I assure you it is not. With all the talk about running back contracts — actually, it’s the lack thereof for big-name players who deserve the money but may decline during said contracts — former Jets and Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell took to Twitter to compare what was going on with Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and others to … A Bug’s Life.
Again: Not a typo. He really did that. And you know what? It’s not a bad comparison! It’s just a little weird.
We decided to break this whole thing down and see if it works:
Baltimore Ravens workout former UGA football RB Elijah Holyfield following several injuries at the position
Baltimore Ravens are working out former Georgia football running back Elijah Holyfield. The Ravens desperately need help at running back. Baltimore’s Justice Hill just tore his Achilles. The Ravens are already without starting running back J.K. Dobbins, who tore his ACL and is out for the season.
Baltimore is additionally working out NFL veterans Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman. The current projected starting back for the Ravens is Gus Edwards.
The Philadelphia Eagles cut Elijah Holyfield on Aug. 29 ahead of the NFL roster cut deadline. The former Georgia Bulldogs running back spent time with their practice squad last season and appeared on their active roster.
Holyfield played college football for three seasons at the University of Georgia. Holyfield went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft and signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers. He made the Panthers practice squad in 2019 and then later signed with the Eagles.
Elijah Holyfield is the son of legendary boxer Evander Holyfield. He’s still looking to carve out a significant NFL career.
The Arizona Cardinals have not addressed running back in gree agency yet. These players would still fit with what they need with Chase Edmonds.
The Arizona Cardinals have not done anything this offseason to address their running back room thus far. It would appear they are confident in what Chase Edmonds can do as a starter. However, it does go against what they have done at the rest of the positions on the roster, as they have added veteran experience almost everywhere.
But with the NFL draft coming at the end of this month, they might wait and see until after that. Plus, if they wait to sign a player until after the draft, it will not affect the potential of compensatory draft picks. Right now, they are projected to receive three next year.
What traits would fit?
Ideally, it would be a player in a stage of his career where he is capable of starting but would be content sharing the offensive load with Edmonds.
Having some size to complement Edmonds is a plus, but also being a similar back to Edmonds also allows the Cardinals to use them interchangeably if needed.
These running backs would make nice complements to Chase Edmonds.
The Arizona Cardinals, if they do not re-sign Kenyan Drake, will likely look to free agency to sign a running back. The type of running back they sign will say a lot about what they think about Chase Edmonds, who enters his fourth season and has been one of the more dynamic offensive players on the team.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been consistent about saying that he considers Edmonds a starting running back in the league. However, while he has been able to handle a full load in individual games, he has also dealt with injuries in games following the heavy workload.
The Cardinals could look to add a bell cow running back in free agency, but that will be expensive. What is more likely is a back who can share the load with Edmonds, giving Arizona a 1A and 1B at the position.
Here are some backs in free agency who could fit the profile.
The popular Twitter account, Overtime, shared a video on Thursday of Kansas City Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell going through some boxing training at a gym. And the account wondered in a tweet if Bell could beat Paul in this hypothetical bout.
Well, Bell seems to be more than onboard with the idea.
Bell responded to the tweet to say, “Like I said, set it up.”
Following his win over Robinson, Paul had specifically called out UFC star Conor McGregor as a potential next opponent. But unlike Robinson — who is, uh, a retired basketball player — Paul would almost certainly have a tougher time against an MMA legend who at least sorta held his own in the ring with Floyd Mayweather.
I mean what fighter with this big of a platform is calling out Mcgregor?
ITS GONNA HAPPEN. YOU WILL ALL SEE. @AudieAttar I’ll call you this week
Those who drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire in fantasy football already weren’t getting the most out of a player they drafted with a high draft pick.
After a monster Week 1 performance against the Houston Texans (138 yards and a touchdown), he never topped 64 yards rushing, and in his past two contests, he only caught three passes each.
If CEH wasn’t living up to the hype before, it’s not going to happen now.
Despite the fact that Bell was pretty awful with the New York Jets before they released him, he’s one year removed from catching 66 passes out of the backfield and totaling 789 yards on the ground. He isn’t the star he was in Pittsburgh, but in the Chiefs’ offense as part of a rotation with Edwards-Helaire, he’ll be a week-to-week Flex or RB2 fill-in when there are byes. And that doesn’t mean CEH suddenly becomes irrelevant. There’s a part of me that wonders if he becomes more of a weapon on passing downs, which could open him up for big plays.
It’s truly unfortunate given that the Chiefs spent a first-round pick on Edwards-Helaire and that we know Andy Reid’s history of making stars out of running backs. But clearly, he wasn’t getting it done, especially near the goal line:
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been downright awful inside the 10-yard line. He's totaled -1 rushing yard and has earned a PFF rushing grade of 43.8, which ranks 72 out of 73 running backs this season with least 1 carry inside the 10
All 7 Clyde Edwards-Helaire carries from inside the 5-yard line this season.
Short of flying into the end zone like a prime Reggie Bush, idk what the dude was supposed to do on pretty much all of these. pic.twitter.com/3C9WBZxY7s
It’s great news for those of you with Bell, who will turn what was nothing into a part-time role for a player who could thrive in an offense that taps into his dual skill set, and it seems like he could be leaned on at the goal line (see above).
But if you drafted Edwards-Helaire at first-round value, the news couldn’t be worse.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense is about to get another very good weapon as Le’Veon Bell has agreed to a one-year deal with the defending champs, according to reports by ESPN and the NFL Network.
Bell, of course, was waived by the New York Jets on Tuesday and was free to sign with any NFL team. He’s only played in two games this season and has rushed for just 74 yards.
The Chiefs are already stacked on offense and the addition of Bell is going to make them even more dangerous, which has to be really scary for the defensive coordinators who have to face Kansas City the rest of the way this season.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes seemed to like the news:
Two days ago Le'Veon Bell was on the lowest-scoring offense in football, frustrated with his role and usage.
Now he's joining the best offense in the NFL with a chance to win the Super Bowl and revitalize his career and didn't cost himself a penny for this season.
Kenyan Drake’s production has been underwhelming this season and the Cardinals have Bell’s former position coach when he was with the Steelers.
The New York Jets reportedly released running back Le’Veon Bell Tuesday night, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Cardinals faced Bell and the Jets. He rushed 13 times for 60 yards in the 30-10 loss to the Cardinals, and he also caught one pass for seven yards.
Now he is a free agent and can sign with any team.
And since the Jets are on the hook for the rest of his salary this season, he will only need to sign for the league minimum for the rest of the season. There is offsetting language in his deal meaning whatever another team pays him the Jets don’t have to pay that amount.
All this leads to the question — should the Cardinals pursue him?
Kenyan Drake has been solid but underwhelming this season. Through five games, he has 314 yards and two touchdowns on 3.7 yards per attempt.
Bell has only appeared in two games this season. He has 74 yards on 19 carries this season.
The Cardinals do have a potential connection to Bell. Running backs coach James Saxon held the same position with the Pittsburgh Steelers when Bell was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro.
They could be more production at running back. Bell does offer pass-catching abilities as well. They have Bell’s former position coach.
Signing him for the league minimum could potentially allow the Cardinals to trade Drake and save some salary cap space, allowing them to work on contract extensions for other players and give them flexibility the rest of the season.
Are the Cardinals likely to target Bell and would he come to Arizona? Probably not. And he is going to probably try and find a team in position to potentially go deep into the playoffs. He would fit nicely on the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or New England Patriots.
The New York Jets have a number of injuries to deal with but will get one of their most talented players back in the lineup. One of a few roster moves they made on Saturday was reinstate running back Le’Veon Bell to the active roster from injured reserve.
He will be in the lineup on Sunday to play against the Cardinals.
We’ve activated RB Le’Veon Bell off IR, signed OL Jimmy Murray to the active roster and elevated QB Mike White and DB Lamar Jackson from the practice squad.
Additionally, we’ve released LB Alec Ogletree and WR Josh Malone.
They released linebacker Alec Ogletree and receiver Josh Malone. They signed OL Jimmy Murray and elevated quarterback Mike White and cornerback Lamar Jackson from the practice squad.
Bell has only played in one game this season. In Week 1, he had six carries for 14 yards and caught two passes for 32 yards.
Fantasy football starts, sits, sleepers for Week 5.
Another week down early in the 2020 fantasy football campaign. Whether you’re off to a hot start or were slow out of the gate, finding the right players to start and sit each week will be key to your success.
With that, here are five sleepers to start and five starters to sit in fantasy football Week 5:
Sleepers to start
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
QB Justin Herbert
at Saints
Also someone who was available on the wavier wire this week, the rookie has been pretty impressive since being inserted into the lineup. He’s averaging 310 yards per game and is up against the Saints this week, who’ve allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season.
RB Brian Hill
vs. Panthers
After a solid Week 3, Brian Hill had a dud for the Panthers while Todd Gurley ran wild. But the Falcons play the Carolina Panthers, who have allowed very few points to opposing quarterbacks, while allowing the fifth-most to opposing running backs this season. Both Hill and Gurley are must starts.
RB Devonta Freeman
at Cowboys
The Giants got the ball into Devonta Freeman’s hands double-digit carries last week, plus four catches. One can envision them working him in and increasing the workload against the Titans, who allow the second-most rushing yards in the NFL at 172.5 yards per game.
WR Justin Jefferson
at Seahawks
Justin Jefferson has solidified himself, following his Week 3 breakout with another big game last week. Can he make it three in a row? Some would think yes because the Seahawks allow the most point against opposing wide receivers this season.
WR Brandin Cooks
at Jaguars
The Texans are a mess right now, and Brandin Cooks is at the center of it after having no catches last week. However, that won’t happen again, and Houston fired Bill O’Brien. They’ll want to come out and impress after that.
