Month: September 2024

Bengals swipe AFC North rival’s promising player in practice squad addition

The Bengals took from a rival while getting a high-upside player.

The Cincinnati Bengals swiped a division rival’s player during the waiver wire and practice squad process this past week.

There, the Bengals added defensive end Isaiah Thomas, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, to the practice squad.

Thomas, a seventh-rounder in 2022 by the Browns, appeared in 10 games as a rookie and recorded a sack over 162 snaps. At 6’5″ and 270 pounds with good length, he looks like an every-down player the coaches would like to develop.

Considering Thomas came over from the Browns, which is annually one of the league’s deepest depth charts on the edge, there’s perhaps more there for the Bengals to develop than most signings of this nature.

And for Thomas and his reps, the Bengals surely made for an interesting opportunity with former first-rounder Myles Murphy going to injured reserve and a sixth-rounder, Cedric Johnson, making the final roster as a result.

With Sam Hubbard getting up there in age (29), the recent Trey Hendrickson contract drama and Joseph Ossai on the last year of his current deal, these are the types of low-key signings that could pay off big for the team at a later date.

That it came at the expense of an in-state and division rival like the Browns is something that will move the needle with fans, too.

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How ready are the Commanders at cornerback?

Previewing the cornerbacks.

What sort of group have the Commanders assembled at cornerback?

Do you realize the Washington Commanders gave up an unbelievable 518 points in 2023? The closest team to them (Cardinals) surrendered 63 points less.

The Commanders couldn’t pressure opposing quarterbacks, and the back seven made up for it by not covering anybody either! The passing defense was so bad that it gave up 344 more yards than the 31st-ranked Bengals. Opposing teams passed for 39 touchdowns against Washington—last in the league.

Ron Rivera was seen on a Commanders video excitedly driving to work on the morning of the 2023 NFL draft, anticipating drafting Emmanuel Forbes, available at No. 16. Rivera selected Forbes.

https://twitter.com/Tiller56/status/1693784745493111054

Forbes struggled terribly during the 2023 season, but what made it even worse was that the coach coaching the defensive backs (Brent Vieselmeyer) was an unqualified secondary coach, as Rivera was in a lame-duck year.

This year, Forbes has gained 15 pounds, and there is a qualified secondary coach (Tommy Donatell) who coached the Chargers secondary the last three seasons. Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. coached the secondary for the Packers (9 seasons), Falcons (1 season), and Cowboys (3 seasons).

The Commanders’ current roster includes five corners: Forbes, Benjamin St-Juste, rookie Mike Sainristil, and veterans Mike Davis and Noah Igbinoghene.

Sainristil was great in college, but this is the NFL. There will be struggles in learning, but coaches say he has continued to get after it and looked good in training camp.

Davis and St-Juste both have plenty of experience starting outside, so they could very well be the choices to start the opener next Sunday.

Igbinoghene was the Dolphins’ first-round choice in 2020 (30 overall), but he just hasn’t developed as was projected coming out of Auburn. In fact, Igbinoghene has only started five games in his four NFL seasons. He did spend 2023 with Quinn and Whitt in Dallas and chose to follow them to Washington.

Note: Lastly, Commanders Wire had last read the Commanders have two corners on the practice squad (Chigozie Anusiem and Bobby Price). However, we noticed Price is actually listed on the roster. We’ve searched for confirmation but have yet to find any communication from the Commanders that such a move was made. Consequently, it might be a clerical error.

Chiefs terminate practice squad contracts of two veteran defensive linemen

Kansas City #Chiefs terminate practice squad contracts of two veteran defensive linemen | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ roster moves aren’t finished, as general manager Brett Veach has made more changes before Thursday’s season opener.

The league continues to shuffle players. Unexpected releases find their way into new teams, forcing general managers to adjust the 53-man roster and the practice squad.

On Saturday night, the Chiefs officially signed running back Emani Bailey and defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu to the Practice Squad. They terminated defensive tackles Matt Dickerson and Neil Farrell’s Practice Squad contracts to make room for the latest signings.

Bailey was an undrafted free agent who was initially waived by Kansas City ahead of the 53-man roster deadline, while Tuipulotu was recently let go by the Philadelphia Eagles. The former 2021 sixth-round pick appeared in 28 games over three seasons for Philadelphia.

The Chiefs part ways with two veteran defensive linemen who spent time on the active roster during last season’s Super Bowl run. The Chiefs acquired Farrell before the beginning of last season after starting his career with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Dickerson played in 12 games, totaling 15 combined tackles in 2023.

Could Florida QB DJ Lagway end up transferring to Texas A&M?

Could DJ Lagway enter the transfer portal this coming offseason?

The Florida Gators’ 2024 season was never predicted to be a massive success. Third-year head coach Billy Napier is at the tippy top of every coaching hot seat list, currently holding an 11-15 overall record, including 6-11 in SEC play.

To open the season, Florida, on their home turf, fell 41-17 to rival Miami behind Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward’s three touchdowns and nearly 400 yards through the air, while Miami’s defense held the Gators to just 261 total yards on the day.

On paper, Florida finishes the season with the toughest schedule in the country, facing Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss once November rolls around. While a 4-8 (or worse) finish could be in the works, one of the program’s most talented players on the roster, freshman quarterback DJ Lagway’s future might be in question.

Coming into Saturday’s game late, Lagway threw for 31 yards and an interception but still looked more fluid than veteran starter Graham Mertz. If Napier is let go by mid-season or later, could we see Lagway enter the transfer portal? If so,  CBS Sports analyst Bud Elliott believes Texas A&M could be the favorite landing spot.

As the top player in the 2025 recruiting class, Lagway has been connected to Texas A&M for quite some time until Florida and NIL held late. Again, this is all based on speculation, but it’s something to monitor.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Kentucky blanks Southern Miss, 31-0, after long night in Lexington

Kentucky made the most of the 35 minutes of game time the Wildcats got to play Saturday night, posting a 31-0 shutout victory over Southern Miss.

Kentucky defeated Southern Miss, 31-0, Saturday night at Kroger Field in its 2024 season opener.

Under the circumstances, the Wildcats (1-0) had as strong a start to their season as one could have probably hoped for.

Too bad Mother Nature put a damper on the festivities.

Marred by a delay of almost 2 hours, 30 minutes due to lightning strikes, the game didn’t kick off until around 10 p.m. in the Bluegrass State. Shortly before midnight ET, with Kentucky well in control, another wave of nearby lightning caused the game to be delayed again with just over five minutes gone by in the third quarter.

It took until shortly after 12:30 a.m. locally before officials ruled that the contest was completed.

Here’s what happened when there wasn’t lightning in the skies.

The Wildcats got three touchdown passes from Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff, and the defense held Southern Miss (0-1) to just 131 yards of offense. Kentucky posted 317 total yards and had 18 first downs to the Golden Eagles’ seven.

After Vandagriff was intercepted in Southern Miss territory on the Wildcats’ first drive of the game, Golden Eagles quarterback Tate Rodemaker returned the favor when he threw a pass that was picked off by linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, another Georgia transfer from the offseason.

On the ensuing Kentucky possession, Vandagriff scrambled and converted on a 3rd-and-8 from the 12-yard line to find Barion Brown in the front corner of the end zone for the Wildcats’ first score and a 7-0 lead with 6:03 remaining in the first quarter.

With Southern Miss on the move at the Kentucky 8-yard line on its next offensive series, Rodemaker was picked off again when JQ Hardaway intercepted a pass in the end zone.

Senior kicker Alex Raynor booted a 41-yard field goal midway through the second quarter for a 10-0 Wildcats lead, and on its next possession, Kentucky went 75 yards on seven plays. They capped their third scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run from Demie Sumo-Karngbaye for a 17-0 lead with 3:07 to play in the half.

With their offense stuck in neutral, Southern Miss unsuccessfully tried a fake punt on a 4th-and-4 from their own 31. Kentucky took over at the Golden Eagles’ 29 with 1:52 to play.

From there, Vandagriff hit Dane Key for 21 yards and a first down to the 12-yard line. Brown then took a pitch from Vandagriff and ran 12 yards for another touchdown that capped the first half scoring at 24-0 with 31 seconds remaining until halftime. To that point, the ‘Cats had scored on three straight possessions.

Following a brief 10-minute halftime, Vandagriff completed his third touchdown pass of the night when he found Jordan Dingle for 5 yards to give Kentucky a 31-0 lead with 9:56 left in the third quarter.

It would be the final play of the game before play was suspended for good due to lightning.

Vandagriff finished his Kentucky debut 12 of 18 for 169 yards, adding 35 yards on the ground on five carries. He had a 35-yard completion to Key that set up the Wildcats’ third score of the night, and a 46-yard completion to Ja’Mori Maclin on the final drive. Maclin had two catches for 66 yards while Key added another 60 yards on two grabs.

Sumo-Karngbaye led the rushing attack with 59 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. The Wildcats ran for 148 yards to only five rushing yards total for Southern Miss.

Rodemaker, a transfer from Florida State, was 13 of 19 for 126 passing yards to go with the two turnovers.

NEXT UP

Kentucky will host South Carolina, Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Kroger Field. The game will be televised on ABC. The Gamecocks rallied in the fourth quarter Saturday to get past Old Dominion, 23-19.

Broncos have run game and defense in place to support Bo Nix

A strong run game and good defense are a QB’s best friend. “Not just for a rookie, that’s for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady,” Sean Payton said.

The Denver Broncos are setting Bo Nix up for success in his first season.

The Broncos turned down trade offers for No. 1 wide receiver Courtland Sutton, and they gave a massive contract extension to star guard Quinn Meinerz. Denver running back Javonte Williams is now fully healthy, Jaleel McLaughlin is back and the team added rookie Audric Estime to the mix.

On defense, the Broncos beefed up their front three by bringing in John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach this spring.

The pieces are in place for Nix to be supported by a punishing rushing attack and strong defense, two best friends of a young quarterback — or any QB.

“That’s the case — that’s not just for a rookie, that’s for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or any of our great quarterbacks,” coach Sean Payton said ahead of the team’s preseason finale last week. “They themselves would say, ‘Man, if we’re struggling on defense, and we’re having trouble running the ball, it becomes harder to play that position the way you want to play it.’

“That’s what we’re in the midst of doing right now. We’re still trying to get the consistency we want in the run game. We have another weekend relative to a preseason game and practices to work on that, the same way defensively. I think we’ve played the run pretty well, but it’s a work in progress.”

Denver ranked near the middle of the NFL with 106.5 rushing yards per game in 2023. After a slow start, the defense finished well last season. Following the additions made this offseason, the Broncos believe they have a good supporting cast in place for Nix.

It’s still a work in progress, as Payton noted, but the run game and defense seem to be trending in the right direction.

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The Lions earn top NFL practice squad honors

The Detroit Lions earned the top spot on the CBS Sports initial practice squad power rankings

The Detroit Lions added some impressive names to their 16-man practice squad after roster cutdowns. From surprising veteran cuts like DT Kyle Peko and TE James Mitchell to wide receiver imports Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson, the Lions have a lot of accomplished talent on the practice squad.

That led to the Lions earning the top spot in the CBS Sports practice squad power rankings. A staple feature of analyst Chris Trapasso the last few years, the practice squad power poll is a fun look at the players who aren’t on the active roster but are capable of being added with a weekly call-up at any time.

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Trapasso cites the name recognition at wide receiver, where the Lions have Donovan Peoples-Jones (and Tom Kennedy) along with newcomers Patrick and Robinson, as the primary reason for earning the top spot. The Eagles, Bills, Cowboys and Raiders round out the top five practice squads.

 

Giants release fullback Jakob Johnson

The New York Giants have again released FB Jakob Johnson but are expected to sign him back to the practice squad.

The New York Giants made the signing of veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson official on Saturday and in a corresponding roster move, they released fullback Jakob Johnson. Again.

Johnson, who was signed late in training camp, has played a game of musical chairs over the past week. He was released as a part of final cuts, signed to the practice squad, and then elevated to the 53-man roster after offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann landed on injured reserve (IR).

Now Johnson is likely headed back to the practice squad, which will require a corresponding roster move of its own.

The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Johnson went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2018 before spending a season with Germany’s Stuttgart Scorpions. He made his NFL debut in 2019 with the New England Patriots as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.

Johnson, 29, spent the past two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he worked closely with current Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.

Born in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Johnson remains a co-owner and executive of the Scorpions franchise.

In 67 career games (34 starts), Johnson has rushed for 105 yards and one touchdown, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He serves primarily as a blocker and also plays special teams.

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Michigan State has a player with the last name ‘Carson-Wentz’

Meet Jack Carson-Wentz.

If you were sitting at home on Friday night, enjoying the true opening weekend of college football, and happened to see the Michigan State Spartans playing the Florida Atlantic Owls, you probably saw a familiar name on the sideline.

A quick glance at the Michigan State sideline and the No. 83 jersey appeared with the name “Carson-Wentz” on the back. Yes, you read that correctly.

Here’s the visual:

No, it’s not that Carson Wentz, the starting quarterback for the Eagles, Colts and Commanders at different times from 2016-22, who is now with the Kansas City Chiefs as a backup.

This is Jack Carson-Wentz, a redshirt sophomore long snapper from Canton, Georgia. This is his first year playing for the Spartans after spending last season at West Georgia.

Carson-Wentz knows about all of the Carson Wentz jokes. After Friday’s game, he responded on X.

Here’s a funny one.

@JackWentz15 on X

Carson-Wentz’s Spartans defeated Florida Atlantic 16-10.

Bengals sound hyped for an underrated addition to the practice squad

Bengals personnel make it sound like this rookie has a bright future.

The biggest — literally — addition to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad recently is a player that team personnel would have drafted this year, if the board had fallen that way.

Rookie defensive lineman Justin Rogers was one of four outside players the Bengals signed to the practice squad after final cuts and the waiver wire.

Rogers, a 6’3″, 335-pound first-year player out of Auburn, is a guy Bengals personnel were seemingly surprised to see available after leaguewide cuts, based on comments made to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

SCOUT’s TAKE: We had him in here on a visit and got to know him. Big nose tackle. Strong and powerful. Plays stout in the run game. He’s a guy we liked in the draft. We don’t have a lot of those big nose tackle body types. He can take up blocks. He’s got some size and length and he can collapse the pocket. Like the Cowboys, we thought he was draftable.

Rogers might be a guy they develop over the long-term to play a bigger role. Right now, he slots outside the active roster and behind the likes of Jay Tufele.

But with rookie McKinnley Jackson dealing with an injury and fellow rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. developing on the fly in the rotation, it only makes sense the team kept tabs on Rogers.

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