NFL Player News
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J.J. Taylor RB | HOU
Texans' J.J. Taylor: Staying in Houston
The Texans signed Taylor to a reserve/future contract Wednesday.
Taylor appeared in five games for the Texans in 2024 while splitting time between the team's practice squad and active roster, rushing 10 times for 44 yards and catching two of his three targets for no additional yards. The Arizona product played 55 total snaps (33 offensive and 22 on special teams) during his five appearances this season, and he's likely to compete for reserve role in Houston's running back room this summer.
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Jawhar Jordan RB | HOU
Texans' Jawhar Jordan: Inks new deal with Houston
The Texans signed Jordan to a reserve/future contract Wednesday.
Jordan spent the majority of his 2024 campaign with Houston's practice squad after missing time with an oblique injury early in the season. The 2024 sixth-round pick from Louisville has yet to make his NFL regular-season debut, but he's likely to have the opportunity to compete for a depth role in the Texans' backfield as the offseason progresses.
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Derrick Henry RB | BAL
Ravens' Derrick Henry: Potential extension candidate
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday that the team will "look at" potentially extending Henry this offseason, Brian Wacker of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Henry is currently heading into the final season of the two-year, $16 million contract he inked with Baltimore after departing Tennessee as a free agent last offseason. The Ravens are now incentivized to restructure the deal -- which carries a potential 'out' for $3.9 million in dead cap -- and it's no surprise that the team would prefer to do so in the form of an extension beyond the 2025 season. Henry is coming off a phenomenal inaugural campaign in purple and black, having compiled 1,921 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on a career-high 5.9 yards per carry across 17 games, in addition to a 19-193-2 receiving line. The 31-year-old was also productive in the Ravens' two playoff games, carrying 42 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Henry hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, and as long as he's playing at an elite level, he'll remain an ideal complement in the backfield to dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson.
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Justice Hill RB | BAL
Ravens' Justice Hill: Solid season from scrimmage
Hill finished the season with 47 carries for 228 yards and a touchdown while adding 42 catches for 383 yards and three touchdowns on 51 targets.
The veteran was a valuable second option in the Baltimore backfield behind Derrick Henry this season with four combined touchdowns and new career highs across the board as a pass catcher. Hill's 42 receptions ranked 15th among running backs and his 383 receiving yards ranked 11th at his position as well. He also provided some tough running in Baltimore's playoff loss to Buffalo with 50 yards on six attempts. Hill inked a two-year extension in September 2024 and projects to be back with his $2.4M cap hit in 2025. It will be interesting to see how Hill's role changes, if at all, with Keaton Mitchell back to full speed after missing much of the season recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2023 campaign.
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Trey Sermon RB | IND
Colts' Trey Sermon: Free agency looms
Sermon rushed 56 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns across 17 regular-season appearances with the Colts in 2024. He also secured 16 of 19 targets for 99 yards.
Sermon suited up for all 17 of Indianapolis' regular-season games but finished the year with just a 2.8 YPC mark, a significant step down in efficiency. Jonathan Taylor dominated offensive snaps in all but the three games he missed due to injury, and at times Tyler Goodson looked like a more capable No. 2 option than Sermon. With Goodson having inked a one-year extension with the Colts, Sermon could be set to walk as an unrestricted free agent.
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Andrew Beck RB | HOU
Andrew Beck: Back to practice squad
Beck reverted to Houston's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Beck was elevated for Saturday's divisional-round loss to the Chiefs and played 22 snaps (20 on offense, two on special teams), but he did not show up on the box score otherwise. The 28-year-old fullback out of Texas played in four regular-season games in 2024 (three for Green Bay, one for Houston), and he should get some interest in the offseason from a team in need of an additional blocker out of the backfield.
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J.J. Taylor RB | HOU
J.J. Taylor: Reverts to practice squad
Taylor reverted to the Texans' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Taylor was elevated to the Texans' active roster was to provide backfield insurance in case Joe Mixon (ankle) was unable to play in Saturday's divisional-round game against the Chiefs. Mixon was able to suit up, which left Taylor as a healthy scratch in the loss. Taylor appeared in five regular-season games for Houston during the 2024 campaign and finished with 10 carries for 44 yards while adding two catches (on three targets) for zero yards.
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Ronnie Rivers RB | LAR
Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Blanked in playoff loss
Rivers played all 16 of his snaps on special teams in Sunday's 28-22 NFC divisional-round loss to the Eagles.
Head coach Sean McVay didn't deviate from starting running back Kyren Williams at all on Sunday, leaving him in for all 71 snaps on offense. On the season, Rivers compiled 22 rushing attempts for 99 yards and tacked on five catches for 34 yards, and he's set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason. Rookie Blake Corum (forearm) established himself as the backup to Williams by season's end, but Rivers has a key role on special teams, which may entice the Rams into bringing him back in 2025.
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Jonathan Ward RB | PIT
Steelers' Jonathan Ward: Getting another opportunity
Ward signed a reserve/future contract with the Steelers on Monday.
Ward initially joined Pittsburgh's practice squad at the end of August after not being able to make the 53-man roster out of training camp. The 27-year-old then shuttled between the active roster, practice squad, and free agency. He ultimately appeared in four regular-season games for the Steelers this season, finishing with five carries for 22 yards.
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Sione Vaki RB | DET
Lions' Sione Vaki: Sees limited use in rookie season
Vaki appeared in 16 of the Lions' 17 games during the regular season, finishing with six carries for 14 yards and three catches for 37 yards. He was also active for the Lions' 45-31 divisional-round loss to the Commanders on Saturday, playing all 24 of his snaps on special teams.
Though Vaki excelled at both safety and running during his time in college at Utah, the Lions drafted him in the fourth round of April's draft with the intention of making him a full-time running back. He saw limited action on offense as a rookie while Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery took on the bulk of the snaps out of the backfield, but Vaki's established himself as a core member of Detroit's special-teams units. In addition to returning two kickoffs for 55 yards, Vaki recorded eight tackles over his 310 special-teams snaps. With both Gibbs and Montgomery under contract for 2025, Vaki's role on offense may not expand dramatically in his second NFL season.