NFL Injury Replacements Who Can Earn Future Starting Roles

The 2015 NFL regular season is almost at its end. With just two weeks remaining, there are a couple of things we can count on: The playoff race is almost complete, and the first 15 weeks of the regular season have caused injuries to pile up. 

Injuries to key personnel create a challenge for any NFL team, but that challenge is compounded for teams that are still in the playoff hunt. Of course, while injuries can drastically affect a postseason race, they can also open up opportunities for the injury replacements getting onto the field.

With the football world watching intently as the season draws to a close, now is the time for the "next men up" to show what they can do. Strong performances in replacement duty might even earn some of them a starting gig next season, with their current teams or elsewhere.

We're going to look at some late-season injury replacements who have the chance to audition for a starting job in 2016. These are players who haven't started often in their career and who could conceivably earn a starting job next season—either with their current team, with a new team via free agency or with a new team as trade targets.

Players on potential playoff teams and non-playoff teams will be considered, and we're leaving out guys who have been starting since early in the season.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Kroft, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Cincinnati Bengals rookie tight end Tyler Kroft doesn't have a real chance to steal the No. 1 tight end position because of the presence of Tyler Eifert, who was just selected to this year's Pro Bowl.

However, Kroft has a prime opportunity earn a significant role in next year's offense because Eifert is dealing with a concussion issue that will have him out at least another week. 

Kroft has started three games over the past month, two in place of Eifert. Over the past four games, he has caught seven passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Those clearly aren't eye-popping numbers, but for a guy who is likely to emerge as a No. 2 tight end, they're solid.

What's more impressive is that Kroft is rated 27th overall among tight ends by Pro Football Focus for the past month. 

Kroft is expected to start this week against the Denver Broncos, which means he'll make his second start alongside second-year quarterback AJ McCarron. The two combined for three passes, 31 yards and a score against the San Francisco 49ers.

If Kroft keeps performing like he has over the past few weeks, it'll be hard to keep him off the field when Cincinnati goes to two-tight-end sets in 2016. 

James White, RB, New England Patriots

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

The New England Patriots have suffered their fair share of offensive injuries this season, but the running back position has been hit particularly hard.

Early-season change-of-pace star Dion Lewis and starter LeGarrette Blount have both made their way to injured reserve. Second-year back James White has done a good job of moving into the change-of-pace role, though, and is likely headed toward a significant future role as well.

The former fourth-round pick had probably his best game as a pro this past week against the Tennessee Titans. He finished with one carry for six yards and seven receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Chad Finn of Boston.com recently explained how such a performance could propel White to bigger things:

"

Change-of-pace back James White, a fourth-round pick last year who was forced into action when Dion Lewis was lost for the season in Week 9, continued his upward trajectory. White had seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, and had a spectacular 70-yard catch and run called back because of a dubious penalty on Keshawn Martin. More James White in this offense, please. He is going to be a hell of a backup to Lewis next year. He’s a hell of a stand-in right now.

"

White's opportunities have been limited this season, though they are likely to continue to increase heading into the playoffs. In 12 games so far, he has carried the ball 17 times for 47 yards and has caught 33 passes for 319 yards. He has scored five total touchdowns.

If White can make the most of his opportunities in the absence of Lewis and Blount this season, don't be surprised if he becomes one of Bill Belichick's standout hybrid players by the time the 2016 season rolls around. 

Charles Gaines, CB, Cleveland Browns

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Rookie cornerback Charles Gaines started the year as a sixth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns. It appeared then that he could be waiting for playing time. The rookie seemed to be merely depth behind Tramon Williams, Joe Haden and former first-round pick Justin Gilbert. 

Gaines also ended up on short-term injured reserve at the start of the season.

Well, Gaines has returned, and he has found his way into the starting lineup. With Haden on injured reserve with a concussion, K'Waun Williams and Pierre Desir both seeing their ups and downs and Gilbert a complete disaster, Gains has gotten his opportunity.

The former Louisville standout has taken advantage.

Gains has started the past three games for Cleveland, amassed five tackles and two passes defended between them. He has also played more snaps at cornerback than any other Browns player in that span, according to Pro Football Focus.

Gaines has had his rookie struggles, of course. He gave up 61 yards passing and two touchdowns in last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. However, the fact the Browns are allowing him to start opposite Williams speaks volumes about his development and ability.

Teammates aren't letting Gaines use his rookie status as a crutch, either. Veteran safety Donte Whitner got in Gaines' face on the sidelines last week after he gave up a touchdown to receiver Doug Baldwin.

"(Whitner) let me know you're better than that, giving up the yards and stuff like that,'' Gaines said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

If Gaines can play well the rest of the season, he should have an opportunity to wrestle the starting nickelback job away from the other guys on Cleveland's roster in 2016.

Christine Michael, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Running back Christine Michael began his NFL career as a second-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks back in 2013.

The promising Texas A&M product showed plenty of potential but unfortunately rarely found his way onto the field in Seattle. Through his first two seasons, Michael appeared in just 14 games and logged only 52 carries. The Seahawks traded him to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this season.

Well, Michael couldn't get onto the field much in Dallas either, found his way onto the practice squad of the Washington Redskins and was eventually re-signed by the Seahawks when rookie running back Thomas Rawls went down for the season with a fractured ankle.

Now back in Seattle, Michael will have an opportunity to audition for his future, because Rawls is out and starter Marshawn Lynch is still recovering from sports-hernia surgery.

"So it's up to him to do right by this gift and understand where this team is at—and move forward with them," Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable said of Michael, per Gregg Bell of the Kitsap Sun. "Because they are all pulling together right now. The sooner he recognizes that and just jumps in line, the better."

If Michael can put together a strong showing in the final stretch of the season and in the playoffs, he could earn a starting role in Seattle or with another team in 2016—he's scheduled to be a restricted free agent next year.

Michael got off to a solid start in Week 15, rushing for 84 yards on just 16 carries against the Cleveland Browns—an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Pro Football Focus rated Michael fourth overall among all running backs for the week.

If Michael continues playing well, he might again become part of Seattle's future or a trendy target for running back-needy teams. 

AJ McCarron, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron is only in his second pro season and only recently made his first NFL start, so he's probably a long shot to actually win a starting job in 2016. However, he is going to get an opportunity down the stretch thanks to starter Andy Dalton's broken thumb, and a few strong outings could flip the narrative. 

McCarron made his first NFL start this past week against the San Francisco 49ers. While he didn't blow anyone's minds with his performance (15-of-21 for 192 yards and a touchdown), McCarron's play was solid, and he didn't make many glaring mistakes.

In fact, he made more than a few plays that suggest he can be a quality NFL quarterback. 

Coley Harvey of ESPN.com highlighted a few of McCown's plays and praised his deep-passing ability:

"

Three times in a game-and-a-half of action during the past two weeks, McCarron has thrown passes that traveled 30 or more yards downfield. Starter Andy Dalton hadn't done that all year before injuring his right thumb last week. Give McCarron a good pocket like he had on Sunday's two throws—and vertical weapons like [A.J.] Green and [Marvin] Jones—and he'll succeed.

"

Pro Football Focus rated McCarron 11th overall among quarterbacks for Week 15. More importantly, the Bengals won.

If McCarron can continue to play like a top-15 quarterback and can make big plays like he did Sunday, he's going to grab the attention of quarterback-needy teams around the league. If he manages to win a playoff game or two, that attention level will only increase.

What quarterback-needy team wouldn't at least explore the idea of trading for a third-year quarterback with all the physical tools, some game experience and a high upside? I'd imagine more than a couple would, especially with the upcoming quarterback class looking to be on the weak side.

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Tennessee Titans

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The Tennessee Titans spent a second-round draft pick on rookie receiver Dorial Green-Beckham because he has the size (6'5", 237 lbs) and athletic ability to be a true No. 1 receiver at the pro level. However, Green-Beckham was raw and had missed the entire 2014 collegiate season because of off-field issues.

He was expected to be a major project.

Well, Green-Beckham has been a project this season, but he's also been thrown into a significant role recently because of injuries. The Titans had to place receiver Justin Hunter on injured reserve earlier in the season because of an ankle fracture and have seen receiver Kendall Wright miss five games over the past two months with injuries.

Over the past five weeks, Green-Beckham has hauled in 18 passes for 347 yards and a touchdown. He has produced two 100-yard games. He is rated a respectable 66th overall among all wide receivers (169 of them) over the past month by Pro Football Focus.

“I feel like I’m moving in the right direction,” Green-Beckham said, per John Glennon of the Tennessean. “When the ball is thrown my way, it’s an opportunity and I have to make that happen. I have to come up with those big plays because I know the older guys are looking to me as one of the younger guys that’s going to be able to help us win ballgames.”

If Green-Beckham can finish the final two weeks of the regular season out strong, he should get every opportunity to compete for a starting job in 2016. Had injuries not opened the door for him to perform late in the season, however, he might have headed into next year still viewed as a major project.

The bad news is that Green-Beckham is out of chances to build chemistry with quarterback Marcus Mariota this season. According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the Titans have placed the rookie signal-caller on injured reserve with an MCL sprain.