NFL Veterans Who Could Find Themselves on the Roster Bubble in Training Camps

Training camps are starting up across the National Football League. In places like Buffalo and Jacksonville, Phoenix and Seattle, groups of young men are gathering to try to earn a roster spot on an NFL team.

Ninety will enter this football Thunderdome. Fifty-three will earn spots, not including the youngsters who land on practice squads. 

It's mainly young players who are fighting for their futures in training camp. Every day in the league is a struggle for the special teamers and bench players who round out NFL rosters.

However, there are others who will enter training camp where no one wants to be...

"On the bubble."

Some are aging veterans trying to squeeze out one more year. Others are returning from serious injuries. Others still are high draft picks who, for whatever reason, just never quite panned out.

For the players listed here, the next several weeks are going to be nerve-wracking.

Because every knock at the door could be "The Turk."

Carlos Hyde, RB, San Francisco 49ers

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Heading into a contract year and coming off the most productive season of his career, San Francisco 49ers tailback Carlos Hyde should be trending up. 

As Keiana Martin of the 49ers website reported, the NFL Network’s LaDainian Tomlinson thinks Hyde could be in for a big year—provided that he can stay healthy.

“Hyde has slowly improved, production-wise, in the last three seasons,” he said. “But since coming into the league in 2014, Hyde has battled injury after injury, most recently suffering an MCL tear in Week 16 last season. If he's able to take care of his body and stay on the field, he's going to do wonders for a 49ers offense that has ranked 31st overall in each of the last two seasons. The talent is there for Hyde to have a huge year.”

The problem is that Hyde hasn’t shown the ability to stay healthy, missing 14 games over three seasons.

There’s also the matter of Hyde’s fit in the offense of new head coach Kyle Shanahan. As Grant Cohn wrote for the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, Hyde’s at best a curious fit in a zone-blocking scheme, and he’s averaged 3.1 yards a carry over his career when the quarterback is under center.

Add in the presence of rookie running back Joe Williams—a player hand-picked by Shanahan in this year’s draft—and there’s been scuttlebutt almost since the moment Williams was drafted that Hyde could be on borrowed time.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Network added fuel to that fire recently, remarking on his Around the NFL podcast that a source told him Hyde could be a “surprise cut” this summer.

Brock Osweiler, QB, Cleveland Browns

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When the Cleveland Browns traded for quarterback Brock Osweiler back in March, the belief was that the 26-year-old wasn't going to be in town long enough to be on a bubble. The Browns, who picked up a second-round pick in the deal, were going to either trade Osweiler (and likely eat most of his guaranteed $16 million salary) or release him.

It was an NBA-style salary dump.

And yet here we are, with training camp getting underway—and Osweiler remains on the team.

Back at the end of May, Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson talked up Osweiler’s performance in OTAs while speaking to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

“Brock’s been a pleasant surprise,” Jackson said. “He’s done a good job. He works hard at it every day. He’s into it. I think he really enjoys being here. I think he’s really meshed with the other quarterbacks. He has a good feel to him.”

However, Rosenthal said on NFL Network's Inside Training Camp Live that most of Osweiler’s work came with the reserves, while second-year pro Cody Kessler and rookie DeShone Kizer split the vast majority of the first-team reps.

That isn’t a development that bodes well for the sixth-year veteran, who was most atrocious in his one season with the Texans in 2016.

Osweiler was bad last year, but he is at least an experienced signal-caller with 21 career starts under his belt—starts in which he has a record of 13-8.

As a stopgap starter in 2017 he makes some sense. At least the Browns would get something for that $16 million.

But it’s Kessler and the rookie who appear to be the leaders in the supposedly “open” competition to start this season for the Browns.

And keeping a $16 million backup on the roster would be a storyline that would haunt the Browns all season.

Jamaal Charles, RB, Denver Broncos

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Jamaal Charles has had an outstanding NFL career. In nine NFL seasons, Charles has gained over 7,200 rushing yards. He has topped 1,000 yards in a season five times and been named to the Pro Bowl four times.

Among qualifying running backs, Charles’ average of 5.5 yards a carry ranks No. 1—in NFL history.

The last couple of years have been a different story, however. Serious injuries have limited Charles to 404 rushing yards since the beginning of the 2015 season. Last year, Charles had just 12 carries for 40 yards and averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per carry.

Now 30 years old, Charles is attempting to revive his career in Denver after being cut loose by the Kansas City Chiefs. He told Troy Renck of Denver7-TV that his surgically repaired knees are holding up well for now.

"I am doing everything. I have been cutting the last couple of days with the guys during the offseason workouts. I feel like the way I am cutting that I am back to the normal me, man. It feels good to be moving around again," Charles said. "I have been knowing this the whole offseason (that the knee was fine). Nobody can take nothing away from me except God when my time is up. I am still 30 years old. I still have a lot of special stuff to do."

It would be great for the Broncos if the “old” Charles re-appeared—a shifty, do-it-all tailback that was the focal point of the Kansas City offense for several years.

But the reality is we haven’t seen that back since 2014. And if the Charles the Broncos got was the one who looked done last year before he got hurt, the team could easily move on after making a minimal financial investment in him. 

Branden Albert, OT, Jacksonville Jaguars

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The Jacksonville Jaguars desperately need improved play along their offensive line in 2017. The team took major steps to improve in that regard in 2017, trading for former Pro Bowl tackle Branden Albert and acquiring Alabama tackle Cam Robinson in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft.

And yet, there’s a real possibility that one of those players won’t be on the Jaguars’ roster come Week 1.

And it isn’t going to be Robinson.

Once Albert was traded, he refused to report, instead hoping to cash in on a new contract in an offseason where even average left tackles were getting huge contracts.

As ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco reported at the time, Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell made it clear no pay raise would be forthcoming.

"We have his rights, and we expect him to show up when he has to," Caldwell said. "This is all voluntary, so it's his decision to not be here. He's got that right to do that. As long as he comes in shape when it's mandatory and comes in and does the things he's supposed to do, we'll welcome him with open arms."

Albert eventually did report. In June. Calling himself "one of the best experts at playing left tackle in the universe right now.”

The thing is, Albert’s level of play in recent years doesn’t bear that out. The 32-year-old hasn’t played in 16 games in a season since 2011, including four missed games a year ago. In those 12 games for the Miami Dolphins, Albert allowed three sacks and placed 65th in Pro Football Focus' tackle rankings.

If Robinson makes the most of the head start he was afforded by Albert’s holdout, the Jaguars could cut Albert.

Ryan Mathews, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

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In some respects, it’s unfair to say Philadelphia Eagles tailback Ryan Mathews is on the “roster bubble.”

His bubble, for all intents and purposes, has already burst.

There’s been talk this entire offseason that Mathews, who twice rushed for 1,000 yards for the San Diego Chargers before signing a free-agent deal in Philly, was on thin ice after a third straight injury-shortened campaign with the team.

Once the Eagles signed LeGarrette Blount, Mathews’ fate was sealed.

So why haven’t the Eagles just done the deed and let Mathews try to latch on somewhere else?

Well, the reason is half medical and half financial.

After offseason neck surgery, Mathews isn’t close to a return. In fact, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mathews’ surgeon doesn’t want to even revisit his status until August.

As Bowen points out, that puts the Eagles in a bit of a jam.

“Releasing him while injured would cost the team more than $1.1 million, the money coming directly off the Eagles’ meager cap space,” Bowen wrote. “So, the decision was to wait for Mathews to pass a physical, at which point he could be released. He’ll still count $1 million in dead cap money this year, but the Eagles won’t be paying him; the only thing affected will be the cap space. If and when he passes the physical.”

In other words, Mathews will report to practice every day and stand there with a helmet in his hand, just waiting for the day he’s healthy enough to actually take the field—at which point he’ll be released.

The NFL can be a cynical business sometimes.

Kyle Fuller, CB, Chicago Bears

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Based on his first NFL season, Kyle Fuller wasn't likely to ever appear on a list like this. In 14 starts as a rookie, Fuller topped 60 tackles and intercepted four passes. It looked like the Bears had found themselves a winner.

Fuller’s numbers were down in 2015, but still—players sometimes take a step back after a big first year.

His third year was even worse, in that there was no third year—Fuller missed the entirety of last season with a knee injury.

That leaves the 25-year-old at a crossroads—and as the subject of much speculation about his future.

ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson believes that Fuller’s roster spot is far from secure. “The Bears signed multiple cornerbacks in free agency,” he wrote, “including projected starters Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper. That means Fuller could be on his way out. The Bears declined Fuller's fifth-year option but still owe him $1,740,954 guaranteed salary in 2017.”

Former NFL cornerback Ike Taylor wrote for NFL Network, however, that he thinks Fuller will not only keep his spot but flourish in 2017. “I still believe in the guy,” Taylor wrote. “With a healthy return in 2017, Fuller has the goods to stand out on a rebuilding Bears squad. He has good anticipation and exceptional route reading. Not to mention, Fuller possesses great ball skills, is always up to the challenge and is the most athletic Fuller brother. Sorry, boys.”

That difference of opinion sets up a pressure cooker for Fuller over the next few weeks—one that could decide the ultimate course of his NFL career.

DeAngelo Hall, DB, Washington Redskins

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DeAngelo Hall is another veteran on this list who has had a fine NFL career.

Over 13 seasons in Atlanta, Oakland and Washington, the former first-round pick has piled up 43 career interceptions. Hall was named to three Pro Bowls, and back in 2010 Hall tied an NFL record by intercepting four passes in the same game.

But Hall hasn’t had an interception since 2013, and after three straight injury-plagued seasons, Hall told Mike Jones of the Washington Post that he wasn’t sure if this was the end of the line.

“Are they going to give me an opportunity?” Hall said he asked himself. “Am I going to be on the street hurt, trying to find a job? Nobody wants, after playing in this league for 14 years, to be on the street looking for a job while you’re hurt.”

However, while the Redskins did ask Hall to take a pay cut, head coach Jay Gruden insisted there’s still a place on the roster for Hall.

“He’s kind of been a mainstay here and he kind of keeps the boat from sinking from time to time,” Gruden said. “There’s some volatile people in that defensive back room from time to time and he’s a calming guy, if you can believe that. … Hopefully we’ll be able to get him back at a later date, but if we don’t have him back when we want to, at least he’ll be in the room and still have a major influence on the team and the defense.”

Leadership is good. So is Gruden’s loyalty to a player who has been in the nation’s capital far longer than he has. But Hall is a 33-year-old player who tore his Achilles in 2014 and tore his ACL last year. When last we saw him in game action, he was a shell of his former self, and Hall will open camp on the PUP list.

Unless he can get on the field and turn back the clock for one last run, the Redskins may decide it’s time to move on.

Geno Smith, QB, New York Giants

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Poor Geno Smith. The kid can’t catch a break.

From the moment he slid from the first round during the nightmare that was the 2013 NFL draft and bolted New York after his green room humiliation, it seems that everything that could go wrong has for the 26-year-old.

After a shaky first season with the New York Jets, Smith showed some signs of progress over the second half of the second year of his career. There was even some optimism regarding his status as the team’s starter for the 2015 campaign.

Then Smith’s jaw was broken in a locker room fight with a teammate. And since that fateful day, Smith has attempted only 56 passes in the NFL.

Smith moved across Met Life Stadium in free agency, joining the New York Giants with the hope of becoming Eli Manning’s backup.

Hope might be the operative word there.

Yes, Smith has more name recognition than 31-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson. But that’s about all he has. Johnson has a year in Ben McAdoo’s system. He’s healthy, while Smith is still working his way back from an ACL tear. And the Giants coaching staff saw enough from Johnson last year to re-sign him to a modest two-year extension.

The prevailing wisdom seems to be that Johnson has the edge in this battle (albeit narrowly). And with rookie Davis Webb in line for third-string duties under center, that could mean yet another bad break for Geno Smith.

Letroy Guion, DT, Green Bay Packers

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With the exception of the aforementioned Ryan Mathews, the inclusion of Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion has to be the least surprising name on this list.

And while Mathews’ NFL downfall is mostly because of injuries, Guion’s shaky status in Titletown is a different story.

The 30-year-old just can’t get out of his own way.

When Guion first arrived in Green Bay in 2014, he looked like a shrewd pickup by general manager Ted Thompson—a disruptive nose tackle who piled up a career-high 3.5 sacks that season.

Then came drug and weapons charges in 2015 that resulted in a three-game suspension. In March, Guion was handed another ban—this one a four-game PED suspension to open the 2017 season.

If that wasn’t enough, Guion was then arrested in Hawaii in June for DUI, an incident where he allegedly told police (per the Associated Press), “I know I’m drunk.”

Given the circumstances of that arrest and Guion’s history of dust-ups, there’s no question that another suspension is coming—probably a lengthy one.

As Zach Kruse of Packers Wire reported, for now head coach Mike McCarthy said the Packers aren’t ready to give up on the 10th-year veteran.

“Letroy’s situation is obviously a pending matter,” McCarthy said. “He’s made mistakes. We’re still working with him.”

Guion’s suspension to open 2017 may be his saving grace—he doesn’t currently count against the 90-man roster and won’t until a month into the season.

But it’s fair to say Guion’s margin for error in training camp (both on and off the field) is zero.

Austin Howard, OT, Oakland Raiders

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We’ll follow up arguably the least surprising veteran player on the roster bubble this summer with arguably one of the most.

That is, if you consider a 10-game starter last year on the AFC’s best offensive line a surprise.

However, that’s where a number of pundits believe Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Austin Howard finds himself.

Howard started 10 of the 11 games he played for the Raiders last year, but he was easily the weak spot of their line, ranking outside the top 50 tackles in just under 800 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

The Raiders took steps to bolster the spot in the offseason, adding veteran Marshall Newhouse (49th among tackles in 2016) and selecting a pair of rookies in David Sharpe and Jylan Ware.

It was Newhouse, and not Howard, who manned the right tackle spot in OTAs and minicamp. If that continues into training camp and the preseason, ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez believes Howard could find himself squeezed out by the NFL’s financial realities.

“The 30-year-old Howard, who is scheduled to make $4.9 million in base salary in 2017 and $5.4 million in 2018, could become too expensive of an option for Oakland with so many cheaper bodies around him,” he wrote. 

Howard would no doubt be a sought-after commodity on the open market, but if he is cut, it likely won’t be for several weeks.

Reggie McKenzie would look pretty foolish if he cut Howard days before Newhouse (who has missed 10 games the past two years) got hurt.