With the 2019 season coming to a close, many NFL teams are already starting to prepare for the 2020 season. The main thing they have to do is now try to scout rookies for the eventual combine and NFL Draft.
That being said the next thing they have to do is essentially trim the fat. This means cutting certain players so they can free up some roster and cap space, but who do you cut? I have narrowed down a list of my top ten candidates that need to be cut before the 2020 season. Here we go.
10.) Jerick McKinnon
McKinnon was a huge name that was signed by the 49ers. However, he was massively overpaid when they put his name on the dotted line for a four year contract worth 30 million dollars in 2018. Sadly, McKinnon tore his ACL before the new campaign started and missed the whole year and another knee injury in 2019 kept him out for that year as well. Keeping McKinnon doesn’t make sense when they 49ers have three very capable running backs to work with. Hopefully, he will find a team to work with, but it won’t be with San Francisco.
9.) Janoris Jenkins
The cornerback had played for a handful of teams including the Rams, Giants, and currently Saints. Now he is facing the chopping block looking towards 2020. He is still trying to get paid the rest of his five year deal and the Saints aren’t about to do that. They have re-signed Drew Brees and big names like himself, Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara need to be paid big numbers. The cap space won’t be there for them to re-sign Jenkins so expect him to be cut.
8.) Trumaine Johnson
The former corner for the Rams found himself being massively overpaid by the trash can that are the New York Jets. They gave him a five year deal worth 72 and a half million dollars. Believe me they had the cap space to work with, but man this was stupid decision by Gang Green. Sadly, Johnson has only played in 17 total games with the Jets since they gave him this deal in 2018. He even got benched against the Browns. How in the hell does that happen? Regardless the smart thing would be cut him and take the dead money loss and start fresh.
7.) Mohamed Sanu
The wideout was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons to send Sanu to the Patriots for a second round draft pick. However, Sanu under performed with the Pats and did very little in the offensive scheme with Tom Brady. In fact his numbers weren’t great in his eight games with the dynasty registering only 207 yards on 26 receptions for one touchdown. Belichick needs to cut his losses and cut Sanu.
6.) Devonta Freeman
Freeman makes his way onto my list, but it is near the bottom just because of his relationship to the Falcons. The fact of the matter is this; Freeman is a great running back, but he comes with a lot of baggage especially in the forms of injuries and concussions. He was not very productive in his last two seasons only playing two games in 2018 and not having the numbers and landing on IR again in 2019. Overall, the Falcons should cut their losses with him included.
5.) Jimmy Graham
Graham was once very productive with the Saints and Seahawks, but when it came to the Packers, he just simply couldn’t cut it. People thought pairing him with Aaron Rodgers was great. In fact people were saying it was the next Brady-Gronk connection. Are you kidding me?! Rodgers does not throw to his tight ends often. In fact, he recorded 1,083 yards on 93 catches and five touchdowns in his two year tenure there. Green Bay needs to cut him in order to sign someone Rodgers will trust to throw the ball to.
4.) Sammy Watkins
The sad thing with this is Watkins has proven he can handle the work, but sometimes things just don’t go his way. There is hope though that he stays as he said he would take a pay cut to stay with the team. That needs to happen as they have to pay Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Damien Williams, Mecole Hardman and possibly LeSean McCoy as well. However, Watkins is most likely to cut instead in my mind to rest his body and to help out his mother.
3.) Xavier Rhodes
Has anyone regressed more in a number of seasons than Xaiver Rhodes? Not that I can think of. From having a great Pro-Bowl season year in 2017, Rhodes has gone further and further down the drain in terms of effort and overall talent. It is time to pump the brakes and cut the very expensive veteran to free up cap space and bring in new young talent to rebuild the defense.
2.) A.J. Bouye
It is really hard to believe that a team as bad as Jacksonville can have very little cap space remaining. So the need to cut big stars is necessary including A.J. Bouye who the Jaguars inked for a five-year deal worth 67 and a half million dollars in the 2017 offseason. The cap space just isn’t there and rebuilding the defense is a prime factor for Jacksonville to do considering this once dominant unit just doesn’t have it in them anymore. Cutting Bouye would also free up almost 11 and a half million dollars in cap space so there is that as well.
1.) David Johnson
There isn’t a player out there that has a chance of getting cut worse than David Johnson. It is crazy how in 2016, Johnson was one of the best running backs in the NFL. Sadly, 2017 gave birth to injury in which he was out for the season. He did return in 2018 with almost 1,000 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. However, he quickly lost his way in part with an injury in 2019 and was replaced by the latest acquisition by Miami; Kenyan Drake. Let’s be honest here okay? Drake was incredible in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. All this coupled with the fact that the Cardinals gave him a crazy three year extension in 2018 worth 39 million dollars simply makes cutting him the best option for Arizona.
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