5. Brandon Bolden, RB, New England Patriots
The Patriots are never shy about cycling through their roster to find the right fits and ideal role players, and that often leads to the release or trades of unexpected players.
One such player in 2017 could be running back Brandon Bolden, who has managed to carve out a niche role in each of the last five seasons. However, with the additions of Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead, as well as James White being a roster lock, Bolden could be the odd man out in New England.
Bolden is coming off his least productive season with the Patriots, having been given only a single rushing attempt in 2016, and would have to beat out both Dion Lewis and D.J. Foster to potentially earn himself a roster spot.
With a salary cap hit of only $695,000, a decision on Bolden certainly won’t be financially motivated. But that’s unlikely to be a saving grace for the NFL veteran.
4. Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Seeing Carlos Hyde’s name here might come as a bit of a surprise to many, but as the 49ers look to continue their intensive rebuild, it’s entirely possible they want to go with a younger player.
Hyde still has a lot to offer, but he joined San Francisco three head coaches ago. And throughout the offseason, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch seemed lukewarm on him at best. Add in that the team traded up in the fourth round of the NFL Draft to select Joe Williams, and it would seem they have a specific plan in mind.
Shanahan has been especially high on Williams, and early reviews on the former Ute have been relatively positive. That’s not to say the cost-effective Hyde hasn’t stood out himself — he has — but like some other veterans on this list, the writing may be on the wall for Hyde.
Hyde may have the best chance at sticking of anyone on this list, but his seat is a bit warmer than some may realize.
3. Sammie Coates, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
In the literal minutes after the Steelers selected USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second-round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Martavis Bryant hit Twitter to let the world know that Smith-Schuster was Sammie Coates’ replacement.
Coates played it off like a joke, but Bryant didn’t appear to be joking. And given that Antonio Brown, Bryant, Eli Rogers and Smith-Schuster are all roster locks, there is little wiggle room for Coates and the others vying for a position.
On the plus side, Coates showed what he could do over the first five games of last season, hauling in 19 receptions for 421 yards and two touchdowns, but then it was all downhill from there. Hand and finger injuries limited Coates to only two receptions for the remainder of the regular season, and with a dead cap hit of only $157,881 in 2017, he is susceptible to being cut.
At the end of the day, Coates is in a “play well this preseason or else” scenario. He will legitimately have to earn himself a spot on the 53-man roster, and after missing the start of camp after having his knee scoped, he faces an uphill battle.
2. Jamaal Charles, RB, Denver Broncos
Jamaal Charles may have been a big-name acquisition for the Broncos this offseason, but the one-year, $1,000,000 contract is proof that he’s not being relied upon to come in and start.
Still, Charles will compete with C.J. Anderson for carries and provides Denver some security if things don’t go according to plan throughout training camp and the preseason. But should Anderson rebound after a torn meniscus ended his 2016 season, Charles’ cup of coffee could run dry quickly.
In addition to Charles and Anderson, the Broncos also have Devontae Booker and sixth-round pick De’Angelo Henderson in the mix.
Charles suffered a torn ACL in 2015 and then had a setback in 2016, which led to a second consecutive season-ending surgery. He had also previously suffered a torn ACL in 2011. Simply put, Charles’ health always makes his status a concern.
1. Brock Osweiler, QB, Cleveland Browns
When the Browns traded for Brock Osweiler and a second-round pick in March, the belief was that they would turn around and attempt to trade him right back out of town. It was either that, and likely eat his guaranteed $16 million salary, or release him.
To date, neither of those things have materialized. For now, Brock seems to be sticking in Cleveland.
Osweiler’s future remains to be seen, but it’s obvious he is walking on very thin ice. And as well as he performed in mini-camp, much of the first-team work went to Cody Kessler and rookie second-round pick DeShone Kizer.
Still, Osweiler was tabbed the team’s starting quarterback for their preseason opener, and they seem to want take things slowly in developing Kizer. But if Kizer keeps looking good, he could force Cleveland’s hand, thus making Osweiler expendable.
