The NFL season is moving into the next week of the schedule and with injuries starting to pile up around the league, there are some names on the free agent market that could be solid options and after players like Willis McGahee and Peyton Hillis were signed, Michael Turner or Joe McKnight as well as Cedric Benson and Beanie Wells could be good players to add for teams looking for depth and replacements for injuries.
Turner and McKnight have not had much interest this season since being cut, with Turner's release coming in the spring and McKnight's coming later during preseason cut downs and now they could be options for NFL teams going forward. Turner was released with a near $7 million salary and replaced by Steven Jackson, while the Jets have Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell as their main backs this season. Turner's age likely hurt him with other teams as well as his diminishing skills with just 800 yards last season and a career-low 3.6 yards per carry, but he could have value for teams dealing with injuries and he has also proven to be a very good red zone option, scoring double digit touchdowns in his seasons with the Falcons.
The Houston Texans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been dealing with injuries at the position and so have the New York Giants and those are some teams that could be interested in Turner or McKnight, as well as the St. Louis Rams, who have literally nothing from their running backs apart from Zac Stacy. , Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling have been the primary backs this season for the Falcons with Jackson injured and earlier in the season they could have used his services as well.
Turner was a very durable back during his time in Atlanta and apart from a five game stretch that he missed in 2009, he played in every game for the team, but his old age is likely what is keeping him off a roster. Turner declined in yards, touchdowns, yards per carry and carries in each of his last three seasons with the Falcons and despite rushing for over 1,300 yards three times, including nearly 1,700 in 2008, the team felt it was best to cut ties. Turner previously played with the Chargers and had some nice seasons there as a backup before getting the starting job with the Falcons and now he is still on the market looking for a new home.
The Texans are dealing with an injury to Arian Foster that has been lingering, while the Buccaneers are terrible this season and have had Doug Martin banged up, meaning Turner could be a fit if things get desperate. Doug Martin suffered a serious shoulder injury this season and while the team is struggling mightily, they could be looking for some depth and Turner could be a cheap and short-term option for the Buccaneers to consider, while the Texans may want depth as well behind Foster and Ben Tate. McKnight showed some flashes in his three seasons with the Jets and while he was mostly ineffective as a running back, he could be a good option for someone on special teams, where he had a flair for kickoffs and returns.
