Tag: Brandon Walton

Bucs sign pair of free agents to 1-year deals

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed two of their exclusive rights free agents to one-year contracts

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed wide receiver Deven Thompkins and offensive lineman Brandon Walton to one-year contracts, the team announced Tuesday.

Thompkins and Walton were both set to become exclusive rights free agents this offseason. As the team release notes, “exclusive rights free agents are players with expiring contracts and two or fewer seasons of accrued free agency credit that are not allowed to negotiate with any other team.”

Thompkins, an undrafted free agent out of Utah State in 2023, has flashed playmaking ability with impressive speed on both offense and special teams, despite being undersized.

Walton was signed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2021, and has spent most of his time in Tampa Bay on the practice squad.

[lawrence-related id=85676]

Steelers tryouts: Pittsburgh had visit with FAU tackle Wednesday

The Pittsburgh Steelers worked out a Florida Atlantic tackle.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on a hunt for tackles after Zach Banner (torn ACL) was lost for the season in their win over the New York Giants on Monday. He was placed on injured reserve Wednesday and will undergo knee surgery on Friday.

To add depth on the practice squad, Brandon Walton, a tackle out of Florida Atlantic, was hosted by the Steelers on Wednesday, per the NFL transaction wire.

Walton, signed as a 2020 undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills, has been a hot commodity since the team released him last week.

The 6-4 and 311-pound tackle worked out with the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

According to our friends over at Chiefs Wire, Walton appeared in 44 games in four seasons with the FAU Owls and has experience at both right and left tackle. Walton jumps out on tape against high-level competition like Chase Young, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Chuks Okorafor, who was co-starter on the Steelers initial NFL-mandated depth chart of the season, is expected to take over for Banner at right tackle.

Tackles Derwin Gray, Anthony Coyle, Jarron Jones and Jerald Hawkins are currently on the Steelers practice squad. One of them will move up to the active roster to backup Okorafor.

As the practice squad has a rotating door on it, steady tryouts are conducted throughout the season.

[vertical-gallery id=476050]

[lawrence-related id=475459]

Chiefs to host former Bills OT Brandon Walton for visit

The Chiefs are taking a look at an intriguing offensive tackle who was with the Bills this offseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to bring players in for visits, likely with the goal of reinforcing their practice squad depth. Earlier in the week, they had OL Danny Isidora, WR Juwann Winfree and P Tyler Newsome in for visits. They even ended up adding Isidora to the practice squad. Now, they’ll host former Bills OT Brandon Walton on a visit.

If you look at the Chiefs’ 16-man practice squad right now, you’ll notice that that one thing missing is offensive tackle depth. Walton signed with Buffalo following the 2020 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic. He didn’t make the final 53-man roster for the Bills but was added to the initial practice squad. He was released from the practice squad in order to make room for former Packers WR Jake Kumerow.

The 6-4 and 311-pound tackle has been busy since his release, working out for the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Sept. 10. Walton is a toolsy prospect who played in a lot of games for the Owls, appearing in 44 contests over the course of four seasons. He has experience playing both the right tackle and left tackle spots. He also has some really good tape against top-flight competition like No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Chase Young.

Walton would be a solid developmental OT prospect to keep on the practice squad for the 2020 NFL season and perhaps beyond for Kansas City. We’ll see in the coming days if any movement comes from his visit with the team. It’s worth noting that there are four receivers on the Chiefs’ practice squad. That’d probably be the position that sees someone released if they were to make a transaction.

[vertical-gallery id=76658]