The comeback attempt of former No. 1 overall pick and famed bust JaMarcus Russell continues to gain legitimacy as teams are interested in bringing him in for private workouts. Russell cancelled his pro day workout, originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, but only because teams would rather he come in for private workouts. The Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals are currently the two teams showing the most interest in Russell according to Tony Pauline of Draft Insider.
JaMarcus Russell rumors: Bears, Cardinals reportedly show most interest
As JaMarcus Russell continues his comeback attempt, both the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals have shown significant interest in the former No. 1 overall pick.
The Oakland Raiders made Russell the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, but he never came close to realizing his potential. Gaining a reputation for being lazy and gaining weight, Russell found himself out of the NFL after only three years. During his short career he posted a 65.2 passer rating while only completing 52.1% of his passes and throwing more interceptions (23) than touchdowns (18).
Over the next few years, Russell couldn’t manage to get a serious look from any teams and most thought his career was over until this year. He has been training with other quarterbacks and dropped from 311 pounds to near 280, with an end goal of 270 pounds.
Both the Bears and Cardinals are set at the starting quarterback position, but Russell could earn the No. 2 job with either franchise. The Bears lost backup Jason Campbell to free agency this offseason, leaving them thin behind starter Jay Cutler. Josh McCown is currently the backup, but it is expected Chicago will bring in at least one more player to compete. Meanwhile Arizona recently acquired Carson Palmer from the Raiders to serve as their new starter, but there is an open competition for the backup between Ryan Lindley, Drew Stanton and Brian Hoyer.
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