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  • Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Closes season with quiet showing

    Demercado rushed twice for 29 yards and caught his lone target for 28 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams. He finished the season with 44 rushes for 312 yards, adding 13 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets across 13 games.

    Demercado had an underwhelming 2025 campaign despite being given more opportunities than expected when both James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) were lost early in the season. The third-year running back shared backfield duties with Michael Carter and Bam Knight for most of the season, limiting his fantasy production. Demercado will enter the 2026 offseason as a restricted free agent, giving the Cardinals the opportunity to match any potential offers from other teams in free agency. With Knight also set to become a restricted free agent and Carter becoming an unrestricted free agent, it remains to be seen how this backfield will shake out and if Demercado will be back with the team next season.

  • Michael Carter RB | ARI

    Cardinals' Michael Carter: Minimal production in season finale

    Carter rushed seven times for 18 yards, adding three catches for 21 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams. He finished the season with 92 rushes for 333 yards and one touchdown, adding 33 receptions for 267 yards on 45 targets.

    Despite an uneven 2025 campaign, Carter finished the season as the team leader in carries, rushing yards, targets, receptions and receiving yards. The 26-year-old was forced into a bigger role in the backfield when teammates James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) were lost early in the season. Alongside Emari Demercado and Bam Knight, Carter handled backfield duties for a significant part of the season, allowing him to show off his abilities ahead of the 2026 offseason, in which he will become an unrestricted free agent. Though it is unclear if he'll be back with Arizona, the North Carolina product has likely done enough to garner interest from teams around the NFL as a versatile rotational player out of the backfield.

  • Sean Tucker RB | TB

    Buccaneers' Sean Tucker: Quiet finish on offense

    Tucker rushed four times for minus-4 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He also returned three kickoffs for 57 yards.

    Despite his forgettable finish to the season, Tucker rushed for a career-high 320 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 carries while adding an 8-34-1 receiving line and a career-high 597 kickoff return yards across 17 games. He logged only 36 more rush attempts than in 2024 despite the fact that Bucky Irving missed seven games due to foot and shoulder injuries. However, Tucker became a preferred red-zone option down the stretch with 24 touches. He will presumably have an inside track on the No. 2 role in the backfield next season with Rachaad White expected to depart in free agency.

  • Zavier Scott RB | MIN

    Vikings' Zavier Scott: Inefficient on ground as rookie

    Scott concluded the 2025-26 season with 32 carries for 114 yards and no touchdowns along with 14 catches on 16 targets for 98 yards and a touchdown over 16 games.

    Scott took on a significant role early in the campaign when starting RB Aaron Jones missed time due to a hamstring injury. While Scott worked behind Jordan Mason and logged double-digit offensive snaps Weeks 3 to 5, he didn't do much with the opportunity, tallying a combined 49 rushing yards on 15 totes. He did add 63 yards on seven receptions during that span, but most of his receiving output came in Week 4, when he posted a 6-43-1 line versus Pittsburgh. Overall, Scott registered a meager 3.6 yards per carry as a rusher, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his ability to ascend to a lead back. It's still impressive that Scott was able to see a decent amount of work after going undrafted, and he showed acumen as a pass catcher with 14 grabs on 16 targets, but he figures to remain in a depth role in 2026 if he returns to Minnesota (he'll be a restricted free agent this offseason).

  • Cowboys' Israel Abanikanda: Inks reserve/future deal with DAL

    Dallas signed Abanikanda to a reserve/future contract Tuesday.

    Abanikanda signed with the Cowboys' practice squad in November after he spent training camp and the preseason with Green Bay. A fifth-round pick by the Jets in 2023, Abanikanda hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since that rookie season.

  • Chiefs' ShunDerrick Powell: Finds work with Kansas City

    The Chiefs signed Powell to a reserve/future contract Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

    Undrafted out of Central Arkansas last April, Powell signed with the Eagles but was cut following the preseason after rushing 10 times for 23 yards and one touchdown across two exhibitions. He'll try to impress the coaching staff in Kansas City this offseason.

  • Chiefs' Dameon Pierce: Makes Week 18 appearance

    Pierce totaled four rushes for 10 yards during Sunday's 14-12 defeat versus the Raiders.

    Pierce signed on with the Chiefs' practice squad in late November, three days after being cut loose by the Texans. He was signed off the practice squad roster before Week 16 but remained inactive for both Weeks 16 and 17 before logging four carries for 10 yards in the season finale. The fourth-year running back should hit the open market again this offseason with hopes of earning a home on a 53-man roster somewhere next season.

  • Trevor Etienne RB | CAR

    Panthers' Trevor Etienne: Primary return man in rookie season

    Etienne rushed the ball 20 times for 94 yards and caught all three of his targets for 13 yards across 17 regular-season games in 2025. Additionally, he recorded 733 kickoff return yards and 163 punt return yards.

    The 2025 fourth-round pick from Georgia was buried behind Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard in the Panthers' backfield, so it's no surprise he didn't see much work on offense as a rookie. However, Etienne established himself as Carolina's top return man, finishing the regular season 19th in return yards in the NFL. While Dowdle is set to hit unrestricted free agency, the Panthers will still have Hubbard and 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (knee) under contract next season, so the backfield could remain crowded, but Etienne's special-teams value should at least keep him in the mix.

  • Owen Wright RB | TB

    Buccaneers' Owen Wright: Inks future deal with Tampa Bay

    The Buccaneers signed Wright to a reserve/future contract Monday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

    Wright was on and off of Tampa Bay's practice squad throughout the 2025 season, and he appeared in three contests, turning three carries into six yards while playing seven total offensive snaps. The running back will now have the chance to participate in the Buccaneers' offseason activities, and he'll look to compete for a reserve role behind Bucky Irving with top backup Rachaad White set to become a free agent.

  • Buccaneers' Josh Williams: Staying in Tampa Bay

    The Buccaneers signed Williams to a reserve/future contract Monday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

    The undrafted free agent out of LSU earned a spot on the Buccaneers' 53-man roster after a strong training camp. His rookie season was a bit tumultuous, as he missed time while in the league's concussion protocol before being served a six-game suspension by the NFL in mid-November for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy. He was waived by the Bucs on Dec. 29 before being signed to the practice squad one day later, and he'll stick around with Tampa Bay during offseason activities with the aim of cracking the team's active roster for a second straight year.

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