Ravens OT Daniel Faalele returns to practice on Wednesday

Ravens offensive tackle Daniel Faalele returned to practice on Wednesday

The Baltimore Ravens put together an impressive 11-player rookie class in the 2022 draft. The team has seen some of their first-year players impress over the course of training camp and the preseason, but others have been on and off of the field with injuries.

One of the players who has missed some time is fourth-round pick Daniel Faalele. However, on Wednesday the former Minnesota star returned to the practice field, which is good news for a team that has accumulated plenty of offensive line depth and needs as much tackle talent as possible with the uncertain health of All-Pro Ronnie Stanley.

Faalele showed flashes throughout training camp and the preseason, and has plenty of tools and traits that can be coached to help him become a great player at the NFL level. Looked at as more of a developmental project, Faalele has some experienced veterans to learn behind such as Ronnie Stanley, Morgan Moses, Ja’Wuan James and more.

Ravens officially make five roster moves on Wednesday

The Ravens officially made five roster moves on Wednesday

The Baltimore Ravens trimmed their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday at 4pm EST. While their initial cuts featured some surprises, they were able to retain most of that talent on the practice squad while also continuing to shape the rest of their roster as they look to bounce back from an injury-riddled 8-9 season.

On Wednesday, the team made five roster moves official, signing running back Kenyan Drake and defensive lineman Brent Urban, placing tight end Charlie Kolar and outside linebacker David Ojabo on injured reserve, and releasing offensive lineman Tyre Phillips.

Drake comes over from the Las Vegas Raiders, providing a quality option both as a run blocker and a pass catcher. He’ll slot in next to J.K. Dobbins, Mike Davis and Justice Hill at the running back position. Urban returns to the team after being cut just one day prior, slotting back into the defensive line group.

Both Kolar and Ojabo were likely injured reserve candidates, so the moves come as no surprise. Kolar missed all of training camp with a sports hernia, while Ojabo tore his achilles during his Pro Day in March.

Two former Ravens players sign with Giants’ practice squad

Former Baltimore Ravens safety Tony Jefferson and linebacker Chuck Wiley have reportedly been signed to the New York Giants practice squad.

The Baltimore Ravens cut their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday at the league’s 4pm EST deadline. There were many surprises in who the Ravens decided to waive, with one of them being safety Tony Jefferson. Another player let go by the team was rookie outside linebacker Chuck Wiley.

Less than 24 hours later, both Jefferson and Wiley have reportedly found a new NFL team. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported that both Jefferson and Wiley will join the New York Giants practice squad, reuniting with former Baltimore defensive coordinator Don Martindale.

The Ravens will face off against the Giants in Week 6 of the 2022 season in the Meadowlands. It remains to be seen if both Wiley and Jefferson would be on the active roster or called up from the practice squad for the game, but both players will head to New York for their next football chapter.

First Clemson visit ‘was amazing’ for versatile Peach State athlete

A versatile athlete from the Peach State was all smiles during his first-ever visit to Tiger Town earlier this summer. Statesboro (Ga.) High School’s AJ Eason – a 5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect in the class of 2023 – was able to check out Clemson for …

A versatile athlete from the Peach State was all smiles during his first-ever visit to Tiger Town earlier this summer.

Statesboro (Ga.) High School’s AJ Eason – a 5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect in the class of 2023 – was able to check out Clemson for the first time when he participated in the Dabo Swinney Camp back in June.

“Just seeing the weight room and the facilities and stuff, it was amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Eason classifies himself as a linebacker/running back/strong safety, per his Twitter profile, and he is playing outside linebacker and running back for his high school team this season.

At the Swinney Camp, though, Eason worked out with the safeties and Clemson safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn.

“It was great,” Eason said of working with Conn. “He took me to the side and talked to me and told me what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right, so that the next time I went out there I could do it correctly.”

Eason felt good about his camp performance and the consistent effort he put forth during every rep. He enjoyed his Swinney Camp experience and left campus having learned new techniques that he could take with him and implement into his game.

“It was a great experience, just being able to be around the coaches and the other players and just being able to learn from them,” he said.

South Carolina State and Tuskegee University have offered Eason, while schools such as Akron, Furman, Austin Peay and Lenoir-Rhyne have shown interest in the talented Peach State recruit who describes himself as a “strong, athletic” player.

“I’m fast, I’m coachable,” he added. “I’m willing to take in criticism and keep playing.”

Eason hopes to prove what he’s capable of during his senior season and show college coaches that they could count on him to go all out and give 110 percent whenever he’s on the field.

“My speed from sideline to sideline, and then my effort – I give a lot of effort in each play,” he said. “I just want to show that I’m always going to give effort.”

–Photo courtesy of AJ Eason on Twitter (@Ajeason28)

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Bucs get more good news on Robert Hainsey, Nick Leverett

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t afford any more serious injuries to their offensive line

The worst part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts wasn’t the ugly 27-10 loss.

No, it was suffering two more injuries to key members of their offensive line, center Robert Hainsey and do-it-all swingman Nick Leverett.

Hainsey (ankle) and Leverett (shoulder) both left the game and didn’t return, sending the blood pressure of Bucs fans through the roof. With Hainsey already replacing Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen, and Leverett competing for the left guard spot thinned by the loss of Aaron Stinnie, losing either of them would have been another massive blow for the Bucs up front.

Instead, it looks like both players have dodged major injury, and they’re trending toward being available when the Bucs kick off the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys next week.

“They’re both trending in the right direction,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday. “If they continue to heal, they’ll be ready to practice next week and should be available for the game.”

Hainsey is expected to start at center, while Leverett will provide valuable depth with his ability to play any of the five positions along the offensive line. Having them both as close to full strength as possible is a huge boost for Tampa Bay’s most banged-up unit.

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Todd Bowles explains why the Bucs cut WR Tyler Johnson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles breaks down what made Tyler Johnson the odd man out at wide receiver

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had some tough roster decisions to make heading into Tuesday’s cut deadline, none more challenging than which wide receivers to keep behind their entrenched top four.

They kept three more on their initial 53-man list, but Tyler Johnson wasn’t one of them.

The 2020 fifth-round pick out of Minnesota was among the team’s final cuts, losing out to Jaelon Darden, Scotty Miller and Breshad Perriman.

After Wednesday’s practice, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was asked about the decision-making process that led to the team’s most surprising cut.

“That was tough,” Bowles said. “Again, we have a lot of receivers and when you get down to a fifth and sixth receiver – Jaelon [Darden] returns punts and kicks, [and] Tyler [Johnson] was the sixth receiver to dress on Sundays. You’ve got to be able to play special teams and contribute. [He is] a great pass receiver, very good catcher – he can catch the ball – [he’s] a very good player, but no special teams value.”

(AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)

“Once you get down past the top four and five, you’ve got to have more value then just catching the football because you won’t dress on Sundays,” Bowles continued. “You know, that was a big reason behind it. We felt ‘BP’ (Breshad Perriman) can do a lot of things on special teams, we feel Scotty [Miller] can do some things as well. So that’s what it came down to.”

Johnson had flashed some potential over his two seasons in Tampa Bay, but also struggled with drops and overall consistency. Meanwhile, Darden became the team’s primary return man, while Miller and Perriman were making clutch plays in key moments during big games.

Now, Johnson will get a chance to prove himself as a member of the Houston Texans, the team that claimed him off waivers from the Bucs on Wednesday.

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Streeter reveals quarterbacks’ completion rate during camp

Brandon Streeter recently revealed the benchmark that he’s consistently looking for from Clemson’s quarterbacks in terms of accuracy. “We always want to be above 60%,” the Tigers’ first-year coordinator said last week in reference to his desired …

Brandon Streeter recently revealed the benchmark that he’s consistently looking for from Clemson’s quarterbacks in terms of accuracy.

“We always want to be above 60%,” the Tigers’ first-year coordinator said last week in reference to his desired completion rate.

It was a mark that the Tigers’ quarterbacks fell well short of a season ago, particularly D.J. Uiagalelei. As part of a tumultuous 2021 for Uiagalelei and the rest of the offense, Clemson’s signal caller completed just 55.6% of his passes, second-lowest among ACC starters. As a team, the Tigers completed just 55.1% of their passes, which ranked 112th nationally.

While some factors outside of their control can affect it, primarily dropped passes, Clemson makes a habit of charting the quarterbacks’ throws in practice to determine their completion percentage. With that in mind, The Clemson Insider asked Streeter this week if Uiagalelei and his backup, true freshman Cade Klubnik, were at or above the threshold more often than not during preseason camp.

“They were. They were above that 60%, so that was really good to see,” Streeter said. “What we had installed for that day kind of depended on the percentage, but when you took the overall, both of those guys were over 60%. … It shows confidence. It shows understanding the big picture a little bit more. And then it shows a young guy that’s really been able to absorb the offense and do a good job of maintaining his confidence and throwing with accuracy.

“That’s the name of the game when you’re talking about quarterbacks as we all know. Man, it’s all good if you can throw it 70 or 80 yards, but if you’re not accurate, it really doesn’t matter. So the accuracy piece is one of the biggest things that we do chart.”

Clemson heads into its Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech with Uiagalelei still atop the depth chart at the position, something Streeter and head coach Dabo Swinney said he’s earned with the way he’s performed since the spring. Streeter said midway through camp he’d seen an improvement in ball placement from Uiagalelei, who said he focused on his footwork this offseason as part of mechanical improvements to his throwing motion.

Streeter and Swinney have also made it clear Klubnik will play this fall, though to what extent may ultimately be determined by Uiagalelei’s performance. Clemson’s latest five-star signee at the position, Klubnik had a career completion rate of 70% at Westlake (Texas) High and also brings an added dimension with his legs to the position.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

 

5 things Aggie fans should know heading into Saturday’s matchup vs. Sam Houston State

5 things Aggie fans should know heading into Saturday’s matchup vs. Sam Houston State

Head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies are set to kick off their 2022 college football season this Saturday, set to host the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 11:AM Central in what is set to be a packed Kyle Field and an always raucous environment.

With Sam Houston State kicking off its season this weekend as well, the Bearkats come into 2022 dripping with the potential to repeat their appearance in the FCS quarterfinals and beyond, as it’s their last season at the FCS level as the rising program is scheduled to enter the FBS ranks before the start of the 2023 season. To provide some background, the Sam Houston State football program has seen great success since entering the FCS ranks after the 1985 season, making three national championship game appearances, and capturing the title against South Dakota State at the end of the 2020 campaign.

The Bearkats have also seen over 37 former players participate in the NFL, while 19 have been drafted in their history, with some notable players including quarterback Rhett Bomar, defensive back Keith Davis, quarterback Josh McCown, and the recent 2022 5th round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Zyon McCollum.

This season, the men in bright orange are led by longtime head coach K.C. Keeler, who is set to start Georgia Tech transfer, Jordan Yates at quarterback, along with 9 FBS level players from the transfer portal, including former 5-Star safety B.J. Foster, and 2018 recruiting class member, wide receiver Al’vonte Woodard.

For the Aggies, Haynes King is back in the saddle as the starting quarterback, the wide receiver and tight end rotation is stacked with a mixture of experienced/young talent, while the defense is set to unveil what they have learned from the new defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin this fall, which is sure to to turn some heads right off the bat.

Now, before kickoff, here are 5 observations leading into Saturday’s afternoon tilt with Sam Houston State.

Riqui Puig may prove that bringing Barcelona players to MLS is a good strategy

The Galaxy may not always get it right, but Puig is looking like a success

Riqui Puig, who last year was making the gameday squad for Barcelona every week, is probably going to be a top MLS player.

You already know this instinctively, as someone who has seen Barcelona play soccer. Or, perhaps you just saw Puig pick up an unreal first assist in the league on the notoriously bad turf surface at Gillette Stadium. Either way, you probably knew that signing him was a good plan for the LA Galaxy.

Let’s say you’re a skeptic, though. A real “can he do it on a Wednesday night in Canada?” type. It’s not a completely indefensible position, given the struggles supposed superstars have had coming to MLS to play in 90% humidity after an eight-hour travel day with two connecting flights.

You could also be a keen MLS observer falling back on a pretty solid truism from recent years: the Galaxy do not do good plans. They flail around, sometimes it works, but it’s never what anyone would call strategic. The Galaxy signing Puig, if you’re in this category, points more towards Puig having some unknown issue than it does LA getting its act together.

So if you’re in either of those last two groups, Puig would like to offer a further rejoinder in the form of his first goal in the league.

With the Galaxy down 2-1 at Toronto FC in the 89th minute, having given up a late Federico Bernardeschi penalty to fall behind, LA needed some inspiration. Puig, pinned to the touchline at midfield, provided it. He burst through a seam, catching TFC on their heels, to play a one-two with Gastón Brugman.

Puig then used his first touch on the return pass to cut inside two Toronto defenders before rifling a 24-yard shot into the upper corner, equalizing out of nowhere to give the Galaxy a potentially crucial road draw.

So congrats to the early Puig adopters, and welcome to the party for the skeptics. The Galaxy may not always have good plans, but signing a player from Barcelona? It looks like a good one.

Watch Puig’s wonder goal

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Bucs re-sign S Logan Ryan

As expected, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quickly brought back veteran defensive back Logan Ryan

As expected, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quickly re-signed veteran defensive back Logan Ryan, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman.

Releasing Ryan on Tuesday was nothing more than a procedural move for the Bucs, who needed a roster spot for Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen. Tampa Bay had to wait until after the cut deadline and waiver process to place Jensen on injured reserve in order to preserve his eligibility to return at some point later in the season.

That meant the Bucs needed to release a vested veteran like Ryan, someone who wouldn’t have to pass through the waiver process, just long enough to keep Jensen on the initial 53-man roster before moving him to IR.

So, Ryan is back like we all knew he would be, and hope remains that Jensen might be able to see the field if he Bucs are able to make another deep playoff run.

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