Tag: cameron mcgrone

Colts’ Cameron McGrone suffers head injury vs. Bills

Colts LB Cameron McGrone will not return to the preseason opener due to a head injury.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Cameron McGrone suffered a head injury during the preseason opener Saturday against the Buffalo Bills and will not return.

McGrone was evaluated near the end of the third quarter and was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the game.

A fringe roster player, McGrone has been competing in the linebacker room for the final spot. He was signed to the active roster from the New England Patriots practice squad late during the 2022 season and has been with the Colts throughout the offseason.

Patriots salary cap: Tracking New England’s $18 million in dead money

Here’s where the Patriots’ dead money situation stands ahead of the 2023 season.

The New England Patriots have made it past June 1, which means the team’s salary will be less impacted by any trades or contract releases for the 2023 season.

When it comes to dead money, the Patriots are sitting at the middle of the pack in the NFL, mostly due to all of the money they had tied up in former tight end Jonnu Smith’s contract.

Dead cap is money or any guaranteed salary still being paid to players that were moved from the roster. The Patriots are currently sitting at $18,174,272 in dead money, per Over The Cap.

Here are nine former Patriots players eating up a portion of the team’s salary cap ahead of the 2023 season:

Patriots sign LB to practice squad after losing Cameron McGrone

The Patriots added another linebacker after losing Cameron McGrone to the Colts.

The New England Patriots didn’t waste time adding another linebacker to their practice squad, after losing Cameron McGrone to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.

It’s a blast from the past for the Patriots, who announced the signing of veteran linebacker Terez Hall to the practice squad.

Hall appeared in eight games with New England back in 2020 and started in four games. So there’s definitely some familiarity as far as the team’s defensive concepts are concerned. He wrapped up that season with 50 total tackles and two pass deflections.

McGrone, a former fifth-round draft pick for the Patriots, was plucked off their practice squad by the Colts. He was a promising player looking to carve out a spot for himself in a talented linebackers room.

Now, he’ll have an opportunity to do so in Indy, while Hall will try to do the same in his return to New England.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=132966]

Colts sign up-and-coming linebacker off Patriots practice squad

The Colts claimed a player off the Patriots’ practice squad on Tuesday.

The Indianapolis Colts signed former New England Patriots linebacker Cameron McGrone off New England’s practice squad Tuesday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

So McGrone’s time in New England officially comes to an end.

McGrone was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft. The former Michigan star didn’t play in 2021, as he was recovering from a torn ACL. The linebacker had a solid college career, recording 91 total tackles in two seasons with the Wolverines. His best season came in 2019, when he recorded 65 tackles and a pass deflection.

New England elevated McGrone from the practice squad to the active roster for their game against the Arizona Cardinals. However, he did not play in the game. The linebacker did not appear in any games during his time in New England.

But the Patriots liked him enough to keep him stashed on the practice squad, and apparently, the Colts liked him, too.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=133137]

Colts officially place RB Jonathan Taylor on IR among several moves

Colts placed Jonathan Taylor on IR, waived DE Ifeadi Odenigbo and added a pair to the practice squad.

As expected, the Indianapolis Colts placed running back Jonathan Taylor on the injured reserve list Tuesday due to the ankle injury he suffered in Week 15.

It wasn’t the only move the Colts made, though, and there was at least one mildly surprising move that involved the release of a productive, rotational defensive end in the form of Ifeadi Odenigbo. The Colts also made some moves to the practice squad.

Here’s a recap of the moves the Colts made Tuesday, some of which had already been covered:

Colts sign LB Cameron McGrone off Patriots practice squad

Colts add a LB from the Patriots practice squad.

The Indianapolis Colts signed linebacker Cameron McGrone to the active roster from the New England Patriots’ practice squad, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Tuesday.

McGrone, 22, was a fifth-round pick with the Patriots in the 2021 NFL draft out of Michigan. He spent his rookie season on the injured reserve list and the entire 2022 season on the Patriots practice squad.

An Indianapolis native, McGrone appeared in 16 career games at Michigan. He recorded 11.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and 91 total tackles (52 solo). At his pro day, he measured in at 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds with 32-inch arms.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwdn1cy47y964q player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

Patriots offer explanation for this strange roster move vs. Cardinals

Coach Bill Belichick is the real MVP for this move.

The New England Patriots faced off against the Arizona Cardinals Monday night, and it was supposed to be the debut for 2021 NFL draft pick, Cameron McGrone.

However, he was announced as inactive about an hour before the game.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick had a pregame interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, and during that interview, he said he was unsure of the statuses of some linebackers, as well as the health of some special teams players. He wanted to have McGrone available in case someone couldn’t go.

Perhaps the most interesting part of those comments is that when players are elevated from the practice squad they receive a game day bonus. McGrone’s salary went from $11,500 to $39,166.67. That is certainly a good amount of money.

The linebacker is set to become a free agent after the season, but Belichick did not rule out the possibility for him to see playing time, as transcribed by Dakota Randall of NESN.com.

“Cam’s had a good year,” Belichick said. “He missed a little bit of time at the beginning of the year and then had a good stretch there. Then missed a few practices about a month ago or so somewhere in there. Then kind of started to reclimb from there. … He’s done a good job for us.”

Belichick is certainly not ruling out a bigger role towards the end for McGrone. At the very least, the coach helped his linebacker earn a little extra cash.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=132966]

Patriots elevate two linebackers from practice squad ahead of Monday’s game vs Cardinals

The Patriots are bringing in some defensive reinforcements against the Cardinals.

The New England Patriots are boosting their linebacking corps ahead of a pivotal showdown with the Arizona Cardinals and their electric quarterback, Kyler Murray.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported on Monday that the team was elevating veteran linebacker Jamie Collins and second-year defender Cameron McGrone from the practice squad for the primetime matchup.

One of the primary weaknesses for the Patriots defense has been their struggles against mobile quarterbacks. Coming into a game against a player like Murray, who is notorious for scrambling around, buying extra time and making plays with his legs, New England will need to match the right personnel to ensure they don’t suffer the same issues they had against Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields and Josh Allen.

Collins is obviously in the twilight of his career, but he won a Super Bowl and developed into an All-Pro player by being one of the more versatile and athletic linebackers in the league.

McGrone, who is being elevated for the first time, showed similar abilities in training camp. This could be an opportunity for him to make a name for himself and stick on the main roster.

The Patriots are likely facing a must-win scenario against one of the more dangerous offensive teams in the league. So they’ll clearly need all of the help they can get.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=132516]

Many familiar faces return to practice after initially being cut by Patriots

Multiple preseason fan favorites were back at practice on Wednesday.

There were plenty of familiar faces back at practice after initially being cut by the New England Patriots on Tuesday.

Like the rest of the league, the Patriots went through the tough process of trimming their rosters down to 53 players. On Wednesday, many of the players on the cut list went on waivers with the chance of being claimed by another team.

The Patriots were fortunate that tight end Devin Asiasi was their only former player that got claimed on waivers. So that paved the way for a slew of fan favorites to return, including Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Tre Nixon, J.J. Taylor and LaBryan Ray.

Even veteran cornerback Terrance Mitchell was spotted at practice.

There was also a reported “mystery lineman” wearing a No. 68 jersey. Could it be Drew Desjarlais?

The Patriots will lean on some of their practice squad talent to fill roles at certain points throughout the season for a team that currently has more questions than answers.

At the very least, there are several players within the group that showed they were up for the challenge during the preseason slate.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=none image=https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=126389]

Patriots position preview: Breaking down the linebackers ahead of camp

The Patriots are in a year of transition. The youth movement is underway at linebacker.

The New England Patriots have no shortage of young talent at the linebacker position. With Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Not not returning, those young linebackers finally have a chance to shine. But it’s one thing to be promising and another thing to be impressive and consistent.

That’s the transition that this team’s linebackers must undergo in 2022. For years, the Patriots have selected linebackers with high draft picks. And for years, those players have not played. This seems to be the year New England is giving them an opportunity. And we’ll see what they’re made of.

So let’s take a look at what New England has to offer at the position.