Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
We take a look at WR Brandon Smith and his chances of making the team entering training camp.
The Arizona Cardinals open training camp at the end of this month, so we will do a roster review, highlighting each player currently on the roster, going over last season, their salary and cap number, questions they face and what their expected roster status will be.
Next up is receiver Brandon Smith.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
The Panthers are a bit little in middle throughout these “Madden NFL 24” ratings.
Unfortunately for the league’s middle linebackers, the quarterbacks—as usual—commanded the spotlight during Friday’s “Madden NFL 24” ratings reveals. So, we’ll let ’em shine a little here.
Check out the marks for the Carolina Panthers’ backers:
The Broncos invited at least five players to try out at minicamp, including kicker Randy Bullock and running back Benny Snell.
The Denver Broncos invited at least five players to try out at mandatory minicamp this week.
We previously learned earlier this month that the club invited a pair of XFL wide receivers — Jahcour Pearson and Brandon Smith — and today, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported the names of three other tryout players.
In addition to Pearson and Smith, the Broncos are also taking a look at running back Benny Snell, fullback Ryan Nall and kicker Randy Bullock.
Snell (5-10, 224 pounds) played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2019-2022, rushing 275 times for 982 yards and seven touchdowns in 63 games (five starts).
Nall (6-2, 245 pounds) has spent time with the Chicago Bears (2018-2022) and Dallas Cowboys (2022). He made 33 appearances for the Bears from 2019-2021. Used primarily as a blocking fullback, Nall has rushed six times for 12 yards and totaled nine receptions for 71 yards in his career.
Bullock (33) has spent time with seven NFL teams, most recently with the Tennessee Titans from 2021-2022. He has converted 83.4% of his field goal attempts in his career with a long of 57 yards.
The Broncos signed kicker Elliott Fry after cutting Brandon McManus last month, but the team plans to continue monitoring the kicker market leading up to the regular season.
Denver’s minicamp will run from Tuesday to Thursday.
Story update: Brandon Smith is not attending minicamp. Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post shared a list of the eight players trying out at camp this week and it also includes CB Darren Evans, WR Jerreth Sterns and LB Austin Ajiake.
Smith is the fifth receiver the Cardinals have added in the offseason taller than six feet.
The Arizona Cardinals announced a roster move ahead of their week of mandatory minicamp. They signed former XFL receiver Brandon Smith and released receiver Auden Tate.
Smith worked out with the team last week.
Smith spent the last two seasons on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad and played for the D.C. Defenders in the XFL recently.
He appeared in four games, catching eight passes (two in each game) for 118 yards and a touchdown.
Smith is 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and played collegiately for Iowa.
He gives the Cardinals another receiver with some size. He is the fifth receiver they have added this offseason taller than six feet.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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The Broncos have invited XFL wide receiver Brandon Smith, a former Cowboy, to try out for the team at minicamp next week.
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The Denver Broncos have invited D.C. Defenders wide receiver Brandon Smith to try out for the team at mandatory minicamp next week, according to a report from KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson.
Before traveling to Denver, Smith has a workout with the Arizona Cardinals scheduled for Thursday, according to Wilson.
Smith (6-1, 218 pounds) is a 24-year-old receiver out of Iowa who has spent time on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad over the last two years. He totaled 91 receptions for 1,041 yards and nine touchdowns in four seasons (29 games) with the Hawkeyes from 2017-2020.
After spending 2021-2022 with the Cowboys, Smith joined the XFL this spring and caught eight passes for 118 yards and one touchdown in seven games.
The Broncos have also invited XFL receiver Jahcour Pearson to minicamp, and the team recently signed undrafted WR Nick Williams. Denver is clearly looking to improve its bottom-of-the-roster WR depth.
The Broncos are set to hold mandatory minicamp from June 13-15.
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According to Aaron Wilson, WR Brandon Smith, who most recently played in the XFL for the D.C. Defenders, will work out for Arizona Thursday.
The Arizona Cardinals are in the final week of voluntary OTAs and announced a pair of roster moves on Monday, adding a pair of cornerbacks to the roster. They will take a look at a former XFL receiver this week.
According to Aaron Wilson, the Cardinals will have receiver Brandon Smith in for a workout on Thursday.
Smith spent the last two seasons on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad and played for the D.C. Defenders in the XFL recently.
He appeared in four games, catching eight passes (two in each game) for 118 yards and a touchdown.
Smith is 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds and played collegiately for Iowa.
He has been invited to the Denver Broncos’ veteran minicamp next week as well.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.
[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.
In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.
Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.
Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.
And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.
Brandon Smith has provided some preseason highlights with Dallas; now he’ll look to gain more game experience with the D.C. Defenders. | From @ToddBrock24f7
One Cowboys wide receiver is planning to keep playing football right through the NFL offseason.
Brandon Smith has been signed to the active roster of the XFL’s D.C. Defenders. The Defenders won their opening game of the league’s 2023 schedule, but they did so with a rather lackluster passing attack as D.C. quarterbacks Jordan Ta’amu and Deriq King combined for a total of just nine completions in a 22-18 win over the Seattle Sea Dragons. Only one Defenders player recorded multiple receptions on the night.
Smith, the 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound 24-year-old out of Iowa, signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and has spent the past two seasons on the Cowboys practice squad.
The highlight of his Cowboys career thus far? A pretty sensational toe-tap touchdown catch in the team’s 2022 preseason win over the Seahawks.
Brandon Smith toe tap TD! @_BSmith12
📺: #SEAvsDAL on @NFLNetwork (check local listings)
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/NuFDwY3j8a pic.twitter.com/Z2L8UPvfZr— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2022
The newly-relaunched XFL is not meant to be a developmental “feeder” league for NFL talent, according to the league’s ownership. But XFL players can indeed sign onto an NFL roster following the season, which concludes in mid-May.
So theoretically, Smith could be back with the Cowboys when the team’s offseason program begins. And the game reps he is set to receive in the XFL might ultimately prove beneficial in a Dallas WR room that, at least last season, was chock full of inexperienced youngsters jockeying for a leg up on the depth chart.
Smith and his new Defenders club will face the Vegas Vipers on Saturday.
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On Saturday, the Panthers placed rookie LB Brandon Smith on IR.
Brandon Smith was just getting started here in 2022. And unfortunately, his year might’ve just come to an end.
Ahead of their Week 15 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Carolina Panthers placed the rookie linebacker on injured reserve. That’ll put Smith, who sustained an ankle injury in last week’s 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks, on the shelf for at least the next four weeks.
Carolina drafted the Penn State University product in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He has played in 12 of the Panthers’ 13 games this season.
Smith was almost strictly a special teams contributor from Weeks 1 to 10, having played in just 10 defensive snaps through his first nine outings. Over the past three contests, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound defender racked up 33 looks on defense, totaling three combined tackles.
If the Panthers clinch a playoff berth, which can happen with four straight wins to close out the campaign, Smith can be eligible to return.
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In his first game back from a six-week absence, Panthers S Jeremy Chinn played in each of his defense’s 69 snaps.
Since the Carolina Panthers showed out on defense against the Baltimore Ravens, let’s put a snap-count spotlight on their Week 11 performance.
So, in an all-defense edition, here are the top takeaways from Sunday’s playing time.
