Tag: Antoine Wesley

Cardinals tender contracts to RB Jonathan Ward, WR Antoine Wesley

Ward returns to the Cardinals for a third season and Wesley comes back for his second. Both were exclusive rights free agents.

The Arizona Cardinals will welcome back running back Jonathan Ward for a third season and receiver Antoine Wesley for a second. Because neither has completed three credited years in the NFL, they are exclusive rights free agents.

The team announced they were tendered qualifying contract offers. Because they are exclusive rights free agents, they have the choice of signing or not playing in the NFL.

Their one-year contract offers will pay Ward $895,000 in salary and Wesley $825,000.

Ward played mostly on special teams, appearing in 13 games last season. He had limited work on offense, rushing the ball nine times for 33 yards. He also had three receptions for 34 yards.

Wesley, who signed with the team in training camp last year, ended up getting significant playing time in the last half of the season because of the injury to receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He played in 15 games, starting four, and finished with 19 receptions for 208 yards and three touchdowns. He scored the three touchdowns in the final three games of the season.

He 6-4, 206-lb receiver will compete for a role this coming offseason.

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WR Antoine Wesley returns from COVID reserve

After making the team out of training camp, Wesley tested positive for the virus and has not yet played.

The Arizona Cardinals announced a pair of minor roster moves Tuesday. Receiver Antoine Wesley was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. He had tested positive for the virus after making the roster.

The Cardinals also released kicker Matt McCrane from the practice squad.

McCrane was signed last week.

Wesley’s return gives the Cardinals six receivers on the roster. He made the team after have a strong training camp and preseason, and with his size — he is 6-4 — he gives the Cardinals something extra from the reserve receivers they don’t otherwise have — length.

The Cardinals get a roster exemption for Wesley until Thursday.

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WR Antoine Wesley placed on COVID list after positive test

With Wesley testing positive for COVID-19, we will see if any other players end up not being able to play on Sunday in the season opener.

The Arizona Cardinals had wide receiver Antoine Wesley appear on the final injury report of the week with an illness. He did not participate in practice on Friday and was ruled out of Sunday’s game.

However, it went a step further.

Later in the afternoon, the NFL transaction report showed that Wesley was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and, as a note at the end of the report, that the one player who landed on the list Friday was the result of a positive test, meaning that Wesley tested positive for COVID-19.

He enters COVID protocols and now we much watch if any other players land on the COVID list Saturday.

Fully vaccinated players deemed as having had high-risk, close contact with Wesley do not have to go on the COVID list but will be subject to daily testing for five days and must wear a mask.

However, if any player not fully vaccinated is deemed as being a close contact, he will land on the list and won’t be able to play on Sunday in the season opener.

It will be something to watch on Saturday and Sunday morning to see if the Cardinals have any other positive tests or if anyone is placed on the list for close contact.

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Several Cardinals players get new uniform numbers after final cuts

Receivers Antoine Wesley and practice squad receiver Greg Dortch are among the players to swap numbers.

Recently, rookie ride receiver Rondale Moore for the Arizona Cardinals changes numbers from No. 85 to No. 4, the number he wore in college.

After final cuts and some practice squad additions, a few players have changed their numbers. The team announced the changes on social media.

  • Receiver Antoine Wesley, who wore No. 33 in the preseason, now has No. 84.
  • Receiver Greg Dortch, signed to the practice squad, now has No. 83. He wore 38 in training camp and the preseason.
  • International tight end Bernhard Seikovits, who is now on the practice squad, changed from No. 43 to No. 80.
  • Rookie outside linebacker Victor Dimukeje made the final roster and now has changed from No. 92 to No. 52.
  • Tight end Ross Travis, who didn’t make the team but is on the practice squad, is now No. 43, which he has worn most of his career.
  • Lastly, cornerback Luq Barcoo, signed recently and on the 53-man roster, is No 27.

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4 Cardinals who are surprises on the 53-man roster

These players who made the final roster initially might not be able to get too comfortable with other roster moves sure to come.

The Arizona Cardinals made final cuts to get to the requisite 53 players on the roster on Tuesday. They actually left the roster at 52 with two players also on the COVID list.

A few players initially have made the team who are surprises.

They can’t get too excited because there are still transactions to be made. Offensive lineman Justin Pugh and cornerback Robert Alford are sure to come off the COVID reserve soon. When both return, one player will have to be cut as of now.

There could also be waiver claims, trades and free agent signings after players have cleared waivers.

Who are the players who are at least mild surprises for the roster?

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6 Cardinals whose stock rose in preseason Game 2

The Cardinals lost their preseason contest against the Chiefs on Friday, but these players helped their cases for the roster with their play.

The Arizona Cardinals played their second preseason game of the year on Friday

But we all know that the preseason is more about individual play than team play, especially those players trying to make the team and fighting for a role on the team.

So who were the Cardinals players Friday night who saw their stock go up?

We give players for both below. Read on!

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Former Ravens WR Antoine Wesley signs with Cardinals

The Baltimore Ravens saw one of their former players depart, as wide receiver Antoine Wesley signed with the Arizona Cardinals

The Baltimore Ravens have plenty of talent at the wide receiver position. They brought in Sammy Watkins in free agency while also selecting both Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace in the 2021 NFL draft. What was once a need now is one of the deepest positions on the roster, so the team might have to make some tough decisions in the future.

A move that Baltimore made a few months ago was deciding not to bring back Antoine Wesley, a third-year receiver out of Texas Tech. Wesley was looked as a player with promise, as he stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 206 pounds. He put up 98 receptions for 1,547 yards and nine touchdowns during his three years in college. After not having much production over his first two years with the Red Raiders, he caught 88 passes for 1,410 yards and all nine of his scores during his final year with the program.

On Friday, the Arizona Cardinals announced that they signed Wesley to a one-year deal. The former Raven will reunite with his college head coach in Kliff Kingsbury while entering a crowded wide receiver room in Arizona that’s headlined by DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and new addition A.J. Green.

Wesley could never fully put it together in Baltimore. After signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019, he spent the season on the practice squad, and in 2020 he was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He impressed in training camp on multiple occasions, but ultimately ended up not being a part of Baltimore’s long-term plans.

Ravens tender 3 players, including RB Gus Edwards

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said RB Gus Edwards was going to be a part of the team and he held up to it, handing out a 2nd-round tender

It seems like the Baltimore Ravens were waiting for the NFL to release the 2021 salary cap figures before making too many moves. With the NFL announcing the 2021 salary cap will sit at $182.5 million, the Ravens began making some moves.

According to Ravens staff writer Ryan Mink, Baltimore officially handed out tenders to three players — running back Gus Edwards (RFA), center Trystan Colon-Castillo (ERFA), and linebacker Kristian Welch (ERFA).

Though the Ravens didn’t announce which tenders were given to each player, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Edwards received a second-round tender. With the 2021 salary cap finalized, a second-round tender will run Baltimore $3.384 million for one season, according to Over The Cap. As a restricted free agent, Edwards can negotiate with other teams but they’ll have to give the Ravens a second-round selection if Baltimore fails to match an offer sheet. Considering the value of running backs in the NFL in this era, it’s unlikely Edwards will draw much, if any, interest given the tender.

Just because Edwards is now locked up through the 2021 season under a restricted free agent tender, it doesn’t mean the Ravens are done with him. Given the limited cap space this season, inking Edwards to a long-term deal could lower his 2021 cap hit, freeing up valuable funds to sign other players in free agency. At his pre-free-agency press conference, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta noted Edwards was going to be a part of the team “one way or the other” but seemed to indicate they’d like to get a deal done rather than having to rely on the tender.

As a part of a three-headed backfield in Baltimore last season, Edwards didn’t put up crazy stats by himself. Still, Edwards ran the ball 144 times, gaining 723 yards and six touchdowns in the process while adding another 129 receiving yards on nine catches. Edwards’ 5.0 rushing-yards-per-carry average in 2020 was tied for ninth among the entire NFL, or seventh among just running backs.

With fewer than three accumulated seasons in the NFL and expired contracts, Colon-Castillo and Wech are exclusive rights free agents. As ERFAs, Baltimore is able to offer one-year league-minimum contracts and the players cannot negotiate with other teams. Both will likely earn $780,000 in 2021 before becoming restricted free agents next offseason.

While center is one of the positions the Ravens are expected to address this offseason, Colon-Castillo could be in the mix as well, depending on what Baltimore does. Colon-Castillo started two games last season as the Ravens dealt with injuries, a COVID-19 outbreak, and lackluster play at the position.

Welch didn’t get much playing time on defense, seeing the field for just eight snaps. However, he received quite a bit of playing time on special teams, seeing 173 (41%) of the special-teams snaps last season.

The Ravens still have a few other ERFAs and RFAs that have yet to be tendered. Punter Johnny Townsend (ERFA), linebacker Chris Board (RFA), and wide receiver Antoine Wesley (ERFA) were not among those tendered yet. While Baltimore could still do so, the Ravens already have a punter in Sam Koch and are likely to address wide receiver in free agency or the 2021 NFL draft. Unfortunately for Board, his RFA status meant he was unlikely to receive a tender due to the higher cost against the salary cap. However, if Baltimore wants to keep him around, they could try to sign him to a contract extension at a lower value.

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Ravens TE Eli Wolf, WR Antoine Wesley dealing with injuries

The Baltimore Ravens offense is having some early depth problems with WR Antoine Wesley and TE Eli Wolf suffering injuries at training camp.

The Baltimore Ravens are beginning to ramp up their training camp practices as they prepare for the regular season. As the intensity heats up, injuries often follow. On the third padded practice of training camp, Baltimore had a few new ones crop up.

Wide receiver Antoine Wesley was the newest absence from practice. Coach John Harbaugh said Wesley is dealing with a “shoulder situation,” with Wesley seeing a shoulder specialist. Harbaugh said they’re not sure if the injury will require surgery or not but preemptively noted Wesley’s likely to miss a few weeks.

Undrafted free agent tight end Eli Wolf was injured at the end of practice after a collision. While Harbaugh downplayed the injury, saying he didn’t think it was a serious issue, the team is waiting to hear about the extent of the injury once the training staff looks at him.

Wolf and Wesley join wide receiver Chris Moore, who has a broken finger, as the Ravens’ current injured player of training camp thus far. Baltimore placed cornerback Iman Marshall on injured reserve after he tore his ACL and MCL prior to pads coming on.

Wesley wasn’t expected to make the team, likely pushing for a spot on the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster. With the Ravens bringing in several wide receivers for workouts this week, Wesley’s injury might push Baltimore to cut him in favor of an unsigned free agent with time remaining in training camp. The Ravens have to be hoping the injury to Wolf isn’t very serious. While he’s an undrafted rookie, he’s in the competition for the third spot on the tight end depth chart.

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Ravens sign 9 players to reserve/futures deals

The Baltimore Ravens signed nine players, including offseason standouts WR Sean Modster and CB Terrell Bonds to reserve/futures deals.

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The Baltimore Ravens are getting an early start on their offseason checklist. Just two days after losing to the Tennessee Titans and being knocked out of the playoffs, the Ravens signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts.

Player Position
Aaron Adeoye LB
Terrell Bonds CB
Will Holden G
Ufomba Kamalu DE
Sean Modster WR
Michael Onuoha DE
R.J. Prince T
Charles Scarff TE
Antoine Wesley WR

All nine had been on Baltimore’s practice squad at the end of the season. The only practice squad players not on injured reserve that haven’t gotten contracts yet are fullback Christopher Ezeala, and running backs Byron Marshall and Paul Perkins.

Fans might remember cornerback Terrell Bonds and wide receiver Sean Modster, who had big performances during the Ravens’ OTAs and training camp. Other players were great additional depth on top of Baltimore’s full roster, keeping them in the wings until if they were needed.

A reserve/futures contract allows teams to hold on to a player they like but isn’t ready to make an impact yet. They don’t count against the 90-man limit or the team’s salary cap while ensuring another team can’t poach them. In order to be eligible for this type of contract, the player must not have been on an active roster at the end of the previous regular season.

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