Tag: Aaron Shampklin

From classroom to cleats: RB Aaron Shampklin was teaching last year

Newly signed Steelers’ running back Aaron Shampklin made headlines when he announced he was a substitute teacher last year.

Aaron Shampklin made the impossible possible! From substitute teaching middle school students in 2023 at Perry Lindsey Academy in Long Beach, California, to playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, he turned his dreams into reality. Oh, what a difference a year makes.

To recreate my own version of a Tomlinism to apply: ‘Lack of availability creates opportunity.’ The Steelers’ newest running back will look to make the most of his opportunity, as the lack of availability of other Pittsburgh running backs, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson due to injury, has opened the door for Shampklin to make headlines.

It is truly an inspirational journey for newly signed Steelers’ running back.  He also graded out as a top-ten Steelers’ offensive player in Week 4, according to PFF.  Shampklin exemplifies that if you can dream it, achieve it.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will give Shampklin the opportunity to showcase his football skills against the Dallas Cowboys in their first Sunday Night Football meeting, on October 6th, at 8:20 PM EST.

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4 players worked out for the Broncos on Tuesday, 1 signed

The Broncos worked out four players on Tuesday and signed tight end Johnny Lumpkin to the practice squad.

The Denver Broncos brought in four players for workouts on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

The Broncos worked out two running backs — Jason Huntley and Aaron Shampklin — and two tight ends — Thomas Greaney and Johnny Lumpkin — at their Centura Health Training Center.

Huntley (5-9, 195 pounds) entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of New Mexico State with the Detroit Lions in 2020. After being cut by the Lions, Huntley played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2020-2021, appearing in six games. He later spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts from 2022-2023.

Shampklin (5-11, 195 pounds) spent time with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard in 2022. He went on to spend time with the Indianapolis Colts and the USFL’s Houston Gamblers before a stint with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Greaney (6-5, 255 pounds) signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in May. He played college football for the Albany Great Danes, an FCS program in New York.

Lumpkin (6-6, 268 pounds) signed with the New England Patriots as a college free agent out of Louisiana this spring. He later spent time with the Colts. At the time of publication, only Lumpkin has signed (to the practice squad).

The three other players are likely candidates for reserve/future contracts with the Broncos following the concussion of the 2023 season.

Chargers sign pair of players on Tuesday

The Chargers added a running back and cornerback on Tuesday.

The Chargers signed running back Aaron Shampklin on Tuesday. The move came after they waived RB Larry Rountree Monday.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard, Shampklin started his professional career with the Cowboys. He then spent time on the Colts practice squad.

Shampklin most recently played for the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL). He appeared in three games and posted 52 yards on 12 carries (4.3 YPC).

Additionally, Los Angeles signed cornerback Matt Hankins.

Hankins played his college ball at Iowa before going undrafted. He signed with the Falcons in 2022 and then played for the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions, where he was a part of their championship squad.

Colts waive four players

The Colts waived four players Tuesday.

The Indianapolis Colts waived four players following the 2023 NFL draft, the team announced Tuesday.

While these won’t be the only four to get the boot, the Colts have to begin making room for the large class of undrafted rookie free agents coming in this week.

The four players waived included running back Darrynton Evans, running back Aaron Shampklin, wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson and CB David Vereen.

All four of these players likely were competing for the final spots in their respective positional rooms, but all four of them saw the Colts bring in some major competition during the draft.

Shampklin and Evans would have had a difficult time competing with sixth-round pick Evan Hull while the Colts drafted wide receiver Josh Downs and three cornerbacks including second-rounder Julius Brents.

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How Colts signing Darrynton Evans impacts RB depth chart

Here’s how the signing of Darrynton Evans impacts the Colts depth chart.

Since the Indianapolis Colts traded running back Nyheim Hines, they have been searching for the answer to what the backfield will look like beyond  Jonathan Taylor.

Taylor’s junior season was riddled with injuries and a struggling offensive line, making his quest for leading the league in rushing again futile. It highlighted how much the Colts need more options that can produce to provide relief for Taylor and a balanced rushing attack.

They made a move to help aid some of that depth by signing free-agent Darrynton Evans.

With this in mind, Indy’s running back depth chart is as follows:

RB1: Jonathan Taylor

RB2: Zack Moss

RB3: Deon Jackson

Backups competing for a roster spot: Jake Funk, Aaron Shampklin, Darrynton Evans

Signing Evans is likely a pure competition, formidable depth, and skillset move for general manager Chris Ballard. Having enough healthy players is always a priority, and if those players have additional skills, such as special teams experience, that dramatically helps the team.

Right now, it’s doubtful Evans overtakes Moss as the backup to Jonathan Taylor, but he could push Deon Jackson for the third running back spot. The key with Evans will be his health and his production.

Since being drafted in 2020, he’s only played 12 games. In those games, he had 30 carries for 125 yards.

Keep up to date with the latest news, signings and rumors through our free agency tracker for the Colts.

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Colts sign 12 players to futures contracts

The Colts signed 12 players to futures contracts.

The Indianapolis Colts signed 12 players to Reserve/Futures contracts, the team announced Monday.

As is typical protocol following the end of the regular season, the Colts will be preparing to expand their roster to 90 players for the offseason. Much of that includes signing players to futures contracts.

The expansion of the roster to 90 players doesn’t go into effect until the start of the new league year, which is March 15. That’s why it’s technically a reserve contract. This is essentially stating the player will be on the 90-man roster when the time comes.

There is no limit to how many futures contracts the Colts have as long as they are within the 90-man limit when the new league year rolls around.

Here’s a look at the 12 players signed to futures contracts to begin the offseason:

Colts officially place RB Jonathan Taylor on IR among several moves

Colts placed Jonathan Taylor on IR, waived DE Ifeadi Odenigbo and added a pair to the practice squad.

As expected, the Indianapolis Colts placed running back Jonathan Taylor on the injured reserve list Tuesday due to the ankle injury he suffered in Week 15.

It wasn’t the only move the Colts made, though, and there was at least one mildly surprising move that involved the release of a productive, rotational defensive end in the form of Ifeadi Odenigbo. The Colts also made some moves to the practice squad.

Here’s a recap of the moves the Colts made Tuesday, some of which had already been covered:

Cowboys Injury Report: Secondary depth takes blow with Joseph, Mukuamu exits vs Seahawks

Winning isn’t everything, especially in the preseason. With roster cuts looming, injuries in Friday’s win against Seattle could impact moves the club has to make. From @ProfessorO_NFL

The Dallas Cowboys pulled out a gutsy win against the Seattle Seahawks in week 3 of the 2022 preseason.  While the win was nice, one of the main objectives of training camp and preseason is to walk away as healthy as possible.

The Cowboys had fared well in avoiding injuries through their first two preseason games but were not as fortunate tonight. Already dealing with losing their starting left tackle, Tyron Smith, earlier in the week, the Cowboys suffered a slew of injuries against the Seahawks.

With a final roster cutdown from 80 players to 53 looming around the corner, the status of these injuries may have ripple effects that change the decision making of who’s in and who’s out.

Here’s an updated injury report from week 3 based on what we know right now.

Cowboys field emergency ball carriers Thursday as COVID, injury take out 3 RBs

Rico Dowdle and Aaron Shampklin will miss at least 5 days; Ryan Nall injured a shoulder. Joint practice and a game at Denver come next week. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys are quickly running out of bodies in the backfield.

Third-year rusher Rico Dowdle, likely the No. 3 ball carrier on the depth chart behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, will miss the rest of this week’s practice sessions after testing positive for COVID, as per the Dallas Morning News. He’s the second running back to contract the virus, joining undrafted rookie Aaron Shampklin.

Team protocol dictates that both players be quarantined for at least five days. If, after five days, no symptoms are present, they may rejoin their fellow players.

Ryan Nall is also a temporary scratch. The fullback signed to the team in April will now miss two to four weeks with a shoulder injury suffered this week.

Combined with Tuesday’s minor injuries to tight ends Jeremy Sprinkle and Jake Ferguson, these latest losses have stretched the offensive unit thin enough that the Cowboys were forced to shorten Thursday’s practice session, reports ESPN’s Todd Archer.

The team is scheduled to depart Oxnard on Aug. 10 and head to Denver, where they’ll practice jointly with the Broncos the following day and then play a preseason game on Aug. 13.

If COVID symptoms linger for Dowdle and Shampklin, it could leave Elliott, Pollard, and undrafted rookie Malik Davis as the only listed running backs available for those dates. (And Elliott has already said he will not see any action in preseason games.)

Wide receivers Dontario Drummond and KaVontae Turpin reportedly took some snaps at running back on Thursday.

They weren’t the only players moonlighting in new spots. Offensive lineman Connor McGovern played some fullback, as did backup center Matt Farniok. And even Elliott, the two-time rushing champ, acted as the lead blocker for Pollard on multiple plays during the day’s practice session.

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