Tag: Brandon Dillon

Commanders make surprising roster move

The Commanders made some roster moves Tuesday.

The Washington Commanders began their second week of OTAs Tuesday and made a surprising roster move.

Despite claiming cornerback Cameron Dantzler off waivers earlier in this 2023 offseason, Tuesday, the Commanders, following last week’s OTAs, have already determined to move on from him.

Another notable roster move was the Commanders placed guard Andrew Norwell on the Physically Unable to Perform List. Norwell started 16 games in 2022 for the Commanders after being signed in the offseason to come in and replace 2021 starter Ereck Flowers, who had been released.

Dantzler was a 2020 third-round pick out of Mississippi State who had 149 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries while playing for the Vikings (2020-22)

Once Norwell is able to pass a physical, the expectation is that the Commanders will release him. Prior to coming to Washington in 2023, Norwell played his first four NFL seasons with the Panthers, followed by four seasons with the Jaguars.

With two roster spots now open, the Commanders then signed S Terrell Burgess and TE Brandon Dillon. In essence, the Commanders are choosing to proceed toward training camp with Burgess over Dantzler, while Dillon was added due to TE Armani Rogers tearing his Achilles tendon last week.

Rogers was an athletic quarterback at UNLV and Ohio. Not being drafted, Washington signed him because he moved well and had size (6-5, 225), thinking he could be converted to a tight end (think Logan Thomas). He had 5 receptions, 4 for first downs, and also had a rushing attempt for 24 yards in his rookie season in 2022.

Burgess played his college ball at Utah, was drafted 104th overall by the Rams in the 2020 draft, and has primarily been a special teams performer, starting only 3 games in his three seasons (2020-22). Burgess also played for the Giants in 2022.

Dillon is age 26, played at Marion, went undrafted, and had one reception with the Vikings in his three seasons in Minnesota (2019-21).

 

 

Commanders invite former XFL tight end to town for a tryout

The Commanders, looking for depth at tight end, have invited a former NFL and XFL tight end to Washington for a tryout.

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”afe1e038-d3c2-49c0-922d-6511a229f69c” cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

It’s been a tough week for the Washington Commanders’ tight end room. On Tuesday — the first day of OTAs — promising second-year tight end Armani Rogers injured his Achilles in a non-contact drill and will undergo surgery soon. Rogers is already lost for the season.

Under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the tight end position is a critical part of the offense, and Rogers had the highest upside of anyone in the room. The Commanders also like fellow second-year tight end Cole Turner, but Rogers, a former college quarterback, is an elite athlete the team believed was on the verge of a breakout in 2023.

Washington is counting on veteran Logan Thomas to bounce back in 2023 after injuries have plagued him the last two seasons. While Thomas was healthy last season, he was still less than one year removed from ACL surgery. The Commanders also have John Bates, Turner and Curtis Hodges on the roster.

But with Rogers down, Washington may be looking to add another veteran into the mix this summer for training camp. Jake Russell of The Washington Post reported Friday that the team had invited Brandon Dillon, formerly of the XFL’s Vegas Vipers, to Ashburn for a tryout.

Dillon is a 6-foot-5, 250-pounder who played collegiately at Marian University in Indianapolis. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2019, where he spent three seasons. After being waived in Dec. 2021, the Jets signed Dillon to the practice squad, but he never played for them.

In 2022, Dillon signed with the New Orleans Saints in June but was waived in August. From there, he spent the spring in the XFL.

During his short NFL career, Dillon has appeared in five games with one reception for six yards.

Dillon would be a depth signing for Washington, and he’d likely be competing with Hodges for a roster spot this summer.

8 former Vikings getting another shot in the XFL

The XFL returns on Saturday and there are multiple former Vikings that will be suiting up

One of the best parts of football in the 21st century is that it doesn’t end with the Super Bowl. The National Football League has done a such a great job making football a year-round thing that we now have two spring leagues.

The first one is the relaunch of the XFL which has their kickoff game on Saturday between the Las Vegas Vipers and Arlington Renegades — it’ll be broadcast nationally on ABC, beginning at 2 p.m. CT.

For Minnesota Vikings fans, they will have eight different Vikings that are playing in the XFL across five different teams. Here is the full list:

3 tight ends tryout for the Vikings on Thursday

The Vikings brought in three tight ends on a tryout basis on Thursday

The Minnesota Vikings have some depth issues at the tight end position and brought in three tight ends for a tryout on Thursday afternoon.

Things started when third-string tight end Ben Ellefson hurt his groin in practice last Thursday and it required him to be placed on injured reserve. In turn, they signed Jacob Hollister to the practice squad but chose to activate rookie seventh-round pick Nick Muse on Sunday instead.

The Vikings must not be currently satisfied with the current depth at tight end because they did bring in three tight ends on a tryout basis on Thursday, including one that has been with the organization before in Brandon Dillion.

Dillon spent the last three seasons with the Vikings organization having played in five games and catching one pass for six yards.

They also brought in veteran James O’Shaughnessy who spent five of his seven years with the Jacksonville Jaguars logging 112 catches for 1,108 yards and three touchdowns in his seven-year career.

The last is Sammis Reyes who was a 2021 undrafted free agent out of Tulane. The native of Chile played in 11 games for the Washington Commanders last season, including starting one of them.

Colts work out 5 TEs after Andrew Ogletree’s injury

The Colts worked out 5 TEs and a CB on Friday.

Following the unfortunate news that rookie tight end Andrew Ogletree will miss his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, the Indianapolis Colts worked out a quintet of tight ends, along with a cornerback, on Friday.

The Colts are still likely to keep just three tight ends on the roster following Ogletree’s injury, but it’s wise to keep an eye on the options available on the market.

Here are the five tight ends and one cornerback the Colts worked out on Friday, according to the league’s transaction wire:

Saints release tight end Kahale Warring to open roster spot for Brandon Dillon

The Saints released veteran tight end Kahale Warring as a corresponding move to the addition of free agent Brandon Dillon:

There’s your answer: the New Orleans Saints earned some raised eyebrows with the signing of free agent tight end Brandon Dillon, which came as a surprise given the number of players already under contract at the position. But now we know they’re swapping one tight end for another in waiving Kahale Warring, who was signed in late May following tryouts at rookie minicamps. Warring’s release was reported on Wednesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire.

Warring was competing alongside other tight ends like Juwan Johnson, J.P. Holtz (also signed this offseason), and undrafted rookie Lucas Krull for a coveted roster spot behind Taysom Hill, Nick Vannett, and Adam Trautman. The team must have decided to go in a different direction after getting a closer look at him, and now Dillon will be in the mix for training camp. It’s a tough turn for his career after injuries sapped the sky-high athleticism Warring flashed in college; I’ll admit I was a big fan of his coming out of San Diego State. The Saints had high hopes for him, too, having tried to snag Warring off of waivers last year.

It’s going to be tough to win that fourth roster no matter who is on the roster — if it even exists. The Saints have typically kept just three tight ends on the 53-man roster, occasionally stashing a fourth on their practice squad, so those players on the fringe like Dillon, Johnson, Holtz, and Krull need to do more than outshine each other. They’ve got to convince the coaching staff that carrying a fourth tight end on the active roster is worth the trouble. It’s just one more subplot to watch when the team regroups for training camp in late July.

[listicle id=113202]

Former Vikings tight end Brandon Dillon signs with Saints

New Orleans Saints sign former Jets, Vikings tight end Brandon Dillon, team announces:

Here’s a new addition: the New Orleans Saints announced Tuesday that they have signed free agent tight end Brandon Dillon, who turned pro with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Marian, a small university in Indianapolis — where he was briefly teammates with former Saints practice squad wideout Krishawn Hogan, so that’s interesting.

Dillon, 25, spent his first three years in the NFL with Minnesota before joining the New York Jets late in the 2021 season; New York released him shortly after the 2022 NFL draft. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he fits New Orleans’ established prototype for the position, and his 7.26 Relative Athletic Score is good, not great. Dillon’s best performance came in the three-cone drill, where he graded out with impressive change-of-direction agility. That helped him average 17.2 yards per catch during his senior year of college.

But he’s only dressed for five games in his NFL career, totaling one reception to gain 6 yards (which didn’t convert a first down). He’s played 28 snaps on special teams against just 19 reps on offense in the pros, which may help illustrate his path to making the team. With a couple of experienced players already locked into roster spots, Dillon is facing an uphill battle.

We don’t know yet who will be waived to open a roster spot (New Orleans has met its 90-man offseason roster limit), but at the moment the other tight ends under contract include Adam Trautman, Nick Vannett, Taysom Hill, Juwan Johnson, and offseason additions J.P. Holtz, Kahale Warring, and Lucas Krull. The team typically keeps three tight ends during the season, sometimes four, so it’s going to be tough to make the cut.

[listicle id=113202]

4 things to know about Jets TE Brandon Dillon

Brandon Dillon took a unique path to the NFL. Get to know the Jets TE and his journey prior to landing on New York’s practice squad:

The Jets have been rendered thin at tight end recently due to injuries and COVID-19. Tyler Kroft just came off the COVID list and is set to play in New York’s season finale against the Bills, but Mike LaFleur’s offense has been operating without a deep tight end room for a while now.

One of Gang Green’s few healthy tight ends is Brandon Dillon, who was signed to the practice squad on Dec. 29. Dillon has one of the more unique journies of any player in the NFL. Let’s get to know him a bit better.

Vikings make an interesting practice squad protection

The Vikings protected practice squad tight end Brandon Dillon this week.

Minnesota protected practice squad tight end Brandon Dillon this week, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. On the surface, that seems like a sign of things to change among the tight end corps.

The Vikings narrowly defeated the Lions to move to 2-3 last game. Also last game, Chris Herndon, acquired via trade right before the season, played just seven snaps. He has a PFF grade of 34.2 on the year, with zero receptions for zero yards.

Herndon was seen as a possible bandaid over the Irv-Smith-Jr.-sized hole the Vikings had this offseason. With Smith injured, Tyler Conklin, Herndon and others were forced to step up.

So far, Herndon has not really thrived in Minnesota. For the Vikings, it might make sense to go with a different option. Dillon could be that option. Also something to keep in mind: Minnesota still has Ben Ellefson on the roster. Ellefson, a Minnesota native, serves as a blocking tight end for the team.

Vikings sign TE Brandon Dillon to the practice squad

The Vikings signed tight end Brandon Dillon to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.

Minnesota waived tight end Brandon Dillon to make room for running back Ameer Abdullah on the active roster.

After Dillon cleared waivers, the Vikings elected to sign him to the practice squad. Dillon played in three games last season. He was targeted just one time, making a reception for six yards, so he’s more of a depth player for the team. He’s also contributed on special teams.

Minnesota took a huge hit to its tight end group when Irv Smith Jr. went down with an injury.  That led to the Vikings trading with the Jets for tight end Chris Herndon.

With Tyler Conklin, Herndon and blocking tight end Ben Ellefson all on the roster, the team could afford to waive Dillon.

However, it still helps having a player like Dillon — someone familiar with the Vikings’ offensive system — on the practice squad. So Minnesota made the reasonable choice of keeping him around for the foreseeable future.

In addition to Dillon, the Vikings have one more tight end on the practice squad currently: fifth-round pick Zach Davidson, who is more of a project at this point.