Player Notes

  • Officially lands with Carolina
    The Panthers agreed to terms with Penny on Monday.

    Advice: Penny is now 28 years old and spent last season in Philadelphia, where he appeared in just three regular-season games and was routinely a healthy scratch on game days. When healthy in Seattle from 2018-2022, he was electric with the ball in his hands, averaging a lethal 5.7 yards per carry on 337 rushing attempts, but an inability to stay on the field was his downfall. He has a history with new Panthers coach Dave Canales from their time together in Seattle, and Penny gives the Panthers backfield some more experience behind Chuba Hubbard and rookie Jonathon Brooks. There has been chatter that Miles Sanders' time may be running out with the team after just one season in Carolina. Rotowire.com Today, 2:43 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    318th
  • Not assured of roster spot?
    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.

    Advice: 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. Rotowire.com Today, 9:59 am
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    283rd
  • Role safe following NFL Draft
    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.

    Advice: 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 of Kamara while improving the team's ground game as a whole. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 3:24 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    55th
  • Right on schedule
    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.

    Advice: 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. Rotowire.com Saturday, 2:32 pm
    Rasheen AliBal - RB
    Bye
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    2001st
  • Keim: Commanders want to rely on strong run game
    ESPN’s John Keim reports the Commanders “want to rely on a strong defense and run game to reduce the burden” on Jayden Daniels.

    Advice: The team has not yet committed to Daniels — the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — as their Week 1 starter, though it would be a massive upset if Marcus Mariota got the opening day call for Washington. Keim expects Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury to lean heavily on the rushing attack, which will be led by Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson. Ekeler is most likely to be the primary pass-catching back while Robinson functions as the team’s early-down back. A lack of passing volume could be an issue for Washington’s pass catchers. Terry McLaurin could still see a solid target share, however, as offenses that use lots of run-pass option plays tend to target their WR1 heavily. Rotoworld Friday, 10:00 am
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    103rd
  • Looking good for RB2 job
    Gray is in good position to handle a bigger role in his second NFL season, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

    Advice: 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). Rotowire.com Friday, 7:48 am
    Eric GrayNYG - RB
    Bye
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    2139th
  • Expected to contribute this year
    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.

    Advice: 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. Rotowire.com Thursday, 5:11 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    198th
  • Pittsburgh declines 2025 option
    The Steelers declined their 2025 option on Harris' contract, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

    Advice: 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. Rotowire.com Thursday, 1:01 pm
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    69th
  • Berry: Chubb (knee) ‘progressing nicely’
    Browns GM Andrew Berry said Nick Chubb (knee) is “progressing nicely” in his recovery from his knee injury.

    Advice: Berry also noted that Chubb “still has a long way to go.” Chubb continues to work his way back from a brutal knee injury he suffered in Week 2 against the Steelers. The Browns didn’t address running back in the draft but did add veterans D’Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines earlier this offseason. Reports on Chubb have often been good, with the last coming a few weeks ago when the team announced he had resumed running. Whether or not Chubb is ready for training camp is to be determined, but all signs continue to point in the right direction. Rotoworld Thursday, 10:18 am
    Nick ChubbCle - RB
    Bye
    Week 1 Projected Rank
    87th