Who Should I Start? Justin Hardee or River Cracraft

Tuesday, April 2, 4:30 PM

Free-agent cornerback and special teams ace Justin Hardee is signing with the Cleveland Browns, as reported by NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The 30-year-old was originally undrafted out of Illinois in the 2017 class and has appeared in 100 games through his first seven professional seasons. Hardee spent the first four seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints before a three-year stint with the New York Jets. He earned Pro Bowl honors for his work on special teams in 2022, which is likely where the Browns are primarily interested in utilizing him. Hardee has racked up 78 tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception thus far in his career.

Monday, August 19, 1:02 PM

Dolphins wide receiver River Cracraft (upper-body) is sidelined with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss some time in the regular season. Cracraft had a strong summer in his third season with Miami and seemed likely to start as the third receiver behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, especially with Odell Beckham Jr. (undisclosed) still on the PUP list. However, Cracraft's injury raises the possibility that he could be placed on injured reserve when the Dolphins finalize their 53-man roster. By August 27, the Dolphins will have three options for handling Cracraft: keep him on the 53-man roster until he recovers, initially include him on the roster and then place him on IR on August 28, or put him on IR immediately, which would count as one of the two IR moves allowed on cutdown day under new NFL rules. This situation simplifies the roster decisions and opens up a spot for Erik Ezukanma, who had an impressive preseason debut against Washington. If the Dolphins keep six wide receivers, Ezukanma could join Hill, Waddle, Beckham, Braxton Berrios, and rookie Malik Washington, who will secure a spot on the roster. With these receiver injuries, Hill and Waddle will likely see even more targets, boosting Hill's value as the top overall pick in redraft leagues.