Month: July 2020

Rams place rookie Terrell Lewis and Michael Hoecht on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Rams have placed two players on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Los Angeles Rams were one of eight teams left in the NFL without a player on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but that changed on Friday. The team announced that it has placed defensive lineman Michael Hoecht and rookie outside linebacker Terrell Lewis on the list.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they have COVID-19, but they could have come in contact with someone who is infected. Teams are required to place players who test positive or come in contact with someone who has the coronavirus.

Lewis and Hoecht can be activated off the list after 10 days, or after five days and if they have two negative tests within a five-day span thereafter.

Packers place 2 on PUP list, 2 others on non-football injury list

Curtis Bolton and Yosh Nijman both landed on the PUP list to start Packers training camp.

The Green Bay Packers provided injury designations for four different players on Friday.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers placed linebacker Curtis Bolton and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman on the physically unable to perform list and added guard Simon Stepaniak and running back Patrick Taylor on the non-football injury list.

Bolton tore his ACL during the preseason last August. Nijman injured his elbow and was placed on season-ending injured reserve last December. Both will begin training camp on the PUP list but can come off and participate at any time. They will each have a chance to make the roster, with Bolton competing for starting snaps at linebacker and Nijman battling for a spot as the swing tackle.

The non-football injury list is for designating players hurt during the college season or offseason. Stepaniak, a sixth-round pick, and Taylor, an undrafted free agent, both landed in this category.

The Packers also released Cole Madison and Jordan Jones on Friday.

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Chiefs waive UDFA WR Aleva Hifo

Another undrafted free agent has been waived by the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs have waived undrafted free agent wide receiver Aleva Hifo according to the NFL’s official transaction report.

That name might sound familiar to you because Hifo was the first and only Chiefs player added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list. It was reported by Kansas City Star reporter Sam McDowell that Hifo had tested positive for the coronavirus but was asymptomatic. Now, Hifo has been removed from Reserve/COVID-19 list because he was waived by the team. If he is claimed or signs with another team and tests positive during their screening process, he’ll return to the list.

Hifo joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He played college ball for Andy Reid’s alma mater, BYU. During his career he amassed 111 receptions for 1,336 yards and seven touchdowns. He added 55 carries for 233 yards and four touchdowns. Hifo was also a return specialist at BYU.

We know that Kansas City is looking to add a return specialist to the mix and Hifo would have figured into that competition. He is the second undrafted free agent receiver to be released following Cody White. The Chiefs have Kalija Lipscomb, Justice Shelton-Mosley, Maurice Ffrench and Andre Baccellia remaining at the receiver position from this undrafted free agent class.

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Rams OL Chandler Brewer opts out of 2020 season

The Rams have their first opt-out of 2020 season.

The Los Angeles Rams have their first opt-out of the season. The team announced Friday that offensive lineman Chandler Brewer has opted out of the 2020 season over concerns for the coronavirus pandemic.

Brewer has a history of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which brings added concerns into the equation.

“With my history with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I am at high risk and will opt out of playing in the NFL this season,” Brewer said in a statement. “I would like to thank the Rams for their support and I look forward to getting back on the field in 2021 and beyond.”

Brewer is a reserve offensive lineman who was going to be in the mix for a roster spot this season. The Rams signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He began the year on the practice squad but was added to the active roster in November and made his debut against the Bears.

Ravens waive UDFA CB Jeff Hector

In an effort to get down to the 80-man roster limit for training camp, the Baltimore Ravens waived UDFA CB Jeff Hector Friday.

The Baltimore Ravens announced on Twitter they have waived undrafted free agent cornerback Jeff Hector.

Hector was signed as a UDFA out of Redlands, a Division-3 school. Hector played in 20 games over the last two seasons, accounting for 47 total tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles. He had eight interceptions for Redlands last year, returning them 178 total yards. Hector was also the team’s kickoff returner, finding the end zone once in 20 returns over the last two years.

This is another in a series of moves Baltimore has made this week in order to get down to the 80-man training camp roster limit under the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. The Ravens waived offensive linemen Evan Adams, Daisahwn Dixon, R.J. Prince, and kicker Nick Vogel on Monday in an announcement made via Twitter. The team also announced they’ve placed UDFA tight end Jacob Breeland on the non-football injury (NFI) list.

Baltimore hasn’t been immune from roster trouble thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Both offensive tackle Andre Smith and return specialist De’Anthony Thomas declined to play this season under the league’s COVID-19 opt-out protocol. The Ravens also placed UDFA safety Nigel Warrior on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

With 10 other cornerbacks on the roster already, Hector was simply the odd man out in an odd offseason. Baltimore has more pressing needs for depth at other key positions like the offensive and defensive lines, and outside linebacker.

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Farewell to Golic & Wingo on ESPN Radio, Mike Golic’s morning show

After 22 years the voice of ESPN morning radio hangs it up to return to the collegiate game.

Former Notre Dame standout defensive tackle Mike Golic has had plenty of success on and off the field. Golic was a captain in his senior season with the Irish before being drafted in the 10th round by the Houston Oilers and playing in the NFL for 8 seasons. His post playing career has been even more impressive, as he began it prior to even finishing his NFL career.

During his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Golic would do a weekly segment on the Randall Cunningham Show which began a long, successful media career. I did take him a few years to blossom but once he did, along with Mike Greenberg, Golic became the face of ESPN radio. The show began just on ESPN radio affiliates then moves to a simulcast on ESPN2. When Greenberg left, Golic had about two weeks off before getting back on the mic with Trey Wingo as their show’s run of three years came to an end today. That’s over 22 years of morning radio for the former Notre Dame star.

What’s in store next for Golic isn’t retirement, he will be behind the mic for ESPN during the college football season. That means we will get plenty more of Golic in our ears for the foreseeable future and that doesn’t seem to bother us one bit.