NFL Player News

The Bengals signed Collins as an undrafted free agent Monday.

Collins joins a backfield in need of quality depth options after the departure of Joe Mixon, with Zack Moss and Chase Brown currently standing atop the depth chart. Collins played a depth role at Oklahoma State after transferring from Michigan State, where he spent the first five seasons of his collegiate career.

The Buccaneers signed Jefferson on Sunday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Jefferson was one of 26 players brought in on a tryout basis during Tampa Bay's rookie minicamp Friday and Saturday. The 5-foot-10 running back played at four different schools during his collegiate career, beginning at Maine in 2017. He spent his final two seasons with Kentucky after a standout stint at FCS Sam Houston, where he logged 1,907 yards on 299 carries across two years. However, he finished with just 28 rushes for 184 yards across 11 games with the Wildcats in 2023.

The Texans waived Doaks on Friday.

Doaks spent most of the past two seasons with Houston's practice squad and had signed a reserve/future contract with the club in January. However, he was cut Friday after the Texans reshaped their running back room in the offseason by trading for Joe Mixon, adding Jawhar Jordan in the draft and signing British Brooks as an undrafted free agent. Doaks has yet to play a snap in the NFL.

The Panthers waived Brown (undisclosed) with an injury designation Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Brown didn't see the field in 2023, and after Carolina added talent at running back in the draft, it has now decided to cut him loose. He'll revert to injured reserve assuming he clears waivers.

The Giants waived Jackson (undisclosed) with an injury designation Friday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.

Jackson suited up for both Cleveland and Indianapolis in 2023, but he demonstrated a tendency to fumble the ball away and thus spent most of last season on the bench. If he clears waivers, he'll reverted to injured reserve.

The Panthers released Cohen on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 2017 fourth-round pick was an effective passing-down back and punt returner for three full seasons before suffering an ACL tear Week 3 of 2020. He hasn't played in a game since, with an Achilles' tear in May 2022 further setting him back. Cohen spent most of last season on Carolina's practice squad, where he dealt with a hamstring injury for nearly two months and never earned a promotion to the roster. He'll turn 29 this summer and still has plenty of time to find another team before training camp if he wants to continue pursuing an NFL career.

Brown participated in the Raiders' offseason program in late April.

Brown played in six games as a rookie in 2022, serving exclusively on special teams. His 2023 campaign ended abruptly after he was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue at the close of training camp, but he'll seemingly enter the new campaign without any lingering issues.

Hull (knee) appears set to compete with Trey Sermon for the backup role behind starter Jonathan Taylor this offseason, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Hull is back to full health after a knee injury limited him to just one appearance as a rookie in 2023, per Paul Bretl of USA Today. After Zack Moss was able to thrive as the backup to Taylor in 2023, fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on which of Hull and Sermon managers to show out better in training camp and preseason action. Sermon could have a leg up to begin the competition, but as Boyd notes, he's totaled just 78 carries in his career and isn't significantly more established than Hull.

Hines (knee) said Tuesday he expects to be available for the start of training camp, Camryn Justice of News 5 Cleveland reports.

Hines underwent surgery to repair his left ACL last August, then was released by the Bills in March after missing the entire 2023 season. Assuming he's indeed healthy by the start of training camp, Hines should compete for third-down snaps in the backfield and return work on special teams. With Nick Chubb working his way back from a serious knee injury of his own and no lock to be ready for Week 1, Jerome Ford and D'Onta Foreman are likely to operate as Cleveland's top backs to begin training camp.

Achane and Raheem Mostert gained some competition for snaps via the additon of rookie Jaylen Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Achane is coming off a rookie campaign in which he rushed for 800 yards and eight scores in just 11 games, while Mostert racked up 1,012 yards and an outstanding 18 touchdowns. Both should still enter the 2024 season as Miami's clear top backfield options, but Wright brings blazing speed (4.38-second 40-yard dash time) to the table, and neither Achane or Mostert boast the size to hold up to extreme workloads. While both Achane and Mostert demand double-digit touches, it's possible that the addition of Wright could represent a cap to their respective fantasy ceilings, especially if the rookie impresses enough to eventually force his way into a three-headed backfield split.