NFL Player News

With the Commanders not selecting a running back in last month's draft, Rodriguez profiles as the team's No. 3 option at running back behind Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson,Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

Per Standig, Rodriguez, who's presumably past his late-season ankle issue, appears to be the clear early-down backup to Robinson. However, with Ekeler also in the mix and destined to see plenty of touches, notably in passing situations, Rodriguez doesn't initially have a path to steady volume as the 2024 season approaches. As a rookie, the 2023 sixth-rounder recorded 51 carries for 247 yards and two TDs to go along with two catches for 12 yards in 13 regular-season contests. Also currently in the Commanders' depth RB mix are Jeremy McNichols, Austin Jones and Michael Wiley (thumb).

Perine and the Steelers agreed on a one-year contract Thursday.

Perine was waived by Kansas City this past Friday and it took less than a week for him to find a new home in Pittsburgh. The running back compiled 77 rushing yards on 22 carries while also recording three catches for 33 yards over five games with Kansas City in 2023. He'll be in line to operate as a depth option for the Steelers behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren if he secures an active roster spot in 2024.

Cook said Thursday he hopes to compete in training camp this offseason with a new team, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Cook said he wants to participate fully in training camp this offseason to "get my legs back under me and feel like myself again." The veteran back is coming off the worst season of his career by a good margin, but says if given a chance to compete, he believes he'll be able to impress new coaches and teammates. Cook averaged just 3.2 yards per carry across 15 games with the Jets last year, and he made a minimal impact after linking up with Baltimore in the postseason.

Doug Pederson said during OTAs that the Jaguars want to lean on Etienne less during the 2024 campaign in order to keep him healthy, Michael DiRocco of ESPN reports.

Pederson said it's "hard to put necessarily a rep count" on Etienne's weekly touches, but that looking ahead to 2024 season the coaching staff is "making sure [Tank Bigsby] gets opportunities to get out there and take some of the pounding off of [Etienne]." As DiRocco notes, Etienne finished 2023 accounting for 76 percent of the running back touches for Jacksonville, a high workload that coincided with a disappointing rookie showing for Bigsby. If either D'Ernest Johnson or Bigsby can emerge as a more consistent backup, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Etienne's total touches do indeed decrease this season. While that would certainly represent a blow to Etienne's fantasy ceiling, the 2021 first-round pick does his damage more with efficiency and speed than grinding out carries between the tackles. Jacksonville picked up Etienne's fifth-year option earlier this offseason, which keeps him under contract through 2025.

Laird was waived by the Buccaneers on Wednesday, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.

Laird signed a reserve/future contract with the team in January after spending last season on the Bucs' practice squad. The 28-year-old hasn't seen NFL action since 2021 with the Dolphins, but he'll now look to secure another opportunity elsewhere ahead of training camp.

Williams (knee) participated in OTAs on Tuesday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Williams missed the entire 2023 campaign after tearing in his ACL in an offseason workout, but he looks to have made a full recovery from knee surgery. Since entering the NFL in 2021, Williams has primarily operated as a return man, accumulating 445 punt-return yards and 803 kick-return yards across two seasons. Now that Williams has returned to the field, he's expected to compete for a role on special teams and as a depth option in the backfield.

McIntosh (thumb) will get the opportunity to compete with DeeJay Dallas for Seattle's third-down running back role this offseason, Nick Lee of SI.com reports.

McIntosh dealt with a thumb issue that held him out of the Seahawks' 2023 season finale against the Cardinals, but he seems to be back to full health for OTAs. The 2023 third-round pick appeared in just three games last season, failing to record a single carry while playing 13 total snaps (all on special teams). Heading into Year 2, McIntosh will get a chance to become the Seahawks' primary third-down back, a role that likely won't afford him much usage while both Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet are healthy.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that Mitchell (knee) won't be ready for the start of training camp but is "on schedule" in his recovery from an ACL tear sustained Week 15 last season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Harbaugh said Mitchell isn't expected to be ready until "sometime during the season." That's unsurprising given the timing of Mitchell's injury, but fantasy managers should brace for the eventuality that the second-year back isn't available Week 1, or at least not at full strength. Derrick Henry will work as Baltimore's clear No. 1 backfield option, but given that he's 30 years old, the team could want to keep him from the sort of league-leading workload he's handled in the past. If Henry ends up headlining a committee rather than serving as a true workhorse, more opportunities could be available to Mitchell, once healthy. At least to begin the regular season, Justice Hill and rookie fifth-round pick Rasheen Ali (biceps) may serve as the primary complementary options to Henry.

Williams, who is dealing with a foot injury that he sustained while training this spring, per Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register, won't take part in the Rams' offseason program, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

That said, Barshop adds that coach Sean McVay has downplayed Williams' foot issue, noting that it's "nothing to worry about. He'll be ready to go for training camp." As the coming season approaches, the 2022 fifth-rounder remains atop the Rams' RB depth chart, with rookie third-rounder Blake Corum, Boston Scott, Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans providing the team with backfield depth. Of the aforementioned backups, Corum could be the most notable threat to the 2024 workload of the 5-foot-9, 194-pound Williams.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that Jacobs (hamstring) isn't practicing but should return to the field before too long, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Jacobs was limited during OTAs on Tuesday, but it doesn't sound like the Packers are too concerned about his health. In the meantime, rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd and returning veteran AJ Dillon will get extra backfield reps until Jacobs is ready to go. Jacobs at least worked on the side Tuesday, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, so he's already getting acclimated to his new offense.