Jets sign RB Atkinson in wake of McGuire injury

The New York Jets signed running back George Atkinson III to a contract, the team announced Sunday. The addition of Atkinson comes on the heels of fellow running back Elijah McGuire sustaining a broken foot on Friday during the team's first training camp practice. McGuire is expected to miss three to six weeks for the Jets, who had worked out veteran running backs Orleans Darkwa and Alfred Morris on Saturday. Tight end Bucky Hodges was waived in a corresponding move on Sunday. Atkinson, who is the son of former Raiders safety George Atkinson, started his NFL career as an undrafted rookie with his father's team. The younger Atkinson played five games for the Raiders in 2014 and rushed seven times for 34 yards and a touchdown in 16 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2016. He also returned eight kicks for an average of 17.1 yards. Atkinson spent last season on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad before being waived in April. He joins Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and Thomas Rawls on the depth chart for the Jets. Last year as a rookie, McGuire rushed for 315 yards and one touchdown and caught 17 passes for 177 yards and one score. Hodges, a sixth-round pick by Minnesota in the 2017 NFL Draft, signed with the Jets in April after stints with the Vikings and Carolina Panthers.