UNC Football: Michael Carter claimed by NFC West team

The former UNC football standout has quickly found a new home, as he’ll be heading to the NFC West to continue his NFL career.

After being released by the New York Jets on Tuesday afternoon, former UNC football standout Michael Carter found a new NFL just a day later.

As reported by Ian Rapoport, Carter was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals. He’ll head to the desert to a team that could use some help at the running back position.

After an impressive rookie season in 2021, a season in which he totaled nearly 1,000 yards from scrimmage, Carter has seen his role diminish with the Jets organization ever since.

This year, in his third season with the Jets, Carter recorded just eight carries for 38 yards to go along with 15 catches for 68 yards.

Since the start of training camp, the Jets running back room has been crowded. With the return of star Breece Hall and the signing of Dalvin Cook, it didn’t appear as if there was room for Carter, who was expected to be a trade candidate as teams trimmed their rosters prior to opening weekend.

However, the Jets elected to keep four running backs, including Carter, as they seemed to define a role for the trio of Hall, Cook, and Carter to all co-exist.

Carter was utilized as a third-down back but has been struggling of late, especially in pass-blocking situations. He has also had some issues with dropping passes, which has hurt the Jets offense on various occasions.

Although the Cardinals aren’t contenders at this point in the season, the opportunity to earn meaningful reps will be good for Carter as he looks to get back on track. There’s no question that Carter is a very talented football player, but the opportunity just wasn’t there with the Jets organization, as the decision to let him go was a tough one for the players as he was well-liked among his peers in Florham Park.

Who knows, maybe a change of scenery will be good for the former UNC football standout.

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