With free agency around the corner and the 2020 NFL Draft coming up in April, Jeremy Bergman assesses the running back situations of all 32 teams in the NFL. Teams are sorted into categories signifying the level of stability at the position, then listed by alphabetical order.
NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, cap figures come from Over The Cap.
Stay gold, Ponyboy
Baltimore Ravens: When you set the record for team rushing yards in a single season (3,296) with an attack spearheaded by the league MVP, a free-agent acquisition who’s bout dat and the best Gus in a decade, you’re in a good place. Baltimore was just the second team in NFL history to boast three players with at least 700 rushing yards in a season (joining the 2011 Panthers), and if the Ravens bring back exclusive rights free agent Gus Edwards for dirt cheap (and they should), all three will be back in purple in 2020. If it ain’t broke, woot woot.
Carolina Panthers: With Luke Kuechly retired, Greg Olsen in Seattle and Cam Newton slowly fading out of the picture in Carolina, Christian McCaffrey is suddenly the face of the Panthers franchise, and a worthy one at that. Already a fantasy icon, CMC became just the third player in NFL history to have at least 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. With McCaffrey entering the fourth year of his rookie deal, Carolina would be hair-brained fools to not pick up his fifth-year option. While McCaffrey’s workload — he led all players with 403 touches last year, and only Ezekiel Elliott (736) has more over the last two seasons than McCaffrey (729) — is troubling, the Panthers back hasn’t missed a game yet in his young career. Behind C-Mac, Carolina boasts cut candidate Mike Davis and Reggie Bonnafon, whom the Panthers re-signed before he could hit restricted free agency. The 24-year-old has the inside lane to be McCaffrey’s backup.
Chicago Bears: Chicago’s ground game regressed in 2019, dropping from 11th to 27th after the drafting of David Montgomery and the decision to trade away Jordan Howard. There were other variables at play there, namely the frenzied play of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the inconsistency of the Bears as a whole. But it’s hard to argue that wholesale changes should be made to the backfield, considering Montgomery and Tarik Cohen are both still on their rookie deals and ascending. Chicago should lean on Montgomery much more in 2020 but the Bears could use someone not named Ryan Nall to complement the youngsters. A cheap veteran pickup in free agency is warranted.
Cincinnati Bengals: Little worked for Zac Taylor’s offense in 2019 save for Joe Mixon, who didn’t log the 400 carries he was targeting but still put up a second straight season with at least 1,400 yards from scrimmage. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, it will be interesting to see whether Cincy values the 2017 second-rounder enough to extend him before the 2020 season concludes. Cincy could do some housekeeping behind Mixon and let go of one of its longest-tenured offensive players in Giovani Bernard before free agency. The 28-year-old carries a $4.8 million cap hit into 2020 after logging a career-low 404 yards from scrimmage in a full season of work. Cincy could save just over $3 million by letting him stroll after seven seasons and handing backup duties to Rodney Anderson, who suffered a torn ACL at the end of a stellar 2019 preseason.
Cleveland Browns: The one question regarding Cleveland’s backfield was answered last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, when new general manager Andrew Berry said the Browns would tender restricted free agent Kareem Hunt, likely ensuring he’ll return in 2020. Pairing Hunt and Pro Bowler Nick Chubb for a full season after the former played just eight games last year is a no-brainer, as it allows new coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Baker Mayfield to comfortably operate alongside arguably the most talented RB tandem in the league.
Dallas Cowboys: Nothing to see here. Dallas “resolved” its problems with this position group in 2019 when the Cowboys drafted Tony Pollard, who “threatened” to take Ezekiel Elliott‘s job during training camp, before Elliott and the Cowboys agreed to a trend-setting $90 million pact. Last year’s drama, though, is last year’s drama. No cliffhangers in Dallas this time around. The Cowboys‘ running back room is ready-made for the next three years — though depth would do some good.
Green Bay Packers: Green Bay finally maximized Aaron Jones with Matt LaFleur at the helm, and the Packers are now prepared to pay for it. Entering his fourth season, Jones is averaging 5.0 yards per carry on his career and coming off a 2019 season in which he led the league in total TDs (19). He’s deserving of an extension and could see one before the start of the season. Draftmate Jamaal Williams, like Jones, is under contract for one more season. The pair doesn’t need breaking up ahead of this season.
Las Vegas Raiders: Josh Jacobs was robbed of Offensive Rookie of the Year honors by Kyler Murray/clueless AP voters, but he won’t be robbed of opportunities in Vegas. The second-year running back is no roll of the dice but a sure thing for the Silver and Black, a building block around which Tom Brady, er, I mean Derek Carr and Jon Gruden can establish a balanced offense. To lessen Jacobs’ load, however, Las Vegas would do well to fill out the backfield with a veteran backup and/or a pass-catching speed back; DeAndre Washington, Carlos Hyde, Frank Gore and Chris Thompson come to mind.
Minnesota Vikings: Entering his fourth season, Dalvin Cook has established himself as one of the hardest runners and most successful young backs in the league. His first two campaigns were interrupted by injury, but Cook broke out in 2019 with a 1,654-scrimmmage yard, 13-score season that validated Minnesota’s second-round selection of him two years prior. The RB is due for an extension now, if the Vikings choose to offer one; NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported back in January that Minnesota expected to open extension talks this spring, though it’d be hard for Cook to argue for a Zeke-like deal, or even a Le’Veon Bell-like deal, given Cook’s injury history. Behind Cook is a reliable (and cheap) second-year player in Alexander Mattison, a stellar second-stringer. Minnesota should be OK for the 2020 season, but depending on how they approach Cook’s contract, the Vikings might want to explore cheap alternatives just in case.
New England Patriots: Any projection regarding the Patriots‘ roster should be three letters long (TBD) until TB12 figures some things out. That being said, New England’s RB room is well constructed for the upcoming campaign. Sony Michel, the Pats’ lead ball-carrier, is still on his rookie deal for at least the next two years. James White, one of New England’s lone assured returning captains, is under contract for one more season, as are Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden. All three could easily be cut on a whim, resulting in just $2.6 million in dead cap penalties, if need be to make room for a replacement at the position, but New England’s ground game was not the most of Bill Belichick’s worries in 2019 and doesn’t figure to be the focus of his roster construction this offseason. (Plz disregard every word of this if Brady leaves.)
New Orleans Saints: The Saints are primed to pay top dollar for Alvin Kamara, and for good reason. A three-time Pro Bowler and former Offensive Rookie of the Year, Kamara glides through defenses and breaks tackles like few other backs in the league. He’ll be a foundational piece of the post-Brees era, along with Michael Thomas. The question is, when does New Orleans bite on the deal? Kamara is coming off his shakiest season to date, his first without Mark Ingram. While his reception totals have remained remarkably consistent (81 catches in each of his first three seasons), Kamara saw his carry and TD totals dip in 2019 as he dealt with injuries. The Saints could wait until after the season to extend or tag the back if they’re feeling iffy on his durability. It helps to have the veteran Latavius Murray under contract for at least one year; the Saints can get out from the backup’s deal in 2021.
New York Giants: Saquon Barkley is a supernova in New York’s pitch-black hole of an offense. He’ll break the bank next offseason when Big Blue can blow some bucks on a long-term deal for the ball-carrier; there’s no denying Barkley has so far lived up to his second-overall billing from the 2018 NFL Draft, regardless of whether it was a scientific selection by general manager Dave Gettleman. His backups, Wayne Gallman and Jon Hilliman, could use some competition, but of New York’s skill position groups, the RBs are the most all-right.
Seattle Seahawks: One day, Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny will be healthy and thriving at the same time. One day … The Seahawks employ a potentially devastating one-two punch in the backfield in Carson (25 years old) and Penny (24), but they have not been cooperating. Penny (5.7 YPA in 2019) tore his ACL last season on the heels of two 100-total-yard performances; Carson (consecutive 1,000-yard seasons) fractured his hip two weeks later. The dynamic duo’s simultaneous setbacks forced Seattle to pull Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin out of assisted living and thrust them into the postseason. Both will likely start next season off of Seattle’s roster, while the Seahawks hope Carson and Penny return on their game. Carson is in a contract year, and Penny has at least two seasons left on his rookie deal. Both backs must prove this year that they’re reliable and/or consistent enough to warrant Seattle sticking with this on-again, off-again partnership.
Washington Redskins: Ron Rivera’s reign in D.C. has brought about sweeping changes to the organizational structure, the medical staff and parts of the roster already. Josh Norman, Paul Richardson and Jordan Reed are out, and Trent Williams appears to be back in. No changes have been made in the backfield just yet. Instead, Rivera and the Redskins front office doubled down on the Adrian Peterson-Derrius Guice veteran-youngblood tandem for at least the 2020 season, when they picked up A.D.’s option in February. It was simultaneously a signal that they appreciate the 34-year-old Peterson’s production (462 carries, 4.2 yards per carry) and leadership, and that they are worried about Guice’s health. Over his first two seasons, Guice has started just one and played just five games; the second-rounder flashes when he’s on the field, but right now, he’s a flash in the pan. D.C. is likely to let Chris Thompson test free agency finally and rely on a rehabbed Bryce Love to make up the triumvirate in 2020, but the Redskins risk going into 2021 without any reliable RBs if they’re not proactive this offseason.
Much to think about
Buffalo Bills: Buffalo experimented last summer with a veteran-heavy backfield of LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore, but neither graybeard is expected to be in Western New York this time around. 2019 third-round pick Devin Singletary was brought on slowly behind Gore and emerged as a back worth building around by season’s end. He’s currently flanked by T.J. Yeldon and Briton experiment Christian Wade in Buffalo’s backfield. The Bills can do better and can save $1.7 million by cutting Yeldon, who was a healthy scratch more often than not in 2019. Buffalo can replace Gore with a thicker free agent like Melvin Gordon, Carlos Hyde, Jordan Howard or, well, Gore, if the Bills are open to another go with the 36-year-old.
Denver Broncos: It’s a brave new world in Denver, with Drew Lock, a.k.a. Young Dreezy, taking the Broncos‘ reins in 2020. Despite the change under center, there is not expected to be too much renovation in the running back room. Phillip Lindsay, the undrafted, undersized Pro Bowler, is entering the final year of his deal, slated to be a restricted free agent in 2021. That is, unless the Broncos hand him an extension, something John Elway seemed reluctant to do as recently as last week. Former third-round pick Royce Freeman, who has played second fiddle to Lindsay since 2018, is under contract for two more seasons. But the Denver duo might soon be broken up. Reports out of the Mile High City indicate the Broncos could be in the market for a free-agent back like Melvin Gordon to replace Freeman and pair with Lindsay. That’s not where I’d spend my money this offseason if I was the Broncos GM, but there’s a reason I don’t have a steakhouse named after me in the Denver airport.
Detroit Lions: Kerryon Johnson can carry the Lions out of the backfield like no RB has since Barry Sanders. But Johnson has yet to prove he can stay on the field for a full season. He’s logged just 273 touches in 18 games over his first two seasons; Johnson’s draftmate, Saquon Barkley, tallied 269 touches in 13 games in 2019 alone. The 22-year-old Johnson’s injury woes have exposed Detroit’s lack of depth at the position; the Lions were cycling through poor-fit castoffs all through 2019, like C.J. Anderson, J.D. McKissic and Bo Scarbrough. The Lions should be players for a bona fide backup or 1A in free agency and the later rounds of the draft.
Indianapolis Colts: Marlon Mack will return in 2020, the final year of his rookie deal, as Indy’s RB of the present and probably of its future. Most of the discourse around the Colts this offseason will revolve around who will be faking handoffs to Mack, but the RB’s contract situation is one to monitor. The 2017 fourth-rounder is up for an extension, and while reports have trickled out that the Colts are working on one, Jim Irsay said last week no such progress has been made. Not quite draftmate Christian McCaffrey and not quite round-mate Joe Williams, Mack is caught in no man’s land entering his fourth season, complemented by fine pieces Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. There’s room for improvement in Indy, but an extreme makeover won’t come for at least another year.
Jacksonville Jaguars: What to make of Leonard Fournette? A top-five draft pick in a league that treats running backs like brand-new cars once they’re off the lot — they are immediately and indiscriminately devalued — Fournette has been a boom-or-bust runner through his first three seasons. It’s not clear whether the Jags will even pick up the RB’s $10.1 million fifth-year option; given Fournette’s inconsistency, making him one of the highest-paid backs in 2021 doesn’t seem logical. In the here and now, Jacksonville needs to bolster its RB room, seeing as how Ryquell Armstead (35 carries, 108 rushing yards, 14 receptions, 144 receiving yards) is currently slotted as Fournette’s backup. Jacksonville could target a rookie back on Day 2 of the draft or run it back with one-time trade acquisition Carlos Hyde, who is coming off a solid year in Houston.
Los Angeles Chargers: L.A. entered the 2019 season without Melvin Gordon on the active roster, as the back was engaged in an ill-advised holdout in attempt to squeeze a long-term deal out of the club. The Chargers will likely enter the 2020 campaign without either Gordon or backfield-mate Philip Rivers. The former is an unrestricted free agent who saw his value tank upon his return in powder blue; the latter will be wearing a different shade of blue (or another color entirely!) next season for the first time in his lengthy career. To replace Rivers, the Bolts are expected to seek out a QB with the No. 6 overall draft pick, but to replace Gordon, L.A. need not look further than Austin Ekeler, the dual-threat back whose employment at SoFi Stadium next year would cost the Chargers less than $5 million if they were to slap a first-round tender on the restricted free agent. Coming off a career year, Ekeler can hold down the fort alongside Justin Jackson and/or a mid-round back for at least one season.
Los Angeles Rams: Is there anything to chatter about a Todd Gurley trade outta town? NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport mentioned in February that all options are on the table, though an outright release would be costly (involving $20.2 million in dead money) and unnecessary. The Rams‘ cap management is a year-in, year-out high-wire act, and it would not be unlike GM Les Snead to try something drastic. But getting rid of Gurley shouldn’t be one of the avenues to consider. Neither Malcolm Brown nor Darrell Henderson has proven to be a reliable fill-in, and Gurley, even in a down year coming off a 2018 campaign that was impacted by a knee issue, found the end zone a team-high 14 times in 2019. Sean McVay sees Gurley as an 18-20-touch guy going forward, which would be an increase in his usage from last year, when he topped 18 touches just six times. How TGIII holds up in his sixth year with those expectations can dictate how the Rams treat him in the future, but Gurley’s the guy in 2020.
New York Jets: Last offseason, then-GM Mike Maccagnan signed Le’Veon Bell to a four-year, $52.5 million contract. The move was telegraphed, anticipated and expected for months — and yet, ever since that day, it seems all any prognosticator can dream about is the moment the Jets, now under the leadership of GM Joe Douglas, can run as fast as they can from the deal and sell Bell to the highest bidder. All evidence points nowhere near such a resolution. Rumored trade bait near the deadline, Bell is still a Jet as of publication and will probably be so for at least the next season. He’s owed $13 million this year alone and would count for $19 million in dead money if we were to be cut. Given his relatively lackluster 2019 production (his 1,250 scrimmage yards were a career low, not counting the injury-abbreviated 2015 campaign), no team is going to hand the Jets a competitive offer for him, either. Whether or not you (or Jets head coach Adam Gase) likes it, Bell will be taking handoffs from Sam Darnold next season. Who will be backing him up in that regard is the question. Longtime Jets back Bilal Powell and Ty Montgomery are hitting free agency, and the other backs remaining on the roster are unproven. New York has so many life-or-death needs at offensive line, edge rusher and cornerback that it’s unclear whether the Jets will prioritize finding a backup running back in free agency or the draft, but it must be one of their objectives if they are to spell Bell, or replace him in the very near future.
Philadelphia Eagles: Philly figures to fiddle with its receiving corps and cornerback group this offseason, but the Eagles‘ running back room deserves a once-over as well. With Jordan Howard potentially headed to his third team in 12 months as a free agent, Corey Clement a restricted free agent and Darren Sproles retiring to the front office, second-year riser Miles Sanders and The Great Boston Scott are left to man the backfield. An OROY candidate in 2019, Sanders should see his role increase next year, but the Eagles would do right to pair him with a more reliable presence than a Sproles sequel like Scott. Clement, a walking, talking injury risk, might not be the answer, and a more aggressive Howie Roseman could make a splash acquisition, as he did last offseason, when he traded for Howard.
I love you, you’re perfect, now change
Kansas City Chiefs: Could Damien Williams go from near-Super Bowl MVP to former Chief in six weeks? The Kansas City tailback, who picked up a game-high 133 scrimmage yards and two TDs on 21 touches in the Chiefs‘ Super Bowl LIV victory, has a club option that needs to be picked up by March 18 if he is to return to Andy Reid’s roster in 2020, counting for $2.8 million against the cap. That’s a seemingly low price to pay for a reliable pass-catching back, but one Kansas City still might save the dough if it locates a cheaper alternative with a higher ceiling in free agency or the draft. With the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Chiefs are in prime position to select either the first or second RB off the board if they so choose. Letting Williams walk would be risky, with only Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson and Elijah McGuire under contract behind him. However, Reid has worked magic with unheralded ball-carriers before.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh’s RB room is returning as is, but Steelers fans should steel themselves for a shakeup. James Conner, the feel-good, homegrown successor to Le’Veon Bell, is coming off what Steelers GM Kevin Colbert termed a “disappointing” 2019 campaign, in which he missed six games. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Conner needs to prove he can stay healthy, and that last season’s 715-yard slump was the exception, and not the rule. Behind Conner, Pittsburgh learned last year it has dutiful, flexible backups (Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell), but no one who can carry the load if Conner goes down again. With the 38-year-old Ben Roethlisberger coming off a season lost to an elbow injury, the Steelers can’t risk going into 2021 without an answer at both running back and quarterback. Pittsburgh should be a sleeper candidate to add a back to complement or replace Conner on Day 2 of the draft, or earlier in the league year.
San Francisco 49ers: It is a testament to coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch — somewhat the latter, but mostly the former — that this position group is anchored financially by the pair’s biggest boondoggle acquisition and yet is still one of the strongest position groups on the roster of the reigning NFC champions. Jerick McKinnon, signed in 2018 to a four-year, $30 million contract to ostensibly be San Francisco’s top tailback of the future, has not played a game in a 49ers uniform; Lynch and company have paid him $16.25 million so far to rehab injuries to his knee, and it’s unlikely the Niners will pay him $6.5 million more in 2020. McKinnon, however, wants to be a Niner and ride the wave that Raheem Mostert surfed to the Super Bowl last season. He said following San Francisco’s loss he’s “willing to do whatever” to remain a part of the organization. Translation: I’ll take a pay cut. Whether the 49ers even need the injury-prone back next season is a debate worth having. On any given week, Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida (restricted free agent) or Jeff Wilson (exclusive rights FA) could shoulder the load of carries. In Shanahan’s crowded backfield, there appears to be little room for McKinnon — only the Rams and Jets are currently slated to spend more on the position than the 49ers in 2020 — but the same could be said for Coleman, whose salary in 2020 isn’t guaranteed and who fell victim to the injury bug in ’19 as well.
Flux ambassadors
Arizona Cardinals: To think, less than 18 months removed from signing a $13 million-per-year extension, and with $16.2 million potentially counting against the team in dead money should the Cards move on from him in 2020, Johnson seems to be at serious risk of being cut. In his breakout 2016 season, the dual-threat back amassed 2,118 scrimmage yards. In the three years since, he’s totaled just 2,191 (despite musing repeatedly in that span about being a 1,000/1,000 back). Under Kliff Kingsbury in 2019, Johnson did not see the expanded role the coach had forecasted in the preseason; instead, Johnson’s snaps went to midseason acquisition (and impending free agent) Kenyan Drake, who averaged 52 snaps per game to Johnson’s 34, per Pro Football Focus.
This all leaves the Cards with quite the conundrum: Does Arizona cut bait on Johnson if it cannot trade his $14.2 million cap hit (it can’t), even though it would cost more to discard him than it would to keep him? Or do Kingsbury’s Cards attempt to bring the 28-year-old back into the fold and pair him with a cheap, young option? Cards GM Steve Keim said in February that cutting Johnson was “not an option,” but how trustworthy is Arizona’s front office this time of year? (Josh Rosen would probably have some thoughts on that.) Rapoport also reported Drake is a tag candidate for the Cards. If Arizona was desperate to dump Johnson and his contract, it could treat him as Houston did Brock Osweiler in 2017 and trade him and a draft pick to a suitor with a better cap situation — say, Miami — in exchange for a conditional 20th-round selection in the 2063 draft, putting the burden on a rebuilding franchise in need of draft picks to pay the RB’s hefty wages. That’s just an idea.
Atlanta Falcons: Before he signed a five-year extension in 2017, Devonta Freeman was averaging 1,216 scrimmage yards and 10 scores per season as an ascending lead back of the defending NFC champions. Little has gone right for Freeman or the Falcons since then. Freeman has averaged 779.7 scrimmage yards and five TDs over the last three years, not nearly the worthy production of a lead back at his price. Per Rapoport, the team is weighing letting him go, saving $3.5 million against the cap and moving forward with Brian Hill (an exclusive rights free agent), Ito Smith and perhaps a rookie (Clyde Edwards-Helaire?). Unless Atlanta can ship out the Pro Bowl back, perhaps to his hometown Dolphins, freeing Freeman might be the best move.
Houston Texans: East of Carson and Glendale, no team is set to undergo more change at the RB position than Houston. The Texans are scheduled to lose both Lamar Miller and Carlos Hyde, who led the team in rushing in each of the past four seasons (Miller from 2016 to ’18 and Hyde last year), to free agency. Like left tackle Laremy Tunsil, Hyde and Duke Johnson were brilliant trade acquisitions that sacrificed Houston’s future over its present. One Divisional Round exit later, the future has arrived, and the Texans need to make a choice with Hyde. The RB expressed a willingness to return immediately after Houston’s season ended, but Hyde would be better off testing the market. Johnson, who is under contract through 2021, thrived as a pass-catcher with the Texans but is still not reliable enough as an every-down runner to warrant Houston leaning on him in 2020. With just five picks in the draft and two in the first 102 slots, the Texans have few avenues to upgrade the position.
Miami Dolphins: If the season started today, well, for one, that’d be the death of the XFL, but also, the Dolphins would be starting Kalen Ballage, Samaje Perine and Patrick Laird in the backfield. Thankfully (for both Dolphins GM Chris Grier and XFL commissioner Oliver Luck), the season doesn’t start today or tomorrow or even next week! Miami should improve at the RB position in trades, free agency and the draft more than any team this offseason. The Dolphins, well below the cap and spending less than $4 million on the position, can be flexible, locating potential castoffs like Carlos Hyde, Jerick McKinnon or Melvin Gordon in free agency or trading for players like Devonta Freeman or David Johnson to fill out a barren roster. With three first-round picks, Miami is also the favorite to select the first running back, likely D’Andre Swift, with either the 18th or 26th choice. Long story short, Ballage will not be Chan Gailey’s guy come Week 1. The XFL, on the other hand …
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: One of the league’s strangest backfields is ready for a re-do. Peyton Barber, Tampa Bay’s leading rusher from 2018, is hitting free agency, leaving 2018 second-round pick Ronald Jones to front the Buccaneers‘ backfield. RoJo enjoyed a sophomore bump last year (203 touches, 1,033 yards from scrimmage) and looked good doing it, but the 22-year-old isn’t ready to shoulder the load. Tampa Bay should be active in free agency and the draft’s early goings in its search for a pass-catching back, like Chris Thompson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jonathan Taylor or potentially even David Johnson, if Bruce Arians’ old bell-cow were to become available.
Tennessee Titans: Tennessee is the most interesting team in free agency, and that signifier most certainly extends to its backfield. Derrick Henry tore up the league last season, finishing as the league leader in carries, rushing yards, rushing TDs and rushing YPG and extending that dominance into the postseason. It was not the behemoth back’s first brush with brilliance in the NFL — he went over 1,000 yards in 2018 and went for 408 in a two-week stretch in December of that year. But with Henry set to hit free agency, Tennessee is deciding whether last winter’s version of Tractorcito is the exception or the rule. To remedy the Titans‘ troubles, they are expected to place either the franchise or transition tag on Henry, using the other on quarterback Ryan Tannehill, which would make the back one of the league’s highest-paid. The trickle-down effect could mean Dion Lewis is on the outs; he counts for $5.2 million against the cap in 2020, but moving on would cost the Titans just $1.1 million in dead money. Considering his mediocre output in two years with the team (645 scrimmage yards per season), it’s hard to say he’d be missed. Tennessee doesn’t have much behind Henry besides Lewis, however, and should still try to add a piece through the draft or the later stages of free agency.
Follow Jeremy Bergman on Twitter @JABergman.