NFL Player News

Wilson is part of a crowded backfield alongside Raheem Mostert, De'Von Achane and rookie fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright, Omar Kelly of The Miami Herald reports.

Wilson may be a favorite of coach Mike McDaniel, but the 28-year-old nonetheless faces a difficult path to earning a roster spot if the three aforementioned RBs stay healthy this summer. With those three being roster locks, the Dolphins may end up having Wilson, Salvon Ahmed and Chris Brooks competing for one or two spots on the practice squad. Wilson agreed to a contract restructure in March, dropping his base salary to $1.12 million while guaranteeing him $400,000, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Penny plans to sign with the Panthers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Penny's signing is expected to become official after the conclusion of Carolina's rookie minicamp, which ends May 12. The 2018 first-rounder is coming off a forgettable season with Philadelphia, where he was a healthy scratch for all but three contests and spent most of the year operating as the team's fourth running back. With the Panthers, Penny is in line to join a crowded backfield that includes rookie second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (ACL), who is expected to be ready for training camp, along with veterans Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.

Kamara (ankle) is in a strong position to maintain his role in New Orleans' offense after the team did not pick a running back in the 2024 NFL Draft, instead signing Jacob Kibodi as an undrafted free agent.

The Saints added two running backs by this point of last offseason, bringing in veteran free agent Jamaal Williams and third-round pick Kendre Miller for depth behind Kamara. The latter running back still shouldered the majority of work out of the backfield with 180 carries for 694 yards and five touchdowns. He also played a significant role in the passing game with 75 receptions for 466 yards. This versatility speaks to Kamara's importance in what was an extremely limited offense. Williams unsurprisingly played much more sparingly as a short-yardage back, and he should function in a similar role in 2024. Taysom Hill has always been used as a Swiss Army Knife who, at times, operates as a rushing quarterback out of the shotgun. However, Hill's usage has never threatened Kamara's production in the past. Instead, his biggest obstacles to seeing another heavy workload in 2024 would be whether or not Miller starts to see more opportunities or if Kamara continues to struggle with injuries, as he did miss the 2023 season finale with a sprained ankle. The Saints added offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which could help keep defenders off Kamara while improving the team's ground game as a whole.

Ali (biceps) is participating in some of the Ravens' minicamp drills and is expected to be fully recovered ahead of training camp, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The rookie fifth-round pick ruptured his biceps tendon at the Senior Bowl back in late January, but the Marshall product is expected to be fully recovered ahead of Baltimore's training camp in August. Ali is poised to compete for a pivotal role in the backfield, as J.K. Dobbins (Achilles) and Gus Edwards are now both with the Chargers and Keaton Mitchell (knee) is still recovering after tearing his ACL in December.

Head coach John Harbaugh indicated Saturday that he expects Ali (biceps) to be good to go in time for training camp, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Ali ruptured his biceps tendon at the Senior Bowl, but he was still selected by the Ravens in the fifth round of this year's draft. The intriguing prospect had multiple 1,000-yard seasons with Marshall, but he also missed nearly the entire 2022 campaign due to an MCL injury. When healthy, he projects to compete for a role providing depth in Baltimore's backfield behind Derrick Henry.

The Eagles signed Milton on Friday, Owen Boyle of the team's official site reports.

Being passed over in the draft could not stop Milton from becoming the latest installment in Philadelphia's love affair with former Georgia Bulldogs. He carries a frame that could sustain rushing volume at the next level, but he lacks top-end speed and is unproven as a pass catcher.

Gray is in good position to handle a bigger role in his second NFL season, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

New lead back Devin Singletary is unlikely to dominate backfield snaps the way Saquon Barkley did last season, leaving more work on the table for Gray and other backups. A 2023 fifth-round pick, Gray played in 13 games as a rookie, taking 23 touches for 70 yards on 65 snaps. Competition for backup roles behind Singletary doesn't appear especially fierce in New York, with Gray joined by fifth-round rookie Tyrone Tracy, veteran journeyman Deon Jackson, fourth-year pro Gary Brightwell and a couple of young UDFAs (Jashaun Corbin, Dante Miller).

GM Nick Caserio said Tuesday that he expects Pierce to be "a big part" of the Houston offense this upcoming season, Tyler Milner of Sports Radio 610 reports.

The 2022 fourth-round pick ran for 939 yards in 13 games his rookie season but then managed just 416 yards in 14 games last year. Pierce nosedived from 4.3 YPC to 2.9, losing his starting job to Devin Singletary in the process. Singletary is with the Giants now, but Pierce nonetheless appear destined for a backup role after the Texans traded for Joe Mixon and gave him an extension. The team then waited until the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft to select a running back, taking a player (Louisville's Jawhar Jordan) who six months older than Pierce and might only be used as a kick return specialist. In other words, Pierce has a nice opportunity to keep the second spot on the depth chart despite his subpar performance last season, though Dare Ogunbowale remains a threat to get playing time in obvious pass situations.

The Steelers declined their 2025 option on Harris' contract, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise after Harris has posted three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since being selected 24th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Most impressively, Harris has never missed a game at a position that sees so many injuries. He's been a model of toughness and durability, even if the stats haven't particularly jumped off the page with a career 3.9 yards-per-carry average. Harris, however, did rush for a career-best eight touchdowns last season, averaging a three year-best 4.1 yards per carry. Harris is now tentatively schedule to hit free agency next March, though Adam Schefter of ESPN notes that the Steelers aren't ruling out reaching a deal with the 26-year-old running back before then.

With D'Andre Swift signed this offseason and Roschon Johnson entering his second season, Herbert is viewed as potential trade bait, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Herbert is entering the final year of his rookie deal that is set to pay him a non-guaranteed $1.055 million salary, and the coaching staff is high on Johnson headed into his second season after he was taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft last year. Swift inked a three-year, $24 million deal in March. After leading the NFL averaging 5.7 yards per carry in 2022, Herbert battled ankle and back issues last year, missing five games on injured reserve in the middle of the season. Travis Homer is also on the roster as a special teams ace. Herbert doesn't play special teams.