NFL Player News

Perine was waived by the Chiefs on Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Kansas City is parting ways with Perine after he rushed for 77 yards on 22 carries while adding three catches for 33 yards in 2023. The 2020 fourth-round draft pick of the Jets spent his first two seasons in New York. Perine will look to latch on with another team prior to training camp.

Harris' trainer said Friday the running back has dropped to around 235 pounds this offseason after playing at 242 during the 2023 season, and that he's increasingly motivated after the Steelers declined his fifth-year option, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Harris is heading into the final season of his rookie deal with Pittsburgh, so there's no doubt about his motivation to log a productive year and earn sizeable payday for 2025. Playing at a lower weight could help Harris' efficiency metrics, and there's also some reason to be optimistic that he now finds himself in a better scenario than 2023, when he set new career-high marks with eight rushing touchdowns and 4.1 YPC. Rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu should represent an upgrade to the O-line, and while there are question marks surrounding Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, both have the potential to command a more effective offense than Kenny Pickett did. Harris is capable of handling 20-plus touches but also dependent on volume to produce, making the emergence of Jaylen Warren the biggest threat to his fantasy prospects.

Jefferson (undisclosed) was on the field last week for the start of Detroit's offseason program.

Jefferson finished the 2023 campaign on Lions' practice squad injured list after sustaining an undisclosed injury in late January. The nature of the 24-year-old's issue was never revealed, though he appears to have moved past the injury over the past few months. Jefferson hasn't seen any regular-season NFL action since 2021, as he's spent both of the past two campaigns on Detroit's practice squad.

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show on Monday, Lions GM Brad Holmes said he "definitely would expect" Gibbs to "see more of the load" out of the backfield in 2024.

Holmes added that he thinks Gibbs will also be even more involved in the passing game in his second season. Only seven running backs saw more targets than Gibbs' 71 in 2023, and his 52 catches were tied for the ninth-most at the position. Backfield mate David Montgomery out-carried Gibbs, 219-182, but Gibbs had a commanding edge in the pass game with 47 more targets than the veteran. There's reason to believe Gibbs' touches will rise in 2024, but Montgomery isn't going away. This backfield will remain a one-two punch, and Montgomery is the favorite for carries when the Lions are trying to kill the clock when they have a lead. Gibbs' fantasy ceiling remains extremely high due to the overall explosive nature of Detroit's offense.

Coach Raheem Morris said Tuesday that McClellan (foot) will sit out practice due to injury, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Morris said the rookie sixth-round pick as well as Bijan Robinson (ankle), who is also tending to an injury, are both expected to be available for mandatory minicamp, as reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It appears that McClellan is still not fully recovered from the foot injury that kept him from working out at either the NFL Combine or Alabama's Pro Day, but the Falcons expect him to be ready for practice sooner rather than later. He will need all the reps he can get to have any chance of carving out a notable role behind both Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.

Coach Raheem Morris said Robinson will not participate in Tuesday's OTA practice due to an ankle injury, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Morris said that Robinson is expected to be on the field for Atlanta's mandatory minicamp, as is rookie Jase McClellan (foot), who is also currently sidelined. The insinuation that Robinson's injury is only a minor issue is a relief, but the situation will still warrant monitoring until such time as the star running back is officially back on the field. Robinson could be primed for a Year 2 breakout with the arrival of Kirk Cousins (Achilles) promising an improved Falcons offense, but for the rest of OTAs, Tyler Allgeier could get a chance to handle the top backfield reps.

Stepp signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The running back carried the ball 97 times for 476 yards and three touchdowns over two seasons at Western Kentucky. Stepp transferred there after playing at Nebraska and USC. The rookie is now one of six backs on New York's depth chart.

Jennings signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent Monday.

Jennings ran for 704 yards and 10 touchdowns during his final collegiate season at Florida A&M last year. The running back recorded 1,860 yards and 24 touchdowns in his 44-game college career. The rookie will now try to catch on in a Patriots backfield headed by incumbent Rhamondre Stevenson and free agent signee Antonio Gibson.

Patrick was waived by the Jets on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The running back signed with New York's practice squad in December and inked a reserve/future contract in January. Patrick last appeared in an NFL game in 2021 with the 49ers.

The Patriots cut Vaughn on Monday, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

The 27-year-old running back out of Vanderbilt signed a reserve/future contract with the Patriots back in January, but he's now been cut loose. Vaughn spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Buccaneers, recording 384 rushing yards on 103 attempts. This move comes as New England frees up space within the 90-man roster limit, and Vaughn will now seek an opportunity to compete elsewhere.