed just one capped session due to toe and ankle injuries but eventually was deemed active for that contest, earning 28 touches for 82 yards from scrimmage and a rushing TD in a 17-10 win at Baltimore. He remained on the Chiefs' practice report this week, being listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimate before ending it with back-to-back limited sessions. Pacheco has one more week to get ready for this year's Super Bowl, so even if he has restrictions on his on-field work next week, he appears set to serve as Kansas City's primary option on the ground on Sunday, Feb. 11.

Dillon (thumb/neck) tallied 178 carries for 613 yards and two touchdowns while adding 22 receptions for 223 yards over 15 games in the 2023 season.

Dillon saw action in Green Bay's first 14 games of the season, but a pair of injuries prevented him from playing in two of the team's last four regular-season games as well as both of its postseason contests. Dillon will be a free agent this offseason, and the Packers could try to bring him back. However, after Dillon averaged 5.3 YPC as a rookie, that number dipped each of the last three seasons and bottomed out at 3.4 in 2023; consequently, the team could well opt to go in a different direction.

Pierce finished the 2023 campaign with 145 carries for 416 yards and two touchdowns along with 13 receptions (17 targets) for 101 receiving yards over 14 regular-season games.

A promising rookie in 2022, Pierce lost the starting job to Devin Singletary and fell to third on the depth chart by the season's end. Including the two postseason games, Pierce had 19 carries for 34 yards over the Texans' final seven contests. He suffered a midseason ankle injury, but the main reason for his downfall was an inability to adjust to a running scheme installed under the new coaching regime. Pierce enters the offseason as the only running back under contract, but the Texans are expected to add competition. That could be re-signing Singletary or adding another high-profile back in free agency or the draft.

Pacheco (toe/ankle) was a limited participant in practice Thursday.

He was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated report but then managed to take part in Kansas City's first actual practice ahead of the Super Bowl. Pacheco handled 80 percent snap share and 28 touches in the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore, leaving little doubt he'll be ready for a matchup with the 49ers next Sunday.

Pacheco (ankle/toe) appears to be practicing Thursday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Pacheco was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimate, but there isn't any real concern about the running back's availability for the Super Bowl after he played through the same toe and ankle injuries in a 17-10 win over the Ravens this past Sunday. In the process, Pacheco took 80 percent of Kansas City's snaps on offense and accounted for 28 of the team's 31 backfield touches.

Tucker was active for 11 regular-season games in the 2023 season, rushing 15 times for 23 yards and bringing in both his targets for nine yards.

Though he wasn't chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft, Tucker parlayed a productive college career at Syracuse that he capped off with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons into a three-year deal with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. After an impressive summer showing, Tucker earned his way onto the 53-man roster. However, Tucker was unsurprisingly used sparingly once the regular season began, as three-down lead back Rachaad White enjoyed good health throughout the campaign. Tucker recorded all his touches from scrimmage in the first three weeks of the season while Chase Edmonds was on injured reserve with a knee injury, and the former logged just one Week 10 snap on offense the rest of the season. Tucker was a healthy inactive from Week 15 through the Buccaneers' two-game postseason run, but as he enters the second season in Tampa Bay, he should have a chance to compete for the No. 2 role. Edmonds is a pending free agent and may not be retained.

Pacheco (toe/ankle) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

The Chiefs didn't actually practice three days after beating Baltimore to advance to the Super Bowl. Pacheco took 28 touches in the AFC Championship Game and didn't appear to aggravate either of his injuries, so he should be fine for the Super Bowl against San Francisco next Sunday. He'll likely continue to dominate the snaps and touches out of the Kansas City backfield.

Hill finished the 2023 regular season with career highs for carries (84), rushing yards (387), rushing touchdowns (three), catches (28), receiving yards (206) and receiving touchdowns (one).

Hill was Baltimore's running back of choice for obvious passing situations for most of the season, though rookie Keaton Mitchell (knee) took some of that work away from early November to mid-December before suffering an ACL tear. The fifth-year back also ended up with a larger-than-expected role in the rushing game, especially early in the season after J.K. Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles' tendon Week 1. The two-year, $4.5 million contract Hill signed in March ended up working out well for the Ravens, as he played nearly as many snaps on offense (436) as in his first four NFL seasons combined (554). Hill could play more on special teams and less on offense in 2024, though that's far from a certainty with both Dobbins and Gus Edwards scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Hill is due for a non-guaranteed $2 million base salary and $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses for the second and final season of his contract.

Mitchell had four carries for seven yards and a touchdown Sunday in the 49ers' 34-31 win over the Lions in the NFC Championship Game.

Mitchell punched in a three-yard run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, making the most of his minor role on the day. The 25-year-old finished with just six snaps on offense, with most of his reps coming late in the game when starting running back Christian McCaffrey exited in the fourth quarter after coming just a few yards short of his third rushing touchdown of the contest. McCaffrey's departure appeared to the result of him landing hard on his head, but with the 49ers offering no indication that the 27-year-old has entered concussion protocol, he should shoulder a heavy workload out of the backfield against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. As such, Mitchell should be viewed as little more than a low-end DFS option, despite provided a touchdown run in the NFC Championship Game.