Tag: A.J. Bouye

Report: Broncos CB A.J. Bouye expected to miss a few weeks

Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye might be placed on injured reserve.

Denver Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye is expected to be sidelined for several weeks with a dislocated shoulder, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Bouye is “likely” to be placed on injured reserve, according to Rapoport, which means Denver will have an open spot on the 53-man roster. If he is placed on IR, Bouye would be eligible to return after three weeks.

An obvious candidate to take Bouye’s spot on the 53-man roster is De’Vante Bausby, who is currently on the 16-man practice squad. Bausby played in five games with the Broncos last season (two starts) before suffering a neck injury. He could provide depth and experience if promoted to the active roster.

After Bouye left Monday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, Bryce Callahan and third-round draft pick Michael Ojemudia played as the outside cornerbacks with undrafted rookie Essang Bassey in the slot. Davontae Harris and Duke Dawson played exclusively on special teams.

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Broncos CB A.J. Bouye ‘highly questionable’ for Week 2

Broncos should know more about the severity of A.J. Bouye’s injury later today.

Denver Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye dislocated his shoulder during Monday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Bouye’s shoulder “popped out” and was popped back in by the team’s staff, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Bouye was having an excellent game before suffering the injury.

Bouye is considered “highly questionable” to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, according to Klis. There’s a chance that the veteran cornerback might be able to play with a harness.

The Broncos have been hit hard by injuries lately with Bouye, Phillip Lindsay (toe), KJ Hamler (hamstring), Courtland Sutton (shoulder) and Von Miller (ankle) all sidelined.

“Nobody likes to see injuries, first off from the standpoint of the guys individually but we are good enough to overcome them,” Fangio said on Monday evening. “I believe that. We almost won the game tonight.

“I know almost doesn’t mean anything, but we are competitive and played good and tough football. We had our chances despite all those injuries, and we will keep going at it that way.”

Once players start returning from injuries, Denver should be in good shape. In the meantime, backup players will have to continue stepping up.

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Broncos CB A.J. Bouye injured vs. Titans on ‘Monday Night Football’

Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye left Monday’s game with an apparent injury.

Denver Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye suffered a shoulder injury late in the second quarter of Monday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

Bouye left the field and went to the locker room to be examined after landing on his right side while defending a pass. The team announced that Bouye is questionable to return.

With Bouye injured, Denver’s remaining cornerbacks are Bryce Callahan, Michael Ojemudia, Essang Bassey, Davontae Harris and Duke Dawson.

The Broncos are currently tied with the Titans 7-7 late in Q2.

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Broncos CB A.J. Bouye excited to face Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes this season

Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye is excited to play against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes this season.

Earlier this month, new Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye spoke with SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn about being traded from the Jaguars to Denver at the start of NFL free agency.

“It was definitely something that I wanted,” Bouye told Murray and Quinn during a July 1 interview. “I couldn’t control where I really wanted to go but Denver was one of the teams I definitely wanted to go to [after] seeing what they had — how they finished strong last year. When my agent told me, I was definitely excited.”

Bouye also said he is excited to face Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice a year.

“To be the best you have to try to beat the best,” the 28-year-old cornerback said. “We know what he brings to the table . . . . It’s going to be a strong division and I’m definitely looking forward to it because it’s only going to make me better.”

The Broncos will host Kansas City in Week 7 and travel to face the Chiefs on the road in Week 13 this year (view the team’s complete schedule here).

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A.J. Bouye discusses being overwhelmed with Jags’ dysfunction during his tenure

As one of the top veterans on the Jags’ roster in 2019, even A.J. Bouye didn’t know how to handle the Jags’ looker room issues last season.

It’s no secret that the Jacksonville Jaguars developed an internal mess after their 2017 season, which almost resulted in the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth. Of course, the easiest issue to point out was former executive Tom Coughlin, however, it went beyond him, too.

To pile on to the issues in the front office, the Jags had players in the locker room getting the big head and there were a few reported altercations as well. All of that led to a dismantling this offseason, including the departure of one of their better locker room players in A.J. Bouye via trade.

Now, as a Denver Bronco, Bouye has had time to reflect on exactly what went wrong in the Jags’ locker room. He shared those thoughts in a recent interview with Sirius XM Radio, expressing that the Jags’ environment was like none he’s been a part of in the process of playing for three teams.

“I just never was a part of something like that,” Bouye said via SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Being in Houston before that and even seeing how the guys in Denver just gelling together with the chemistry between the players and the coaches. It was just something different and I didn’t know how to handle that. […] It was so many things. From fighting in the locker room and disagreements to people wanting to be gone, I’ve just never seen that before.”

Additionally, Bouye pointed to the Jags’ defensive scheme being predictable under Todd Wash and Coughlin’s rocky relationship with certain players.

In 2019, the issues really flared up when Jalen Ramsey demanded a trade from the team after the Jags’ Week 2 loss to the Houston Texans. The former all-pro had a meeting after that game with Coughlin and some others, which left him feeling disrespected by what at least one person in that meeting had to say. Ramsey played in the game that followed against the Tennessee Titans, but missed the remaining games he was on the roster before he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams.

After that situation, the NFLPA came down hard on the Jags by warning players of the excessive fines that the team had handed out to players on the roster. There were also some preseason issues that occurred like the abrupt retirement of linebacker Telvin Smith and the mishandling of Yannick Ngakoue’s contract extension.

When reflecting on all that went on over the past two years, fans may be more happy than anything for Bouye as he got a fresh start. As for the Jags, they removed a lot of toxic factors from the team, too, which hopefully will get them on the right track again.

PFF: Jags’ 2017 defense lands third-best WAR rate of decade

The Jags’ 2017 defense wasn’t only one of the best in team history but it was also one of the best of the last decade.

The defense the Jacksonville Jaguar built in 2017 will always be remembered as arguably the best in team history. When looking at NFL history, they’ve also received favorable rankings as the unit nearly propelled them to the Super Bowl.

Pro Football Focus recently added to that praise by declaring the Jags’ 2017 defense the third-best (by Wins Above Replacement metrics) when looking at the 2010s. In a nutshell, the WAR metric uses PFF ratings to dictate the value of a group (or sometimes a player) in comparison to replacement-level victories.

The only teams that ranked higher were the 2015 Denver Broncos and 2018 Chicago Bears, who were ranked first and second, respectively. The 2013 Seattle Seahawks’ defense also made the list, coming in at the No. 4 spot.

(Note: For a full explanation of PFF’s war metric, click here.)

The Jags’ 2017 defense had it all and each level of the field consisted of stars from the defensive line (Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue), to the linebacking corps (Myles Jack and Paul Posluszny), to the secondary (A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey).

The unit led the league in several key categories, as their passing defense allowed the fewest yards through the air (2,718) and the lowest passing yard average (169.9). They were also second in sacks that year and propelled the Jags to a +10 turnover margin.

Unfortunately, things fell apart after that season and the group had to be dismantled to reallocate money. However, for the time that the group was together it was an awesome thing to watch as offenses had an extremely difficult time scoring.

Broncos are ‘really eager’ to see Michael Ojemudia on the field

“He’s picked up our scheme in a virtual sense as about as good as you’ll find in a rookie,” Ed Donatell said of Michael Ojemudia.

After being selected by the Broncos in the third round of the NFL draft, Michael Ojemudia will likely serve as one of Denver’s top three cornerbacks this season, behind A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan.

“We’re delighted to have Michael,” defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on June 11. “Michael brings size [6-1, 200 pounds], he brings speed [4.45 40-yard dash] and he can judge a ball down the field deep. Those are very important parts to a DB. He’s really on schedule as a tackler and a hitter, which we know is very important to the Broncos’ style of defense.”

Depending on if Callahan lines up in the slot or on the outside, Ojemudia might end up starting across from Bouye. That would be a tall task for the rookie and Donatell wasn’t ready to declare Ojemudia’s role just yet.

“How he fits in — we want him to do as much as he can as a rookie,” Donatell said. “Time will only tell that. What I can tell you is he’s really, really in the top part of the class as far as his learning curve. He’s picked up our scheme in a virtual sense as about as good as you’ll find in a rookie. He’s off to a good start. We’re just really eager to get him on the field and get started coaching him in a physical sense.”

During his final three years at Iowa, Ojemudia totaled 120 tackles, six interceptions, 16 pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He will make his on-field debut in orange and blue in the Broncos’ preseason opener against the 49ers on Saturday, Aug. 15.

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PFF projects Jags to start 4 rookies in 2020

PFF believes four of the Jags’ top-5 draft picks will be starters for the team once the season begins and, of course, C.J. Henderson is one.

The Jacksonville Jaguars surprisingly used all 12 of their draft picks this April, which means the team will be one of the youngest in the NFL. They also could end up starting a lot of the rookies they drafted after parting ways with veterans A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, and Marcell Dareus.

The good folks at Pro Football Focus recently took a crack at projecting the lineups of all 32 teams, and unsurprisingly, the Jags almost had a handful of rookies in their lineup. That included one rookie on offense in fourth-round pick Ben Bartch and three rookies on defense in pass-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, cornerback C.J. Henderson, and defensive tackle Davon Hamilton.

Offense

QB: Gardner Minshew
RB: Leonard Fournette
WR: DJ Chark
WR: Chris Conley
Slot: Dede Westbrook
TE: Tyler Eifert
LT: Cam Robinson
LG: Andrew Norwell
C: Brandon Linder
RG: Ben Bartch
RT: Jawaan Taylor

Defense

DI: Taven Bryan
DI: Davon Hamilton
EDGE: Josh Allen
EDGE: K’Lavon Chaisson
LB: Myles Jack
LB: Joe Schobert
CB: CJ Henderson
CB: Rashaan Melvin
CB: D.J. Hayden
S: Jarrod Wilson
S: Ronnie Harrison

Starting with the offense, it’s not shocking to see PFF slot Bartch in at the right guard position because they haven’t given veteran A.J. Cann overly impressive grades in the past. He’s only graded over 70 once in his career, and this past year, Cann was given a career-low of 55.3.

The issue with slotting Bartch as a starter is the fact that many in the Jags’ front office referred to him as a project player when he was selected. When adding in the fact that the team likely won’t have a minicamp and possibly won’t return until training camp, the rookies may be a little behind the curve. That being said, fans should probably expect Cann to start in 2020.

It’s a given that the Jags first selection of April’s draft in Henderson would be slotted in as a starter. The team lost both of their 2019 starters at the cornerback position, trading with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, so Henderson was arguably the biggest acquisition of the offseason with linebacker Joe Schobert.

With the Jags saying they will move to more 3-4 looks on base downs, Chaisson could get a starting role alongside Josh Allen as the team’s go-to pass rushing duo. However, if Yannick Ngakoue decides he wants to play on the franchise tag, that could complicate the snap count for Chaisson. Still, the Jags took him with the No. 20 overall pick, which is an indicator that they have plans for him to see the field a lot.

Lastly, Hamilton is a player who I listed as someone who could be the Jags’ biggest surprise of 2020 in a recent episode of “Bleav in the Jags.” Like most rookies, he’ll have to go through a veteran in Al Woods though, who will be entering his 11th season. While it could be a difficult task, it’s hard not to like Hamilton’s chances because Woods is the oldest player on the roster at 33 years of age.

Denver Broncos depth chart prediction: Cornerback

Which cornerbacks will make the Broncos’ 53-man roster this season?

As we continue our 2020 depth chart prediction series for the Denver Broncos, today we’re going to be looking at cornerback.

Previously, we predicted the QB, RB, TE, WR, OL and DL depth charts.

Here’s a way-too-early projection for the team’s cornerback room:

Cornerback Slot Cornerback 
A.J. Bouye Duke Dawson Jr. Bryce Callahan
Davontae Harris De’Vante Bausby Michael Ojemudia
Essang Bassey Shakial Taylor Isaac Yiadom

There’s a chance that Callahan could end up being the slot cornerback, like he was with the Chicago Bears. Callahan spent time on the outside last spring, though, and Denver liked Dawson as a slot cornerback before he was injured last season.

Bouye is a locked-in starter — Callahan and Ojemudia might be the favorites to start across from him, depending on how the slot situation shakes out. Harris and Bausby had stretches of strong play last year so they should have decent chances to make the team again this season.

Bassey was one of the top undrafted free agents available in April and he could be a sleeper to make the 53-man roster. Yiadom, a former third-round pick, will face fierce competition to make the team. Taylor will also face long odds, but he could make the squad with a strong training camp.

The Broncos carried six cornerbacks on their initial roster in 2019.

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A.J. Bouye willing to help teach Broncos rookie CB Michael Ojemudia

Broncos rookie cornerback Michael Ojemudia will learn under veteran A.J. Bouye.

If the Broncos have Bryce Callahan play in the slot this season, third-round draft pick Michael Ojemudia might end up starting across from A.J. Bouye. That would be a tall task for a rookie — learning from a veteran like Bouye could help Ojemudia adjust to a big role in the NFL.

“I really didn’t know much about him,” Bouye said on May 14. “One of the coaches sent me his number and I reached out to him, texted him and congratulated him. I was trying to see where he was at. At the time, I was hoping he was near. I was going to try and get some work in with him. Just in the meeting rooms, you can see already that he is a very intelligent guy. He’s a smart guy and a very confident guy.

“We have a lot of corners. There is going to be competition, but no matter who is out there you know they’re going to be ready. Michael, I will help teach him things if he has any questions. I’ll be picking his brain apart too because we can always learn from each other, no matter first year or even me going into Year 8. I’m definitely looking forward to that.”

During his time at Iowa, Ojemudia totaled 125 tackles, six interceptions and 17 pass breakups. He will wear jersey No. 23 in Denver.

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