HEADLINES

Michael Carter (North Carolina)

Cardinals Claim RB Michael Carter

November 15th, 2023 at 5:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:19pm: The Buccaneers and Commanders also put in Carter claims, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Both four-win teams reside behind the Cardinals in the waiver order, leading the young running back to the desert.

3:47pm: Michael Carter did not advance far down the waiver priority list. His name stopped at the Cardinals, who submitted a successful claim, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The 2-8 team will move see what the third-year back can provide.

The Jets made the surprising decision to waive the backup running back Tuesday. The 2021 draftee is signed through 2024. This marks another reserve RB addition for the Cardinals, who have cycled through a few this season. Carter, 24, is due a nonguaranteed $1.1MM next year.

Both Damien Williams and Tony Jones Jr. emerged as backups during the Cardinals’ stretch without James Conner. The team moved on from both last week, with Conner back in the fold after a four-week IR stay. Despite Conner’s return to the 53-man roster, Arizona will still gauge Carter’s fit in Drew Petzing‘s offense.

One of two Michael Carters the Jets drafted in 2021, the North Carolina alum showed some promise as a rookie. In the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh regime’s first offseason, the Jets chose Carter in Round 4. Carter proceeded to lead the Jets in rushing that season, totaling 639 yards (4.3 per carry) and four touchdowns. The former Javonte Williams Tar Heels teammate nearly reached 1,000 scrimmage yards as a rookie, contributing 325 through the air as well. Carter’s scrimmage-yards total that year paced the Jets by more than 300.

Carter enjoyed that notable rookie season despite missing three games, but with the Jets finishing 4-13, it did not generate too much acclaim. The Jets drafted Breece Hall in the 2022 second round, demoting Carter. The team also signed Dalvin Cook this offseason, bringing in the ex-Vikings Pro Bowler as Hall insurance. While Carter held off Bam Knight for a roster spot this year, the team is expected to give more playing time to rookie fifth-rounder Israel Abanikanda. Carter averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last season, filling in as one of the Jets’ solutions following Hall’s ACL tear.

The Cardinals have kept Keaontay Ingram and rookie UDFA Emari Demercado in place as Conner’s backups. Carter will join the roster as a fourth running back, potentially providing aid on passing downs. That said, Demercado has missed the past two games with a toe injury. Carter will supply more depth to a Cardinals team that could look to him as a multiyear contributor. This regime did not authorize Conner’s three-year, $21MM extension, calling the veteran’s 2024 status into question. For now, Carter profiles as a Conner backup in the again-Kyler Murray-led Cards attack.

Jets Cut RB Michael Carter

November 14th, 2023 at 5:49pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have moved on from their former starting running back. The team announced that they’ve waived RB Michael Carter.

The 2021 fourth-round pick led the Jets backfield as a rookie, collecting 964 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. He was expected to take a back seat to Breece Hall in 2022 but was inserted back into the starting lineup following his teammate’s season-ending injury. While he started 10 of his 16 appearances last season, Carter wasn’t nearly as productive during his second season in the NFL, finishing the year with only 690 yards from scrimmage.

With Hall healthy and the Jets signing Dalvin Cook, Carter was buried on the depth chart this year. He saw most of his work on third downs, hauling in 15 receptions for 68 yards. Carter also had another 38 yards on the ground. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes, Carter was benched during Sunday’s loss to the Raiders after being penalized for a chop-block.

After that game, coach Robert Saleh hinted that changes could be coming to the offense. And as Cimini notes, cutting Carter sends a clear message to a struggling offense that no one is safe.

“We’re looking at some things, some different personnel changes, which I’m going to keep here with me, but we’re looking across the board to see if we can find a way to generate some offense,” Saleh said.

Still, considering Carter’s production during his rookie campaign, it shouldn’t take long for the running back to find his next squad. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Carter should have some suitors on the waiver wire.

With Carter now out of the picture, the Jets are likely going to give fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda any leftover snaps at the position. The Pitt product is known for his elite speed and could add a spark to an offense that’s struggling to find the end zone.

Jets’ Michael Carter To Miss Time

November 22nd, 2021 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets rookie running back Michael Carter has been diagnosed with a low-grade high ankle sprain (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Carter is expected to miss 2-3 weeks, but there’s no word yet on whether the Jets will move him to the injured reserve list.

Carter — not to be confused with the Jets’ rookie fifth-round defensive back of the same name — was a fourth-round selection in this year’s draft. This Carter split time with Broncos second-round pick Javonte Williams at UNC and registered back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2019 and 2020. His senior year was particularly efficient — the 5-foot-7, 201-pounder averaged 8.0 yards per tote en route to 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns.

So far this year, he’s got 430 yards off of 111 carries (3.9 ypc average). In an all-around flat Jets offense, he’s emerged as the top option ahead of veteran Tevin Coleman and the rest of the bunch.

Without Carter, the Jets will lean more on Coleman, Ty Johnson, La’mical Perine, and Nick Bawden when they take on the Texans this week.

Poll: Which Rookie Running Back Will Finish With Most Rushing Yards?

July 12th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Quarterbacks, per usual, dominated this year’s pre-draft coverage. The Falcons made Kyle Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history, and four wide receivers then went off the board in the top 20. Running backs, as they have done in a few drafts over the past decade, waited.

While two went in Round 1, the Jaguars’ Travis Etienne pick preceded a 60-pick stretch during which just one running back — the Broncos’ Javonte Williams choice — went off the board. The 2021 draft matches 2016 and 2003 for the fewest backs chosen in the top 80 (three) in the common draft era (1967-present), continuing a grim era for this once-storied position. But several of this year’s draftees have quick paths to key roles.

Linked to Najee Harris ahead of the draft, the Steelers took the Alabama standout at No. 24. Harris will join a Steelers team that ranked last in rushing in 2020. Although the Alabama product scored 30 touchdowns in his senior season and topped 1,200 rushing yards in two straight years, he will now play behind an offensive line that went through considerable turnover this offseason. The Steelers lost 17 Pro Bowls on their offensive line this year. They will replace Maurkice Pouncey and Alejandro Villanueva with far less experienced players, and David DeCastro‘s replacement (Trai Turner) struggled in 2020. Will Harris’ talent be enough to overcome significant O-line concerns in Pittsburgh?

Etienne joins a Jags team that just saw James Robinson set the rookie UDFA record for scrimmage yards (1,414) despite missing two games in 2020. Jacksonville also signed Carlos Hyde, who played for Urban Meyer at Ohio State. Etienne spent time at receiver during the Jags’ offseason program but should be expected to contribute heavily in the backfield. Like Harris, Etienne stayed in college for four years. He twice surpassed 1,600 rushing yards and totaled 78 college TDs — most of which coming alongside No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence — but will this unusual setup (for a first-round back, that is) translate to rookie-year production?

The Broncos traded up four spots for Williams in Round 2, Pro Football Focus’ top-rated back in this class, and chose the North Carolina product 36th overall. Williams teamed with Jets draftee Michael Carter to form one of the nation’s top backfield tandems. Williams compiled just one 1,000-yard season with the Tar Heels but led Division I-FBS with 75 broken tackles in 2020. The Broncos have Melvin Gordon signed through 2021, but the John Elway-era addition does not appear to be a lock to hold off Williams for the starting role.

The rest of the rookie field includes third-rounder Trey Sermon (49ers), Carter (fourth round, Jets) and a host of backs ticketed for early-career backup roles. While injuries certainly will hit the running back position, potentially forcing some of the later-round picks into the fray, Sermon and Carter have the best bets of seeing steady action among the mid- and late-round selections.

An Oklahoma and Ohio State product, Sermon also played four years. He averaged more than seven yards per carry in each of his past two, though he never topped 1,000 on the ground. Lead 49ers back Raheem Mostert is coming off an injury-marred season. The Jets added Tevin Coleman, who joined Mostert in missing most of last season, but do not have another back with much experience. This could allow Carter (two 1,000-yard years at North Carolina) early upward mobility, despite his 5-foot-8 frame.

Which rookie back will rush for the most yards in 2021? Who are the later-round candidates or UDFAs who can join these players as early contributors? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Which rookie running back will rush for the most yards in 2021?
Najee Harris 52.76% (1,369 votes)
Trey Sermon 12.79% (332 votes)
Javonte Williams 11.98% (311 votes)
Michael Carter 10.60% (275 votes)
Travis Etienne 8.71% (226 votes)
Another back (specify in comments) 3.16% (82 votes)
Total Votes: 2,595

Jets Sign Fourth-Round RB Michael Carter

June 4th, 2021 at 8:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Jets still have higher-profile rookie contracts to finalize, they are done with the Michael Carter section of their rookie deals. The first of the team’s two Michael Carters chosen, the fourth-round running back signed his four-year rookie pact Friday.

This comes nearly a month after fifth-round defensive back Michael Carter agreed to terms. These two played against one another in the ACC and both have paths to immediate playing time. A former North Carolina running back, this Michael Carter figures to become a higher-profile name sooner — perhaps due to the fantasy realm.

Carter split time with Broncos second-round pick Javonte Williams with the Tar Heels and ripped off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons to close his college career. The 5-foot-7, 201-pound back delivered an efficient senior season, averaging 8.0 yards per carry to reach 1,245 and nine touchdowns for a potent Tar Heels ground attack.

The Jets signed Tevin Coleman this offseason, and although the former Falcons and 49ers back has extensive experience working with OC Mike LaFleur, he has battled constant injury trouble over the past two seasons. Carter, who figures to compete for playing time ahead of his rookie season, also joins 2020 fourth-round pick La’Mical Perine in the Jets’ post-Le’Veon Bell backfield.

Of the Jets’ 10-man draft class, seven members have signed. Only the team’s first- and second-rounders — Zach Wilson,Alijah Vera-Tucker and Elijah Moore — are unsigned.