Tag: running back

Bears sign former Broncos running back to practice squad

The Bears signed former Broncos third-round draft pick Royce Freeman to their practice squad.

Former Denver Broncos running back Royce Freeman has found a new home in the NFL.

Freeman (6-0, 238 pounds) has signed with the Chicago Bears’ practice squad, according to multiple reports. He joins a backfield in Chicago that includes D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer and Darrynton Evans.

Freeman entered the league as a third-round pick out of Oregon with the Broncos in 2018. He spent the first three years of his career in Denver, rushing 297 times for 1,187 yards and eight touchdowns in 46 games (eight starts). The Broncos cut Freeman ahead of the 2021 season and he landed with the Carolina Panthers.

After half a season with the Panthers, Freeman joined the Houston Texans. He appeared in 11 games with the Texans from 2021-2022 and then signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. He rushed 77 times for 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games with the Rams last fall.

Freeman went to training camp with the Dallas Cowboys this summer and he spent time on the practice squad of the Cleveland Browns earlier this season. The 28-year-old running back will now get a fresh start with the Bears.

Freeman has 2,324 career yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns on his resume.

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Early rankings of Broncos’ needs in 2025 NFL draft

Do you agree with our list of top needs for the Broncos in the 2025 NFL draft?

The Denver Broncos (8-5) still have four regular season games remaining and then a potential playoff run, but it’s never too early to look ahead to the next NFL draft. Today, we’re taking a quick look at our early rankings of the Broncos’ top needs in the 2025 NFL draft.

1. Offensive tackle: This one comes with a caveat because it’s largely dependent on whether or not the Broncos re-sign Garett Bolles in 2025.

2. Tight end: Denver has gotten little production from the tight end this fall and the team could use a playmaker at the position.

3. Running back: Javonte Williams has not returned to his pre-injury form and he’s scheduled to become a free agent in 2025. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos use an early pick on a RB in April.

4. Wide receiver: Courtland Sutton remains Mr. Reliable, but Denver needs a dynamic receiver to pair with him. Devaughn Vele has the potential to be a very good WR3. Now the Broncos need a top talent.

5. Inside linebacker: Alex Singleton will be 31 years old and coming off a serious injury in 2025. Cody Barton will be a 28-year-old free agent. Even if both are back and starting in 2025, Denver should start planning for the future.

6. Defensive back: The Broncos need more competition and depth at safety, and the team’s cornerback depth is also thin.

7. Defensive line: Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers are both under contract for next season, but D.J. Jones is scheduled to hit free agency. Even if Denver is confident in Malcolm Roach stepping up, the team will still need to add more depth to the defensive line.

Agree or disagree with the rankings? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter: @TheBroncosWire.

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Chiefs LB Nick Bolton evaluates Browns standout player: ‘A Hall of Fame running back’

Kansas City #Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton evaluates Browns Nick Chubb: ‘A Hall of Fame running back’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs enter a potential trap game on their way to the postseason with this Sunday’s matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Records are thrown out the window late in the season, especially with teams hoping to play spoiler to end the season.

Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton shared his thoughts on one of the Browns’ best players, Nick Chubb, as a key player to watch for the defense.

“I think early, when he first came back, trying to feel it out, man,” said Bolton. “Now he’s trying to get his footing a little bit. You can kind of tell his cuts, his vision, and all those things are still there. I think before he got hurt, he was on the way to being a Hall of Fame running back. Injuries kind of held him back a little bit, man, but you can still see those great things that he has with the ball in his hands.”

Last season, in a Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chubb suffered a serious injury to a knee he had previously injured in 2015 and was carted off the field. He missed the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a torn MCL and a damaged ACL. Chubb made his 2024 season debut on October 20th, at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, scoring a rushing touchdown in his first game in 398 days.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco made a strong impression in Week 13 return

Kansas City #Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco made a strong impression in Week 13 return | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco made his much-anticipated return to the field in Week 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Considering the many weeks of rehabbing his ankle injury, he exceeded many expectations.

Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy spoke highly of Pacheco’s performance during his conversation with reporters on Thursday.

“I thought he (Isiah Pacheco) did a great job. It doesn’t surprise me,” said Nagy. “I was – for that seven seconds that he was running the football down the sideline, I was just – you think back to the moment when he got hurt and for that one play right there to have an explosive play. We haven’t had a whole lot of those explosive runs this year, so I think it was a 33-yard run (and) those are nice. It gets the guys going. We need to get more of those, no matter who it is, but he certainly brings that to the offense.”

Pacheco returned to the field after being placed on injured reserve earlier in the year and broke free in the third quarter for a 34-yard rush to move the Chiefs quickly downfield, marking the club’s longest rush of the season. He led Kansas City’s rushing attack against the Raiders with seven rushes for 44 yards.

New position of need arises for MSU football in transfer portal

After a couple of roster decisions, a new position of need has arisen for Michigan State

Earlier this week, Spartans Wire identified five positions that Michigan State was going to pursue in the transfer portal. Now, a new position of need has presented itself for the Spartans to pursue.

With Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams running out of eligibility, and Nathan Carter declaring for the NFL draft, the Spartans will now need to identify and land a replacement running back in the transfer portal.

Four scholarships will be used on running backs in 2025, with Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis returning while adding Jace Clarizio and Zion Gist in the 2025 recruiting class. This leaves one scholarship for the Spartans to add a starting caliber running back to stabilize the room.

It will be important for the Spartans to get a running back to take the starting role, at least early on, with so little experience in the running back room to stabilize the position heading into 2025.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner

Jaleel McLaughlin heating up in Broncos’ backfield

Jaleel McLaughlin led the Broncos’ backfield in carries and rushing yards in the two games leading up to the team’s bye week.

It’s been the Jaleel McLaughlin show in the Denver Broncos‘ backfield over the last two weeks as the second-year back has led the team with 21 carries for 128 yards.

During that same period, Javonte Williams had 12 carries for negative one yard (that’s not a typo) and Audric Estime had six carries for 27 yards. Williams remains a key blocker and a capable receiver on third downs, but McLaughlin has been the team’s top runner over the last two games.

“He played well,” coach Sean Payton said after a 41-32 win over the Cleveland Browns. “We felt like some of the wide zone stuff and tosses were going to be good. He had a lot of good runs. Part of it was the scheme that was successful, or a couple of schemes we have seen other teams have success with that we had success with as well. All in all, it was good.”

McLaughlin has 97 touches for 414 yards and three touchdowns this season. He’s still trailing Williams on the year (162 touches for 705 yards and four scores), but McLaughlin has been trending up in recent weeks.

Fantasy football managers will see how the backfield rotation shakes out after the bye when the Broncos host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15.

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Broncos have found a perfect role for WR/RB/PR Marvin Mims

One and a half seasons into his pro career, Marvin Mims has settled into a perfect role with the Broncos.

The Denver Broncos appear to have finally unlocked the potential of Marvin Mims.

Broncos coach Sean Payton started giving Mims reps as a running back in Week 10, but the speedster still plays primarily as a receiver and he hauled in a 93-yard touchdown catch on Monday.

That score was a gutsy call from Payton. Facing 3rd-and-11, Payton had Nix stand in the end zone and launch a deep pass to Mims. It worked.

“I think it says a lot about our offense,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said after a 41-32 win. “For Coach to have the trust that Bo is going to see what we’ve seen all week, and then have the faith to give Marvin a chance to go make that play. Like I said, Marvin works really hard. He’s a really quiet guy. He doesn’t say a whole bunch, and just does the work he’s supposed to do. That’s all you can ask for.

“He’s been waiting for his opportunity to go out there and let it shine, and he did that. We talked about it at half time that there was going to be a play. We didn’t know exactly when or what play it was going to be, but there was going to be a play that we would capitalize on. We just had to make sure that we capitalized on it when it happened, and he did.”

Over the last four weeks, Mims has 21 touches for 234 and two touchdowns on offense plus six punt returns for 117 yards. That’s an average of about seven touches for 88 yards a game with a score every other game. Payton has finally found a perfect role for the dynamic receiver, and Mims is making the most of it.

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Fantasy Football: 12 running backs to target on the waiver wire

Christian McCaffrey is hurt again, making Isaac Guerendo a must-add on the fantasy football waiver wire. These are the top RBs to target.

Here we go again.

Christian McCaffrey suffered a knee injury on Sunday Night Football in Week 13 and the San Francisco 49ers announced Monday that he has a PCL injury. McCaffrey will now go on injured reserve and he’s expected to miss the rest of the regular season.

That would have left Jordan Mason as the next man up in San Francisco, but he has a high ankle sprain that will also land him on injured reserve. Mason will now miss at least the next four games.

Following the injuries to both McCaffrey and Mason, Isaac Guerendo is a top priority must-add on the fantasy football waiver wire this week.

Elsewhere on the fantasy front, Russell Wilson (43.1%) is gaining steam at quarterback, Adam Thielen (27.3%) is relevant at wide receiver again, and Will Dissly (32.9%) has a good tight end matchup against KC this week.

Today, though, we’re focusing on the running back position. We’ve put together a quick list of 12 running backs to consider on the fantasy football waiver wire going into Week 14.

Fantasy Football Running Back Waiver Wire Targets

1. RB Isaac Guerendo (1.3%): With McCaffrey and Mason both sidelined, it should be the Guerendo show down the stretch in San Francisco.

2. RB Chris Rodriguez (0.2%): The Commanders placed Austin Ekeler on injured reserve with a concussion, leaving Brian Robinson as their top RB. Robinson is not alone in the backfield, however, as Rodriguez had a big day on Sunday with 94 rushing yards and a touchdown. If Washington continues splitting RB touches, Rodriguez could be a gem off the waiver wire.

3. RB Kimani Vidal (10.7%): J.K. Dobbins (knee) was ruled out and then placed on injured reserve, which means he’ll miss at least the next four games. Gus Edwards seems to be the new RB1 for the Chargers, but Vidal was right behind him in carries on Sunday (six to four). He’s a sleeper.

4. RB Alexander Mattison (47.0%): Mattison and Zamir White were both sidelined on Sunday, leaving Ameer Abdullah and Sincere McCormick (0.1%) as the Raiders’ top RBs in Week 13. Mattison is worth picking up for once he returns. If Mattison and White remain sidelined, McCormick will be worth a look in deep leagues.

5. RB Tank Bigsby (32.5%): Coming out of the bye week, Travis Etienne led the Jaguars’ backfield with 13 carries for 46 yards, but Bigsby also got seven carries plus one target. Up next is a Titans defense that allows 120.1 rushing yards per game.

6-12. Handcuff running backs: Jonathon Brooks (47.6%), Tyler Allgeier (41.5%), Zach Charbonnet (50.9%), Blake Corum (14.2%), Ray Davis (11.4%), Trey Benson (24.1%) and Braelon Allen (22.0%).

Roster percentages for players listed in this article were sourced from ESPN. For more fantasy coverage, check out our fantasy football hub.

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Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco praises veteran’s leadership during injury recovery: ‘He’s been awesome’

Kansas City #Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco praises Kareem Hunt’s leadership during injury recovery: ‘He’s been awesome’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs debuted the backfield tandem of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt during Friday’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The rushers only had 14 carries between them, but each saw action on the day.

Pacheco returned to the field after being placed on injured reserve earlier in the season with a leg injury. During his postgame press conference, he shared his thoughts on Hunt’s leadership while out of the lineup.

“Yes, hats off to him (Kareem Hunt) stepping up; it’s been a tough run. He’s been awesome leading the room,” said Pacheco. “Everyone’s been following the leaders. Most importantly for me, just pinpoint details in the meeting room for when I had the opportunity to get out and show my ability. Focus on the details: the chips, the check-downs, just the little things that would make my game a little bit better today.”

Pacheco led the team’s rushing attack in Week 13 with seven rushes for 44 yards to help propel the Chiefs to their 11th victory this season. He had an impressive 34-yard rush to quickly move the Chiefs downfield to the Raiders’ 14-yard line, marking the club’s longest rush.

Najee Harris was a man possessed in Steelers’ Week 13 victory

Najee Harris led all skill position players in Week 13 with 129 total yards and a TD, showcasing elite form in a standout performance.

Fans of the hard-nosed, Pittsburgh-style running game, rejoice! Najee Harris turned back the clock to his rookie season as he showcased his elite receiving skills, run-after-the-catch ability, downhill physical running, and elusiveness all at once in Week 13. Harris not only led all running backs in the Steelers-Bengals matchup in rushing, but he also accumulated more total yards than any skill position player from either team: 129 total yards and 1 TD.

In a game featuring elite, talented receivers and running backs such as Steelers WR George Pickens, Bengals WRs Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and RB Chase Brown, it was Harris who shined the brightest.

Harris is currently in a contract year with Pittsburgh, after the Steelers declined to pick up his fifth-year option, and he appears determined to make a statement with a career resurgence in 2024. Ideally, the Steelers would love to keep Harris in the Black and Gold forever, as fans of the Steel City would undoubtedly appreciate—especially if his elite Week 13 performance becomes the new norm in Pittsburgh.

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