Team news: Arizona Cardinals | Page 26

Zack Moss has returned to practice after breaking his arm early in training camp and he will join Deon Jackson and Evan Hull as options in the backfield against Jacksonville this weekend. On Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen suggested that all three backs will get chances to show their skills and that the team will make choices about how to divvy up playing time based on how they perform.

“I think it’s running back-by-committee,” Steichen said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “Whoever’s got the hot hand, let ‘em ride a little bit.”

Related players: James Robinson, Jonathan Taylor

This isn't shocking news, but still disappointing for fantasy purposes. Last year, the Colts gave the RB1 role to Moss to close out the season, and he preformed well to the surprise of many. But with a new coaching staff in place, Moss may not get the same chances he did last season. Jackson has preformed well at times when filling in for Taylor, but Hull is a rookie drafted by the current coaching staff. The team was also expected to host free agent Robinson, who was cut by the Patriots earlier this offseason.

In the last 10 years, five running backs have been taken in the top 10. Four of the five (Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Todd Gurley) had 229 carries or more in their rookie season. The fifth (Christian McCaffrey) had only 117 carries but added 80 catches. When teams draft backs in the top 10, like Bijan Robinson, they use them a lot.

Related players: Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson

The author went on to say Allgeier will still get plenty of use because the Falcons ran the ball an NFL-high 559 times last year. So even if Robinson carries the ball 250 times, there are still plenty of carries to go around. Patterson’s role is a little bit more of a mystery, the story added. He'll be third on the team in carries, according to the author, but how far back he’s going to be is a question mark. The prediction is Patterson's 144 carries from a year ago could get cut in half this season.

TE Zach Ertz about playing Week 1: “I don’t think it’s certain by any means.”
Has to keep working. Has to re-earn trust of teammates, coaches.

Related Players: Trey McBride, Geoff Swaim

We haven't heard a modicum of good news about the Cardinals offense through almost the entirety of the offseason. If Ertz is forced to miss time, we should see some extended playing time for sophomore Trey McBride, which will at least give us an idea of what he offers to this new-look offense with Joshua Dobbs or Clayton Tune at the helm.

The Miami Dolphins weren't the only team interested in acquiring Jonathan Taylor from the Indianapolis Colts. The Green Bay Packers were also in talks with the Colts and had legitimate interest in trading for the star running back. Indianapolis moved forward after its self-imposed deadline of Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET came and went without receiving what the team deemed an acceptable offer for Taylor, who requested a trade last month and was authorized by the Colts last week to seek out a trade partner.

Related Players: Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon, Evan Hull, Zack Moss

This saga is far from over, as Taylor is still eligible to be traded despite remaining on the PUP list. The running back will miss at least the first four games of the regular season, regardless of who holds his contract. Taylor heading to Green Bay would be near-catastrophic for fantasy purposes, as we're already dealing with a split that chews into both Jones' and Dillon's fantasy value.

The Dolphins would be easier to stomach for those of us who have been draft best ball teams all Summer, as all of their RB options have been going deep in the double-digit rounds.

No deal: Indianapolis did not find what it felt was a fair-value offer for Jonathan Taylor and it is not trading its All-Pro running back today, league sources tell ESPN.

Related players: Zack Moss, Evan Hull, Deon Jackson

Schefter went on to say with no trade materializing today, Taylor now is expected to remain on the Physically Unable to Perform List, making him ineligible to play the first four games of the season. Taylor now is expected to miss games vs. the Jaguars, at Houston, at Baltimore and vs. the Rams. We recently reported that if Moss is ready to go, he would likely be the team's RB1 with Hull and Jackson also involved. Moss is dealing with a broken arm so it remains to be seen if he'll get cleared for Week 1. Especially in deeper leagues, any of these three backs are worth adding to your roster if you see them on the wire. The Colts could still move Taylor when he's eligible to return in Week 5.

Another kicker trade. The Patriots are trading Nick Folk to the Titans, sources say.

Related players: Chad Ryland

Ryland, a fourth round pick by the Patriots this past spring, wins the kicking job, and the Patriots get a seventh round pick.

Jets are releasing Zonovan Knight, source said.

Related players: Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda

Rapoport went on to say Knight received some interest on the trade front, which could indicate a claim on Wednesday and he finds another team. Knight got off to a hot start the first three weeks of his career last season, running for 14-69-0, 15-90-0 and 17-71-1. But New York is deep at RB, after signing Cook and drafting Abanikanda, who was a sneaky pick in dynasty drafts. Carter also survives and is expected to perhaps keep a third down role.

Jonathan Taylor update: Talks continue and, as expected, this will go down to the wire.

Related players: Zack Moss, Evan Hull, Deon Jackson

The Dolphins have been heavily linked to Taylor and according to reports, have already made an offer that was declined. Holder added he believes there to be a second team involved beyond the Dolphins, which would certainly change the dynamics. It remains to be seen what would happen if the Colts don't get a deal done and Taylor remains in Indy to start the season.

If Jonathan Taylor is unavailable, Zack Moss would likely be the starter whenever he’s cleared to return from a broken right arm. He’s expected back around the start of the season. Evan Hull looked pretty good on Thursday night, particularly in pass protection, and scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. He had six carries for 25 yards and could be poised for more snaps alongside Richardson. Kenyan Drake was the third-stringer on Thursday, and while he scored on an 8-yard reception from Minshew, he didn’t do enough throughout the preseason to climb the depth chart and avoid the practice squad.

According to beat writer James Boyd, the theoretical RB depth chart is set to be Zack Moss, Evan Hull, and Deon Jackson. This is if Jonathan Taylor is moved or is forced to miss the first four games due to not being activated from the PUP list. This makes Moss an interesting late-round target, but it's likely a situation we want to try to avoid if we're not getting a full role out of Taylor.

Nick Chubb is as sure a thing as there is in the NFL at the top of the Browns’ running back depth chart. Things behind him are a little murky at the moment with Jerome Ford injured. Ford won’t practice the remainder of this week or play in Kansas City and is still a question mark for Week 1 against the Bengals.

Related Players: Demetric Felton, Jordan Wilkins

Kevin Stefanski said Ford is progressing but added his absence presents an opportunity for other players down the depth chart, like Demetric Felton Jr., newcomer Jordan Wilkins, and others. “I think it’s great competition,” Stefanski said. “Obviously unfortunate with Jerome’s injury, unfortunate for Jerome, but a great opportunity for those other guys to get good reps out here at practice, getting great reps in the game, so I think it’s a great competition in that entire room.”

Reading between the lines, it seems like Ford is still locked into the RB2 role, whether or not he's playing in Week 1. He still makes for an interesting late-round dart in best ball leagues but doesn't need to be drafted in most typical redraft leagues.