Tag: Akiem Hicks

10 potential DT additions Cowboys could look to if Jonathan Hankins misses time

Jonathan Hankins’s ankle injury must start the wheels turning in the Cowboys front office for potential replacements. @ArmyChiefW3 discusses the top possibilities.

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a potentially serious blow to their defensive group when they lost lineman Jonathan Hankins to an ankle injury in their 33-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Diagnosed as a high ankle sprain, there is hope it wasn’t the type of injury that would sit the starting nose tackle for the duration of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs.

Hankins was seen walking out of the locker room unassisted and without a limp, which is a ton of positive news after he was carted off the sideline with his shoe off during the third quarter.

That scare should activate the the team’s search for additional help at the position, even if Hankins avoids missing significant time.  Does the team leave the majority of the dirty work to rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith, whom the Cowboys selected with their first-round pick? While Smith is seen as a vital piece to the defensive future, there are still nuances he must learn before he can be trusted with a larger role.

Dallas did sign mammoth defensive tackle Carl Davis to the practice squad in the middle of November and he could be elevated to help the team. If he’s not ideal, there are multiple free agent options available should the team opt to look elsewhere.

Vic Fangio floated DL Akiem Hicks’ name to Dolphins as potential signing

Miami could still sign him.

The Miami Dolphins entered the 2023 season with some questions regarding their depth in the interior of their defensive line.

At this point, the group boasts Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler, Raekwon Davis and Da’Shawn Hand on the active roster with Byron Cowart and undrafted rookie Brandon Pili on the practice squad.

However, there are plenty of free agent options out there that could potentially help Miami down the stretch.

One name that’s been tossed around for some time now is defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who is looking for a team to play his 12th season with.

After ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday that Hick has had discussions with multiple teams, Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was asked about his level of interest in the player on Thursday.

Fangio coached Hicks from 2016-18 when he was the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. During that time, Hicks played in all 48 possible games, recording 163 tackles (38 for a loss), 55 quarterback hits, 23 sacks, seven tipped passes, five forced fumbles and three recovered fumbles.

With Wilkins and Sieler getting so much playtime, it would be nice to get them some breaks with a competent veteran that’s familiar with the scheme, but for now, it appears that the Dolphins are sticking with what they have.

5 NFL free agents who could really help these 5 NFL teams after two weeks, including Leonard Fournette

These five NFL free agents could really help these five NFL teams after two weeks.

We’re already two weeks into the 2023 NFL season, and we’ve got a pretty good lay of the land for what some teams need to work on to stay afloat this season.

While some teams can only fix these issues with improved play, other teams might be able to go look out and see what free agents are still available.

While none of the players on the list will be monumental additions at this stage in the season, they could all play valuable roles to help areas where these five NFL teams could stand to improve.

Let’s break down five NFL free agents and five NFL teams who could really use them right now.

8 players Vikings can sign to bolster defensive line

The free agent market doesn’t have many impact players, but these can potentially improve the Vikings defense via @TheRealForno

The Minnesota Vikings made a move to bolster their offensive line depth by signing offensive lineman Dalton Risner to a one-year, $4 million contract. It was needed when left tackle Oli Udoh tore his quadriceps tendon knocking him out for the season.

With the Vikings having addressed the offensive line, they still have ample cap space to make a move to address other position. One that they should address is the defensive line, especially after allowing 259 rushing yards to the Philadelphia Eagles.

How much could a veteran signing actually help out the Vikings right now? Their impact can be substantial or absolutely nothing and it all depends on the player and situation.

With that in mind, here are eight players the Vikings can sign that could make an impact.

NFL writer thinks Bengals should sign veteran defensive lineman

An interesting choice for the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals regular season begins September 10 in Cleveland, but while the season is right around the corner, there are still free agents that haven’t been signed this offseason.

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report chose one unsigned free agent for every team in the NFL that he thinks would be a good idea to help the teams improve.

Their choice for the Bengals was DT Akiem Hicks and here’s some of what they had to say about it:

They could get more insurance on the interior of the defensive line by signing Akiem Hicks. The 33-year-old can no longer be an every-down defender, but he filled in nicely as a rotational player last season with a 61.9 PFF grade, a sack and four quarterback hits for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At the very least, Hicks would bring some veteran leadership to a unit that’s going to count on contributions from second-year player Zach Carter and third-year player Jay Tufele.

Ballentine might be right about the veteran leadership that Hicks could bring to a team, but he also hasn’t been able to play a full season since 2018 and his stats have been gradually declining for years.

The Bengals seem to be set with how the defensive line stacks up now going into the season, especially with how the group was able to play last season.

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5 defensive lineman the Vikings can sign after James Lynch injury

After the season ending torn ACL for James Lynch, there are talented players that the Minnesota Vikings can still sign.

The Minnesota Vikings got some unfortunate news on Thursday when NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that defensive lineman James Lynch suffered a torn ACL during Thursday’s practice.

The defensive line room has a lot of question marks. Two of the candidates to make the roster are fifth-round picks Esezi Otomewo and Jaquelin Roy and the rest are journeymen or undrafted free agents.

If the Vikings don’t believe in the depth they currently have sans Lynch, they could look to the free-agent market. Here are five players available the Vikings could target.

List of notable free agents after first week of training camp

There are some big-name options still available in free agency.

It’s usually slim pickings on the free agent market around this time of the year, but surprisingly, there are still several big-name players out there that remain unsigned.

Most of the notable talent is at the running back position with at least two or three potential NFL starters on the list. The Patriots could certainly use help at that position with Ty Montgomery going down with an injury.

They have mostly leaned on Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. as their top options behind Rhamondre Stevenson. Harris looks the most improved of the two, and they could make the decision to stick with him in the end.

However, they have visited with a few players on this list, including Ezekiel Elliott, Darrell Henderson and Leonard Fournette.

They’ve also reportedly considered a future visit with Dalvin Cook.

But there are more than just running backs on this list of NFL talent. Let’s take a look at some of the more notable unsigned free agents.

10 free agent defensive linemen Broncos should consider signing

The Broncos’ defensive line depth was thin even before Eyioma Uwazurike was suspended. Here’s a quick list of 10 free agents available.

The Denver Broncos’ defensive line depth chart took another hit on Monday.

The league announced that Broncos second-year defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike has been suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games in 2022. Even before losing Uwazurike for at least the 2023 season, Denver’s defensive line depth was already thin.

The Broncos lost both Dre’Mont Jones and DeShawn Williams — their starting defensive ends in 2022 — during free agency this spring. Zach Allen was signed to replace Jones, but the team did not sign a direct replacement for Williams, who started 15 games last season.

With Uwazurike suspended, the team’s remaining defensive linemen are Allen, D.J. Jones, Mike Purcell, Matt Henningsen, Jonathan Harris, Tyler Lancaster, Jordan Jackson, Elijah Garcia, PJ Mustipher and Haggai Ndubuisi.

Purcell will begin training camp this week on the non-football injury list after undergoing surgery this offseason. With Purcell sidelined, Henningsen (a second-year player with no starts on his resume) is currently the team’s No. 3 defensive lineman behind Allen and Jones.

It seems fair to say Denver could use some more depth at the position. Here’s a quick list of 10 free agent defensive linemen the Broncos should consider signing following Uwazurike’s suspension.

NFL analyst believes Bears RB Khalil Herbert in line for ‘big year’

Could Bears RB Khalil Herbert be in for a breakout year? One NFL analyst believes so.

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What do you think when someone says, “Chicago Bears?” It’s a multi-faceted question that can have many answers, all of them holding truth. One person might attach an identity to the team, saying “hard-nosed football.” The Bears lead the NFL with a whopping 30 players inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame; another fan might acknowledge one of them as the personification of the team, like the legendary Walter Payton.

For many, however, the Bears are known for having a long history of positional excellence that has withstood the test of time. Linebackers, defensive lineman, cornerbacks, running backs — excellence has graced these positions over the team’s 104-year history and many of those players are considered Bears legends.

The tradition is still alive and well in the modern age, as several recent players have brought elite skill to their respective positions. All-Pro Roquan Smith was the center piece of some truly terrifying Chicago defenses as the team’s middle linebacker, and the powerful duo of Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack were whirlwinds of freak power and athleticism that opposing lineman couldn’t weather. As for running backs… it’s a bit of a different story.

While former Bear David Montgomery was an above-average running back whose ability to break tackles couldn’t be denied, Chicago has not had a truly great running back since 2015 — since Matt Forte was catching bullet passes from quarterback Jay Cutler. If history is truly meant to repeat itself, then where is Chicago’s next great running back? Well, one reputable football analyst claims that he’s already on the roster: Khalil Herbert.

Herbert has become a bit of a social media darling in Bears circles the last week or so. Fans are claiming that Chicago’s apparent commitment to an “running back by committee” approach on the ground can pave the way for Herbert to stand out among his teammates. Analyst Clay Harbor, however, believes an advanced metric from last season could indicate a “BIG year for Herbert.”

In the graph Harbor posted, Herbert ranks above other prominent running backs in a statistic called Average Rush Yards over Expected, with the Bears running back comfortably above one yard. For those who may not be aware, formulas are utilized to estimate what a ball carrier should average on any given play, based on a number of factors.

In this case, the formula Harbor posted is from the website Football Insights. So, the graph effectively demonstrates that Herbert gained one more yard per running play than the formula would have predicted Herbert to gain.

That number may seem inconsequential, but football is a game of inches. That one yard more Herbert gains on average could be the difference between getting stuffed at the goal line or scoring a touchdown.

Herbert’s breakout year could be imminent, if Harbor and the rest of the Bears’ faithful is to be believed. Which means Herbert may be taking his first steps into becoming Chicago’s next great running back.

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72 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 72 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 72 jersey number.

In celebration of the regular season opener only being 72 days away, we are listing every Patriots player that has worn the No. 72.

One of the immediate players that come to mind is three-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion, offensive tackle Matt Light, who spent 10 years with the Patriots.

Light has already been inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, and he’s also a member of the Patriots’ All-Dynasty Team. He spent his entire career contributing to the early beginnings of the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

And of course, he wasn’t the only one.

So many great players have come before and after Light became a household name in New England. Here’s every Patriots player that wore the No. 72 throughout the franchise’s history (via Pro Football Reference):