By the end of the weekend, over 1,100 players around the league will lose their job as each team cuts their 90-man training camp team down to 53 players as Week One of the regular season is now less than a week away.
With all 32 teams in action last night, Week Four of the preseason is complete and each team will begin making cuts later today. With hundreds of players hitting the streets, things will really get wild when some of those players are quickly scooped up, signed by other teams with needs at certain positions.
I’ll be closely watching how teams across the league handle their running back depth charts. Some teams have impressive depth and face difficult decisions on who to part ways with this weekend. Those teams include Baltimore, Philadelphia, Buffalo and New England. Cuts from these teams could potentially result in players such as Kenneth Dixon, Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, T.J. Yeldon and Rex Burkhead becoming available. RB Carlos Hyde was once viewed as a contender to start for the Chiefs, but last night he carried the ball eight times for 29 yards, having fallen to fourth on the depth chart. He’s another back who could be looking for work come Saturday.
Not every team is fortunate enough to have this depth and they could be potential landing spots for these veterans or others who don’t make the 53-man roster. The season-ending injury to RB Lamar Miller will almost certainly have the Houston Texans shopping for a veteran back, while Carolina and Tampa made little effort to upgrade their depth chart this offseason. Either of these teams could show interest in adding depth to the position. Finally, the Chargers and Cowboys remain locked in a game of chicken with their respective star backs, Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott. The continued holdouts could have their teams looking to make a short-term move, especially Dallas, who is set to rely on a pair of rookies in Tony Pollard and Mike Weber atop their depth chart.
Fitzpatrick Named Miami Starter
One of the few starting quarterback battles around the league officially came to an end Thursday night as the Miami Dolphins named veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick as their Week One starter. The Dolphins signed Fitzpatrick in March and later traded for former first-round pick Josh Rosen during NFL Draft weekend. Regardless of Rosen’s draft capital, Fitzpatrick had control of this job from the start. Beat writers pointed out during OTAs that the veteran easily outperformed Rosen and that led to Fitzpatrick opening training camp with the first-team and eventually starting the preseason opener.
Rosen did draw praise in the middle of training camp and was reportedly gaining momentum, but it wasn’t enough. For Rosen, this is another tough blow for the second-year quarterback who suffered through a disastrous rookie season in Arizona, only to be dealt away when the Cardinals landed the top pick and selected QB Kyler Murray.
The Dolphins and Fitzpatrick face the tough Ravens Defense in Week One, so this likely is a situation to avoid no matter who is starting under center.
Jones Sounds Off on Zeke
As he has done many times in recent weeks, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones again had some comments for his holdout RB Ezekiel Elliott. Jones admitted that he now expects Elliott to miss regular season games, saying “I just accept that.” Jones went on to almost dare Elliott to extend his holdout, saying, “he can’t and won’t miss them all.” Rookie Tony Pollard is looking more and more like a solid weekly option for fantasy lineups.
Gordon Returns to the Field
After being reinstated to the league in mid-August, WR Josh Gordon was activated from the active/NFI list earlier this week. This was a great sign for Gordon’s early season availability, but we wouldn’t even have to wait until the regular season to see Gordon in action. Playing in the Patriots’ preseason finale, Gordon caught just two of his six targets, but did break tackles on his way to a 19-yard gain, finishing with 30 total yards. Gordon is locked into a starting role alongside WR Julian Edelman.
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Clowney Trade Talks Heating Up?
A day after an NFL Network report suggested that holdout LB Jadeveon Clowney would be willing to sit out regular season games, additional teams popped up as suitors for the three-time Pro Bowler. Clowney’s hold out is not necessarily contract related considering the deadline has pass for him, as a Franchise Tagged player, to sign a long-term, contract extension. The Seahawks and Eagles have both engaged in trade talks with Houston, and Washington and the New York Jets have also shown interest. The Dolphins remain the leaders for Clowney’s services and Houston has reportedly zoned in on T Laremy Tunsil as a possible target in a trade with Miami. The Texans have reportedly offered Clowney and a first-round draft pick for Tunsil but the Dolphins are asking for more. Meanwhile, the Miami Herald has reported Dolphins players “would revolt” if Tunsil were dealt. Adding a defender on a one-year contract while your team is set to tank for the season makes little sense.[[ad:athena]]
Rookie Anderson Suffers Knee Injury
Bengals rookie RB Rodney Anderson suffered a knee injury and was forced to leave the team’s preseason finale. This is especially worrisome for Anderson, who has a lengthy injury history, including a torn ACL that cost him much of his final collegiate season at Oklahoma. It is unclear if this was a new injury of just an aggravation of Anderson’s college woes. Bengals writer Joe Goodberry pointed out that while Anderson was able to walk off the field without a limp, he was also quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest, which is usually a bad sign.
Quick Hits
Browns RB Kareem Hunt underwent sports-hernia surgery and faces a four-six week timeline to return. Of course, Hunt is also facing an eight-game suspension, so he should be fully healthy by the time he returns to the team. … The Browns acquired G Wyatt Teller and a seventh-round pick for fifth and sixth-round selections. … An NFL Network report suggests Panthers K Graham Gano (knee) would land on the injured reserve list. … Holdout T Trent Williams said there was “zero chance” he would report to the Redskins prior to Week One. Williams had previously swore he’d never suit up for Washington again, yet the team seems unwilling to trade him. … Free agent OL Jermon Bushrod announced his retirement.
