The Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders have a common need entering free agency, as all three teams must add a No. 2 running back.
The Steelers had a strong one-two punch with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell in 2025, but the latter is a pending free agent and may not be back if he garners a big enough raise following a career-best season.
Las Vegas has a pair of pending free agents in Raheem Mostert and Zamir White, and neither one is guaranteed to return. If not, the Raiders need a strong RB2 behind Ashton Jeanty.
In Detroit, the Lions sported one of the best one-two punches at running back over the last three seasons with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, but that pairing is no more after Detroit traded Montgomery to the Houston Texans on Monday.
One player all three teams could have interest in is Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner, who is expected to be cut this offseason in the final year of his $19 million contract, according to NBC Sports' Matthew Berry.
"Arizona is expected to release James Conner. And unless they re-sign Conner for a cheaper deal, they will likely go into the season with Trey Benson and a 'lower end' free agent RB to pair with him and have them be a RBBC," Berry wrote.
Conner is coming off a season in which he was limited to just three games thanks to a serious right ankle injury that ended his campaign prematurely.
While injuries have no doubt been an issue for Conner during his career, he has still been productive. In the two years prior to 2025, Conner notched over 1,000 rushing yards in each campaign for the Cardinals.
With Conner set to turn 31, and with injuries having plagued him his entire career, he is best suited for an RB2 role, and such a role would no doubt help keep him healthy.
Conner would be a good fit in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Detroit, but we like the fit with the Lions the most.
Conner's power running style would be a great complement to Gibbs' explosive skill set, and he would take some of the load off the superstar running back, especially between the tackles and at the goal line.
Our second-favorite fit is with Las Vegas for many of the same reasons we like the fit with Conner in Detroit. The veteran back would also offer a fantastic mentor for Jeanty as he enters his second year in the NFL.
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