NFL Player News

Chandler is projected to serve as the Vikings' top running back after Alexander Mattison was released Thursday, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Mattison accounted for 180 carries in 2023, while Chandler played a complementary role with 102. Chandler showed flashes of brilliance with the ball in his hands, tallying three rushes of over 20 yards while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. For now, it appears that Chandler will be set for a bigger role in 2024, though the Vikings will almost certainly add to their backfield either through the draft or free agency.

The Vikings have informed Mattison that they will be releasing him, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Mattison took over as the primary running back in Minnesota after Dalvin Cook was released last offseason. He had a good season from a volume perspective, logging a career-best 180 carries while also racking up 30 receptions. However, Mattison lacked explosiveness, which was evident from the fact that he had just one rush over 20 yards. He'll likely be looking for a short-term deal as a complementary rusher this offseason.

GM Eric DeCosta said Tuesday that the Ravens and Edwards are already discussing a new contract, Clifton Brown and Ryan Mink of the team's official website report.

Edwards can become a free agent but might end up re-signing before that happens. If so, it wouldn't necessarily prevent the Ravens from signing one of the big-name RBs available in free agency, though it would at least marginally decrease the odds of that happening. The team also has Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell (torn ACL) under contract for 2024, though the former mostly played special teams before last season and the latter might not be ready for Week 1. DeCosta also suggested that he'd still have interest in re-signing J.K. Dobbins, who is rehabbing an Achilles' tear after playing only nine games combined the past three seasons.

Dobbins (Achilles) posted a video Thursday that shows him running on turf and then a treadmill.

Meanwhile, GM Eric DeCosta told reporters Tuesday that the Ravens plan to discuss new contracts with both Dobbins and Gus Edwards. The former is still rehabbing the Achilles' tear that ended his 2023 campaign after Week 1, while the latter is nearly four years older but just set career highs for carries (198), rushing yards (810) and rushing TDs (13). Edwards also averaged a career low 4.1 YPC, to be fair, after running for 5.0 or better in each of his previous NFL seasons. The rumor mill connects Baltimore with big-name RBs scheduled for agency like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, but DeCosta made sure to mention Dobbins, Edwards, Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell (torn ACL), with the latter two still under contract in Baltimore. Re-signing Dobbins or Edwards wouldn't necessarily preclude adding a bigger name, particularly in Dobbins' case given the poor track record of RBs coming back from Achilles injuries and the accompanying likelihood he'll have to settle for a contract without much guaranteed money. The 2020 second-round pick has played nine games since his rookie season, losing all of 2021 to an ACL tear and half of 2022 to ensuing issues with the same knee.

The Chargers don't plan to give Ekeler a franchise tag, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Ekeler was never a serious candidate for the tag, given the Chargers' hesitance to hand him big contracts in the past and his downturn in production during the 2023 season. He'll hope to convince other teams that his high-ankle sprain was a big part of the problem in 2023, along with general dysfunction in Los Angeles that made it difficult to find running lanes and gain yards. Ekeler seems like a questionable fit under new Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman -- best known for powerful running games -- but a return to Los Angeles can't entirely be ruled out at this juncture. If he does end up signing elsewhere, it's hard to say whether Ekeler will be deployed as a lead back or as more of a passing-down guy in a timeshare.

Henry doesn't seem likely to stay with the Titans, though GM Ran Carthon suggested Tuesday that the team will at least have conversations about re-signing the running back, ESPN's Turron Davenport reports.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that none of the big-name RBs eligible for free agency in March are expected to receive franchise tags, including Henry. New Titans coach Brian Callahan has expressed interest in re-signing the back, but Henry's stated emphasis on winning a Super Bowl could cause him to look elsewhere than Tennessee.

GM Tom Telesco said Tuesday that the Raiders will make an effort to re-sign Jacobs (quadriceps) even though the running back isn't expected to get the franchise tag, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports. "We're going to explore pretty hard and see if we can bring [Jacobs] back," said Telesco.

Telesco all but confirmed a recent Adam Schefter report suggesting Jacobs wouldn't get tagged. That's no surprise given the $14.15 million salary the tag would carry, combined with Jacobs' disappointing 2023 campaign, but it doesn't mean the Raiders aren't interested in bring him back on a cheaper deal. What's less clear is if the team will make a serious effort to re-sign him before free agency or simply let him test the market.

The Cowboys aren't expected to use the franchise tag on Pollard and likely will allow him to test free agency, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter is reporting the same thing about Raiders RB Josh Jacobs and Giants RB Saquon Barkley, both of whom received franchise tags last offseason (just like Pollard). Each of the three suffered a statistical decline from 2022 to 2023, especially in terms of yards per carry, though Pollard did better late in the season and ultimately snuck over 1,000 rushing yards for the year. Schefter also reports that RBs Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler will be allowed to test free agency, with a deep class at the position potentially harming all of them when it comes to salary negotiations.

Jacobs (quadriceps) isn't likely to receive a franchise tag from the Raiders and figures to become a free agent in March, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It would cost the Raiders about $14.15 million to tag Jacobs for a second straight offseason, and this time he's coming off a disappointing, injury-shorted year rather than a career-best breakout campaign. After taking 340 carries for a league-high 1,653 yards (4.9 YPC) in 2022, the 223-pound RB dropped to 233 carries for 805 yards (3.5 YPC) in 2023 before missing the final four games with a quad injury. Jacobs still figures to command starter money when he hits free agency a month after his 26th birthday, but it won't compare to what he would've gotten on the open market last offseason if the Raiders hadn't tagged him. It doesn't help that the upcoming free-agent class is a strong one for RBs, with other potential options including Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, D'Andre Swift and Devin Singletary.

The Giants will discuss a new contract with Barkley but aren't expected to use their franchise tag on him, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter reports that there are no teams planning to use tags on RBs, including the three -- Giants (Barkley), Raiders (Josh Jacobs) and Cowboys (Tony Pollard) -- that did so last offseason. In addition to those three, the 2024 free-agent class includes six other RBs that got at least 200 touches this past season (Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, D'Andre Swift, Devin Singletary, Ezekiel Elliott and Gus Edwards). Some of those players may re-sign with their current teams before the start of the new league year, but most figure to hit the open market. It would cost the Giants about $12.1 million to tag Barkley for a second straight year.