The #Chiefs hosted a former Missouri Tiger for a visit on Tuesday, one who started beside rookie LB Nick Bolton in 2019.
The Kansas City Chiefs hosted a free agent linebacker on a visit on Tuesday.
According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs hosted former University of Missouri LB Cale Garrett for a visit. The 6-3 230-pound linebacker went undrafted following the 2020 NFL draft, signing initially with the Tennessee Titans. He spent the offseason playing in Nashville but didn’t make 53-man roster cuts.
By September, Garrett had found a new home, signing with the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad. He spent just under a month on the practice squad with the Vikings before he was released. Garrett then signed a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants. He spent the 2021 offseason with Big Blue before he was waived on August 11.
The Kearney, Missouri native started beside Chiefs rookie LB Nick Bolton at Mizzou in 2019. He put together an impressive senior campaign posting 43 tackles, five tackles for loss, three interceptions, two sacks, two QB hurries, five passes defended, a fumble recovery and three defensive touchdowns. He did so playing in just five games, suffering a torn pectoral, which ended his season early.
Linebacker is one of the deeper position groups in Kansas City, but there is little harm in trying out a local prospect. He could be someone that the Chiefs add to their call list or it’s possible that he’s signed in the coming days. While he hasn’t done much in the NFL so far, his talents are evident from his time at Missouri and he could be a strong developmental option for the team.
The New York Giants have signed DT Willie Henry, a former fourth-round pick, and waived LB Cale Garrett.
The New York Giants continued their roster shuffling on Wednesday night with a series of transactions.
They kicked things off with the addition of defensive tackle Elijah Qualls and the release of both defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh and wide receiver Derrick Dillon (injury settlement), but that was just the start.
Shortly after making those announcements, the Giants also announced that they had signed defensive tackle Willie Henry and waived linebacker Cale Garrett.
Henry, 27, was a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in the 2016 NFL draft. After three seasons in Baltimore, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 after missing the 2019 season. He was released in December of that year and promptly signed to the Houston Texans’ practice squad.
The 6-foot-3, 288-pound Henry signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in May of this year but was released in late July.
In 18 career games (three starts), Henry has recorded 36 tackles (seven for a loss), 12 QB hits, 4.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and five passes defensed.
The New York Giants worked out wide receiver Shelton Gibson and eight others on Thursday.
The New York Giants hosted nine players for workouts in East Rutherford on Thursday, including former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Shelton Gibson.
The 5-foot-11, 191-pound Gibson was a fifth-round pick out of West Virginia in 2017 and spent the first two seasons of his career with the Eagles. He also had stays with the Cleveland Browns, Washington Football Team, Carolina Panthers and a second stint in Philly.
In 20 career games, Gibson has hauled in three receptions for 59 yards. He has also returned three kickoffs for 57 yards.
In addition to Gibson, the Giants also worked out wide receiver Kyran Moore, defensive end Ryan Bee, offensive tackle Dino Boyd, running back Jordan Chunn, tight end Matt Flanagan, defensive back Evan Foster, linebacker Cale Garrett and quarterback Jalen Morton.
The Giants likely evaluated these players with Reserve/Futures deals in mind should they be eliminated from the playoffs this weekend.
Note: Thursday represented the start of the COVID-19 for all players working out/trying out.
Cale Garrett will be joining the practice squad of the Titans’ Week 3 opponent, the Vikings.
Former Tennessee Titans linebacker and 2020 UDFA out of Missouri, Cale Garrett, has landed on the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings, the Titans’ Week 3 opponent, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Garrett spent all of training camp with the Titans, but he didn’t make it on the team’s initial 53-man roster after getting cut. His fate was pretty much sealed once the Titans signed veteran linebacker, Will Compton.
The Vikings are dealing with injuries to multiple linebackers, the biggest of which is Anthony Barr, who was placed on Injured Reserve with a torn pectoral muscle, ending his 2020 season.
Garrett will provide some depth at the position on the practice squad, and with teams able to elevate two players from it on game days, he could potentially make his NFL debut on Sunday.
However, that isn’t likely given that Garrett is a rookie and will have less than a full week to learn the Vikings’ defense. He could contribute on special teams if need be, also.
Garrett did show flashes during Titans camp, and he was one of our picks out of the team’s UDFAs to make the final roster, however that never came to fruition. He will now get a new opportunity in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly added a linebacker to its practice squad: Cale Garrett.
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Linebacker Cale Garrett took a tryout with the Vikings this week, and the team reportedly liked him enough to keep him around.
As reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Minnesota is signing free agent linebacker Cale Garrett to the practice squad.
The move comes after the Vikings elevated linebacker Hardy Nickerson to the active roster. Nickerson was on the practice squad before that, so bringing in another linebacker for that role makes sense.
With the Vikings placing linebacker Anthony Barr on IR, the linebacker position group has grown thin. Bringing in more linebackers, even if they are for the practice squad, isn’t a bad idea.
Garrett, a Missouri product, signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent this offseason. He ended up being cut from the 53-man roster. Then, he didn’t sign to Tennessee’s practice squad. It will be interesting to see if he can surprise some people and work his way up the Vikings.
The Vikings brought in linebacker Cale Garrett for a tryout.
Anthony Barr’s injury is a big blow to a Vikings linebacker unit that was already looking a little thin.
Minnesota still has Eric Kendricks and Eric Wilson, both of whom were decent in the loss to the Colts. But after that it’s Troy Dye, Ryan Connelly and that’s it.
He’s not as established as Barr, but Minnesota has brought in a linebacker for a tryout: Cale Garrett.
Garrett, a player out of Missouri, signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent this offseason. He was cut from Tennessee’s 53-man roster this offseason, then didn’t sign to the Titans’ practice squad.
Of course he probably wouldn’t be a starter, but he might pan out as decent depth for the Vikings.
Titans UDFA Cale Garrett hasn’t forgotten about going undrafted.
Tennessee Titans inside linebacker Cale Garrett is one of 14 undrafted free agents the team signed following the 2020 NFL Draft, but he has a better chance than most to make the roster.
Despite playing in only six games last season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle, something that no doubt hurt his draft stock, Garrett still put together an impressive career at Missouri.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 80 or better in three straight seasons with the Tigers, and in 2019 he showed his coverage skills, posting three picks on 12 passes thrown his way. His grade of 91.9 was tied for 13th among linebackers.
But Garrett isn’t just bringing promise with him to the NFL, he’s playing with somewhat of a chip on his shoulder, as he told Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“It’s something that you definitely carry with you. It’s something that still bugs me. But I know you get everything you deserve,” Garrett explained. “You earn the right to get drafted and you earn what you work for. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a drive to work even harder. I don’t look it as being upset. I look at it that it’s all on me. There’s so many other factors, but I’m going to control what I can control. Maybe that adds more of a chip.”
Garrett mentions being able to play for head coach Mike Vrabel and inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett, who is a former NFL head coach himself, as a few reasons why joining the Titans was an attractive opportunity.
“Being able to play for Coach (Mike) Vrabel and (linebackers) Coach Jim Haslett was super appealing as well as the opportunity to come in and compete. They didn’t draft a linebacker this year, so I just felt like this would be a good opportunity for me to contribute to a team and make a roster.”
That last point might be the key to Garrett making the roster.
The Titans carried five inside linebackers into last season, and as it stands now they have a total of seven on the roster.
However, beyond the top three — Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans and David Long — it’s anyone’s guess who will be the fourth in line to play snaps on defense with the team unlikely to bring Wesley Woodyard back.
Khaylan Kearse-Thomas is another UDFA, and both Nick Dzubnar and Nigel Harris have played sparingly on defense and mostly on special teams during their careers. The latter has just 11 career games under his belt in total.
Filling Woodyard’s role doesn’t just mean playing on defense, though. The veteran also played an important role on special teams, and that’s an area Garrett says he’s ready to contribute in if needed.
“Absolutely. That would have been my mindset. That should be everybody’s mindset coming in,” Garrett said. “What can I do to contribute? What can I do to help this team win ballgames and win Super Bowls? That has to be your mindset at the end of the day. I just want to play and win games.”
There’s a lot to like about Garrett, and it’s why he was one of six UDFAs we decided have the best shot to make the roster.
However, it will be tougher than ever for undrafted players to make the cut this year, thanks to the likelihood that there will be no preseason and a smaller training camp roster of 80 players instead of 90.
Even with that being the case, the Titans only have to trim seven players off their current roster to hit that number (assuming there are no signings), so some UDFAs will still get their shot.
And, with the Titans having a need on the inside, Garrett is likely to be among the group of UDFAs lucky enough to survive the pre-training camp cuts.
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Missouri linebacker Cale Garrett
Throughout his four years with the Missouri Tigers, linebacker Cale Garrett displayed exactly what a linebacker’s mindset should be.
Unafraid of contact and willing to help out in any way possible, Garrett was a three-year starter who finished in his collegiate career with 291 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks and 6 interceptions in 41 games.
As he finishes up his recovery from a torn pectoral and prepares to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine, Garrett spoke exclusively with Draft Wire to discuss his collegiate career, his passion for hiking, and the mental acuity it took for him to get where he is today.
JI: Heading into your recruiting process, playing for Mizzou was your dream. How does it feel to not only have accomplished that dream, but becoming one of the program’s best defenders in recent years?
CG: I think it’s really cool just to be able to play at my state school, growing up two hours away and going to a few games in middle school. I didn’t go to games growing up – I was actually a Kansas fan at first (laughs). It was really cool, and it made the most sense, and it was awesome, being able to have the opportunity to play in the SEC that close to home, [wearing] that jersey with pride every Saturday because you knew it was for your state.
JI: You had an illustrious career there, and you started off the 2019 season on a high note before it came to a premature end due to your pectoral injury. How did you bounce back mentally from having your collegiate career ended just a few weeks into the year?
CG: It was really tough at first, but I’d say the support from everybody that I had – from my family, my teammates, the coaches – everyone around me was just really supportive and helped me see the big picture and understand the vision where I did enough to where I’ll have a chance to continue playing football if things go right. I’ll work really hard; I’ll still have the opportunity, which is really exciting. It gave me time to finish up my degree, [but] it was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever had to overcome. It taught me a lot about myself too, in terms of resiliency and being able to try and be the same person you are when things are going smoothly.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
JI: Speaking of resiliency, it was that Troy game in October when you got a pick-six after you already had gotten injured, is that right?
CG: Yeah, I got two picks. One of them was a touchdown, the other one I got tackled on the one-yard line. I was too slow (laughs).
JI: What was running through your mind when you ran that ball in for the score?
CG: It just felt funny how it all happened like that. Looking back on it, it was pretty crazy because I was raising the ball with the arm I had the torn pec on. Adrenaline’s a hell of a drug, but I felt happy being able to make that kind of play, and glad I was be resilient like that and fight through things. It can be really fruitful and rewarding sometimes.
JI: Did you suspect at first that the injury was as serious as it was, or did you kind of shrug it off?
CG: While I was playing in the game, I just thought it was something in my shoulder that was hurting pretty good, but then as I took my pads off and the doctor looked at it, he knew what it was. My heart just sunk immediately. It was right away when I got my pads off, [I knew] I wasn’t going to put them back on in a Mizzou uniform, but before that I didn’t really know.
JI: How’s your recovery coming along?
CG: It’s really good. I’m actually flying back out to Columbia soon to get cleared by the doctor that did my surgery, so I’m doing really well. I’m running around, starting to do some pressing movements and whatnot. I’m almost 100 percent; I’m probably at about 95 percent right now.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
JI: What would you say is the most important trait to have for the linebacker position?
CG: I’d say instincts would be the first, and then football IQ or leadership after that, a combination of those things. Usually the linebacker [is] the quarterback of the defense. You’re helping more than just yourself get set up. Having that natural instinct, or some people develop it too, just to be able to read a play and act on it is crucial.
JI: I see a lot of that intelligence in your game through your ability to process quick, and I also see a physical player who’s not afraid of contact. What was to be done physically and mentally to obtain that hard-nosed mindset that you have?
CG: I think it’s just a decision you have to make a decide that’s who you’re going to be, to not necessarily worry about the consequences [or] think about anything else, just to understand that you have to have that kind of mindset of, ‘you’re going to do what it takes to get the job done’.
JI: Who’s the hardest player you’ve had to tackle?
CG: The one I thought of most were all the Georgia running backs [D’Andre Swift, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel], but the one I think was the toughest to tackle was Josh Jacobs from Alabama last year. He could juke you out or run you over, and it was just whichever one that beat you, whatever he chose to do.
JI: A lot of people might not know that off the field, you’re an avid hiker. What part of hiking do you find particularly appealing?
CG: I just like the natural beauty of nature, being able to be out and get away from it all.
(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
JI: Is it true that you hiked across the Grand Canyon?
CG: Yeah, I hiked from the south rim to the north rim and back, it was like 40-something miles.
JI: How do you prepare for something like that?
CG: I guess you don’t fully know what you’re getting into until you get into it. I didn’t really know what I was [doing] all the way; I guess I wasn’t fully prepared for it. While you’re in it, you’re just putting one foot in front of the other, making sure you have enough water, enough food. It just comes down to having enough mental toughness to advance, and that was probably one of the most physical challenges I’ve ever done. I was really tough.
JI: Are there any other cool places you’ve hiked at so far?
CG: I’ve done Pike’s Peak like three times. I’ve done a couple of mountains in Colorado.
JI: Outside of hiking, how else do you like to spend your free time?
CG: I really just like to hang out. I like traveling a lot, going to a new place, just being able to be in a new environment. Mainly now it’s been a lot of family time because of all of the spare time I’ve had.
JI: It sounds like the NFL’s the perfect job then, being able to play football and get to explore the country.
CG: That is really nice, and then also a lot of the vets will have this three-month period where you can work out; your job is just to stay in shape, and you can really just do that anywhere. I’m excited about that a little bit.
JI: Let’s say I’m an NFL general manager. What would I be getting if I drafted you to my team?
CG: You’d be getting a disciplined linebacker, a really disciplined player that’s willing to find his role and execute it to the best of his abilities.
