Tag: 2020 roster

Dolphins cut one, activate WR Antonio Callaway onto practice squad

Dolphins cut one, activate WR Antonio Callaway onto practice squad

The Miami Dolphins have waived former 3rd-round cornerback Cordrea Tankersley for the second time this season; although this time Tankersley’s release comes off the practice squad as the Dolphins embrace a newcomer to the fray at the wide receiver position.

Miami, amid an injury to DB Jamal Perry this past week, elected to elevate CB Tae Hayes from the practice squad to be active against the Rams, further highlighting the divide between Tankersley and his readiness to play for Miami — so his termination is an understandable move in a football sense for the Dolphins. Taking his place on the practice squad? Previously suspended wide receiver Antonio Callaway, formerly of the Cleveland Browns.

Callaway was a highly gifted speedster at the University of Florida but off the field issues ultimately caused a drop his NFL Draft stock upon his entry to the pros. And in the years that have passed since, Callaway has made more negative impacts off the field than he’s made positive contributions on it. But as a practice squad player, Miami can embrace a low-risk opportunity for him to prove himself a capable NFL receiver.

Whether or not he gets the chance to do so on Sundays is at the discretion of Brian Flores, who may look to mix Callaway into the active receivers given that the team has done some musical chairs with that room to this point in the season. Rookie Malcolm Perry made his NFL debut this past Sunday against the Rams, taking on the role we’ve seen given to fellow rookie WR Lynn Bowden Jr. in past weeks. Callaway is more of direct competition for Jakeem Grant’s receiving reps, as they’re somewhat similar players: fast but with questionable hands and capable of working and winning vertical.

And with the offense looking for some chemistry amid the quarterback change, it may be in Miami’s best interests to give Callaway a shot. His first chance will come this Sunday against the Cardinals in Week 9.

 

Miami Dolphins sign wide receiver Antonio Callaway to practice squad

Miami Dolphins sign wide receiver Antonio Callaway to practice squad

The Miami Dolphins have formally made the most of their pre-roster cut tryouts from earlier this weekend. Before the Dolphins lopped off more than twenty players off of their roster yesterday, the team hosted a slew of free agents. And now, with the roster formally trimmed, the Dolphins have started to work on their initial 2020 practice squad.

First up? Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway. Callaway is a former 4th-round draft selection who enjoyed a fairly productive rookie season in 2018 with Cleveland as a speedy pass catcher before parting ways with the team in November of 2019.

Callaway is currently scheduled to serve a suspension to start the season, but he will still be permitted to participate in team meetings and practices with the Dolphins throughout the course of the first month of the season. The suspension is centered around a tainted CBD-product from 2019. Callaway’s failed drug tests are only the tip of the iceberg with his off-field issues — including a credit-fraud scheme during his college days with the Florida Gators and a failed drug test at the NFL Combine ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft.

If Callaway is going to make it work in the NFL, he’s running out of opportunities to stay out of trouble and stick. Callaway will have to walk a fine line with the Dolphins. His status as a practice squad player will give Miami a low-risk, potential high reward addition. The Dolphins would be wise not to count on anything from Callaway, but this isn’t an empty move that couldn’t yield production for the team if things go right.

Miami Dolphins add two defenders to camp roster

Miami Dolphins add two defenders to camp roster

Death. Taxes. The Dolphins churning the bottom of their roster courtesy of the waiver wire. These are the certainties in life and the team is once again back at it with their acquisitions — the team added two defenders to the training camp roster yesterday. Granted, only one of the two additions came via the waiver wire, but never the less Miami seems intent to bring fresh faces into their building on a weekly basis.

Never settling? That’s a good problem to have.

Who are Miami’s new players? The team announced yesterday that they have claimed CB Breon Borders off the waiver wire from the Pittsburgh Steelers while also signing free agent defensive tackle Brandin Bryant. The trenches and secondary have been a common theme for Dolphins transactions this offseason, so it can’t really be too much of a surprise to see Miami continue to tinker and tweak these rooms as we creep closer to padded practices.

Borders was a UDFA cornerback out of Duke in 2017 who signed with the Raiders and has bounced around the NFL over the course of his first few seasons. The Dolphins are his seventh team — and given the depth of Miami’s cornerback room, Borders will be challenged to avoid looking for an eighth once the season starts. A practice squad role may be in his future with Miami.

Bryant is a former New York Jet and Cleveland Brown who has also dabbled in the CFL over the course of the last few years. He spent the 2019 season on both the Browns’ practice squad and active roster before being waived in May. He’s pretty familiar with the South Florida area, too — he played his college at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. He, too, will have a tough time making Miami’s active roster this summer — but he’s got a month to make an impression, starting now.

Takeaways from Auburn’s 2020 football roster

A sign that college football is approaching Auburn published their official roster for the 2020 season. 

The new roster inlcludes the new arrivals, a position change and several number changes.

A sign that college football is approaching, Auburn published its official roster for the 2020 season.

The new roster includes the new arrivals, a position change and several number changes.

Position change

Redshirt sophomore Matthew Hill has officially made the move from wide receiver to defensive back. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had eight catches for 46 yards but was expected to get some looks on the defensive side in the spring.

Number changes

— Sophomore linebacker Owen Pappoe is the first player to wear the No. 0 after switching from No. 10, following a rule change by the NCAA the offseason

— Junior wide receiver Anthony Schwartz switched from No. 5 to No. 1.

— Junior linebacker Zakoby McClain changed from No. 35 to No. 9.

— Junior safety Jamien Sherwood moved from No. 9 to No. 20.

— Senior defensive back Devan Barrett replaced No. 12 with No. 10.

— Sophmore devensive lineman Jaren Handy switched from No. 96 to 55.

— Senior BUCK T.D. Moultry changed from No. 55 to No. 99

Newcomers

–Caylin Newton, the younger brother of former Heisman and national championship-winning Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, is officially listed at wide receiver. The Howard transfer played quarterback before arriving at Auburn will wear No. 23 and is listed at 5-foot-11 and 201 pounds.

— QB Chayil Garnett (6-1, 216), No. 15

— QB Grant Loy (6-5, 230), No. 14; grad transfer/redshirt senior

— RB Tank Bigsby (6-foot, 204), No. 4

— WR Ze’Vian Capers (6-4, 194), No. 9

— WR Kobe Hudson (6-1, 196), No. 5

— WR Elijah Canion (6-4, 213), No. 17

— WR J.J. Evans (6-3, 210), No. 81

— TE Brandon Frazier (6-7, 270), No. 87

— TE JJ Pegues (6-2, 300), No. 89

— OL Tate Johnson (6-3, 309), No. 54

— OL Avery Jernigan (6-3, 296), No. 57

— OL Jeremiah Wright (6-5, 340), No. 76

— OL Brenden Coffey (6-5, 279), No. 55; JUCO transfer/junior

— OL Brandon Council (6-4, 325), No. 71; grad transfer/redshirt junior

— OL Killian Zierer (6-7, 294), No. 77; JUCO transfer/junior

— DB Chris Thompson Jr. (6-1, 202), No. 5

— DB Ladarius Tennison (5-10, 197), No. 13

— DB Eric Reed Jr. (6-0, 187), No. 24

— DB Marco Domio (6-1, 180), No. 22; JUCO transfer/junior

— DE Zykeivous Walker (6-foot-4, 266 pounds), No. 3

— DE Daniel Foster-Allen (6-4, 250), No. 90

— DE Jay Hardy (6-4, 299), No. 4

— LB Desmond Tisdol (6-0, 231), No. 30

— LB Wesley Steiner (6-0, 227), No. 32

— LB Cam Riley (6-4, 209), No. 35

— BUCK Romello Height (6-3, 215), No. 37

— DT Dre Butler (6-5, 304), No. 49; JUCO transfer/sophomore

— DT Marquis Burks (6-3, 312), No. 92; JUCO transfer/junior

Cowboys rookie WR Stephen Guidry opts out, won’t get financial stipend

The Cowboys have an additional player opt out from the season.

The NFL began intakes of veteran players on Tuesday, as they look to press forward in hopes there will be a 2020 season. Rookies and quarterbacks reported to team facilities last week, with the Dallas Cowboys welcoming Dak Prescott, Andy Dalton, their seven draft selections and multiple UDFAs to The Star in Frisco. The rest of the veterans are scheduled to report Tuesday to begin the series of Covid-19 tests. Each player has to test negatively three times in order to enter the facility to begin offseason work.

Thus far, the team has had one player, second-year wideout Jon’vea Johnson test positive, and he was placed on the special Covid-19-reserve list. Yesterday, free agent signing Maurice Canady was the first veteran to take advantage of the voluntary opt-out process to protect his and his family’s safety and on Tuesday a second name emerged, UDFA and Mississippi State WR Stephen Guidry.

Both players had an uphill climb to make this year’s roster, with Guidry’s task having more to do with outshining other UDFA rookies in Aaron Parker and Kendrick Rogers, as well as a litany of young veterans competing for what would likely be practice squad roles.

Opt-out players who have time in the league or were drafted are eligible for a $150,000 stipend, but as an UDFA it appears Guidry cannot collect on that money. His contract does toll to the 2021 season, so he will then be eligible to compete for a roster spot next season.

Guidry signed for a $10,000 signing bonus and received $100,000 in guaranteed 2020 base salary, which will now be his 2021 guarantee.

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2020 Roster: Cowboys trim RB, DT positions ahead of Covid Deadline

The Cowboys have begin trimming their roster for training camp, releasing a RB and DT.

The Dallas Cowboys, like all 32 NFL franchises, have a new roster cutdown date added to their offseason calendar. After the last several seasons have had teams moving from the 90-man offseason roster to the 53-man regular season version following the final preseason game, Covid-19 has changed this as well as many other aspects of the roster composition.

Now, teams will need to be down to 80 players ahead of the start of training camp practices on August 17. The Cowboys have had 89 players on their roster for the last few months, and as discussed in our roster and practice squad projections, will need to release nine men to get down to the limit. On Tuesday they began the trimming by releasing two players who we identified would likely be in the first wave. RB Jordan Chunn and DT Garrett Marino have been let go, per Clarence Hill Jr of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

Jordan Chunn

As explained in our projection, Chunn is a end-of-roster holdover from the previous regime. There will likely be several of these types of players who will be let go while Mike McCarthy and his staff bring in players they identify as being good fits for the new systems being implemented.

Chunn appeared in just one game in 2019, playing 16 special team snaps. The club signed two undrafted free agents at the position that will be given a chance to compete for the third RB role, if there is one, behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Our prediction has South Carolina’ Rico Dowdle as a the leading candidate to make the team, and Darius Anderson from TCU is another consideration.

Garrett Marino

As for Marino, when the rookie work was cancelled he lost his shot to impress a coaching staff at a position with a strong veteran presence. Dallas signed Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy to start, and has Trysten Hill, Antwaun Woods and Tyrone Crawford to rotate in. The club also spent their third-round pick on Oklahoma stud Neville Gallimore. There was little chance Marino was going to make an impression as the coaching staff still has LaDarius Hamilton and Justin Hamilton in the seventh and eighth spots on the depth chart.

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Texas football roster breakdown: The running backs

The running back room for the Texas Longhorns is loaded with talent. What is the outlook for Keaontay Ingram and can he hold off Bijan?

The Texas Longhorns have quite the level of talent among their running back room that looks different than it did a season ago. Even with composite five-star running back Jordan Whittington moving over to wide receiver, the level of talent is still with this group.

The incumbent starter Keaontay Ingram is looking to build off of his sophomore campaign. He was a big part of their 38-10 Alamo Bowl victory over the Utah Utes down in San Antonio. Behind him is the quarterback turned running back.

Roschon Johnson started out at quarterback but after an early season injury to Whittington, Johnson made the move to running back and finished second on the team. He will be looking to fulfill that role once again in 2020 as a compliment to the starter Ingram.

Then you have the newcomer Bijan Robinson, who was rated the number one running back in the nation. He was one of two signees that played running back. Jaden Hullaby of Mansfield being the other, however he is listed as an athlete. Robinson is expected to provide some juice to the offense in 2020 and beyond.

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Player fines? Larger practice squads? Split teams? Covid posing more questions

The ongoing pandemic is forcing the NFL to ask some hard questions and consider new processes as it moves toward play in 2020.

At the time of this writing, NFL teams are 25 days away from reporting to training camp. The chances of a 2020 season actually happening, though, have never felt so shaky.

Given the longest head-start of any major sports league on how to proceed in the midst of a pandemic, the NFL has wasted most of that time cruising full speed ahead as if everything will be just fine. But with the nation’s coronavirus numbers constantly changing- and not for the better- the league suddenly finds itself nearing an event horizon, with more questions now than ever.

Adam Schefter reports teams are likely looking at starting camp this preseason with fewer than the usual 90 players. According to the NFL insider:

“One source said he believed it’s likely that teams will go to camp with 80-man rosters, and another source said it’s ‘definitely not 90.’ A third league source said he has ‘heard lots of discussion about 75 players potentially instead of 90,’ especially with the reduction in preseason games and teams not needing as many players for camp as normal.”

Another possible change? Larger practice squads. Those units are already set to grow from 10 to 12 this year thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, but Schefter notes that the league is considering further expansion “to 16-20 players” to provide teams a larger pool of players to draw from should a Covid outbreak occur.

Team player representatives and the NFLPA’s medial director took part in a conference call Thursday regarding the virus.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports:

“One source told ESPN that players on the call were told that they could be fined for conduct detrimental if they are found to have engaged in “reckless” behavior away from the team facility, such as eating out in restaurants and using ride-sharing services.

New protective equipment- including gameday alterations to players’ on-the-field gear- was also discussed as a possibility.

Graziano goes on:

“Sources told ESPN there was plenty of pushback on Thursday’s call from players asking why they are trying to rush back to play if the virus is such a dangerous threat. Players also have been asking what happens to their contracts if they opt not to play for virus-related reasons (as some NBA players already have), what happens if they grow too uncomfortable to play as the season goes on and what happens to next year’s salary cap as a result of lost revenue this year.”

Even the buildings that NFL teams will be entering pose a legitimate risk. The league has already instructed teams to devise protocols for how team employees will move about their facilities. But SoFi Stadium, the new Los Angeles home of the Chargers and Rams that’s now nearly complete, revealed just Thursday that seven more workers at the stadium- from three different trades- have tested positive for Covid-19. Twenty-five stadium workers have now tested positive since the pandemic began.

The Cowboys were scheduled to open SoFi as the visiting team for its first game, Week 1 of the preseason against the Rams. The NFL had already nixed Weeks 1 and 4 of the preseason before the latest positive cases at the facility.

As stadiums reopen for business, recommendations from an internal group headed by a league executive “will likely include having stadiums stop accepting cash, concessions only offering prepackaged food, and for all fans to wear masks.” Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic reports that the NFL may even ask fans to sign liability waivers before attending games.

Amidst talk of shrinking training camp numbers and beefing up practice squads for the Cowboys and the 31 other teams, there’s also now talk of splitting rosters. The idea is for each club to keep two fully-functioning skeleton crews practicing in isolation. Like the president and vice-president not traveling on the same plane, if something happens to the A-team, the B-team can still take the field.

ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio argues:

“Whether the squads practice in different shifts (following a thorough cleaning of the primary practice facility for camp) or whether part of the team works at the practice facility and the rest practices at the stadium, there’s real value in keeping the team separated.

“Obviously, fewer players in any given space will make it easier to comply with guidelines aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. More importantly, if an outbreak commences, the other half of the team will (in theory) be insulated.”

The sporting world is already getting a look at what happens when players and team personnel start testing positive. Major League Soccer, using Orlando as a “bubble city” to resume its season in just a matter of days, is dealing with an eleventh-hour outbreak on its Dallas team.

The team members reportedly tested negative for the virus before leaving Dallas but tested positive once inside the bubble. Texas is currently experiencing one of the highest Covid spikes in the country; Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has already tested positive for the virus, as have other players among the Cowboys and Texans organizations.

Everything is changing daily for all Americans. Best-laid plans are falling by the wayside with every news report. A second wave of closings is spreading. Every question about how an NFL season might look or could work in the current climate just leads to more questions. And the answers to those questions aren’t set in stone. They’re not written in ink. Heck, by the time they’re scrawled on a dry-erase board, things have probably changed. And things will undoubtedly change again- multiple times- before July 28.

To that end in this rapidly-evolving environment, Florio warns that the CBA agreed upon in the pre-Covid era just a few months ago is in desperate need of an express-lane update to get the league and its players through a season like no other.

“They need to reach, essentially, a new labor agreement that covers one season of football,” Florio writes. “What the league thinks advances the safety interests of the players may be different from what the players believe. That’s where problems can arise, and problems that can’t be worked out could delay the start of training camp and, potentially, the start of the season.”

Florio even brings up the possibility of a “non-traditional work stoppage” that could result from the league and team owners plowing forward with football, putting players in jeopardy during an unprecedented global health crisis.

A work stoppage in the current landscape would be disastrous. But right now, a work startage looks like it could be, too.

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Three units still ‘under construction’ for the Miami Dolphins roster

Three units still ‘under construction’ for the Miami Dolphins roster

In 2019, the Miami Dolphins roster was considered paper thin — and seemingly every week brought a new injury that exposed a new weakness to the team and forced the Dolphins to play a street free agent or waiver wire addition into the fray as a starter. The rebuild of 2020 has helped to ease over those issues, however — as the Dolphins will replace approximately half of their roster this year. But not everything can be addressed in one offseason — not when you have as much ground to cover as the Miami Dolphins did. And while that is perfectly okay, defining which position groups still need additional reinforcements down the road will help provide a clear path to the Dolphins finalizing their rebuild in the coming year or two.

With that in mind, here are the three  position groups on the Miami Dolphins’ current roster that are still ‘under construction’.

Offensive Tackle

The good news is there are two rookies in house that will help fortify this group between Austin Jackson and presumably Robert Hunt (who is also potentially a guard). But Jackson is a bit raw as a player and the remaining depth to play tackle is filled with players who wouldn’t roster for other NFL teams.

Yes, Jesse Davis has tackle experience, but between he and Hunt, both will likely be starters between RG and RT — so he shouldn’t be counted on as depth. Backup left tackle Julien Davenport was one of the worst graded pass protectors in football last season.

Wide Receiver

The Dolphins didn’t touch this group this offseason — which is a testament to how the unit was a better unit on last year’s roster. The Dolphins are obviously thrilled with the development of DeVante Parker; but look at the rest of the landscape. Preston Williams is a promising young talent but coming off a mid-season ACL tear in 2019. Albert Wilson is in a contract year and looked like a shell of his former self for much of the year after a hip injury in 2018. Jakeem Grant has missed the end of the last two seasons and been placed on injured reserve both times. Add in Allen Hurns, Isaiah Ford, Mack Hollins and an unproven former 4th-round pick in Gary Jennings?

The Dolphins have competent bodies for their wide receiver room but most of their talent is ideally a WR3 or a WR4.

Safety

The Dolphins added Brandon Jones in the 3rd-round of the 2020 NFL Draft — but part of the issue with the lack of depth at safety is that they haven’t really pooled a lot of true safety players to begin with. Both projected starters are cornerback converts in Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe. Jones figures to be a prominent third safety and play in “big nickel” situations. But there’s still a missing presence of a true “single high” option at the top — which would further unlock the potential of Brian Flores’ defense.

The three deepest units on the Miami Dolphins’ 2020 roster

The three deepest units on the Miami Dolphins’ 2020 roster

In 2019, the Miami Dolphins roster was considered paper thin — and seemingly every week brought a new injury that exposed a new weakness to the team and forced the Dolphins to play a street free agent or waiver wire addition into the fray as a starter. The rebuild of 2020 has helped to ease over those issues, however — as the Dolphins will replace approximately half of their roster this year. But, with the new players in place, which units on Miami’s roster are best off and provide the team with the most depth?

Here are the three deepest position groups on the Dolphins’ roster at this point in time.

Cornerback

Standouts include Byron Jones (former Pro Bowler), Xavien Howard (former Pro Bowler) Noah Igbinoghene (1st-round rookie), Bobby McCain (doubling at Free Safety) and Nik Needham. This doesn’t even include Eric Rowe, who was a cornerback for several seasons before converting to a coverage safety with a specialty of matching up against tight ends. The Dolphins are buying into the thought process that coverage defenders are the most important ones on the field. This group should allow them the opportunity to stand firm against even the deepest wide receiver rooms.

Interior Defensive Line

Christian Wilkins and Davon Godchaux are the obvious returning starters, but the Dolphins also added Raekwon Davis in the 2020 NFL Draft as a fringe top-50 pick to go along with promising waiver-wire addition Zach Sieler and two defensive ends in Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah that are fully capable of serving as interior pass rushers and B-gap defenders. Lawson and Ogbah will spend their fair share of time as the end man on the line of scrimmage as well; but the team’s ability to tap into them as interior defenders puts this group over the top.

Interior Offensive Line

We nearly recognized the quarterback position here with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tua Tagovailoa and another former top-10 overall pick in Josh Rosen — but only one can play at a time and the questions regarding Tagovailoa’s health and Rosen’s 2019 struggles forced us to reconsider. Believe it or not, the Dolphins’ interior offensive line suddenly has a plethora of options. Some are unproven, others struggled in 2019 — but the team has six viable starters for three spots.

Ereck Flowers is a lock to start. He will replace Michael Deiter, who has center and guard flexibility and could push for a role at RG or center. The Dolphins also have incumbent Jesse Davis on the roster again this year, he’s another player with multiple position experience and could man the RG spot as well. Tack on three more new additions in Ted Karras (exclusively at center) and two more 2020 NFL Draft picks with potential to play at guard in Robert Hunt and Solomon Kindley.