Some teams that come to mind for potential need at the RB position are; Rams, Dolphins, and the Lions. To me all three of these teams could use a steady, experienced RB.

Dec 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Stedman Bailey (3) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Syracuse defeated West Virginia 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

First the Rams, they added two WRs in the draft, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. Austin might be something the Rams want to hold on to, but Bailey might be a little more available. Bailey and some picks given to the Panthers seem reasonable to me. They have a young RB crew in St. Louis and could use the experience Deangelo Williams could provide. Also the fact that a strong running game could open the passing game for Bradford.

Second I think the Dolphins have a need for a strong RB. They too have a relatively young backfield with most experienced player having only 3 years under his belt. The problem with the Dolphins is who/what do we get in return that’s of equal value? Draft picks alone wont get a deal done and there aren’t to many players that would make sense. Maybe going defense and getting Grimes to help the secondary plus picks, but that to me would be a long shot.

Last, but not least are the Lions. They have a stellar offense because of the passing game, but their running game has had zero continuity to it. They have had a time with RB’s getting injured or just plain not performing like expected. They did bring in Reggie Bush this year, but he is not an every down back that can run it up the middle. The main thing that would stop this deal dead in its tracks is who on the Lions are they willing to deal? Outside of Megatron and Stafford no one really excites you. So this deal would seem to be the least likely out of the three.

With all that being said, I think the backfield for the Panthers is becoming a little too crowded. If Barner can perform at the RB position like expected then I think the Williams loss wouldn’t sting as much. Even if Williams leaves, we still have a couple back ups behind Stewart.

The reason I’m asking is if you put the moves of the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins next to each other, that “balance” of the scales would thud over on the Miami side like it’s filled with gold while the Panthers’ side is almost empty.

That’s because the Dolphins have been handing out the Krugerands like there’s no tomorrow…probably because their GM, Jeff Ireland, is feeling the heat and likely fears for his job if he doesn’t do his part to help the team improve. He’s put WR Mike Wallace among the top-3 highest-paid receivers in the NFL at age 24. I’m sure they’re paying him on “future production” that they HOPE will be filled with 1,000+ yard seasons and double-digit TDs since he’s the fastest WR in the NFL.

They had a top-ten scoring defense last season and hacked it up a bit too, signing not one but two linebackers to start. Dannell Ellerbe replaces an already very good MLB in Karlos Dansby, himself a free agent acquisition from the Arizona Cardinals a few years ago. Because of Dansby’s productive presence, that move certainly made me wonder. I don’t know all the dynamics, but rising second-year Head Coach Joe Philbin had the team improve last season, and that bought him some credibility.

Dec 2, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland prior to a game against the New England Patriots at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY

Ireland came into the free agent pool diving head first as a result, adding TE Dustin Keller of the New York Jets and WR Brandon Gibson from the St. Louis Rams while keeping Brian Hartline in-house. They lost TE Anthony Fasano but Keller’s a better overall player and reciver. Second-year QB Ryan Tannehill now has about every weapon he could dream of in the passing game when you consider they’ve had a top-ten slot WR in Davone Bess for his entire NFL career.

On the other end – that side of the “balance” that’s swinging empty on the other side of the Dolphins’ largess resides the Carolina Panthers.

New GM David Gettleman’s hands are tied from former GM Marty Hurney’s own largess. It’s one thing to take care of your best players, but he caught the same sickness that it would appear Jeff Ireland succumbed to. Gettleman’s feeling the results of such moves – center Ryan Kalil was made the NFL’s highest-paid center by Hurney. Fine…he’s deserving of it.

However, Hurney seemed to fall in love with certain players…especially running backs. He had signed not one, not two, but THREE (?!!??!??) backs to big multi-year contracts. He signed both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to huge deals and that raised eyebrows around the NFL. Then, after he signed Mike Tolbert to another big contract before last season, some questioned his sanity despite Tolbert’s “hometown discount.”

Gettleman is quiet this free agency period as a result. He’s there, no doubt working hard, doing his due diligence with the upcoming rookies for the draft, but he has also been re-working contracts in order to get the Panthers beneath the $123 million salary cap figure for 2013. They were over the cap before he worked some magic, and the players, for their part, were receptive to it.

They’re professionals and aren’t stupid; they want to win, and if it means “restructuring” their contracts and/or taking a small pay cut, they’ve generally been on board. They know what’s going on. They read the internet and see the headlines on Sportscenter, etc.

As a result, Gettleman has let a few higher-priced veterans go to make room for the rookies, perhaps a couple of cheap free agents with some upsdie to them like DT Colin Cole, and is maneuvering the team’s salary situation for the future so that when a key free agent becomes available, they’ll be able to DO something about it.

Jan 5, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings (85) during the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. The Packers won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Can you imagine if the Panthers were able to afford Greg Jennings? Fans would be ecstatic.

No…David’s taking a hard-line, prudent, and disciplined approach to the situation this season. Gone are veteran CB Chris Gamble, LB James Anderson, and DT Ron Edwards.

So far, nobody has been signed to replace them and it looks like they’ll have to do so via the 2013 NFL Draft….where Gettleman faces another, albeit smaller, hurdle.

The Panthers do not have a third-round pick because of the trade-up last year to grab DE Frank Alexander out of Oklahoma. It appears he was worth the trade, but unlike the Miami Dolphins and their 5 draft choices in the first 3 rounds, the Panthers have but two…their “organic” first and second-rounders.

Gettleman knows he’s gotta get both of those right. If he can nab two quality starters in the top two picks the team has and find a gem in the latter rounds, he’ll have helped solidify the cracking foundation of the organization’s financial picture while improving the product on the field without spending a king’s ransom to do so…again, unlike the Dolphins.

If he can pull it off, he’ll actually have “shown up” fellow Miami GM Jeff Ireland while doing so with a lot more fiscal restraint.

And that would be exactly what the Carolina Panthers accounting department ordered.

He was Tampa Bay’s second-round draft pick in 2010 but never has been much of a force and certainly not someone the opponent’s defense has to game-plan for. His best season with Tampa was his second season, the 2011 campaign, when he had 30 receptions for 441 yards and 3 TDs. He missed half of last season with injuries and started in but a single contest. He had 4 catches for 26 yards for the entire year and is obviously deemed expendable by the franchise that nabbed star WR Vincent Jackson during free agency last season.

It looks like Philadelphia signed him on as a reserve, since their dynamic WR tandem of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin remains intact. The Eagles appear to be focusing on revamping their defense as they were soft last year and are switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4, requiring a different personnel mix.

Nov 27, 2011; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets tight end Dustin Keller (81) drags Buffalo Bills defensive back Justin Rogers (26) and free safety Jairus Byrd (31) into the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins have been the team that has made the biggest splash in free agency so far this season, having signed WR Mike Wallace, LB Dannell Ellerbe, and LB Phillip Wheeler prior to today as well as keeping WR Brian Hartline in the fold with a new contract.

Embattled Dolphins’ GM Jeff Ireland is trying to save his job and spending worse than a drunken sailor to do so. Today, we discover some of the terms of the Mike Wallace deal, and he will cost the team over $17 million against the salary cap in 2014. The only more expensive WR in that year is Larry Fitzgerald.

They signed former New York Jets TE Dustin Keller to replace departed TE Anthony Fasano while upgrading the position at the same time.

The team also added former St. Louis Rams WR Brandon Gibson with a 3-year deal. Within one off-season, they’ve gone from being the most WR-needy team in the NFL to one of the most stacked at the position today.

Sept. 23, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb (4) during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Eagles 27 – 6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile in Arizona, $11 million per year QB Kevin “Korn on the” Kolb was released primarily due to costs, but his durability is also a concern. Their issues on the offensive line certainly didn’t help Kolb’s cause, but it isn’t clear that the team won’t re-sign him later at a greatly reduced rate depending on the interest in Kolb from other teams. Just a shrewd guess here, but something tells me other NFL teams won’t be beating down his agent’s door.

The Cardinals have Brian Hoyer and Drew Stanton at QB as-is, and it’s quite possible another QB-needy team like the Jets or the Buffalo Bills could give him a good look. Since the Cardinals have pick 7 in next month’s draft and Buffalo the eighth, the Bills cannot count on West Virginia QB Geno Smith, who had a very impressive workout during W.V.’s Pro Day yesterday, being around at #8 overall. The chess match is on, it appears.

Too bad the Carolina Panthers don’t have the cap room to sign Greg Jennings. I sure wish they did.