NFL Player News

The Cowboys signed Davis to a reserve/future contract Wednesday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Davis spent the entirety of the 2023 season on Dallas' practice squad, getting called up for three games. He played zero offensive snaps but saw 47 on special teams. Both Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle are scheduled to hit free agency in March.

Jones (knee/finger) was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice.

Jones has played in five straight games since missing Weeks 12 through 14 with a knee injury, including four in a row with at least 20 carries and 111 rushing yards. The Packers continue to limit his practice participation, but Jones' two largest snap shares of the season came in the past two games, and he should be busy once again in this Saturday's divisional-round playoff game at San Francisco.

Edmonds was a non-participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice due to a toe injury, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Edmonds had no fewer than five touches and no more than 10 in each of Tampa Bay's last four games, including a 32-9 win over Philadelphia in the wild-card round. If Edmonds were to miss Sunday's divisional-round game against Detroit, it might mean more playing time for starter Rachaad White and likely would leave Sean Tucker as the backup running back.

McLaughlin (head) had 76 carries for 410 yards and one touchdown to go with 31 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns while appearing in all 17 of the Broncos' games during his rookie season.

Carving out playing time wasn't easy in a backfield that also included Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine, but the undrafted McLaughlin racked up at least six touches in 11 of his last 14 games and was on his way to reaching that benchmark again in Week 18 before a head injury knocked him out of the season-ending loss to the Raiders. McLaughlin led the team in yards per carry (5.4), and his strong rookie season could earn him a larger role in 2024 after he recovers from the head injury.

Strong (back) had 63 carries for 291 yards and one touchdown to go with five catches for 47 yards on eight targets while appearing in all 17 regular-season games.

Strong spent his rookie season with the Patriots in 2022 but was traded to the Browns in August. Nick Chubb's season-ending knee injury opened up an opportunity, but the Browns promoted Jerome Ford to the top of the depth chart and re-signed Kareem Hunt, leaving Strong in a little-used third-string role. Chubb is expected to be recovered by the start of the 2024 season, and Ford remains on hand as well, so Strong's usage isn't projected to increase moving forward. On a positive note, the back injury that kept Strong from playing in the team's wild-card round loss to Houston last weekend isn't expected to affect his availability moving forward.

Dillon (neck/thumb) remained sidelined at practice Wednesday, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Dillon, who was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate, thus has one more chance to upgrade his participation in practice ahead of Saturday's divisional round contest against the 49ers. If Dillon -- who last suited up in Week 17 -- remains sidelined this weekend, Emanuel Wilson and Patrick Taylor would be next up for backfield snaps that don't go to starter Aaron Jones.

Laird reverted to Tampa Bay's practice squad Tuesday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Laird was elevated from the practice squad Monday but was left inactive for Tampa Bay's 32-9 win over the Eagles in the wild-card round. With Rachaad White, Chase Edmonds and Sean Tucker healthy, Laird is unlikely to crack the game-day roster for the divisional round Sunday in Detroit.

Head coach Sean McVay said that Williams underwent a successful procedure Tuesday to repair a broken bone in his hand, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

Williams, who suffered the injury in this past Sunday's 24-23 wild-card round loss to the Lions, will have plenty of time to recover before the Rams take the field again in OTAs this coming spring. Heading into the start of the 2023 season, Williams was expected to work behind Cam Akers in the team's backfield. However, by Week 2, Williams moved into a starting role that resulted in the 2022 fifth-round pick logging 228 carries for 1,144 yard and 12 touchdowns to go along with 32 catches (on 48 targets) for 206 yards and three more scores in 12 regular-season games. Looking ahead to the 2024 season, Williams projects to remain the Rams' lead back, though Los Angeles could look to add more viable competition through the draft and/or free agency. Beyond Williams, 2023 sixth-round pick Zach Evans is the only Rams running back currently under contract for the upcoming season, as Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman are slated for exclusive-rights free agency and unrestricted free agency, respectively.

Patterson finished the 2023 campaign with 50 rushing attempts for 181 yards and caught nine of 12 targets for 38 receiving yards and a touchdown in 14 appearances. He also totaled 153 kick-return yards.

A thigh injury cost Patterson the first three games of 2023, and he struggled to carve out a role after that, resulting in his worst statistical campaign since 2015. After a breakout in 2021, the veteran scored a career-high eight rushing touchdowns in 2022, but he was firmly planted behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier on the depth chart this season. Patterson is entering back-to-back void years on his contract, and it remains to be seen if he'll stick in Atlanta for his age-33 season. Arthur Smith has been fired, and the Falcons have yet to replace him, so Patterson's standing with the franchise is just one of numerous questions surrounding the team heading into the offseason.

Allgeier finished the 2023 campaign with 186 rushing attempts for 683 yards and four touchdowns and caught 18 of 23 targets for 193 yards and an additional score over 17 appearances.

After totaling 226 touches for 1,174 yards in 16 games as a rookie, Allgeier recorded 204 touches for 876 yards across 17 appearances in Year 2. Allgeier's drop in production was expected after the addition of 2023 first-round pick Bijan Robinson, but it wasn't necessarily due to a reduced role on offense. The 2022 fifth-round draft pick simply struggled to replicate the 4.9 yards per carry he generated last season and posted a modest 3.7 mark in 2023. It's unclear if Cordarrelle Patterson will return next season, but Robinson and Allgeier should be back at the top of Atlanta's running back depth chart in 2024, barring a major splash in free agency. However, it's also worth noting that head coach Arthur Smith has been fired, so the Falcons' run-heavy offense may be overhauled depending on whom gets hired as his replacement.