There are some well-known NFL veterans in danger of losing their roster spots this weekend.
On Tuesday, teams cut their rosters to 75 players. Unfortunately for additional 704 players, their time will soon come to an end because all NFL rosters must be reduced down to a final 53-man count on Saturday.
This Thursday’s final preseason game will be the last chance for players to impress their coaches and hopefully earn one of the precious remaining roster spots. The following are veterans who may not survive the definitive axe.
Terrelle Pryor, wide receiver, Cleveland Browns
Pryor’s summertime project of becoming a wide receiver may be quickly on its way to an end. Plagued with a hamstring injury, Pryor has yet to take a preseason game snap. However, he will reportedly have the opportunity to suit up for Thursday’s final preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
Pryor sits behind several Cleveland receivers in depth including Andrew Hawkins, Brian Hartline, Travis Benjamin, Gabriel Taylor and Dwayne Bowe. He is going to have to pull an outstanding performance out of his hat to prove his summer training with wide receiver greats Antonio Brown and Randy Moss was worth the effort.
If Pryor does get cut, he could always go back to quarterbacking, which up to this point has obviously not worked in his favor.
Matt Cassel, quarterback, Buffalo Bills
The Bills hyped-up quarterback competition has come to an end with Rex Ryan announcing that Tyrod Taylor will be the team’s starter this season. Therefore, it could be time to trim some of the quarterback fat in Buffalo.
According to a report by Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, the Bills may release Cassel rather than their third-year quarterback E.J. Manuel, due to finances.
Even though Cassel has produced more consistently than Manuel in the preseason—completing 86.7 percent of his passes to Manuel’s 66.7 percent—the Bills brass still favor keeping their former first-round pick in Buffalo.
Riley Cooper, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper has gone all three preseason games thus far without a target. In the meantime, wide receivers, Jordan Matthews and rookie Nelson Agholor have combined to tally 16 receptions for 232 yards and one touchdown.
When asked about his lack of targets, Cooper seemed a bit clueless.
“Honestly, I never even thought about this until you all brought it to my attention,” Cooper responded Monday, via Andrew Kulp of csnphilly.com. “I mean, it’s preseason, dude. We’re 3-0, we’re killing people. I’ve played like two quarters this whole time.”
Cooper doesn’t sound too worried about his lack of involvement, but perhaps he should be. He is coming off of a horrible 2014 season during which he totaled only 577 yards and three touchdowns. It’s a major decline from his 2013 production.
Whether the Eagles want to cut their losses since Cooper is in only the second year of his hefty $22.5 million contract remains the issue. Since the Eagles targeted another wide receiver with their first round draft pick earlier this year, Cooper’s long-term status with the team is certainly questionable.
Montee Ball, running back, Denver Broncos
Ball currently sits fourth on the depth chart behind running backs C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson. He’ll have one more chance to prove he deserves a roster spot in Denver when the Broncos take on the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday.
How quickly Ball has fallen from being the Broncos trusty starter in 2014 to the last man on the totem pole. According to Mike Klis of 9 News, Ball’s chances of making the final roster are very slim. When given the opportunity to play during the preseason, Ball has not been impressive, churning out a lowly 2.6 yards per carry.
If Ball does get the axe, it’s likely another team in need would give the 24 year old a shot at redemption.
Robert McClain, cornerback, New England Patriots
McClain has failed to make himself stand out in a revamped Patriots defense in which Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan are expected to be the team starters. Behind Butler and Ryan are Bradley Fletcher and Tarell Brown.
McClain arrived in New England during the free-agency period. And, while he is a versatile player who has lined up in multiple slots, he is fighting for snaps against the guys who currently sit ahead of him. McClain will have one more opportunity to plead his case in New England when the Patriots play the New York Giants in their final preseason game.
Matt Barkley, quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
Chip Kelly is not likely going to keep his four-quarterback circus together all season. With Sam Bradford geared up to be the team’s starter after a brilliant preseason and Mark Sanchez waiting in the wings as a capable backup, either Barkley or Tim Tebow could be expendable.
The writing appears to be on the wall for the Eagles second-season quarterback, who has been the subject of trade discussions. Additionally, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Tebow has a fairly good chance of remaining on the Eagles final roster.
And, why would Kelly have gone so far out of reach to sign Tebow if the team had no real plans of keeping him around?
Zac Stacy, running back, New York Jets
Stacy landed with the Jets after expressing disgruntlement towards the St. Louis Rams after they selected the top running back prospect Todd Gurley in the 2015 draft.
With Chris Ivory as a solid lead back joined by Bilal Powell, Daryl Richardson and Stevan Ridley, Stacy may be in need of finding a new team for the second time this year. A middling training camp that saw Stacy average just 3.6 yards per carry in his preseason games might not be enough to convince the Jets that he is worth one of the final roster spots.
Aaron Dobson, wide receiver, New England Patriots
Dobson has been dinged up most of the preseason. He was finally able to play in last Friday night’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. However, his performance wasn’t one of his best and ESPN’s Mike Reiss said that he thinks that Dobson “might have been playing for a job” in that game.
Panthers cornerback Peanut Tillman got the best of Dobson on a pass that resulted in Brady’s second interception. Right now, the Patriots are settling in at the receiver position, and an injury-prone Dobson—who has yet to play a full season during his two year tenure in New England—may not be in the team’s long-term plans.