Job Battles: Cut Day Update

Final cutdowns aren't quite the same as the final, Week 1 roster – parts may still move despite teams cutting down to the new 53-man limit – but many pictures are nonetheless starting to settle into place. Players with all caps have formally won their competition against the losing player listed, and players who were cut are crossed through.

QUARTERBACKS

BAKER MAYFIELD vs Sam Darnold, CAR + 
GENO SMITH vs Drew Lock, SEA

A couple quick acknowledgments for these two teams, where both favored candidates won the starting roles cleanly – Mayfield in Carolina and Smith in Seattle. Neither is likely to emerge as a reliable fantasy option outside of superflex or 2QB leagues but both should offer some level of stability for their offenses relative to the alternatives Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, respectively.

MALIK WILLIS vs Logan Woodside, TEN

Coach Mike Vrabel expressed irritation with Willis' ability to follow orders after the team's first preseason game, but in each preseason appearance Willis showed the tantalizing athletic ability that made him a top quarterback prospect in the 2022 draft. Perhaps Willis might always be rough as a passer, but his fantasy upside is enormous and he might be the league's second-most dangerous runner at quarterback after Lamar Jackson. If Ryan Tannehill were to miss time, Willis would do something on the ground at the very least.

RUNNING BACKS

Damien Williams vs Tyler Allgeier vs Qadree Ollison, ATL

It appears the Falcons will go into Week 1 with Williams the 1A and Allgeier the 1B backup to starter Cordarrelle Patterson. Williams should be the first one off the bench in most cases, especially passing situations, but Allgeier is a natural bruiser who projects better for short yardage or volume running. Ollison, who was cut, is predictably settling in as a career practice-squad type.

Kenyan Drake vs Mike Davis vs Justice Hill vs Tyler Badie, BAL

The Ravens cut Badie, the sixth-round pick from Missouri, and they'll presumably try to get him to their practice squad. In the meantime the Ravens need viable reps right now because J.K. Dobbins is questionable for Week 1 and Gus Edwards is out at least the first month with their respective knee injuries. Hill, Davis and the presumed FA pickup Drake should compete for the reps that Dobbins and Edwards can't provide. Neither Davis nor Drake have offered inspiring play in recent years, but the Ravens offense is easy to run in with defenses primarily zeroing in on Lamar Jackson each play. Hill is the most explosive of the three but also the smallest and maybe therefore the worst candidate for volume.

Devin Singletary vs James Cook vs Zack Moss vs Raheem Blackshear vs Duke Johnson, BUF

Blackshear and Johnson were unsurprisingly the cuts for Buffalo, leaving the Singletary-Cook-Moss trio intact, as was the expectation. None of Singletary, Cook or Moss has a truly complete set of traits – Singletary is small and slow and fumbles too much, Cook is built like a receiver and Moss is slowish with years of durability issues at this point. It's possible that all three will play meaningful roles as a result, with the Bills shuffling them on and off the field depending on the situation. Singletary and Moss should be the primary runners between the tackles, while Cook and Moss should be the main passing down backs. Expect Blackshear to land on the practice squad, and know that he's a uniquely skilled receiver if he ever gets a shot.

Trestan Ebner vs Darrynton Evans, CHI

The Bears cut Evans, leaving Ebner in the clear as the RB3 behind David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. Ebner probably can't give a team more than eight carries per game without showing signs of dysfunction, but as a pass catcher he has a considerable ceiling should an opportunity emerge. He might be the Bears' third-best wide receiver as a running back – that's not hyperbole, Ebner can play real receiver – so if Ebner gets snaps then fantasy players should take immediate notice, especially in PPR formats.

Joshua Kelley vs Isaiah Spiller vs ???, LAC

Spiller was the presumed backup to Austin Ekeler after the Chargers selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, but an ankle injury has his Week 1 availability in question and he didn't decisively send Kelley to the bench prior to that injury. Now that he is hurt, and with the Chargers knowing Kelley is non-viable from scrimmage, Sony Michel has emerged as a candidate to sign following his release from Miami. Spiller is too talented to lose to Kelley, but Spiller might not be talented enough to push aside Michel.

Isiah Pacheco vs Jerick McKinnon vs Ronald Jones, KC

Jones was widely expected to get cut, but for now he remains on the Chiefs roster and as long as that's the case there is cause for hope. Of course, whatever level of hope remains for Jones still concedes he is likely behind Pacheco, and maybe McKinnon too. The Chiefs need to run more and better in 2022, so they might need to give all of Pacheco, Jones and Clyde Edwards-Helaire substantial work this year, especially considering Edwards-Helaire's workload limitations with two injured seasons in a row at 5-foot-7, 204 pounds.

Chase Edmonds vs Raheem Mostert vs Myles Gaskin vs Salvon Ahmed vs Sony Michel, MIA

This is weird. Following the release of Sony Michel, the Dolphins have what might be the lightest running back room since something like the 1980s. All four of these players might see their weight drop to under 200 pounds over the course of the season, and none of them can run power functions. Gaskin and Ahmed in particular are incredibly redundant to each other. Perhaps the Dolphins add someone over 210 pounds to run between the tackles, or perhaps they simply won't run between the tackles at all this year. Edmonds is the clear lead guy, especially for passing down functions, but Mostert just doesn't have the frame to offer more than 10 or so carries per game otherwise.

Ty Montgomery vs Pierre Strong vs Kevin Harris vs J.J. Taylor, NE

Montgomery is dealing with an ankle injury but figures to factor in as a passing down/hurryup specialist once healthy. That should make Montgomery the third-most active New England back after Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, and leaving Strong as the likely RB4. If Harris or Stevenson were to miss time then Strong is a candidate to replace most of their work, with Montgomery likely remaining restricted to his specialist role even in that case. Harris and Taylor were cut, and one or both figure to head to the New England practice squad. Harris is one of the most talented backs from the 2022 draft, though injuries have been an issue for him in the past year.

Jeff Wilson vs Jordan Mason vs Trey Sermon vs Tyrion Davis-Price, SF

The 49ers somehow kept all four of these guys behind starter Elijah Mitchell – we'll see if that lasts – but it's believed Wilson is the first man off the bench. That leaves Mason, Sermon and Davis-Price in a three-man race for whatever crumbs are left after Mitchell and Wilson. Mason was the best of the three in camp, though that might not be saying much.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Terrace Marshall vs Laviska Shenault, CAR

This is like a No One Wins sort of situation, but the Panthers traded for Shenault and figure to have him compete with Marshall for the WR3 reps behind D.J. Moore and Robbie Anderson. Shenault is a better fit for the slot, where the Panthers misused Marshall last year and might otherwise attempt to again in 2022, but Marshall is likely the better talent overall and is definitely better than Shenault at outside receiver positions at the very least.

Mecole Hardman vs Skyy Moore vs Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs Justin Watson, KC

The only update here is that Watson made the final roster, which was expected after consistently positive reports followed him in Kansas City training camp. Watson probably won't be much of a fantasy option unless multiple of the others get hurt, but he could sap just enough reps – particularly as a Big Slot, and particularly when the field gets smaller – to undermine the fantasy viability of the other three receivers.

Mack Hollins vs Tyron Johnson vs DJ Turner, LV

Perhaps the Raiders aren't done at receiver – they kept as many wideouts (five) as they did running backs, which is more than a little odd. Johnson was cut by the Chargers and Jaguars last year for struggling to learn option routes, which makes him an odd fit for a coach as quirky about the particulars as Josh McDaniels is. Johnson does have burning speed and a natural downfield skill set, so he could be interesting if he gets snaps. Hollins might be the better candidate to play the WR3 role for the Raiders, though, because he's a big blocker wherever he lines up and has a bit of a downfield game, though only a bit and with nothing else to show otherwise. Turner is not a serious NFL prospect. The Raiders have no depth at all at receiver.

Matt Breida vs Antonio Williams vs Gary Brightwell, NYG

Perhaps the Giants have Devontae Booker on speed dial, but they otherwise will apparently back up Saquon Barkley with this ragtag crew. Brightwell is just a special teams player, Williams was a journeyman at both the pro and college level, and Breida is a small fumble liability. Breida is explosive from scrimmage and can catch passes reasonably well, but Williams is the better candidate of the two to take on carry volume. Perhaps the Giants make another move before the start of the season, or perhaps they give more carries to wideout Wan'Dale Robinson than previously expected.

Breshad Perriman vs Jaelon Darden vs Scotty Miller vs Cyril Grayson vs Tyler Johnson, TB

Johnson was cut and Grayson is on IR after a waived/injured designation, leaving Perriman, Darden and Miller as the peripheral wideouts behind the lead trio of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage. Darden is mostly a slot specialist while Miller has a slot wideout build with an outside, downfield skill set. Both Darden and Miller are likely to make big impacts in brief roles – tantalizing us with the prospects of scaling upward – but their small frames might leave their snap counts capped. Perriman has downfield speed and a three-down frame, but durability has generally been an issue for Perriman in the NFL despite his solid frame.

TIGHT ENDS

Albert Okwuegbunam vs Greg Dulcich, DEN

Dulcich (hamstring) is out and expected back for Week 5, but he missed nearly all of training camp and dealt with the same injury toward the end of OTAs before that. Dulcich's injury seems like the kind that takes time to truly recover from, and when he returns he'll have had almost zero practice work. Coach Nathaniel Hackett might have an issue with Okwuegbunam's blocking, but the coach will hopefully have a reasonable perspective and recall that at 243 pounds, Dulcich isn't blocking anyone. Meanwhile, with 4.49 speed at 15 pounds heavier Okwuegbunam is also better at pass-catching tasks than Dulcich, who's basically a wide receiver that runs a 4.7. Dulcich is a tight end who plays there because he's too slow to play receiver, while Okwuegbunam plays tight end even though he's faster than most receivers. There is no reason for Dulcich to play a single snap in place of Okwuegbunam this year or in the future, no matter how epic Hackett thinks the stupid mustache is. With that said, any coach is free to do dumb things and hasten their inevitable firing, so Dulcich playing over his superior can't be ruled out at a later point.