The Cleveland Browns are now just over 24 hours away from their Week 8 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. However, due to injuries in the running back room, we have seen them add three ball carriers to their practice squad this week. One of those running backs was the familiar face of John Kelly Jr. He was one of six players in for a tryout today with the Browns, joined by other running backs Kenyan Drake and Benny Snell.
Kelly Jr. has been on the practice squad for the past two seasons and was with the team during training camp this summer as well. They also brought back Nate McCrary and Jordan Wilkins to the practice squad as well, two other players who were on the training camp roster.
Here is the full list of players, six in total, that the Browns had in for a tryout on Friday. Again, this is something they do weekly as players begin to exhaust their three call-ups from the practice squad, and as injuries always have to be compensated for.
Drake saw action in two games this season, but the team got Keaton Mitchell back on the 53-man roster from injured reserve while having Melvin Gordon III and Owen Wright on the practice squad.
Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.
SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks
Pass-Rush
TD
Lamar Jackson
202-101
2
Justin Herbert
405-11
3
Tua Tagovailoa
309-0
4
Kirk Cousins
367-10
3
Jordan Love
259-39
2
Running Backs
Yards
TD
Devon Achane
18-203 rush
4-30 rcv
4
Raheem Mostert
13-82 rush
7-60 rcv
4
Kenneth Walker
18-97 rush
3-59 rcv
2
Christian McCaffrey
18-85 rush
5-34 rcv
1
Zack Moss
30-122 rush
2-23 rcv
1
Wide Receivers
Yards
TD
Keenan Allen
18-215
1
Adam Thielen
11-145
1
Tyreek Hill
9-157
1
Justin Jefferson
7-149
1
Davante Adams
13-172
2
Tight Ends
Yards
TD
Sam LaPorta
8-84
1
Travis Kelce
7-69
1
George Kittle
7-90
0
T.J. Hockerson
8-78
0
Pharoah Brown
2-71
1
Placekickers
XP
FG
Matt Gay
1
5
Jason Meyers
2
5
Tyler Bass
4
3
Matt Prater
1
3
Ka’imi Fairbairn
4
3
Defense
Sack – TO
TD
Bills
9-5
1
Lions
7-1
0
Browns
5-0
0
Chiefs
3-2
0
Texans
0-2
1
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
That was pretty light.
QB Derek Carr – Shoulder
RB Gus Edwards – Concussion
WR Mike Williams – Knee
WR Jonathan Mingo – Concussion
Chasing Ambulances
QB Derek Carr – Was diagnosed with an AC joint sprain in his throwing (right) shoulder. It is not season-ending and his time away will depend on the swelling and how it responds to treatment. In the meantime, Jameis Winston will be the starter.
RB Gus Edwards – Was pulled from the loss to the Colts, and replaced by the tag team of Melvin Gordon and Kenyan Drake. While he’s yet another injured running back for the Ravens, they insist on their committee approach that rarely allows more than a dozen touches to any single back. Gordon should see the bigger share of the workload, but Lamar Jackson also has to be factored into the rushing.
WR Mike Williams – Was carted to the locker room after sustaining a left knee injury. It appeared to be non-contact as there was no apparent collision or twisting. He’ll be evaluated on Monday but if he misses time, Joshua Palmer will move up the depth chart and the rookie Quentin Johnston will become more involved. Palmer logged four catches for 66 yards and a score in the win over the Vikings and has to be a free agent consideration by the Mike Williams owner.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
RB Alexander Mattison – The Vikings acquired Cam Akers from the Rams but they had faced the Buccaneers and Eagles – both have great defensive lines and Mattison was held below 12 carries each week. Versus the Chargers, Mattison enjoyed his last non-Akers weekend by rushing for 90 yards on 20 carries and catching five passes for 32 yards. Maybe he will hold Akers off and keep him as just backfield depth.
WR Tank Dell – The rookie logged seven catches for 72 yards and one score in Week 2 against the Colts but that was a one-game fluke. Or so it was thought. Dell turned five receptions into 145 yards and one score at the Jaguars. No other Texans receiver gained more than 34 yards. Dell is forging a very dangerous relationship with C.J. Stroud.
WR DJ Chark – Debuted last week with just one catch in the loss to the Saints, but he was targeted 11 times against the Seahawks – second highest on the team and caught four passes for 86 yards and one touchdown. The Panthers were forced to start Andy Dalton but the experienced quarterback strongly favored Chark and Adam Thielen (11-145, TD). This is how the offense should work and what Bryce Young aims to become.
WR Josh Downs – The Colts third-round pick stepped up nicely against the Ravens, fielding a team-high 12 targets for eight catches and 57 yards. With Anthony Richardson out, Gardner Minshew was the starting quarterback but he’s already challenging second-year Alex Pierce for the No. 2 wideout role.
WR Elijah Moore – The transplant from the Jets only managed three catches in his first two games but then attracted a team-high nine targets and caught them all for 49 yards. He’s starting to mesh with Deshaun Watson and defenses have enough trouble keeping up with Amani Cooper.
TE Kyle Pitts – He only gained 41 yards on five catches, but it is a positive sign that he led the Falcons with nine targets. Fellow tight end Jonnu Smith was next with eight passes that became five catches for 37 yards in the loss to the Lions.
TE Sam LaPorta – The Lions rookie tight end already started his career with five catches per game, then upped that with eight receptions for 84 yards and one score in the win over the Falcons. After three games, he is on a pace to catch 102 passes. And that’s as a tight end.
RB Kendre Miller – The Saints rookie wideout debuted with 34 yards on nine carries and one catch for no gain. But he led the backfield and now will pair with Alvin Kamara who returns from his suspension this week. Jamaal Williams was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and Tony Jones drops down another notch on the depth chart.
RB Ezekiel Elliott – He already hurt Rhamondre Stevenson’s workload when he was added this summer, but now he’s looked sharper than hi,. Stevenson ran for 59 yards on 19 carries (3.1 YPC) and caught one three-yard pass. Elliott just ran for 80 yards on 16 carries (5.0 YPC) and caught a seven-yard pass. It doesn’t mean that Elliott will overtake Stevenson as the primary, but it points to the fact there is no reason to change the backfield sharing for now.
RB Tony Pollard – After three weeks, the Cowboys starter totals 62 carries for 264 yards (4.3 YPC). He also caught 12 passes for 48 yards. In Week 3, the Cowboys were finally challenged by their opponent and ran Pollard for 122 yards on 23 carries. The interesting part is that he is on a pace for 340 carries and 68 receptions. He’s never had more than 193 rushes in any season in the NFL or college. He broke his leg at the end of last season with a far lesser workload. Rico Dowdle is his backup but hasn’t carried more than seven times in any game. What happens to the Dallas offense if Pollard breaks down?
Huddle player of the Week
Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
RB Devon Achane / Raheem Mostert – This is the first time in our 27 years that the Player of the Week is shared. How could it not? Raheem Mostert rushed for 82 yards and three touchdowns on the Broncos and added 60 yards on seven receptions with a fourth touchdown. The rookie ran 18 times and gained 203 yards and two touchdowns, plus caught four passes for 30 yards and two more scores to also total four. That is two running backs, on the same team, that combined for 285 rushing yards, caught 11 passes for 90 yards and totaled eight touchdowns between them. That’s two backs in one game that produced 96.5 fantasy points. There were three teams last year that failed to total more than eight touchdowns from their entire backfield over all 17 games.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
Former Alabama running back Kenyan Drake was signed to the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad on Wednesday. Drake spent time on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad.
Over the years, Alabama has produced some of the NFL’s top running backs. One of those running backs is Kenyan Drake. On Wednesday, the Baltimore Ravens signed Drake to their practice squad.
The news comes days after Ravens running back Justice Hill suffered a toe injury. Not to mention, the Ravens also lost starting running back JK Dobbins to a season-ending injury. The likelihood that Drake will be added to the active roster is increasingly high.
Drake spent the 2022 season with the Ravens. He is familiar with the coaching staff and the majority of the roster. Therefore, it should be an easy transition for Drake.
It will be interesting to see how the Ravens plan to use Drake in their running back room. He will likely serve as the team’s backup behind starting running back Gus Edwards. Whatever the case may be, the Ravens have added a veteran presence to their locker room.
We have signed RB Kenyan Drake to the practice squad.
Baltimore #Ravens’ running back Justice Hill is in jeopardy of missing the Week 3 matchup vs. Colts with a toe injury via @Thacover2NFL
The Baltimore Ravens could be without running back Justice Hill for Sunday’s matchup with Indianapolis, as the veteran is dealing with a toe injury.
#Ravens RB Justice Hill suffered a toe injury that could keep him out of the Week 3 matchup with the #Colts but shouldn’t result in a lengthy absence, per source.
Drake signed with the Colts in early August as they dealt with the absences of Taylor and Zack Moss. He ran 13 times for 36 yards and caught three passes for 29 yards in the team’s three preseason games.
Last season, Drake appeared in 12 games (five starts) with the Ravens and had 482 rushing yards on 109 attempts (4.4 yards/attempt) with four rushing scores.
Over 101 career games, the 29-year-old Drake has 867 rushing attempts for 3,866 yards (4.5 yards/attempt) with 33 touchdowns; he also has 216 receptions for 1,624 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.
The Baltimore #Ravens are reportedly set to host Kenyan Drake, Ronald Jones and James Robinson for free agent workouts ahead of Week 3 via @Thacover2NFL
The Ravens are banged up at the running back position and with J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell both out with injuries, Jeff Zrebiec is reporting that the team will host several free agents for workouts.
Ravens are taking a look at some veteran RBs today. Along with Kenyan Drake, Ronald Jones and James Robinson are in for workouts, per sources.
Kenyan Drake released by the Indianapolis Colts and is now free to sign with any team ahead of the 2023 season.
Former Alabama running back Kenyan Drake is back in the free-agent market ahead of the 2023 season after being released by the Indianapolis Colts.
Drake was a third-round selection by the Miami Dolphins in the 2016 NFL draft. He spent nearly four seasons in Miami but was traded to Arizona in the middle of the 2019 season. He’s also had short stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders.
In 2022 for the Ravens, Drake appeared in 11 games and had 93 carries for 442 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He also had a receiving touchdown.
The running back market is at what feels like an all-time low, with many high-profile players at the position speaking out on the pay and the respect they feel is due.
The #Colts released veteran RB Kenyan Drake, per source.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Drake and other former Alabama players in the NFL as the 2023 season gets under way.
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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.
These were the toughest cuts from our Colts’ final roster projection.
The Indianapolis Colts have until Tuesday afternoon to cut the roster down to 53 players as the preseason officially comes to an end.
This is no easy task, and there will be plenty of surprises along the way. After three preseason games and joint practices with two separate teams, the Colts have to use all the information they’ve gathered to compile the best collection of 53 players moving forward.
The process, of course, doesn’t end with the initial 53-man roster, and it’s likely that changes will come immediately the day after through the waiver wire.
As we went through with our final roster projection ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, there were some difficult choices made regarding players on the roster bubble. It could be due to the fact that they played well in a crowded room or they didn’t show quite enough to be worthy of a spot.
Here’s a look at the eight toughest cuts we made in our final roster projection for the Colts:
