Tag: ben niemann

Broncos add linebacker Ben Niemann to 53-man roster

The Broncos promoted linebacker Ben Niemann from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Monday.

The Denver Broncos promoted inside linebacker Ben Niemann from the practice squad to their 53-man roster on Monday, the team announced.

Another team tried to sign Niemann off the practice squad, prompting Denver to promote him, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Niemann is a sixth-year player who has appeared in 21 regular season games and 11 postseason games for three teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals and Broncos. During his career, he has recorded 220 tackles, two sacks, three defensed passes, one forced fumble and six fumble recoveries.

Niemann previously appeared in a Denver uniform in their Week 4 win over the Chicago Bears, where he played mostly on special teams, appearing on 17 snaps.

It will be interesting to see where Niemann fits in the defense and special teams unit, as the defense has improved dramatically since they gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins early in the season. Niemann will likely contribute on special teams while providing depth at inside linebacker behind Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton.

The Broncos had an open spot for Niemann on the active roster after placing wide receiver Brandon Johnson (hamstring) on injured reserve last week.

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Broncos elevate 2 players from practice squad for Bears game

The Broncos elevated RB Dwayne Washington and ILB Ben Niemann from the practice squad to the game-day roster for Week 4.

The Denver Broncos have elevated two players from their 17-player practice squad to the game-day roster for Sunday’s showdown with the Chicago Bears.

The Broncos called up running back Dwayne Washington and inside linebacker Ben Niemann, adding them to the active roster for Week 4.

Each player on the practice squad can be elevated to the game-day roster three times during the season without having to clear waivers in order to revert back to the practice squad after the game.

This marks the third of a possible three elevations for Washington in 2023. So if he’s called up to the active roster again, Washington will be subject to the waiver wire before returning to the practice squad. Last week, the veteran running back played 21 snaps on special teams.

This marks Niemann’s first elevation of the season. He was called up to provide more depth at ILB with Josey Jewell (hip) ruled out.

Sunday’s game against the Bears will begin at 11:00 a.m. MT. Denver is considered a betting favorite at home (view the TV map here).

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Broncos sign ex-Titans LB Ben Niemann to practice squad

Former Titans LB Ben Niemann has found a new home on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Ben Niemann has found a new home with the Denver Broncos after being cut on Tuesday.

According to the league’s transactions wire, Niemann has signed on to the Broncos’ practice squad, with the team releasing wide receiver Michael Bandy to make room.

Niemann was signed by the Titans earlier this offseason and was in the mix for a roster spot before being waived.

He played well during the preseason, notching Pro Football Focus grades of 76.7 in run defense and 68.8 in coverage. But Tennessee ultimately decided to go with its younger options in Azeez Al-Shaair, Jack Gibbens, Luke Gifford, Monty Rice and Otis Reese.

Niemann has always proven to be a reliable tackler. In fact, the veteran was one of nine players to not miss a single tackle in 2022, converting all 70 of his stops, per The 33rd Team.

Niemann has a good shot to see some playing time in Denver, as he’s the only linebacker on the practice squad and the fifth on the team overall when including the active roster.

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Broncos made a change to practice squad on Friday

The Broncos signed LB Ben Niemann to the practice squad and cut WR Michael Bandy to make room on Friday.

The Denver Broncos swapped players on the practice squad Friday.

The Broncos signed inside linebacker Ben Niemann, who had a free agent visit with the team on Thursday. To make room for Niemann on the 17-player practice squad, Denver cut wide receiver Michael Bandy.

The Broncos still only have four receivers on the 53-man roster and the team now has just three WRs remaining on the practice squad in Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Phillip Dorsett and David Sills.

Before adding Niemann, Denver was also thin at inside linebacker with just four on the active roster and none on the practice squad. Niemann will be eligible to be elevated from the practice squad three times during the season, so it’s possible that he might even be viewed as the fourth-string ILB above special teams contributor Justin Strnad.

The Broncos’ starting ILBs are Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton, and the just used a third-round draft pick in April to add Drew Sanders.

Niemann, who played under Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in 2022, now gives the team more depth at ILB. He has recorded 237 tackles in 79 career games (21 starts), including 17 games in Arizona last year.

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Broncos buzz: Free agent LB Ben Niemann visits team

The Broncos brought in LB Ben Niemann for a free agent visit on Thursday. The Super Bowl LIV champion has started 21 games in his career.

Story update: The Broncos signed LB Ben Niemann to their practice squad on Friday. See our original post below. 

The Denver Broncos brought in linebacker Ben Niemann for a free agent visit on Thursday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

Niemann (6-2, 235 pounds) signed with the Kansas City Chiefs out of Iowa following the 2018 NFL draft. He spent the first four years of his career in KC, winning Super Bowl LIV following the 2019 season.

In four seasons, Niemann totaled 110 tackles, five fumble recoveries, two sacks and one forced fumble in 62 games (12 starts). He also played 1,062 snaps on special teams over four years in Kansas City.

After his rookie contract with the Chiefs expired, Niemann signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He recorded 70 tackles in 17 games (nine starts) with the Cards last fall.

This spring, Niemann signed with the Tennessee Titans. He failed to make their 53-man roster earlier this week and is now a free agent.

At the time of this writing, Niemann has not signed. Denver is likely looking for more depth at inside linebacker. The team currently only has four inside linebackers on the active roster and no ILBs on the 17-player practice squad. Niemann might be a player they keep in mind for down the road.

Broncos buzz: Denver had scouts at Utah-Florida, UConn-NC State and ASU-SUU college football games on Thursday night. The Broncos currently hold six picks in the 2024 NFL draft.

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Titans training camp preview at LB: Roster locks, competitions, prediction

Our next installment of training camp previews for the Titans comes at the linebacker position.

With Tennessee Titans training camp just days away, we keep chugging right along with our positional previews (we’re cutting it close, I know), with the linebacker position being up next.

The Titans are set to have two new full-time starters in 2023 after the team parted ways with both David Long and Zach Cunningham this offseason.

Monty Rice got a taste of being a full-time starter while one or both were hurt during the 2022 campaign, and he’s projected to get the nod in 2023 alongside newcomer, Azeez Al-Shaair.

However, neither player has a ton of experience as a full-time starter in this league, making linebacker arguably the biggest question mark on the defensive side of the ball.

Aside from the acquisition of Al-Shaair, the Titans also signed Ben Niemann and Luke Gifford. In addition, they have Jack Gibbens and Chance Campbell returning for Year 2.

Here’s a look at the roster locks at the position and competitions set to take place, as well as a prediction for how things will ultimately shake out.

Titans LB Ben Niemann 1 of 9 players to not miss a tackle in 2022

Titans LB Ben Niemann was as reliable as they come when it came to tackling in 2022.

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One of the sneakier additions of the offseason for the Tennessee Titans was the addition of veteran linebacker, Ben Niemann.

The former Arizona Cardinals linebacker is coming off a season in which he played in all 17 games for Arizona, starting in nine of them.

The Iowa product wasn’t dominant by any means, but he did provide a steady and relatively reliable presence for the Cardinals whenever his number was called.

In fact, Niemann was one of nine players who didn’t miss a single tackle throughout the entire 2022 campaign (minimum 45 tackles), finishing with the third-most tackles (70) without accounting for a single whiff.

What’s most impressive is Niemann didn’t exactly have a small sample size. According to Pro Football Focus, he played a total of 484 defensive snaps, with 249 coverage snaps and 195 snaps against the run.

In total, Niemann accounted for 70 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, and one quarterback hit en route to finishing the 2022 season with an overall grade of 71.0, per PFF.

Looking ahead to 2023, Niemann is vying for one of the starting spots at linebacker for the Titans. He’ll be competing against guys like Azeez Al-Shaair, Monty Rice, Chance Campbell, Jack Gibbens and UDFA Otis Reese.

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Contract details for Titans’ one-year deal with LB Ben Niemann

The details of the Titans’ one-year pact with veteran LB Ben Niemann.

The Tennessee Titans added to their linebackers room this week with the signing of former Arizona Cardinal, Ben Niemann, to a one-year deal.

Niemann has spent his career as a backup, but he did start in nine games for the Cardinals in 2022. He figures to factor into the depth competition at the position behind projected starters Azeez Al-Shaair and Monty Rice.

According to Over the Cap, Niemann’s one-year deal is worth a total of $1.08 million, although his cap hit will be $940,000. To further show Niemann is no lock to make the cut, he has no guaranteed money on the deal.

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While he is not a 53-man lock, Niemann does have a great shot to make the roster thanks to his experience playing both on defense and special teams.

He’ll be competing against guys like Chance Campbell and Jack Gibbens, both of whom are inexperienced, and Luke Gifford, someone we peg as another favorite to grab a depth spot thanks to his experience.

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Titans reveal jersey numbers for LB Ben Niemann, WR Chris Moore

New Titans WR Chris Moore is wearing a jersey number fans should recognize.

The Tennessee Titans have made two additions to their roster this week with the signings of veteran linebacker Ben Niemann and veteran wide receiver Chris Moore.

While neither moves the needle much on either side of the ball, Niemann and Moore are solid veteran depth options for Tennessee at positions that have some question marks right now.

The Titans’ two projected starters at linebacker, Azeez Al-Shaair and Monty Rice, lack full-time starting experience, while the wide receiver position is simply a mess with Tennessee failing to make an impact addition in free agency.

Moore and Niemann provide some insurance, but when it comes to Moore specifically, this signing does zero to address Tennessee’s overall need at the position.

Putting that aside for now, the Titans revealed the jersey numbers for their newest players on Wednesday, and you might recognize the one Moore is sporting (hint: the Titans traded him last offseason).

Here’s a look at those digits, along with the jersey numbers for all of the newest Titans.

Grade for Titans’ signing of LB Ben Niemann

Shaun Calderon grades the Titans’ signing of linebacker Ben Niemann.

The Tennessee Titans added some more depth to their defense yesterday following the signing of former Arizona Cardinals linebacker, Ben Niemann.

Niemann is coming off a 2022 season in which he played in all 17 games for Arizona, starting in nine of them. The Iowa product wasn’t dominating by any means, but he did provide a steady and relatively reliable presence for the Cardinals whenever his number was called.

According to Pro Football Focus, he played a total of 484 defensive snaps, most of which were spent in coverage (249 snaps) or as a run-stopper (195 snaps).

In total, Niemann accounted for 70 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hit. Niemann ultimately finished the 2022 season with an overall grade of 71.0, per PFF.

The former Cardinal is likely going to join the Titans’ open competition for the second linebacker spot; however, at the very least he should make his presence felt on special teams and as a backup.

This signing isn’t going to move the championship needle or anything of that nature, but this could be a solid depth addition to an already stout defense.

Grade: B