The Steelers didn't tender an offer to McNichols as a restricted free agent Wednesday, Alan Saunders of PittsburghSportsNow.com reports.
This was an easy decision after McNichols missed all of 2022 with a shoulder injury. He wasn't worth the $2.6 million tender and will now head to the open market.
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Steelers' Jeremy McNichols: Placed on IR
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Pittsburgh placed McNichols (shoulder) on injured reserve Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
McNichols signed with the Steelers to compete for a depth role in the backfield, but he lasted less than a week into camp before suffering what was apparently a severe shoulder injury. The Steelers signed Master Teague in a corresponding move to restore numbers in the backfield heading into the preseason.
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Steelers' Jeremy McNichols: Bangs up shoulder
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McNichols is being evaluated for a shoulder injury, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Another update on the injury will likely surface once its severity is determined. McNichols is battling for a depth role in Pittsburgh's backfield after suiting up for 30 games with the Titans over the previous two seasons.
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Steelers' Jeremy McNichols: Joins Pittsburgh backfield
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McNichols has signed with the Steelers.
The 2017 fifth-rounder gives the Steelers added running back depth following the team's release of Trey Edmunds. McNichols is coming off a 2021 campaign with the Titans in which he carried 41 times for 156 yards over 14 games while adding 28 catches on 38 targets for 240 yards and a TD. With Pittsburgh, McNichols will compete with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland for snaps and touches behind the team's undisputed top back, Najee Harris.
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Jeremy McNichols: Let go Thursday
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McNichols was released by the Falcons on Thursday.
The 5-foot-9 running back was dropped along with receiver Austin Trammell in corresponding moves to make room for the additions of offensive lineman Jonotthan Harrison and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton. McNichols spent the past two seasons playing for Tennessee, accumulating 655 yards on 116 total touches over 30 regular-season games during that span.
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Falcons' Jeremy McNichols: Signs with ATL
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McNichols signed with the Falcons on Thursday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
This will be the eighth team McNichols has spent time with since the Bucs made him a fifth-round pick in 2017, and it'll be the fifth team he's played a regular-season game for if he makes it that far. His chances are better in Atlanta than they would be practically anywhere else, joining a backfield that otherwise has Cordarrelle Patterson, Damien Williams, fifth-round rookie Tyler Allgeier and Qadree Ollison as the top candidates for jobs. Patterson is the lock of the bunch, but he's unlikely to handle a workhorse role, leaving room for someone else to get regular touches. McNichols has made 30 of his 34 regular-season appearances in a Titans uniform, mostly handling passing downs for Tennessee the past two seasons. Last year, he had nearly as many targets (38) as carries (41), even though Derrick Henry missed half the season with a foot injury.
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Jeremy McNichols: Waived Saturday
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McNichols was waived by the Titans on Saturday.
The Titans opted to elevate Jordan Wilkins from the practice squad, signaling the end of McNichols' tenure with the franchise. The fifth-year running back had a relatively critical role earlier in the season after Derrick Henry's season-ending foot injury, which ultimately allowed the scatback to set career highs in both receptions and receiving yards. The emergence of Dontrell Hilliard relegated McNichols to an offensive afterthought recently as the 26-year-old tallied just nine carries and zero receptions over the last two weeks.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Minimal role
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McNichols rushed the ball twice for 14 yards in Sunday's 34-3 win over the Dolphins.
McNichols was the third back in Tennessee's rotation as he took the field for only six offensive snaps. His playing time could tick up in different game script given that his primary role for the team comes from work as a receiver out of the backfield. However, that may not come in Week 18, as the Titans should be favored in a matchup at Houston.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Leads Tennessee in rushing
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McNichols recorded seven rushes for 31 yards in Thursday's 20-17 win over San Francisco.
McNichols finished second on the team with seven rushing attempts, with only D'Onta Foreman (nine carries) earning more opportunity. He was fairly efficient his work, posting four gains of five or more yards on the ground. Contrary to his encouraging work as a rusher, McNichols' role as a pass catcher out of the backfield evaporated nearly entirely -- he was targeted only once and did not record a reception. Given the return of A.J. Brown (chest), McNichols' volume in the passing attack may not return in the team's final two games this season. That makes McNichols a difficult option to rely upon given his lack of bankable volume in Tennessee's split backfield.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Earns nine touches
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McNichols rushed six times for 26 yards in Sunday's 19-13 loss to the Steelers. He added three receptions for 25 yards.
McNichols served as the Titans' third back, as he worked behind both D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard. Even so, Tennessee's run-heavy attack and lack of healthy wide receivers played to McNichols' advantage. His longest gain of the day came on a 12-yard reception, though he also chipped in a gain of nine on the ground. In two games since returning from a pair of absences, McNichols has combined to record 14 rush attempts and three receptions. His involvement in the offense gives him a safe floor but a very low ceiling as the third back on the depth chart.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Practicing fully
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McNichols (concussion) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
After missing the Titans' last two games prior to the team's Week 13 bye, McNichols looks poised to play Sunday against the Jaguars. That said, McNichols' role upon his return to the lineup is somewhat unclear, with D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard both having performed capably in Tennessee's last outing, a 36-13 loss to the Patriots in Week 12.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Out again
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McNichols (concussion) is out for Sunday's game in New England, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.
McNichols still hasn't returned to practice and now will miss a second straight game. Last week, Dontrell Hilliard stepped in as the passing-down back and caught eight of 10 targets for 47 yards in a 22-13 loss to the Texans, adding seven rushes for 35 yards while playing 63 percent of snaps on offense. That's a bigger workload than McNichols has seen all year, and while a repeat isn't likely, Hilliard does have less competition for playing time with both McNichols and Adrian Peterson (released) out of the lineup. It appears the injury-ravaged Tennessee offense will have D'Onta Foreman as the lead runner and Hilliard as the substitute and passing-down back this Sunday against a red-hot Patriots defense, though the Titans also have RB Rodney Smith as a backfield option from the practice squad.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Misses practice
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McNichols (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday.
With McNichols absent from Sunday's 22-13 loss to Houston, the Titans deployed Dontrell Hilliard as their passing-down back. That role that came with a 63 percent snap share and 10 targets, a workload range McNichols has flirted with just once this season (40 percent and 12 targets Week 4 against the Jets). In any case, one or the two will handle the role this Sunday in New England, where yardage and touchdowns may be in short supply even if the target volume checks out. The Titans also have major issues at wide receiver, where A.J. Brown (chest) and Marcus Johnson (hamstring) have now rejoined the lengthy list of injured players.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Sitting out Week 11
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McNichols (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Texans, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
After sustaining the head injury in last week's win over the Saints, McNichols didn't practice Wednesday through Friday and wasn't on course to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol by Sunday. McNichols' absence leaves D'Onta Foreman and Adrian Peterson as the Titans' healthy backs, but because neither player is an accomplished pass catcher, the team could promote Dontrell Hilliard from the practice squad prior to Sunday's game as a third-down option.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Remains absent Thursday
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McNichols (concussion) wasn't spotted at Thursday's practice, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
McNichols has now missed consecutive practices, putting his status for Sunday's game against the Texans in doubt. D'Onta Foreman and Adrian Peterson are in line to split early-down snaps in Tennessee's backfield against Houston, though it's not clear which running back would absorb the passing-down duties normally occupied by McNichols should he sit Sunday.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Dealing with concussion
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McNichols didn't practice Wednesday after being diagnosed with a concussion, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
McNichols likely sustained the head injury at some point during Sunday's 23-21 win over the Saints, and he'll now have to hope to navigate the NFL's five-step protocol ahead of a this weekend's game against the Texans. If McNichols suits up Week 11, he would likely be in line mostly for pass-catching work, with Adrian Peterson and D'Onta Foreman both seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order for carries out of the Tennessee backfield while Derrick Henry (foot) remains on injured reserve.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Role slipping
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McNichols gained seven yards on four carries in Sunday's 23-21 win over the Saints. He added one reception on three targets for one yard.
McNichols worked behind both Adrian Peterson and D'Onta Foreman and did little with the opportunity he did receive. His longest rush of the day went for only four yards, and he was also not a factor as a receiver. Though it was originally expected that McNichols would be a key figure in the Titans' backfield in the absence of Derrick Henry (foot), his role appears to have slipped significantly in the last two games.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Records three receptions
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McNichols recorded three receptions on three targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 34-31 win over the Colts.
McNichols had his role as the Titans' second back solidified after Darrynton Evans (knee) was shut down for the season. He did not log a carry but did record multiple receptions for the fifth time in eight games on the campaign. Though Derrick Henry will handle the vast majority of the work out of the Titans' backfield, McNichols is the clear backup if Henry were to be forced to miss any time.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Role shrinks
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McNichols recorded one reception on one target for 10 yards in Sunday's 27-3 win over Kansas City.
McNichols has worked primarily as a pass catcher out of the backfield, so the game script didn't fit into his typical role. He also lost some work to Darrynton Evans (knee), who returned from injured reserve to make his first appearance of the season. Through six weeks, it was clear that McNichols was the primary backup to Derrick Henry, though his role on the team is now less defined.
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Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Active versus Kansas City
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McNichols (ankle) is listed as active for Sunday's game against Kansas City, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Through six games, McNichols has logged just seven carries, though the 25-year-old has factored into the Titans' passing attack at times. However, with Darrynton Evans (knee) having been activated off IR, it remains to be seen how many touches there will be for McNichols in Week 7. Derrick Henry is slated to continue to handle the bulk of the team's backfield work as long as he remains healthy and available.
