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    Titans release journeyman D’Ernest Johnson

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    Titans released RB D’Ernest Johnson.

    Johnson, who has bounced around the league since spending his first four pro seasons with the Browns, will likely end up on another roster as a depth piece. Johnson has just 28 rushing attempts over his past three seasons with various teams, including the Patriots in 2025. It looks like Nicholas Singletary and Michael Carter will function as the Titans’ RB3 and RB4, respectively, behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears.
Warm takes: 2026 is the year of the backup QB
Paul Pabst and Andrew Perloff deliver their warm sports takes on Not So Fast, including highlighting the NFL's backup quarterback boom after standout performances from Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota and more.

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  • TEN Running Back #34
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    Johnson, who functioned primarily as a special teams player last season in New England, had a couple productive years in Cleveland before becoming a journeyman back. Johnson probably won’t factor into the Tennessee backfield unless Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard go down to injury.
  • NE Running Back #32
    ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes that “the only other running back on the roster is former practice squad player Terrell Jennings” (knee), who is questionable to play this evening. The Patriots will likely elevate veteran RB D’Ernest Johnson “from the practice squad for the third straight week,” and also re-signed RB Jonathan Ward to the practice squad on Tuesday, making him an elevation option alongside rookie RB Rushawn Baker. Henderson was limited by a knee injury on Monday but successfully upgraded to full participation on Tuesday and does not carry a game designation. He should handle a borderline RB1/2-level workload, and possesses the explosive traits required to finish squarely in the RB1 pool this week.
  • NE Running Back #38
    Reiss’ article was published this morning, and the Patriots signed former Cardinals practice squad player, RB D’Ernest Johnson, directly onto the active roster this afternoon, so it is possible the front office focuses on adding a pass rusher at this point. Regardless, the fact that the team has identified the running back position as an area of need is unfortunate for starting RB Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie backup RB TreVeyon Henderson. Fellow backup RB Terrell Jennings has also somewhat worked his way into the rotation, creating a fantasy-unfriendly situation. Hopefully, the Patriots stand pat with their current group and eventually allow Stevenson and Henderson to work in a usable rotation for fantasy purposes.
  • NE Running Back #37
    Johnson will go from Arizona’s practice squad directly to their 53-man roster. Johnson hasn’t seen any action in 2025 but should be active for New England once he gets up to speed on the playbook. His signing could send things from bad to worse for rookie TreVeyon Henderson, who has played sparingly this year and coughed up a fumble late in New England’s Week 8 win over the Browns.
  • ARI Running Back #22
    He’s bumped D’Ernest Johnson (released from squad) from the Cardinals Backs Who Will Annoy You wiki listing. Carter was released yesterday, but it appears that was just roster manipulation. He probably isn’t set for a major role even if elevated, but check back on Monday evening when it leaks that the plan is actually to use Michael Wilson as the starting running back instead of Carter or Bam Knight.
  • FA Running Back #38
    Gaskin was brought in as a camp body by the Ravens, who have their running back room set. They now release him, along with CB Thomas Graham Jr., RB D’Ernest Johnson, WR Keith Kirkwood, WR Anthony Miller, and DL Brent Urban. They also waived WR Jahmal Banks, S Beau Brade, WR Malik Cunningham, G Darrian Dalcourt, OL Garrett Bellinger, OLB Malik Hamm, S Desmond Igbinosun, S Keondre Jackson, DL Jayson Jones, QB Devin Leary, T Gerad Lichtenhan, ILB Chandler Martin, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, DL Adedayo Odeleye, DL C.J. Okoye, G Jared Penning, DL C.J. Ravenell, CB Marquise Robinson, OLB Kaimon Rucker, C Nick Samac, FB Lucas Scott, and TE Scotty Washington.
  • BAL Running Back
    Johnson signed with the Ravens after a late July visit with the 49ers, appearing more and more like a camp body at this point in his career. It should be an uphill battle to make the final 53-man roster to begin the season considering the presence of Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, and Keaton Mitchell in Baltimore.
  • Running Back
    Free agent RB Jeff Wilson Jr. visited the 49ers on Wednesday.
    The team also brought in D’Ernest Johnson. The 49ers have Isaac Guerendo and rookie Jordan James parked behind Christian McCaffrey right now. The two workouts could be a sign that the rookie isn’t making progress, or Kyle Shanahan could just be looking for a veteran to give the team a few extra quality reps in camp. Wilson played the first four years of his career in San Francisco and was traded to Miami in the middle of his fifth year. He rushed 16 times for 57 yards in 2024.
  • JAC Running Back #2
    Johnson saw some work as a passing-downs specialist, but his role waned in the back half of the season. He was even a healthy scratch for a few weeks before returning to the lineup in December. He finished the year with 239 yards on 44 touches. Johnson is a depth option on offense but also brings special teams expertise to the table. That should be enough to get him another one-year deal in free agency this spring.
  • JAC Running Back #2
    Johnson remains a healthy scratch, leaving a one-two punch of Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne in the backfield. Bigsby ran 18 times last week and is in line for an RB2 workload once again.

Rotoworld

  • JAC Wide Receiver #7
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    Jaguars coach Liam Coen said Brian Thomas Jr. played only 23 snaps in Week 3 because the Jaguars “were playing in a little bit more 12 and also some of the things that we had Josh [Cameron] on specifically were things that we felt good about him doing within a role that he has.”

    Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley believes that Cameron’s usage (23 snaps) could make it “stand[s] to reason Thomas could quickly become the fourth option instead” in a column that says he believes a “new start would be best for both parties.” It sounds like there’s a non-zero chance that Thomas is on the trade block at the deadline, as weird as that seems given how good the Jaguars have been on offense. Thomas isn’t necessarily someone who has to be rostered in shallow leagues given how things are trending.
  • TEN Running Back #35
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    Titans signed RB Michael Carter to their active roster.

    Carter joins what is now a five-man RB room of Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Julius Chestnut, and Nicholas Singleton. It’s an interesting move in the sense that perhaps it portends a follow-up, or perhaps one of Pollard or Spears are in real danger of missing this week’s game after Spears was questionable and Pollard spent time on the injury report in Week 3. Spears wound up playing 28 snaps despite seeing just three touches against the Giants.
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    Titans placed G Fernando Carmona (ankle) on injured reserve.

    He’ll miss at least the next four weeks. The Titans also placed Jackson Slater, the second-stringer at guard, on injured reserve with a foot injury. Carmona, a fifth-round pick this year who won the job in camp, had a 60.3 PFF blocking grade in 104 snaps. He suffered the injury on the first snap against the Giants in Week 3.
  • CHI Quarterback #11
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    Bears coach Ben Johnson said “we’ll see how it plays out all week” when asked about who would start at quarterback in Week 4.

    It’s worth noting that Brad Biggs quotes Johnson as saying “We’ll have a discussion as a coaching staff and we’ll see where we need to go from here ... But I said it last week, and I’ll say it again, there was a reason why Tyson [Bagent] ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback” in the post-game scrum. It seems wild that a backup quarterback could play as well as Case Keenum did on Monday Night and not start in Week 4 on account of another backup quarterback, but it does feel like the winds are leaning there as things stand on Tuesday.
  • TEN Quarterback #1
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    Titans coach Robert Saleh said “no” when asked if he’d consider sitting QB Cam Ward.

    Ward’s gotten off to a slow start in 2026, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for a meager 504 yards and two touchdowns in three games. He has improved his sack rate quite a bit, cutting it from 9.2 percent in 2025 to 5.38 percent so far this year. The Titans backup is Mitch Trubisky. It is probably too soon to give up on Ward, but it doesn’t bode well for his future that Saleh is already being asked the question. Ward will be one of the bottom five quarterbacks in the Week 4 fantasy rankings against the Ravens.
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    ESPN’s Adam Schefter said it “sounds like” Jayden Daniels (elbow) is going to need surgery after the season and he’s put it off so he can play with his team now.

    Schefter added that he doesn’t think Daniels will play this week but that he may play “sooner rather than later.” Dan Quinn said Daniels will practice in “some capacity this week,” but they may just be trying to understand where Daniels is at physically in these practices. This update does not augur particularly well for Daniels’ chances of staying active if the Commanders go into a tailspin or if he reaggravates the injury; it seems like he’s simply trying to play through the injury to help his team if he can.
  • HOU Quarterback #7
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    Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he is open to leaning more into the passing game.

    “The thing for me about offensive football is you have to make sure you move the ball and try to score as many points as possible,” Ryans is quoted as saying by the Houston Chronicle. “How that looks to me, it really doesn’t matter. You can think or want to be a certain thing. But if you’re shown that that’s not the case and it’s not getting done, then you have to adjust. That’s where we are.” The Texans already abandoned the run against the Bengals in Week 2, throwing the ball 55 times. Perhaps Nico Collins’ return this week will raise all ships, but if it was as simple as the Texans needing to throw more, they probably would have scored more than six points against the Bengals. C.J. Stroud has a streamable matchup against the Cowboys this week if it all comes together.
  • FA Wide Receiver #13
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    Giants released Odell Beckham, Jr.

    Beckham’s reuniting with his former team lasted all of three games, during which Beckham was targeted once on 11 pass routes. An afterthought in the New York offense, OBJ will look to land in an offense that might use his diminished skills. NFL insider Jordan Schultz said both the Giants and Beckham “decided a mutual parting was best for everyone.” It’s hard to imagine who would want Beckham at this point in his fading NFL career. He has nine catches since the start of the 2024 regular season.
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    NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Panthers G Damien Lewis (elbow) will be out “a few weeks.”

    It’s yet another significant loss for the Panthers, who saw Jaycee Horn and Jalen Coker go down with injury in Week 3 against the Browns. Carolina will be without their starting guard for a little while, including this week against the Lions. Through three weeks the Panthers rank 25th in ESPN’s pass blocking win rate and 11th in run block win rate.
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    SNY’s Connor Hughes believes the Giants could start JJ McCarthy in “the near future.”

    New York acquired McCarthy from the Vikings on Monday in exchange for a 2027 fifth round draft pick. Hughes spoke with NFL sources who said “the Giants do not give up a fifth-round pick unless they plan to play McCarthy in the near future.” Head coach John Harbaugh and the team’s coaching staff, per Hughes, see McCarthy as a starting-caliber quarterback despite his immense struggles in Minnesota last season. “The Giants welcomed the chance to add a player they view as a competitor, gritty, mobile, and who has all the tools to be a plus passer in the NFL,” Hughes said. With Jameis Winston playing worse than any QB in recent memory, McCarthy could be just a couple weeks away from taking over as New York’s starter. He would be a mild upgrade for Malik Nabers and the rest of the Giants pass catchers.