NFL Rumors: Ja’Marr Chase hope, Chiefs-Steelers trade idea, Cowboys RB plan

The NFL season is now just days away, not months or weeks. Football fans couldn't be more excited for this upcoming season. The offseason brought a ton of drama, storylines and changes as we head into the new year.

Free agency was huge for a ton of different teams and the NFL Draft was loaded with talent. We have game-changers like Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Malik Nabers in the league looking to make a difference this year.

But there are still active storylines playing out over the next week, before the season even kicks off.

NFL Rumors: NFL insider claims Bengals intensifying efforts to extend Ja'Marr Chase

The Cincinnati Bengals have struggled to get their superstar wide receiver, Ja'Marr Chase, to sign and extension and return to practice. Chase has been sitting out, looking to ink an extension that pays him nearly $35 million a year, before he takes the field this year.

But we're now within a week of the first games and Chase is still not practicing. The Bengals are going to need to be a bit more aggressive in their negotiations if they don't want the superstar to miss much time.

NFL insider Jeremy Fowler was on SportsCenter recently where he discussed Chase and the holdout, h/t Bleacher Report:

"The Bengals, I'm told, are trying to get this done. I'm hearing that they've tipped up their negotiations a little bit. And so they're trying to get him back on the practice field, because he's been holding in, so this has been a complicated negotiation because he's got two years left on his contract, the Bengals have a little bit of leverage there. But if this gets done over the next few days, they can get him back on the practice field, this should fall somewhere in that $34-35 million range per year."

There have been reports coming out that Chase wants to sign a deal that's one cent more expensive than his good friend Justin Jefferson's deal. If that's the case, then the Bengals must not want to give him that kind of money or else we would have a solved case by now.

Either way, I would expect this to be resolved in the next two or three days.

NFL Rumors: A proposed Steelers-Chiefs trade idea that sends a RB to KC

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been at the center of a ton of different drama this offseason. First, there was their quarterback situation, which they solved by acquiring Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Then, recently, there was the entire Brandon Aiyuk saga that dragged on for weeks with the Steelers looking like fools from the outside looking in.

And recently, there has been speculation that Pittsburgh may trade one of their two workhorse running backs this season.

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report recently pitched the idea of the Steelers dealing either Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren to the Kansas City Chiefs this season:

"Notable trade targets that could make sense include either of the Pittsburgh Steelers running backs Jaylen Warren and/or Najee Harris. Both are set to become free agents after this season and it's unlikely the Steelers pay both of them. If the Steelers struggle early in the season they might be willing to deal one of them to the Chiefs and get something in return."

This kind of deal goes against the M.O. of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They may not have been Bonafide Super Bowl contenders each and every season for the past decade, but they have finished at or above .500 with a chance to make the postseason each year.

For the Chiefs, they have shown a reluctance, even with Isiah Pacheco's emergence, to not have a multi-faceted backfield. After recently signing waived veteran Samaje Perine, it's clear that the champs are still eyeing ways in which they can strengthen the backfield. Warren or Harris would certainly help accomplish that.

The odds of the Steelers being horrible and opting to trade one of their running backs is low, unless something unprecedented happens.

NFL Rumors: Cowboys believe Rico Dowdle is prepared for RB2 role

The Dallas Cowboys have been at the center of a ton of speculation this offseason. Many have wanted to see them upgrade their running back room because the top-end talent there just isn't great.

Their top two backs are Ezekiel Elliott, well past his prime, and Rico Dowdle, who's a bit unproven.

Zeke is coming off the worst season of his illustrious NFL career. The Cowboys veteran was great with Dallas, but at this point in his career, it's hard to expect him to carry a heavy workload.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy recently discussed Dowdle and what he expects from him this season.

“He’ll have a lesser role in special teams, just because of workload focus. He’s a complete running back, plays all three downs. I think his pass protection from his rookie year to now has become one of his best assets.”

Now, things get a lot more interesting if McCarthy is genuinely optimistic and excited for Dowdle. If McCarthy has this kind of faith, and truly believes him and Zeke can work as a committee, then there's absolutely no need for Dallas to go out and get a running back.

The key word there is "if." Only time will tell the truth of the situation.