Arizona Cardinals RB Edgerrin James has publicly told ESPN that he won't be playing with the Cardinals next year. After his big game on Saturday against the Falcons, he's clearly worth more than he was 96 hours ago.
"I can't go through this again," James told ESPN. "I didn't come here to block. I'm not an offensive lineman."James, who re-emerged as the Cardinals' feature back in the regular-season finale after weeks of pass blocking and barely touching the football, told reporters Thursday that his last game of the season will probably be his last in Arizona -- and that's OK."I think the feeling is mutual," he said, laughing. "It's not something I'm going to contest."
So who does that leave as Arizona's RB1 next year? Current rookie Tim Hightower doesn't seem like a 20 carry a game guy. The Cards had the lowest percentage of run plays in the NFL this year, so they aren't going to give anybody that kind of work. Do the Cards focus on grabbing a rookie in April's draft?
With Hightower set up as the power back at the goal line, the Cards don't need a bruiser. Maybe they look for a fast guy with good catching skills. That could mean they go after Derrick Ward in New York or Darren Sproles in San Diego. The Cards probably won't run enough next year to make their RB1 valuable to fantasy owners (especially if somebody is losing goal line carries to Hightower) but it's definitely something worth keeping an eye on.