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Marlon Mack

Cardinals RB Marlon Mack Out For Season

August 9th, 2023 at 2:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Days after the Cardinals brought in Marlon Mack, they will lose the veteran running back. Another Achilles injury is set to sideline Mack, with Jonathan Gannon indicating (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban) the recent free agent pickup is out for the season. The Cardinals have placed Mack on IR.

This brings another major blow for Mack, whose career was once altered by an Achilles tear. Mack’s potential for a decent free agency payday slipped away after he suffered the tear in September 2020. The former 1,000-yard rusher has struggled to carve out roles since.

That 2020 injury opened the door for Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis and abruptly ended Mack’s prime. While the ex-fourth-round pick has signed several one-year contracts since, he has not been used in a similar capacity since the initial Achilles setback. Mack, 27, spent last season with the Broncos and 49ers.

After gaining 1,091 rushing yards in 2019, Mack saw the Colts use a second-round pick on Taylor the following April. The Colts still re-signed Mack in 2021 but did so on a one-year, $2MM agreement. Mack signed another one-year, $2MM pact — with the Texans — in 2022, but Houston cut him prior to setting its 53-man roster. Mack has only gained 185 rushing yards since going down early in his Colts contract year.

Mack was set to vie for a backup job behind James Conner. The Cardinals have 2022 sixth-rounder Keaontay Ingram, Corey Clement and Ty’Son Williams as options. They also worked out Damien Williams recently. With Mack down, Arizona may be on the lookout for another veteran.

Cardinals Sign RB Marlon Mack

August 4th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Marlon Mack‘s latest opportunity to find a permanent NFL home has arrived. The veteran running back has signed with the Cardinals, per a team announcement. ESPN’s Josh Weinfus tweets that it is a one-year deal.

Mack (who worked out with the Cardinals yesterday) proved to be a highly productive lead back in Indianapolis during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but an Achilles tear derailed his career. He initially joined the Texans last offseason in an attempt to find playing time, but he did not survive final roster cuts in the summer. That led him to join the 49ers while they were thin in the backfield.

The 27-year-old did not see any carries during his brief stint in the Bay Area, however. He was signed off the 49ers’ practice squad by the Broncos in October, in response to the season-ending loss of Javonte Williams. Mack was part of Denver’s efforts to add a number of contributors to their banged-up backfield, and he played six games as a Bronco.

Mack saw limited usage in Denver, but he averaged 5.3 yards per carry while scoring one touchdown on the ground and another through the air. He will now join a Cardinals backfield which could stand to add a veteran depth contributor. Not much is certain on the team’s RB depth chart aside from the fact that James Conner will once again handle a heavy workload in 2023.

The Cardinals also have Keaontay Ingram in the fold, but the 2022 sixth-rounder has missed time in training camp recently due to an injury. Corey Clement, who joined Arizona midway through the season last year, is also an option to carve out a depth role. The same is true of Ty’Son Williams and undrafted rookie Emari Demercado. Mack will use the remainder of training camp and the preseason to try and earn a 53-man roster spot behind Conner on the depth chart. To made room for Mack, long snapper Jack Coco was released.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/23

January 3rd, 2023 at 6:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Broncos Sign RB Marlon Mack

October 24th, 2022 at 9:01am CST by Adam La Rose

The Broncos have once again added a veteran to their backfield. Denver has signed running back Marlon Mack to their active roster off of the 49ers’ practice squad (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

The loss of Javonte Williams due to an ACL tear left Denver without their top rusher for the remainder of the campaign. That led to an expectation that Melvin Gordon would take on No. 1 duties, but the veteran was benched after playing just nine snaps in the team’s loss to the Chargers in Week 6. Things changed yesterday, as Gordon logged a 51% snap share and started the Broncos’ loss to the Jets – something head coach Nathaniel Hackett had confirmed would happen during the week (video link via Mike Klis of 9News).

Earlier this month, Denver also looked to the Saints’ taxi squad for insurance, signing Latavius Murray to their active roster. He was joined in the backfield by Gordon and Mike Boone; the latter suffered an ankle injury yesterday, however, and was seen in a walking boot after the game, per Schefter’s colleague Jeff Legwold (Twitter link).

That accelerated Denver’s pursuit of Mack, who will now join the team as they depart today for London in preparation for their game against the Jaguars. The 26-year-old had a modest rookie season with the Colts in 2017, but emerged as the team’s lead back the following year. He eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark in 2019, but his production had cratered since then.

Looking to regain his form – and a starter’s role – Mack signed with the Texans this offseason, but was released during roster cutdowns. He initially stayed put on their taxi squad, but joined San Francisco in the wake of Elijah Mitchell‘s MCL sprain. In two appearances with the 49ers, Mack played sparingly on special teams. The acquisition of Christian McCaffrey lowered his chances of seeing significant time on offense even further.

Just over two years removed from the Achilles tear which derailed his career, Mack will now look for another fresh start as the Broncos continue to search for consistency in the running game.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/12/22

October 12th, 2022 at 5:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/22

October 11th, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/22

September 20th, 2022 at 7:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/22

September 13th, 2022 at 6:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad additions and subtractions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

  • Signed: DB BoPete Keyes

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

  • Released: WR Dai’Jean Dixon

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

49ers Place RB Elijah Mitchell On IR, Add RB Marlon Mack

September 13th, 2022 at 4:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Elijah Mitchell‘s run of injuries continued with an MCL sprain. This is viewed as a rather severe MCL issue, with Kyle Shanahan expecting his starter to be out for around two months. As such, Mitchell landed on the 49ers’ IR list Tuesday.

The 49ers brought in several backs for auditions Tuesday. Old friend Tevin Coleman, Devonta Freeman, ex-Jet La’Mical Perine and ex-Lion Godwin Igwebuike came in for workouts, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Marlon Mack visited with the team, and this appears to be the direction it will go. The 49ers are signing Mack to their practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This will be Mack’s first move out of the AFC South; the former fourth-round pick has spent his career with the Colts and Texans. Houston, however, did not keep the former 1,000-yard rusher on its 53-man roster out of training camp. The Texans cut Mack, in moving their roster to 53, and then released him from their practice squad.

Mack, 26, saw a September 2020 Achilles tear throw his career off track. The Colts turned to 2020 second-rounder Jonathan Taylor, and although they re-signed Mack in 2021, the latter did not see much action last season. The Colts discussed possible trades ahead of last year’s deadline, and the 49ers were one of the teams to express interest. But Mack played out his second Colts contract, residing behind Taylor and Nyheim Hines on the depth chart.

Mack signed his second straight one-year, $2MM deal this offseason, joining the Texans, but will come to San Francisco for P-squad money. Mack, who rushed for 55 yards against the 49ers in this year’s Texans preseason finale, totaled 2,099 rushing yards from 2018-19.

Freeman and Coleman, of course, teamed up as part of potent Falcons backfields during the 2010s. They split up in 2019, with Coleman signing with the 49ers. Freeman also played for Shanahan in Atlanta, being the team’s starting back during both of Shanahan’s OC seasons. Coleman signed a two-year 49ers deal in 2019 and played with ex-49ers assistant Mike LaFleur in New York last season. Perine’s Jets stint also overlapped with LaFleur’s.

For now, Mack is the 49ers’ choice. The sixth-year veteran joins a team rostering Jeff Wilson, third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price and rookie Jordan Mason at running back. Wilson is expected to be the 49ers’ starter during Mitchell’s absence, and the 49ers played Mason — a UDFA out of Georgia Tech — over Davis-Price in their opener.

Texans Release RB Marlon Mack From Practice Squad

September 5th, 2022 at 9:12am CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Conley‘s name keeps appearing in Texans transactions. The Texans released the veteran wide receiver Tuesday, re-signed him Thursday and cut him again Friday. On Monday, he is back with the team.

Houston added the veteran wide receiver to its practice squad on Labor Day, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The Texans’ latest Conley-related move will send Marlon Mack back into free agency. The veteran running back is off Houston’s 16-man P-squad.

In paring their roster to the 53-man limit last week, the Texans included both Mack and Conley as cuts. Mack quickly signed with the team’s taxi squad. He came into Monday as the only running back on Houston’s P-squad. The team has fourth-round rookie Dameon Pierce, Rex Burkhead, Royce Freeman and Dare Ogunbowale on its active roster, however.

Mack, 26, signed with the Texans this offseason, coming to Houston for the same terms (one year, $2MM) he agreed to with Indianapolis in 2021. The Colts barely used Mack last season, with Jonathan Taylor fully taking over Indianapolis’ backfield. The Achilles tear the Colts’ former starter suffered in September 2020 began Taylor’s quick rise, and Mack has not been able to re-establish himself since.

It is certainly possible the Texans circle back to Mack — a former 1,100-yard rusher — for a practice squad spot in the future. But his Monday exit continues a downward trend for a player who had been a multiyear Colts starter.

This will be Conley’s second season with the Texans. The former Chiefs third-round pick spent the 2019 and ’20 seasons in Jacksonville before signing with Houston during Nick Caserio‘s first offseason as Texans GM. He caught 22 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.

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