It might become one of the most uplifting stories this season if JaMarcus Russell managed to find himself playing for an NFL team, but for now, just being on someone’s roster is good enough. Despite an impressive workout earlier this week, the main reason teams across the league aren’t offering him a tryout with them is his weight, feeling he needs to lose more of it in order to have a shot at a comeback.
Russell, who played in the NFL between 2007 and 2009 with the Oakland Raiders, has been training with Jeff Garcia, Marshall Faulk and Ato Boldon in order to get back in shape and into the league. He has lost 34 points and is down to 281, but still no NFL team has come down to San Diego, where Russell is training, in order to take a look at him, or offer him a more personal visit and workout. The failures of his first stint in the NFL are still too fresh in the memories of everyone.
Russell’s goal is to continue dropping in wait to around 270 pounds, getting messages that this weight should be enough to get actual interest from teams. Russell isn’t thinking about a starting job or even being the number 2 guy, but he does want to sit behind a veteran, and the only two teams that have been even slightly interested in his return are the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals, two teams that would work just fine according the Russell’s crew.