Tag: Alex McGough

Houston Texans announce cuts, trim roster to 77 players

The Houston Texans have announced roster transactions that bring their total number of players on the active roster to 77.

The Houston Texans have gotten a head start on their cutting down to a 53-man roster for the 2020 regular season.

On Monday, the club announced they had released inside linebacker Daren Bates, whose primary role on the team was to play special teams, given his familiarity with special teams coordinator Tracy Smith.

The club also waved quarterback Alex McGough and defensive tackle Albert Huggins.

With the Texans cutting these three players, they have 77 players on their active roster. Even though the Texans have got a head start, they still consider themselves in training camp.

“I think we’re still in training mode a little bit here,” coach and general manager Bill O’Brien said Monday. “We’re still working against each other and trying to clean some things up. We had a tough practice yesterday. It was a hot, humid day and guys competed hard, so we’ll back off a little bit today. We’re still working against each other.”

The loss of the three players means more reps to go around. The Texans have two quarterbacks on the roster in Deshaun Watson and A.J. McCarron. Inside linebacker features two starters in Zach Cunningham, Benardrick McKinney, and two special teamers in Peter Kalambayi and Dylan Cole. Veteran P.J. Hall and rookie Ross Blacklock can pick up more snaps with Huggins not on the roster.

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Seahawks’ backup QB competition is Anthony Gordon vs. Geno Smith

The Seattle Seahawks have two players, veteran Geno Smith and undrafted rookie Anthony Gordon, competing to back up Russell Wilson in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks were always expected to bring in a third quarterback to compete with undrafted free agent Anthony Gordon for the job of backing up ironman Russell Wilson on the active roster.

They reportedly got that done on Thursday afternoon, agreeing to terms with free agent Geno Smith, who served as Wilson’s backup during the 2019 season.

Backup quarterbacks in Seattle have not had to see the field in years, as Wilson hasn’t missed a game in his entire career and rarely misses even a single snap.

Still, it’s an important spot to feel comfortable with the next man up. Seattle would be in a load of trouble if Wilson had to miss extended time, but having a backup they feel comfortable in could help ease the pain at least a little.

Coach Pete Carroll seems to prefer his veteran backups, as evidenced by the team’s decision to draft Alex McGough in 2017 but then cut him in favor of former starter Brett Hundley just before the season began.

Last year the Seahawks had Smith compete with another experienced veteran, Paxton Lynch, before eventually handing the job to the former.

Smith, Hundley and the late Tarvaris Jackson are the most recent backups in the Emerald City, all quarterbacks with a similar skill set to Wilson and NFL experience.

That seems to spell trouble for Gordon, who was a monster in his final season in Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense at Washington State but somehow went undrafted despite a fair amount of hype.

Seattle was wise to snatch Gordon, who has impeccable accuracy as a quarterback but lacks the arm strength and awareness to be an immediate impact player at the next level.

The Seahawks attempted to keep McGough as a developmental quarterback, but after one year on the practice squad he signed elsewhere. If Smith wins the backup job again in 2020, which seems likely, the Seahawks will likely do the same with Gordon.

Wilson is still in his prime, but it might be wise for Seattle to commit to grooming a backup in his mold for the future. As long as Carroll prefers veteran backups, however, this team will struggle to develop someone as his replacement and could be in a bind when the time comes that Wilson is no longer an elite quarterback.

Of course, Wilson intends to play until he is 45, so maybe the team will continue cycling through veteran backups until then, making the need for development unnecessary for the next decade or so.

How this team handles the competition between Smith and Gordon could go a long way toward determining its long-term goals behind Wilson.

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What to expect from Seahawks 2018 draft class in 2020

The Seattle Seahawks still roster seven of their nine selections from the 2018 NFL draft. Here is how they are expected to fare in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks have taken the approach of more = better in the last few NFL drafts.

The 2017 draft class saw the Seahawks select 11 players, with only six of them still on the roster just three years later.

Things went better in the class of 2018, with seven of their nine selections on the roster heading into the 2020 season. Of the two who are not, one of them is sixth rounder Jacob Martin, a wiry pass rusher who was sent to the Texans in the trade for Jadeveon Clowney.

The other is quarterback Alex McGough, a seventh rounder whom the Seahawks attempted to groom as an eventual replacement for Russell Wilson.

Here is a look at the seven who still remain, and what kind of role they are expected to have in 2020.

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Seahawks scouting XFL QB P.J. Walker as potential backup

The Seattle Seahawks sent scouts to Houston to check out Roughnecks QB P.J. Walker, who fits the bill as a potential Russell Wilson backup.

Despite being the least used position on their depth chart, the Seattle Seahawks are always looking for their next backup quarterback.

Geno Smith held the job last year, once again not earning a single snap thanks to iron man Russell Wilson, but he is set to hit free agency and seems likely to look for a gig with more promise of playing time.

Seattle has historically looked for veterans to play second fiddle to Wilson, passing up their 2018 draft pick – Alex McGough – in favor of Brett Hundley two years ago.

However – they may be looking to get a bit younger this time around, with ABC announcer Steve Levy reporting the Seahawks had scouts in Houston to watch the XFL matchup between the Roughnecks and the Seattle Dragons, specifically to watch Houston quarterback P.J. Walker.

The Roughnecks are 4-0 heading into Saturday’s contest thanks in large part to Walker’s dynamic performance. He has completed 92 passes, on 147 attempts, for 987 yards and 12 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions.

The 25-year-old is a dual-threat quarterback who starred at Temple University before going undrafted and spending two seasons off-and-on the practice squad of the Colts.

It was reported that former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck recommended Walker to his dad, commissioner Oliver Luck, which is part of the reason he ended up getting picked up by the Houston squad.

Regardless, Walker has played extremely well in the first part of the new XFL season, enough to likely find his way into an NFL training camp this summer – with Seattle a very real possibility.

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3 backup quarterback options the Seahawks could pursue in 2020

The Seattle Seahawks will once again be in the market for a backup quarterback in 2020. Here are three options they could look into.

It’s the least used position on the Seattle Seahawks 53-man roster, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.

Russell Wilson’s improbable run of not missing a single game will eventually come to an end, and when that happens, Seattle will want to ensure their backup quarterback is ready.

This team has cycled through backups annually for the past few seasons, and with Geno Smith set to hit free agency – and likely looking for a job where he will actually play – it looks like the Seahawks will have another backup again in 2020.

Seattle has primarily looked for veteran free agents who fit the team’s scheme to play behind Wilson, but they also broke the mold in 2018 when they drafted Alex McGough in the seventh round – a sign they may be willing to develop some talent, even if McGough ultimately lost the job and signed elsewhere.

Here are three options, two on the free agent market and one via the draft, Seattle could pursue to backup Wilson in 2020.

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The Texans could bring in a QB before Sunday’s matchup with Titans

The Houston Texans could bring in a new quarterback before Sunday if Deshaun Watson is out. Alex McGough and Nick Fitzgerald are the candidates.

With quarterback Deshaun Watson questionable with a back issue for Sunday’s season-ending bout with the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Texans may have to find a new quarterback to backup A.J. McCarron on Sunday, if Watson does not play.

The two primary options for Houston are practice squad passer Alex McGough and undrafted Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.

McGough, in his second season in the NFL, has not taken a snap with the Texans. He signed with them after Aug. 31’s cut-down day with the hopes of eventually earning a shot as Watson’s backup. The Florida International product has bounced between the practice squad and active roster throughout the season.

McGough is currently on the practice squad. He is a favorite of well-respected Texans quarterback coach Carl Smith, who previously coached him in the Pacific Northwest after the Seattle Seahawks drafted him in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

“He came in and we worked with him for a week and he did some good things and we’ll see how it goes here,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said on McGough after promoting him to the active roster in Week 2. “We’ll see how it goes. Good guy, smart guy, and just want to get him some more reps and see how it goes.”

Fitzgerald worked out with the Texans earlier in the week but went unsigned. An undrafted rookie of Mississippi State, he started for three years in the SEC, replacing Dak Prescott. In 44 career games, he recorded 6,207 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 30 interceptions on a 54.2% completion rate.

Despite his background as a passer, however, many see Fitzgerald as a better option at tight end.

“Fitzgerald has struggled as a passer throughout his career, but the athletic ability he brings to the table is something special,” said Crissy Froyd, managing editor of the LSU Tigers Wire, who has studied SEC quarterbacks. “A position change may be what’s best for him in the future, but he hasn’t really been given a true chance to show what he can do at the NFL.”

Either McGough or Fitzgerald would act as McCarron’s backup in the case that Watson doesn’t play in a potentially meaningless game. Being that McGough is on the practice squad, he is the likelier candidate to get the backup nod.