Tag: 2021 NFL preseason

Washington releases 4 players on Tuesday

Washington released four players on Tuesday morning, leaving the team with 81 before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.

Every NFL team must be down to 80 players by 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

The Washington Football Team got to work early on Tuesday, releasing four players. Washington must still release one more player to get to 80.

Linebacker Justin Phillips, offensive tackle Rick Leonard, cornerback Jordan Brown and defensive lineman Justus Reed were the four players released. None were surprising.

Washington originally signed Phillips and Brown to the practice squad in November. Leonard was signed to the practice squad in December, while the team signed Reed just three days into training camp.

The team released wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. on Monday but also activated offensive tackle David Sharpe off the reserve/COVID-19 list, keeping the roster at 85 players.

After Monday’s practice, head coach Ron Rivera confirmed that the team wanted to let Sims look for other opportunities ahead of next week’s final cuts.

 

5 defensive players to watch in Jags’ preseason game vs. Saints

The Jags’ defense could put the NFL on notice Monday night with many around the nation watching. Here are some players on the unit to keep in mind when they take the field.

Week 2 of the NFL preseason is about to come to an end, but not before the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints take the field for a Monday night battle at Caesars Superdome. Both teams will not only be looking for their first preseason wins in the process, but looking to garner some momentum as regular season football is weeks away.

In their first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, the Jags’ defense had both some positive and negative takeaways. The most notable one was their stoutness against the run, but at the same time, they struggled mightily against the screen game. The hope is that they will be able to clean that up against the Saints, who are a team with notable threats in the backfield.

From an individual standpoint there are also a variety of players Jags fans will be tuning in to see tonight as the unit has some gelling to do. Here are five players we think will be worth watching as the Jags will once again be taking a national stage this week.

Ron Rivera continues to heap praise on rookie running back Jaret Patterson

Washington head coach Ron Rivera praised Jaret Patterson in his Friday and Saturday meetings with the media.

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Rookie running back Jaret Patterson was the star of Washington’s preseason Week 1 game at New England.

Patterson was even better in Washington’s preseason Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown while also catching three passes for 25 yards.

Patterson even made an impact as a kick returner in his lone attempt, returning one 37 yards.

After Friday’s game with the Bengals, head coach Ron Rivera was asked about Patterson’s performance, and he offered the following:

I thought it was solid. I really did. He’s an explosive, dynamic young back. We gave him some opportunities early on with the first bunch, and he did a nice job with that. And then when the second bunch was in there, 2s on 2s, I really thought he showed his ability. You’ve got to be able to do that consistently, so we’ll see.

Rivera was then asked a follow-up question if Patterson’s success through the first two weeks of preseason would change his role moving forward.

“No,” Rivera answered. “We feel very comfortable with the role we have for him.”

Does that mean the coaches are already confident in the role they see Patterson playing in the regular season? It sure sounded like it.

In Rivera’s meeting with the media on Saturday, he again discussed Patterson.

We were really were fortunate that one of our scouts, our northeast scout, Peter Picerelli, absolutely loved the kid. He hammered Martin (Mayhew) and Marty (Hurney) on him. We liked him but just listening to our scouts, then you really put the tape on and really look at the kid, and all of a sudden you think there is something there. We had a draftable grade on him.

It feels like every preseason Washington has an unsung running back win over fans with a couple of impressive performances. This time is different. Patterson can play and has a future in the NFL.

Washington knows what it has in Patterson and he will be on the team’s 53-man roster come Week 1.

 

Washington releases wide receiver Steven Sims Jr.

Steven Sims Jr. was an undrafted free agent in 2019 and looked to have a promising future before struggling in 2020.

The Washington Football Team has until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to trim its roster to 80 players.

Washington made its first move on Monday morning, releasing third-year wide receiver Steven Sims Jr.

Sims was an undrafted free agent in 2019 and impressed the former coaching staff throughout that season. He appeared to be Washington’s slot receiver of the future, at least according to then-interim coach Bill Callahan.

He caught 34 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown in 2019. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown that season.

Sims took a step back in 2020 under Ron Rivera and the new coaching staff. He appeared in 12 games and finished with 27 receptions for 265 yards and one touchdown. His best performance, arguably, came in the wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he caught four passes and a touchdown.

Sims was also Washington’s primary punt returner in 2020. He struggled in that role, averaging 6.7 yards per return, and sometimes had trouble catching punts cleanly.

Sims didn’t help himself in Friday’s preseason loss to the Bengals by not coming up with a Kyle Allen pass in the second half.

Washington likely released Sims now to give him a chance to stick somewhere else before the season. Sims should be on someone’s roster as he proved he could play at this level.

Ron Rivera says draft status won’t determine final roster spots

In his Saturday meeting with the media, Washington coach Ron Rivera says draft status won’t determine who makes the final roster.

As the Washington Football Team prepare for their second round of cuts on Tuesday, head coach Ron Rivera met with the media on Saturday and talked about how a player’s draft status doesn’t necessarily make them exempt from being released.

“The only time it’s ever important is the first year,” Rivera said. “After that, you start looking at the guys who can help you right now. You really don’t want to cut a guy that you drafted right away, but you want to play the guys who give you the best opportunity to win. That is important.”

When Rivera said he generally doesn’t like to cut the most recent draftees, he’s likely meaning those drafts in the first five rounds. Players like Jamin Davis, Sam Cosmi, Dyami Brown, Benjamin St-Juste and John Bates are locks for the 2021 roster.

Long snapper Camaron Cheeseman is also essentially a lock, considering the position he plays. But for players like Darrick Forrest, William Bradley-King, Shaka Toney and Dax Milne, there are no guarantees.

As far as the 2020 class, obviously players like Chase Young, Antonio Gibson and Kamren Curl are safe. But what about Antonio Gandy-Golden, a fourth-round selection in 2020?

Gandy-Golden has had a good camp. Washington obviously likes him and he offers something most of the team’s other receivers outside of Cam Sims lacks, and that’s size.

If we are to follow Rivera’s comments from Saturday, Gandy-Golden is guaranteed nothing as far as the 2021 roster. He must earn it.

Washington must trim its roster to 80 players by 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

 

Washington rookie report after Week 2 of the preseason

Here is our weekly rookie report, covering Washington’s rookies after Week 2 of the preseason.

The Washington Football Team picked up their first preseason win on Friday with a 17-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals to improve to 1-1 on the exhibition season.

It was another game where Washington’s rookies were featured heavily, especially its first five draft picks.

One of the Football Team’s rookies, tight end Sammis Reyes, did not play after entering into the concussion protocol last week. It was unfortunate for Reyes, who had a promising debut in the loss to New England, earning high praise from head coach Ron Rivera.

Now, we take a look at the performance of every Washington rookie from its preseason Week 2 win against the Bengals.

Washington linebacker Jamin Davis was better in his second NFL game

Rookie linebacker Jamin Davis took a big step forward in Washington’s win over the Bengals.

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When the Washington Football Team selected linebacker Jamin Davis with a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, fans immediately starting touting Davis as a defensive rookie of the year candidate.

No one cared that Davis was a one-year starter at Kentucky. Yes, he was outstanding in 2020, but there were no guarantees of immediate success for Davis.

Unfortunately, some fans were critical of Davis after his first NFL action in Week 1 of the preseason against New England. Davis wasn’t bad, but many were expecting him to make every tackle while he was in the game.

Relax.

In Washington’s preseason Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Davis was much better. He only played 17 snaps, but he was not only more active, but he was trusting his instincts more. Attacking the line of scrimmage instead of waiting. It was a small step, but it was encouraging growth.

Pro Football Focus recognized Davis’ growth, and his individual grade was much better this week.

It’s good to see Davis grow from one week to the next. Head coach Ron Rivera indicated last week that Davis would be fine once things slowed down for him.

Now, Davis is ready for the regular season.

 

Washington’s offensive snap counts from Week 2 preseason win over Bengals

Here is a look at the snap counts for every player on Washington’s offense.

The Washington Football Team picked up its first preseason win on Friday with a 17-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

With Washington down one point in the fourth quarter, rookie running back Jaret Patterson scored from one yard out to give Washington its decisive points.

Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick played one quarter, completing seven of 13 passes for 96 yards. As a team, Washington had 70 offensive plays in its win over the Bengals.

So, who led the Football Team in snaps?

We look at the snap count for every player on offense, broken down by position groups.

Podcast: Reviewing Jags’ Week 1 preseason game vs. Browns, decision to cut Tim Tebow

On Episode 83 of “Bleav in the Jags,” we tackled the top topics of the week, including Trevor Lawrence’s preseason debut, the end of the Tebow experiment, and more.

In this week’s episode of “Bleav in the Jags,” Jags Wire’s James Johnson and Phil Smith reviewed the top Jacksonville Jaguars stories of the week, starting with their first preseason game of the year against the Cleveland Browns. Of course, the biggest topic to address was the debut of Trevor Lawrence but James discussed some other key takeaways from the game, too.

Afterward, the hosting duo discussed the latest trade rumors surrounding CJ Henderson, then tackled the cuts made by the Jags this week, including the team’s decision to move on from Tim Tebow.

Episode 83 can be heard below in the media player, while archived episodes can be revisited here.

Feel free to subscribe to “Bleav in the Jags” via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

Jets injury report: New York receives encouraging initial prognosis on Jarrad Davis

Jets vs. Packers preseason Week 2 injury report features an encouraging initial prognosis on Jarrad Davis’ ankle injury.

The Jets could not shake the injury bug in their preseason Week 2 matchup, as numerous players departed New York’s win over the Packers early.

Jarrad Davis was carted off the field early in the first half after sustaining an ankle injury. The Jets received encouraging news on Davis’ status postgame, though, as Robert Saleh said his initial prognosis is “promising.” The 26-year-old is undergoing further testing to determine the severity of the injury.

Conor McDermott was also carted off in the first half with a knee injury, but Saleh did not offer any clarification on his status postgame. Ronald Blair, who made his first appearance since 2019 against Green Bay, suffered a hamstring injury, while Corey Ballentine injured his knee. Ballentine provided one of the Jets’ most explosive plays of the game before departing, delivering a 73-yard kick return.

Of the Jets who did not suit up for the team’s preseason Week 2 action, Bless Austin and Morgan Moses both sat out due to personal reasons.