NFL: Ahmad Bradshaw facing one-game suspension
Being a veteran tailback in free agency is hard enough. Being a veteran tailback in free agency that has a history of lower-body injuries is even harder. What’s the third strike?
Try a suspension.
Free agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw is facing a one-game suspension after pleading not guilty to a marijuana possession charge in February. A league spokesperson confirmed the potential punishment to NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling on Monday.
Bradshaw comes off a season in which he led all running backs in receiving touchdowns (six) despite playing in just 10 games for the Colts. The 29-year-old struggled to stay on the field in his two years with Indianapolis, playing in just 13 total games. He did, however, log 725 all-purpose yards (425 rushing, 300 receiving) and eight total touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry in 2014. He should make for an interesting depth signing for teams that take injury hits in training camp or the early part of the season.
Bradshaw has been one of the better backs in the league when healthy, and was a key part of the dominant rushing attacks of the New York Giants in the late 2000s. He was a member of two Super Bowl championship teams with the club and scored what proved to be the decisive touchdown in New York’s 21-17 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
He has also always been a strong pass-catcher out of the backfield, and while the potential one-game suspension makes finding work a little trickier, he could make a good fit for a team with a young quarterback looking for another safety blanket. The Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders all come to mind.
It’s a deep free-agent running back market, but we’ll likely see Bradshaw (who was not re-signed by the Indianapolis Colts this offseason) on an NFL roster at some point in the 2015 season.
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