Trade Candidate: Patrick Queen
The expectations have been high for Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen ever since he heard his name announced from the Bronxville home of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. In 2019, the Ravens felt the significant loss of four-time second-team All-Pro selection and Pro Bowler C.J. Mosley as they trotted out Patrick Onwuasor, Josh Bynes, and L.J. Fort in starting positions. With Queen failing to quite fill the shoes left by Mosley and the legends before him (Daryl Smith, Ray Lewis), he may find himself on the trade block heading into the 2023 season. 
For three years, Queen was part of a stout LSU defense. He didn’t find much playing time in his first two seasons with the Tigers, playing behind future Pro Bowler Devin White. In his junior season, though, Queen finally found significant time on the field, starting 11 of 15 games in the team’s National Championship season and winning defensive MVP honors for the season finale win over Clemson. Despite only having started 16 of 41 career games, Queen opted to forgo his senior year at LSU and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Queen ended up as the fourth inside linebacker drafted in the first round that year, but at this point in time, he may be the most successful of the four. All four first-round picks from that year had their fifth-year options declined, and while Jordyn Brooks has had some highly productive seasons in Seattle, the back half of Queen’s 2022 season may be the best linebacker play we’ve seen out of that draft class so far.
Queen hit the ground running in Baltimore, starting every game of his NFL career so far. In his first two seasons of NFL play, Queen put up the numbers that a starting inside linebacker should. Over his first 33 games, he collected 204 total tackles, five sacks, 19 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, three force fumbles, three fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), three passes defensed, and an interception.
Despite lighting up all the different areas of the stat sheet, analytics failed to see the hype of Queen as a top linebacker. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the young linebacker ranked 82nd out of 83 ranked players at his position in his rookie year and 71st of 86 in his sophomore season.
Queen had a bit of a breakout year in 2022. He posted career-highs in total tackles (117), sacks (5.0), quarterback hits (14), passes defensed (6), and interceptions (2). Analytically, he also slotted in at PFF’s 31st best linebacker, a significant improvement over previous years. It wasn’t just the increased experience or finally adjusting to the speed of the game at the NFL level that led to this breakout. The midseason acquisition of first-team All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith paid huge dividends towards Queen’s improvement.
Smith’s addition affected Queen’s situation in more ways than just on-the-field improvement. At the conclusion of the season, a big money extension to Smith, the newcomer in Baltimore, made it clear where the Ravens’ priorities lie at linebacker. While they were surely happy to see the improvement from Queen throughout his third season in the league, Queen hadn’t quite shown enough in his first three years to warrant a fifth-year option pickup, and in the meantime, the Ravens were getting cozy long-term with Smith.
Early reports indicated that Queen could find himself on the trade block leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft. When nothing came of those rumors, it was reported that Baltimore had hopes of extending Queen. While that’s a nice sentiment, it’s not common to see two off-ball linebackers on the same team get paid big money. With Smith’s new contract averaging $20MM per year, paying Queen top dollar is just not feasible.
Queen himself spoke on the situation and claimed that he hopes to remain with the team for an extended period. In order to do that, though, Queen likely will have to take less money than he’s probably looking for in his second NFL contract. In an ideal world, Queen’s second contract could approach $8MM to $9MM per year. But with the Ravens recent deals, I think Queen would be lucky to get around $7MM. The Ravens may be able to offer something around a three-year, $20MM deal or a four-year, $25MM extension, but is that a deal Queen would consider?
Likely, Queen would see the vast improvement he made in Year 3 and opt to bet on himself in a contract year. He may see that he’s pricing his way out of Baltimore like many Ravens defenders before him. If that’s the case, the Ravens, seeing the writing on the wall that they may be losing Queen regardless, may decide that they want to get something in return for Queen as opposed to nothing.
If the two sides can’t reach common ground in extension negotiations, Baltimore may opt to trade their former first-round pick away for draft compensation. The move would also clear approximately $2.27MM of cap space, according to OvertheCap.com. It’s not the ideal scenario for either side, but both sides are going to feel they have leverage in this negotiation. Queen, having just completed the best season of his career, will want to get paid for his best football. The Ravens, on the other hand, secured one of the league’s best linebackers to a five-year deal and drafted Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round of this year’s draft. Obviously, Simpson is an unproven commodity, but if he can slot in successfully next to Smith, Queen may become superfluous.
So, that’s the situation. Queen and the Ravens both appear interested in a long-term relationship that keeps Queen alongside Smith in Baltimore. The Ravens, likely anticipating the desires of their top 2020 draft pick, have bolstered themselves with Smith and Simpson. If Queen decides to draw a line on his worth that the Ravens can’t reach, the team may be ready to move on from the ascending, young player and seek compensation for what they will eventually lose for nothing.
NFL Urged To Release Mary Jo White’s Commanders Report
The NFL is inching closer and closer to the conclusion of its relationship with Commanders owner Dan Snyder. A special league meeting has been set for July 20, in which the team owners are expected to vote to ratify the sale of the franchise to Josh Harris for $6.05 billion. That’s only one part of the league’s situation with Snyder. The other part entails their investigations into allegations against the soon-to-be former owner of sexual misconduct and financial malfeasance. According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, the NFL has been urged by the House Committee to release a report on the investigation upon its completion. 
To be clear, this is the second investigation into the allegations against Snyder. The first investigation, conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, was conducted back in 2021. The findings of the investigation were not released by the NFL, but it did result in a fine to the team of $10MM and the forced assumption of day-to-day operating duties by Snyder’s wife, Tanya. The findings were concealed due to promises of confidentiality made to witnesses.
The Oversight Committee released a 79-page report on the Wilkinson investigation in December claiming that Snyder “obstructed” the committee’s investigation and failed to provide full and complete testimony, as his attorney had pledged he would. The report also claimed that the NFL failed “to address Mr. Snyder’s interferences” and that the league played a role in concealing the team’s toxic work environment.
This second investigation was conducted by attorney Mary Jo White, a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The investigation has not yet concluded, but already, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has urged the league to release the findings of the report upon its completion. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had pledged before to release the report in “full transparency,” so the letter from representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the Committee, was a call to abide by Goodell’s pledge when the opportunity comes.
“More than a year has passed since your pledge to ‘share the results of that investigation,’ yet, to date, no part of the information has been released to the public,” Raskin wrote. “In light of the impending sale of the Commanders franchise, I urge you to honor your commitment to release the report in its entirety and ‘take additional disciplinary action if warranted.'”
We’ve seen in previous reports that Snyder is opposed to the pledge by Goodell. It’s been reported that Snyder had called to keep the findings confidential in February and was lobbying the league to limit the release in May, though the Commanders denied both reports. Despite Snyder’s continued efforts to cover up the findings of White’s report, it’s not believed that the issue should hold up the sale of the franchise at all.
It’s unclear, as of yet, exactly when the report will be concluded. Snyder has refused to be interviewed by White for the investigation to date, but some believe that White will request his participation at least one more time before concluding her investigation. It will be interesting to see just how much, if anything, is released by the league upon the report’s conclusion and if any action will be taken due to the results.
NFC South Rumors: Alford, Mays, Saints
In January 2022, the Falcons signed cornerback Dee Alford out of the Canadian Football League to a reserve/futures contract. A year and a half later, Alford could be pushing for a starting role, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.
After going undrafted out of Tusculum, Alford signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL in 2020 but didn’t get to play after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season. When the team returned in 2021, Alford won a starting job and helped lead the Bombers to their second consecutive Grey Cup title.
Following his signing in the offseason, Alford defied the odds by making the 53-man roster. Alford served as a depth piece in the Falcons secondary for much of the year but did come up with a few big plays. In a Week 2 loss to the Rams, Alford gained his team two points with a safety. Two weeks later, he recorded a game-clinching interception over the Browns.
According to Rothstein, Alford has been rising in the offseason for Atlanta. In spring practices, Alford reportedly “took the vast majority of first-team reps at slot (cornerback).” Mike Hughes was the presumed starter at nickelback heading into the offseason, but Alford is making himself hard to ignore as he pushes for a starting role.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of the NFC South:
- A sixth-round pick for the Panthers last year, Cade Mays may find himself in a bit of a larger role than last year to start the 2023 season, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. With starting right guard Austin Corbett still recovering from an ACL repair surgery, Mays has reportedly stepped up this offseason. While his rookie year saw him block out of the backfield in short-yardage situations, Mays is in line to begin the season as a starter at right guard for Carolina.
- The Saints are no strangers to injuries in the past few years. They are feeling it the worst this season in the wide receiving corps, where we got some recent updates from Terrin Waack of nola.com. Michael Thomas‘s woes continued thanks to toe surgery that landed him on injured reserve last year. He’s “slowly but surely” working his way back but is, reportedly, “still not full-go.” Last year’s rookie sensation Chris Olave missed the end of minicamp with an inflamed Achilles tendon but is expected to be okay. The other rookie from last year, Rashid Shaheed, suffered a groin injury in organized team activities that held him out of minicamp. He’s also expected to be fine by the time camp rolls around.
Latest On Steelers’ ILB Situation
The Steelers will have quite a different look at inside linebacker in 2023 than they had in 2022. Free agency took a toll on the room in the offseason but still helped them to reload a bit at the position. In a mailbag Q&A this week, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic addressed the question of whether or not Pittsburgh did enough to address the position this spring. 
First, let’s address the losses. All three of the team’s top contributors at inside linebacker departed in free agency in the offseason. Myles Jack was heading into the second year of the two-year contract he had signed to join the Steelers last year, but the team, instead, decided to release the veteran linebacker to open up about $8MM of cap space. After being allowed to test his market in free agency, Devin Bush signed a one-year contract in Seattle. Lastly, Robert Spillane, who served as a spot starter and factored heavily into the defensive rotation last year, also found his way to free agency, departing for Las Vegas.
That left three holes atop the roster at inside linebacker, including two starting spots. For one spot, the team signed former Commanders linebacker Cole Holcomb. A fifth-round pick for Washington back in 2019, Holcomb was an immediate starter as a rookie. This wasn’t the first time that Holcomb had surpassed expectations as, in college, he earned a scholarship after initially walking on at North Carolina. He’s now started 48 of the 50 games he’s appeared in, but injuries have kept him from appearing in a possible 16 additional games. Most crucially, he missed 10 games in 2022 due to a knee injury in November and foot surgery that ended his season in December. If healthy, though, Holcomb can certainly perform as the team’s top linebacker. His best season saw him rank as the league’s 23rd best linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), in 2020, and despite his injuries, he ranked 35th in 2022.
Another spot was filled by former Patriots and Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts. An eighth-year veteran, Roberts had a bit of a breakout year in 2022. After seeing his role diminish over his final years with the Patriots, Roberts found a way to improve over each season in Miami. Finally starting in every game of the season in 2022, Roberts recorded career-highs in total tackles (107), tackles for loss (10), and sacks (4.5) and tied a career-high in quarterback hits (6). He’s never graded out highly by PFF standards as a full-service linebacker, but last year, Roberts topped all NFL linebackers with an 89.2 pass rushing grade.
Pittsburgh is planning on filling the third hole internally by putting more responsibility on the shoulders of Mark Robinson to fill Spillane’s role from last year. A seventh-round pick for the team in 2022, Robinson only appeared in four games last season, making two starts in the final two games of the year. The Steelers have taken their time with Robinson, who had only played one season at linebacker in college after switching from running back. The team seems confident in Robinson’s ability to step up in Year 2. They relied on him last year in the team’s last two games against the Ravens and Browns, two run-heavy teams, and he may play a similar role this year.
For depth at inside linebacker, the team brought in Nick Kwiatkoski and Tanner Muse. Kwiatkoski has past experience as a full-time starter but hasn’t started a game since the 2020 season. Muse is primarily a special teamer.
So, did the Steelers do enough to address the losses at the position? It may be too soon to say whether they’ve successfully filled the holes in the roster. They did a lot, and the holes are filled, but whether they’ve been filled effectively has yet to be determined. Kaboly does think that the team has done enough to at least satisfy the demands of the roster. He doesn’t believe that the team will continue to pursue Kwon Alexander or other free agents, barring injury to the three players above. Unless Holcomb, Roberts, and Robinson make it clear that they can’t handle the duties of the position, Kaboly believes that “the 90 they have is the 90 they will bring to camp.”
Latest On Ravens’ RB Situation
The Ravens’ offense has produced a top-three rushing attack in each of the past five seasons. This certainly doesn’t mean that the team had have its fair share of issues at running back, namely injuries.
Dating back to 2018, when a rookie, Gus Edwards, was forced to start in place of an injured Alex Collins, nearly every back on the roster, from Edwards to Mark Ingram to Justice Hill to J.K. Dobbins has missed time due to injury. Will that affect the way they fill their roster this season? Not exactly, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. 
In the past, the serious nature of some of these injuries have forced Baltimore to invest in inexpensive veterans with starting experience like Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray, and Le’Veon Bell. Veterans with starting experience are available in bulk this year with Dalvin Cook, Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette all available on the free agent market. None of those options are necessarily cheap, but according to Zrebiec, the Ravens aren’t looking for an option that would take snaps away from their top tandem, anyway.
The Ravens are extremely confident in their one-two punch of Dobbins and Edwards. The two are impressive, each with starting ability in their own right while providing different attacking styles and running traits. When both are healthy in the backfield behind quarterback Lamar Jackson, it’s easy to predict yet another strong rushing performance in Baltimore.
The injuries have held the duo back in recent years, though. Dobbins has missed 26 games in the past two years, including the entire 2021 season. Edwards missed 25 games in the same time period after also missing the entire 2021 season. The fact that the Ravens aren’t looking for anyone to take significant carries in free agency, though, bodes well for their prognoses for 2023.
The team isn’t looking for potential starters in case of injury, but they are looking for camp bodies who can keep Dobbins and Edwards off their feet throughout the preseason. Currently on the roster, Baltimore is home to the veteran backup Hill and undrafted rookies Keaton Mitchell and Owen Wright. The Ravens re-signed Hill back in March to a two-year, $4.51MM deal, and while his special teams prowess should guarantee him a roster, he’s never contributed significantly on offense. Mitchell and Wright, on the other hand, are great camp bodies, but unless one of them breaks out this preseason, neither is likely to make the initial 53-man roster.
So, what is Baltimore looking for in a free agent addition? The Ravens could really use another camp body or two that can serve as injury insurance throughout the season, as well. Zrebiec suggests a strong option in former-Raven Kenyan Drake. The veteran running back spent his seventh season in the league in Baltimore last year and ended up leading the position room in carries, trailing only Jackson for the team lead. Drake provided some solid depth to a team gingerly returning from significant injuries to its top three running backs and would likely be an affordable option to bring back in for the 2023 season.
Drake would already be familiar enough with the team, despite a new offensive coordinator in Baltimore, but J.D. McKissic and Marlon Mack provide similar potential as roster additions. James Robinson provides a younger option after his recent release from the Patriots. All three have shown flashes of starter potential but don’t necessitate a contract befitting a starter. Adding one or two of these backs could provide the Ravens with a little insurance heading into the season with a hopefully healthy tandem for the first time since 2020.
Staff Updates: Texans, Falcons, Colts, Jags
The Texans announced a slew of adjustments to their coaching and front office staffs for the 2023 season under new head coach DeMeco Ryans, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The moves included confirmed new hires, promotions, and title additions throughout the staff.
On the coaching staff, Danny Barrett, who was confirmed to be sticking around as running backs coach as a holdover from last year’s staff back in February, has reportedly added the mantle of assistant head coach to his title. He’s been with the team for the past five years, providing Ryans with crucial insight into team dynamics. Wilson also announced that William Burnham has been hired as assistant special teams coordinator, replacing Sean Baker in the role. This is also news for Baker, as we were previously informed that he would be retained in the role for 2023 when the team finalized the coaching staff back in February.
In the personnel office, James Liipfert was promoted to executive director of player personnel after being promoted to assistant director of personnel/director of college scouting a year ago. John Ritcher joined Mozique McCurtis as a national scout for the team in 2019. Now the two are both moving up together into co-college scouting director jobs. Brad Matthews, a Midwest Area scout since 2018, will move into one of the open national scout roles. The team officially announced that Chris Blanco will rejoin the staff after two years in Minnesota. After reaching the role of director of pro personnel in his two years with the Vikings, Blanco will serve as assistant director of player personnel in Houston. Lastly in personnel, general manager Nick Caserio will add the title of executive vice president to his role.
Finally, in operations, Joe Vernon was officially announced as special advisor to football ops, leaving his job as an attorney at Miller Canfield in Michigan. The team also added Jeremy Stabile, who announced on Twitter that he would be leaving the Dolphins to accept the role of football data analyst in Houston.
Here are a few other staff updates from around the league, most of them coincidentally coming out of the AFC South, as well:
- The only move not out of the AFC South, the Falcons hired Brian Zeches as their new player personnel coordinator. Zeches in the son of Jim Zeches, who was a scout in the NFL for 16 seasons. The younger Zeches has spent seven years in Washington and has experience with the Chiefs and the Senior Bowl, as well. He also has college experience, coaching at UTEP, Weber State, and New Mexico.
- The Colts announced a number of promotions to their front office, as well, recently. In operations, Melainey Lowe has been named director of football operations after serving as a football operations intern in 2021 and the football operations assistant in 2022. In analytics, Nick Bayh was named strategic football analyst. He was previously a military intelligence officer for the US Army Reserve before serving as a personnel assistant in his first year with the Colts last year. In personnel, former scouting assistant Andrew Hoyle has been promoted to player personnel scout. He started with the team as an equipment intern in 2018 before moving his way through the ranks of the personnel department.
- Lastly, the Jaguars made a couple of moves in their analytics department, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder. Previously under the title of director of coaching analytics, Ryan Paganetti‘s title has been changed to director of football analytics. Additionally, the team recently hired Avery Horvath as a data scientist.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/30/23
Today’s only minor transaction across the league:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: S Myles Dorn
Dorn’s tenure in Carolina ends without a game appearance. Originally an undrafted free agent signing for the Vikings in 2020, Dorn spent his rookie year on injured reserve. After playing out two practice squad contracts in Minnesota, Dorn signed a reserve/futures deal with the Panthers back in January. Over his time with the Vikings, Dorn made 14 game appearances, tallying five total tackles in a purely special teams role. His release today comes as a result of the team’s signing of defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth.
Latest On S Kevin Byard, Titans
There’s been no shortage of awkwardness in the recent business relationship between All-Pro safety Kevin Byard and the Titans. Byard refused to take a pay cut that the team floated his way early in the offseason. While, in most situations, this would cause the relationship to deteriorate into an eventual split, things don’t seem to be headed in that direction, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports. 
Questions initially arose as Byard spent the offseason away from the Titans, with many thinking his absence was a result of bad blood following the failed request. Byard refuted that claim in an address to the media, saying that he had been in communication with his coaches and was working out according to a preexisting plan. His explanation and following comments seemed to indicate that he would not be pursuing a trade as a result of the pay-cut request.
In fact, Byard is more likely to continue working toward a deal that will keep him in Tennessee for the remainder of his career. Byard has certainly taken the high road in an awkward situation, showing the maturity to know that “you can’t be emotional in business,” a point he expanded on in an appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast recorded two weeks ago. He, instead, found a way to “compartmentalize and keep (his) emotions out of it,” concluding that he thinks the two sides are “in a good place right now.”
When he initially received the request to take a pay cut, Byard had been expecting a contract extension discussion that would alleviate his cap hits in the near future while allowing him to remain in Nashville long-term. He stood his ground on his worth, stayed quiet about the negotiations, and has allowed the business side of things to run their course. He’s claimed that there are no “ill feelings” lingering from the situation and seems to be optimistic about finding a way forward.
Giants Starting S Job “Wide Open”
The Giants ran through most of last year with a strong safety duo of Julian Love and Xavier McKinney. With Love departing in free agency to Seattle, the starting job next to McKinney is reportedly “wide open,” according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. There are plenty of names in contention for the job, leaving New York with several options. 
The favorite for the job is Jason Pinnock, whom the Giants claimed off of waivers from the Jets just prior to the regular season last year. Despite playing his rookie year as a cornerback for the Jets, Pinnock filled in for McKinney when he sustained a few broken fingers last year, starting five games in the free safety’s place. He put together a strong sample to put his name in the race early, but he was sidelined in the spring, keeping him from fielding any snaps with the first team until he can return in training camp.
Dane Belton is another name to look at for the position. The fourth-round rookie started five games, as well, last year. He showed a nose for the football in limited time with two interceptions, three passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries. Like Pinnock, Belton missed the spring but should return for training camp in time to compete for the starting job next to McKinney.
With Pinnock and Belton out, veteran free agent signing Bobby McCain and converted cornerback Nick McCloud split reps for the starting spot this spring. McCain is used to the starting role, performing as a full-time starter for Miami and Washington since 2018. His presence provides New York with a reliable starter if none of the other contenders emerge as runaway favorites. He graded out with the worst run defense of any safety in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so he may not be the perfect player to pair with McKinney, but he can stand in if needed.
McCloud is an interesting name in the competition. Another young name on the roster, McCloud started eight games at cornerback for the Giants in his sophomore season last year. He displayed a strong all-around game. While not lacking in run defense, McCloud was decent in coverage, as well, recording seven passes defensed. The Giants lined Love up all over the field last year, and they worked McCloud in a similar manner this spring. If he shows that he’s a good fit in that versatile role, he may have a strong case for a starting gig.
That about sums it up. Pinnock is an early favorite after a strong fill-in performance last season. Belton should also have an opportunity to expand his role from last year but should factor into the defensive back rotation, regardless. McCloud could fit best into a versatile role. While McCain remains a strong option if no one succeeds in separating themselves from the pack.
Jets Set To Hold RB2 Battle
The Jets are working with a deep, young running backs room, forcing each back to prove his mettle early and often. Michael Carter answered that call as a fourth-round rookie in 2021. Last year was supposed to be the takeover of rookie second-round pick Breece Hall, but a torn ACL ended his season after only seven weeks. Hall should return to the starting role, but with their No. 1 coming back from a serious injury, the RB2 spot becomes that much more important. 
Despite falling off a bit in production last season after a strong rookie year, Carter is currently in line to enter training camp as the No. 2 back, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Carter started 11 games in his rookie year, racking up 639 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 325 yards receiving. He had seized a lead-back role, and many expected him to take a step forward in his sophomore season. This led to a bit of a surprise when New York took Hall 36th overall in last year’s draft.
Carter started off the 2022 season splitting carries with Hall but taking the majority of the workload. Eventually, Hall took the reins and became a bell-cow back for the four remaining healthy games of his season. Hall’s injury opened the door for Carter to return to the spotlight. Instead, Carter’s usage stayed stagnant as backs like James Robinson and Ty Johnson were given opportunities to split the load with him. Eventually, undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight was elevated from the practice squad and took the majority of the carriers for the final seven weeks of the season.
Knight should be one of Carter’s competitors for the primary backup role. Knight came in last year and, over his first four games, ran the ball 59 times for 253 yards, ending his season with 300 total rushing yards and a touchdown. Costello posits that Carter’s confidence was shaken a bit when the team traded for Robinson and then turned to Knight. Regardless, Knight outperformed Carter in that final stretch of the season, and if that’s any indication of how the position battle will go, Carter has his work cut out for him.
The other name competing for the spot is a newcomer. The Jets selected Pittsburgh running back Israel Abanikanda in the fifth-round of the draft this year. Abanikanda declared for the draft after a breakout junior year in which he rushed for 1,431 yards for an incredible 20 rushing touchdowns for the Panthers. He’ll be green to the game at the professional level, but he’s got plenty of tread left on the tires after only starting 17 games in his college career.
Carter should have a bit of a leg up on Knight and Abanikanda. He has more experience than Knight and Abanikanda to begin with. He also offers a bit more to his game. Throughout their careers, both college and NFL for Knight, the two younger backs have not had near the success receiving out of the backfield as Carter has. Carter’s ability to catch the ball may have pigeon-holed him into a third-down back role only in some situations, but combined with his early success rushing the football in New York, it should set him up nicely for a solid chance to regain his footing as the team’s No. 2 back.