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.
NFC North Rumors: Campbell, Bears, Addison, Cook
When the Lions made Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell the first off-ball linebacker taken in the 2023 NFL Draft at No. 18 overall, the assumption by many was that he would be starting as a rookie next to Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez in Detroit. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, those assumptions may have been a bit premature.
Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard asserted earlier this month that, in Detroit, they intend to start the best players. Aside from Anzalone and Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes is the team’s top returning linebacker. He was third in the position room in tackles and started four games for the Lions last year.
Sheppard would very much like Campbell to slot in as a starting linebacker, but he made it clear that Barnes is not going to go away quietly. While Rodriguez deals with a leg injury, Barnes has worked with the first team alongside Anzalone this spring. If Campbell is going to break the starting lineup in Week 1, he’s going to have to show that he can outperform Barnes. Until then, he is going to have to continue in his rookie development.
Here are a few other rumors from the NFC North, starting with a position battle out in the Windy City:
- The Bears finished last in the league last year in team sacks with 20 total for the season. Their prospects in 2023 may not be much brighter. According to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Dominique Robinson and Trevis Gipson will be competing for a starting spot at defensive end this summer. Robinson had 1.5 sacks in the season opener last year but failed to register another for the rest of the season. Gipson racked up two sacks in Week 2 of 2022 but only had one the rest of the year. As of right now, one of those two will be starting next season. Chicago would either like to see improvement in their production this year or would like to sign another end to provide more competition.
- Vikings first-round pick Jordan Addison‘s rookie development has been put on hold a bit as he deals with a minor injury, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he expects Addison to be fully recovered by training camp. In the meantime, Addison has reportedly been “asking great questions” and been “phenomenal in meetings” as he continues to learn.
- While former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook‘s free agency has been the story as of late, he has experienced some recent legal victories, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Back in November of 2021, Gracelyn Trimble sued Cook for injuries from alleged assault, battery, and false imprisonment. Cook filed a counterclaim against Trimble accusing her and her lawyers of invasion of privacy and defamation. While both cases are still pending, Cook’s complaint will go to trial, which could lead to positive outcomes for both cases.
Contract Details: Johnson, Avery, Brewer
Here are some details on recently signed contracts around the NFL:
- Tyron Johnson, WR (Cowboys): Two years, $2.04MM. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Johnson will have a base salary of $1.01MM in 2023 and $1.03MM in 2024. His cap hits will match his base salaries in each year.
- Genard Avery, OLB (Colts): One year, $1.08MM. According to Wilson, Avery will have a base salary of $1.08MM in 2023. He will hold a cap hit of $940K.
- Aaron Brewer, LS (Cardinals): One year, $1.17MM. According to Howard Balzer of PHNX, Arizona’s long snapper will have a base salary of $1.17MM. His cap hit will be $940K in 2023.
NFC Front Office Updates: Vikings, Cowboys, Packers, Lions
The Vikings announced a number of front office adjustments last week, finalizing their staff moving into 2023. Five employees got promotions and another ten were added to the team’s staff. Some of these changes have been noted in previous posts.
Of the five, four promotions four were administrative, analytics, or personnel positions. Formerly the manager of football information systems, Luke Burson was promoted to director of football information systems in the analytics department. Emily Badis was elevated from football administration coordinator to manager of football administration. In personnel, Alex Dale, previously a scouting associate, was promoted to pro scout, and Mitch Johnson-Martin‘s title was updated to player personnel analyst-pro scouting.
As for the new hires, seven of the announcements were new information to the analytics and personnel staffs. In analytics, Anthony Caron was hired to the role of football information systems developer. In personnel, Minnesota brought in Salli Clavelle, who has spent the past five years in the 49ers’ personnel department. She will come on as a pro scout for the Vikings. The team has brought on a new area scout in Steve Sabo, as well. Sabo is a veteran who, last year, stepped down from his role as director of pro personnel of the Falcons. Jack Murphy joins the staff as a BLESTO/college scout. Lastly, the team added three scouting associates in Michelle Mankoff, Shantell Rodgers, and N’Tare Williamson. Rodgers is getting her first official NFL opportunity after spending a week as the team’s Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellow last August. This will be Williamson’s first NFL job, as well.
Here are a few other front office updates from around the NFC:
- The Cowboys have made two additions to their analytics staff this offseason. After adding John Park as the team’s new director of strategic football operations earlier this month, the analytics staff added Sarah Mallepalle as strategic football analyst, according to Seth Walder of ESPN.
- The Packers handed out two promotions last week, according to Neil Stratton. Previously a pro scouting intern, Daric Whipple has been elevated to scout. Another pro scouting intern, Quandon Christian, also received a promotion, earning the role of pro scout.
- Lastly, the Lions promoted former assistant director of college scouting Brian Hudspeth to director of college scouting. The veteran is entering his 23rd season in the NFL, including six in Detroit. He spent four seasons as a national scout before being promoted to his previous position last year. He takes the position in place of Dave Sears, who took the assistant general manager job in Arizona this January.
Extension Candidate: CeeDee Lamb
With each of year of his career, Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has progressed towards to top echelon of NFL wideouts. After a third season that may have established him in that top group, Lamb has become a top extension priority for the Cowboys’ front office. What will it take to lock down the team’s top receiver long-term? And will Dallas be willing to spend it? 
Coming out of Oklahoma as a consensus All-American, Lamb was selected 17th overall by the Cowboys. With a strong mentor in Amari Cooper, Lamb made an immediate impact as a rookie, finishing second on the team in receptions (74) and receiving yards (935) while matching Cooper and Michael Gallup for the team-lead in touchdown receptions with five. By Year 2, Lamb was ready to take the reins. With Gallup missing eight games due to injury, Lamb significantly stepped up his production even surpassing Cooper for the team-lead in receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,102) while bettering his own rookie receiving touchdown total by one.
Lamb’s continued progression made Dallas confident in his ability to function as the team’s top wideout, allowing them to trade away Cooper and his bulky contract. No problem for Lamb. He took over as WR1 and excelled. He used his new position as the lone man on top and delivered career-highs in receptions (107), receiving yards (1,359), and receiving touchdowns (9), leading Dallas in all three categories. Not only did he lead his team, but Lamb was also top-ten in the league in all three statistics.
Last season helped to break Lamb into the conversation for top-ten receivers. Not only did he post top-ten statistics, but the analysts over at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) also slotted him as the eighth-best receiver in the league. So, what exactly does his status as a top-ten wideout mean for a potential extension?
Currently, the top ten annual averages for wide receiver contracts in the NFL all exceed $20MM per year, the number the Cowboys granted to Cooper back in 2020. With the exception of Keenan Allen, who signed his deal in 2020, all of those top contracts were reached last year. This means that, while the numbers may inflate a bit in 2023, they shouldn’t be that far off from last year’s record-breaking deals. Those deals range from D.J. Moore‘s three-year, $61.88MM deal ($20.63MM average annual value) to Tyreek Hill‘s league-topping four-year, $120MM contract ($30MM AAV).
Lamb still trails a few of the top moneymakers at the position statistically. Hill, Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, and A.J. Brown were all able to outperform Lamb in some aspects. Others, like Cooper Kupp, D.K. Metcalf, and Deebo Samuel have had higher highs in their careers than Lamb but have lacked his consistency and progress. I’d estimate that Lamb should fetch more than Terry McLaurin‘s $22.79MM per year but likely less than Adams’s $28MM. He probably deserves to be in the range of Diggs, Metcalf, and Samuel, but the usual annual inflation should boost him up into the range of Brown and Kupp.
While most of the top contracts are three or four years in length, the Cowboys didn’t shy away from giving Cooper a five-year deal after his fifth season. They’re likely not going to want to let Lamb slip through their fingers and, with only three years of NFL play under his belt, they can stand to stack an extra year in the deal. I think the Cowboys could get away with offering a little less in AAV by going for a five-year deal, as well. A five-year, $125MM offer makes a lot of sense. It would give Lamb the second-largest receiver contract in the NFL, behind only Adams’s $140MM, but would only put him tied for fourth in AAV at $25MM per year.
One of the reasons that Lamb’s extension is a priority for Dallas has nothing to do with the Cowboys or Lamb. Lamb’s fellow 2020 draftee Justin Jefferson is likely also working towards an extension in Minnesota soon. Statistically, Jefferson’s worst season is comparable to Lamb’s best. Since entering the league, Jefferson has finished every season as a top-four wideout, according to PFF. Whenever Jefferson signs a new contract, he will likely set a new bar for receiver deals. That puts Dallas in a race against the clock. They would likely prefer to get a deal done with Lamb before Jefferson resets the market at a new higher rate.
There you have it. A Lamb extension has been on the team’s mind since at least March. They can lock down their star wideout with a top-five deal right now and make both parties happy. Their best chance, though, is to get that done before the Vikings extend Jefferson. If Jefferson is able to reset the market, holding on to Lamb may come at an even greater cost.
Cowboys Rumors: Davis, Ferguson, Tolbert
The Cowboys have a number of depth chart battles to deal with heading into the 2023 season, including a left guard starting role that we touched on earlier this month. Another battle they’re currently dealing with, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic, is the backup running back gig.
Tony Pollard returns as the obvious starter at running back in Dallas. He’ll finally get a chance to take on a lion’s share of the teams carries after spending the first four years of his career splitting touches with Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys are now tasked with figuring out who will be the primary backup taking snaps behind Pollard.
One of the favorites for the job is second year back Malik Davis. As an undrafted rookie out of Florida, Davis appeared in 12 games last season, carrying the ball 38 times for 161 yards and a touchdown and catching six passes for 63 yards. He was the only running back not named Pollard or Elliott to contribute to the Cowboys’ offense last year, giving him the advantage of experience in Dallas’s system.
In order to earn the role, Davis will have to fight off offseason additions Ronald Jones and Deuce Vaughn. Jones is the most experienced of the three after winning Super Bowl rings with both the Buccaneers and the Chiefs. He has plenty of experience in both of his previous situations dealing with the demands of a backup running back, as well. Jones brings the experience of adapting to a new system from last year but still will need to catch up to Davis’s current familiarity with the team. Vaughn is coming off two stellar seasons at Kansas State and brings a different element to the game with his style and stature. He will have to quickly adjust to the NFL-level of play, though, in order to sneak past Davis and Jones on the depth chart.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of Texas:
- With Dalton Schultz now in Houston, the Cowboys will also have to figure out who takes the first snaps at tight end. They’re likely to utilize a number of tight ends in different situations, but right now, second year tight end Jake Ferguson is the favorite to start, according to Machota. The former fourth-round pick started eight games as a rookie and has the most experience playing in the Cowboys’ system. This year’s second-round rookie Luke Schoonmaker is sure to push Ferguson for playing time at some point, but currently, he’s still dealing with a plantar fascia issue that’s kept him from pushing for the top of the depth chart.
- After a disappointing rookie season for last year’s third-round receiver Jalen Tolbert that saw him only appear in eight games and make two catches for 12 yards, the Cowboys are hoping for much more in Year 2. The team reportedly had enough confidence in the South Alabama product that they considered drafting him in the second round last year, according to Machota. Tolbert will have every opportunity to win the WR4 job in Dallas.
Jets Rumors: Gardner, Colletto, Amos
Jets cornerback Ahmad Gardner may have only just finished his rookie season, but he’s already looking towards the future of his NFL career. A recent tweet from Vayner Sports agency announced that Sauce has made a change in his representation and is joining their “family.” While the move seems premature, with Gardner currently under contract through the 2026 season, assuming New York picks up his fifth-year option, Gardner’s early success makes the move much more reasonable.
Sauce only has one season under his belt, but in that one season, Gardner graded out as the best cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That assessment was backed up with a Pro Bowl selection, a first-team All-Pro selection, and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award. When you display that consensus of dominance in only your rookie year, it makes a bit of sense to start looking past your rookie contract.
Usually, teams can take advantage of their best young players being on rookie contracts. For an example, look no further than quarterback Lamar Jackson, who played an MVP season for the Ravens while only making $2.37MM per year. While the Jets would love nothing more than to continue paying Gardner $8.36MM per year under his rookie deal, the best cornerbacks in the league are starting to make north of $20MM per year. If Sauce continues to play like the best cornerback in the NFL, he’s going to want to get paid like it sooner rather than later. Switching agencies may be the move that gets that ball rolling.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of East Rutherford:
- The 49ers won the lottery for Oregon State fullback Jack Colletto, who signed with San Francisco despite serious interest from the Jets and Dolphins, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The thing is, the 49ers already have a fullback in Kyle Juszczyk, who has graded out as a top-two fullback in the league in six of the past seven years, according to PFF. San Francisco may intend for Colletto to be the successor to the 32-year-old Juszczyk, but if so, they’re going to need to find room for him on the roster. If they waive Colletto in hopes of signing him to the practice squad, they risk allowing one of his other suitors to swoop in and claim him off of waivers. They may also take the route Baltimore did years ago with kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik. For those who don’t remember, Vedvik had a standout preseason with the Ravens, but Baltimore was set with Justin Tucker and Sam Koch as their specialists at the time. They leveraged Vedvik’s success into a trade, converting their undrafted free agent into a fifth-round pick. San Francisco may be able to do the same, flaunting Colletto’s specialist abilities and enticing New York or Miami into a trade for the initially sought after fullback.
- Earlier this month, the Jets signed safety Adrian Amos in free agency on what was reportedly a one-year deal worth up to $4MM. Thanks to ESPN’s Field Yates, we have a few more details on Amos’s new contract. The deal is initially worth only $1.75MM, consisting of a veteran minimum salary of $1.17MM and a $585k signing bonus. The rest of the value comes from a possible $2.25MM in incentives. $900k of the incentives are considered like to be earned, bumping his cap hit up to $2.65MM.
Extension Candidates: Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington
The Ravens have a strong three-man defensive line this year with Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, and Broderick Washington. Unfortunately for Baltimore, all three linemen are playing in contract years in 2023. In fact, the only defensive linemen under contract past this season are last year’s third-round pick Travis Jones, undrafted second-year player Rayshad Nichols, who signed a two-year reserve/futures deal, and undrafted rookie Trey Botts out of Colorado State-Pueblo. Unless Baltimore wants to start over from scratch next season with an inexperienced returning group, it will need to look into extending the stays of Madubuike, Pierce, and/or Washington. 
Firstly, Pierce is not considered a favorite for a long-term extension. The former undrafted star is currently playing out his fourth NFL contract. The aging veteran is 30 heading into the 2023 season and has only played in 11 games in the past three years, including only three in his return to Baltimore in 2022. The Ravens may extend their old vet a friendly one-year deal to prolong his stay if he can prove healthy this season, but Pierce’s days of long-term contracts are likely in the rearview.
Madubuike and Washington were both drafted in 2020 by the Ravens. Both were Texas-natives with Madubuike coming out of Texas A&M in the third round and Washington coming out of Texas Tech in the fifth. As rookies, the two saw reserve time, filling in for a strong starting lineup that included Derek Wolfe, Calais Campbell, and Brandon Williams. The following year, a season-long injury to Wolfe and the departure of a few depth pieces cracked the door open for more playing time.
Madubuike was the first to step up and earn more defensive snaps. In his sophomore season, he joined the starting lineup for 11 games, even playing more defensive snaps than the veteran Williams. Madubuike improved on all of his rookie numbers, collecting more tackles, sacks, tackles for loss, quarterback hits, and even adding on two batted passes. Washington also found the field more often in his second year, and after not recording anything but two assisted tackles as a rookie, he, too, bettered every statistical category.
Last year saw a bit of a breakout year for both linemen. Madubuike spent the year as a full-time starter for the first time in his career, while Washington joined him for much of the year as the team’s de facto third lineman behind Madubuike and Campbell. Madubuike once again improved his numbers, recording career-highs in total tackles (42), sacks (5.5), tackles for loss (8), quarterback hits (9), and batted passes (3). Washington also notched new career-highs in total tackles (49), quarterback hits (4), and batted passes (6), while matching his previous highs in sacks (1.0) and tackles for loss (2). Washington also had his highest career grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading out as the league’s 31st-best interior defender, while Madubuike, despite the more explosive numbers, ranked at 54th.
Now, Madubuike will return to his role as a full-time starter in 2023. If he continues this trend of improving on his output each year, he could follow many former Ravens’ defensive linemen in pricing himself right out of Baltimore, especially as price tags on interior defenders have skyrocketed in recent years. With Ed Oliver‘s recent new deal, 11 defensive tackles are making $17MM per year or more. That’s a lot to ask of a Ravens team that has failed to see consistently strong returns on recent investments in the defensive line. Still, if they’d like to lock down Madubuike long-term, it’d likely be smart to do it before the guy they view as an ascending player does just that and forces them to allow him to test free agency.
Washington, on the other hand, is walking into his first season as a full-time starter. Despite being arguably more effective than Madubuike last season, his lack of starting experience combined with his smaller presence on the stat sheet make Washington much cheaper to extend. Make no mistake, Washington deserves to be paid for his toughness against the run, his disruption of passing lanes, and his ability to eat up space and open the field for his teammates to make plays, but a lineman with only two career sacks isn’t going to be able to demand a record deal.
Madubuike feels like the higher priority, for right now. That’s not to say that Washington isn’t just as important to the team’s future, it’s just that Madubuike seems to hold a much higher penalty if the Ravens fail to secure him before the end of the season. Baltimore could even potentially wait a beat on Washington to see how he performs in his first year as a full-time starter. Unless he sees quite an uptick in statistical output this season, the Ravens may not even face strong competition in bringing Washington back as an unrestricted free agent.
In terms of contract numbers, Madubuike could potentially push up close to the numbers of Oliver. Oliver had been a bit more consistent in his sack and disruption numbers at this point in his career, but if Madubuike continues to develop and improve, his best season could be better than Oliver’s best. If I had to venture a guess, I’d put a Madubuike extension in the range of $14MM-17MM per year for three or four years, perhaps a four-year, $60MM deal. As mentioned above, Washington’s deal should be a bit more reasonable. Again for three or four years, Washington may end up closer to the $7MM-10MM per year range. It wouldn’t be out of the question for him to end up with a four-year, $36MM or three-year, $30MM extension.
The Ravens are certainly in a position where they need to be thinking of their future at defensive line. Jones showed some promise as a rookie but expecting him to shoulder the load of leading the defensive line next year is asking a lot. They can also continue a short-term rental of Pierce, but cementing a future with Madubuike and Washington on the line could spell success and stability for the Ravens defense moving forward.
Could Steelers Keep Only Two RBs On Roster?
In 2022, five running backs (including one fullback) recorded carries for the Steelers offense. Starter Najee Harris and then-rookie Jaylen Warren accounted for 91 percent of those carries (349 of 384 total). The next two most-active carriers, Benny Snell and Derek Watt, are currently free agents, while Anthony McFarland is on a reserve/futures contract after spending last season on the team’s practice squad. All signs are pointing to an offense heavily featuring Harris and Warren, but is it possible that Pittsburgh would go so far as to only keep two running backs on their roster going into the 2023 season? Mark Kaboly of The Athletic seems to think so. Let’s break it down. 
First of all, the name of the game for NFL running backs these days is “youth.” With a 25-year-old Harris heading into his third NFL season and a 24-year-old Warren heading into his second, the Steelers may be better set up than any team to roll confidently with two backs for a full season. Harris hasn’t missed a game since entering the NFL, and after leading the NFL in touches as a rookie, he shouldered another heavy load last year with the sixth-most touches in the league.
Warren wasn’t asked to do much in his rookie season. He only averaged about five carries per game, but despite playing less than half the number of snaps as Harris, Warren showed he has potential catching out of the backfield. He recorded 15 fewer receiving yards than Harris, but Warren averaged 7.6 yards per catch to Harris’s 5.6. He fits as an ideal relief back for Harris who can slide in on passing downs when needed. He hasn’t shown that he can carry the team if needed, but neither has any other back on their roster. Plus, Harris hasn’t put Pittsburgh in that position yet during his short career.
McFarland is struggling to hold on to a roster spot in Pittsburgh. After appearing in 11 games as a rookie in 2020, McFarland has only appeared in three games in the two seasons since. The team waived him in its final roster cuts before last season, negating his four-year rookie contract, before signing him to the practice squad and, eventually, a futures contract.
Pittsburgh also signed running back Jason Huntley to a futures contract this offseason after he spent the 2022 season on the practice squad. Huntley has 18 career carries for the Eagles over his first two years in the league but didn’t contribute at all to the Steelers offense last year.
Additionally, the team signed three undrafted free agents: small school backs Darius Hagans out of Virginia State and Alfonzo Graham out of Morgan State as well as Iowa fullback Monte Pottebaum. Hagans and Graham put up strong 2022 seasons for the Trojans and Bears, respectively, but neither is really considered a big threat to push Warren for backup or receiving back duties. Pottebaum was a distinguished scholar at Iowa and a strong special teams contributor.
Of all the above-mentioned backs, McFarland and Pottebaum have the strongest cases for making the 53-man roster with Harris and Warren. Special teams coordinator Danny Smith reportedly has a number of holes to fill in his units, but if he can do so without McFarland or Pottebaum, their chances of making the team will plummet.
Pottebaum has the added opportunity of solidifying himself as a true fullback, filling the void left by Watt. Even that’s not a sure thing, though, as tight end Connor Heyward could always revert back to that role, if needed. Before playing his redshirt senior season and his rookie NFL season at tight end, Heyward spent four years at Michigan State as a stout running back. If the Steelers decided to utilize his blocking and receiving abilities in a fullback/H-back type of role, they may continue to carry four tight ends on the roster in lieu of a third running back.
So, there you have it. As insane as it may seem in today’s NFL, the Steelers may be well on their way to carrying only two running backs on their 53-man roster. They fully trust Harris and Warren to carry out the duties of the room between them, and they can always cheat a little by borrowing a bit from the tight end room, if necessary.
Texans Notes: Green, Perryman, Griffin, Staff
The Texans received updates on two injury situations with the potential to bleed over into training camp, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. It looks like Houston will see a defender back at full-speed, while an offensive starter may have a bit further to go.
Firstly, Wilson reported that free agent addition Denzel Perryman is nearly back to full-strength after recovering from labrum shoulder surgery. The former Raiders linebacker missed games last year with a dislocated shoulder before ultimately undergoing the procedure. The 30-year-old has graded out as a top-30 linebacker in each of his two years in Las Vegas, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He’s projected to start beside Christian Kirksey and Christian Harris in 2023.
On the offensive side of the ball, last year’s rookie starter at offensive guard, Kenyon Green, is still making his way back from an arthroscopic knee surgery that he underwent this offseason. New head coach DeMeco Ryans was noncommittal on when Green would return. “We’ll see where Kenyon is come training camp,” Ryans told reporters. “For Kenyon, he has to be ready to go, and the work he puts in over the next few weeks will see if he’s ready and ready to go out and compete.”
Here are a few other rumors coming out of H-Town:
- The Texans were recently able to add free agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin to their secondary. According to another report from Wilson, Houston wasn’t the only team with interest in the veteran corner. Griffin claims that along with his former team in Jacksonville and his new team in Houston, he felt interest from the Vikings and Commanders. He only made one visit, but his trip to Texas was enough to sell him on the team’s scheme and “energy.”
- Houston was recently able to reach an agreement to extend defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a new two-year, $23MM deal with a reported $20MM of guaranteed money. Recent updates adjust the latter number slightly. Collins was actually guaranteed $20.5MM, consisting of a $10.5MM signing bonus, Collins’s 2023 base salary of $2MM, and his 2024 base salary of $8MM. His contract will also include a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500k.
- Lastly, there was a bit of a shakeup in the Texans’ front office last weekend. According to Wilson, former chief of staff Nick Kray is no longer with the organization. Kray came over with Ryans from the same position in San Francisco when Ryans took the head coaching gig in Houston. Since his departure, assistant to the coaches Jake Olson has taken over Kray’s duties. Olson was recently added to the staff after stints as Kent State director of football operations and Yale chief of staff.