Tag: center

2 Broncos make PFF’s list of the Top 100 NFL free agents

Broncos C Lloyd Cushenberry (57) and LB Josey Jewell (78) were named on PFF’s list of the top 100 upcoming NFL free agents.

Two Denver Broncos players have been named by Pro Football Focus on a list of the top 100 pending free agents in 2024.

Linebacker Josey Jewell (No. 78) and center Lloyd Cushenberry (No. 57) were the only Broncos named on the list. Both have proven to be extremely successful players on their respective sides of the ball.

Cushenberry was the starting center for all 17 games in 2023, and is a force against the pass and run. “Cushenberry uses heavy hands and a good anchor to win against a growing list of quality pass-rushers on the interior, bolstering his value more each year,” Brad Spielberger wrote on PFF’s website. “He may be served better in a gap-heavy rushing scheme, but any limitations as a run blocker in space are vastly outweighed by his pass-blocking strength.”

Jewell has over 100 tackles in each of the past two seasons, and alongside fellow linebacker Alex Singleton, has been an effective one-two punch in the middle of the field. “Jewell may not be great in any one facet of linebacker play, but he’s good in all of them,” Spielberger wrote.” And a well-rounded linebacker is an asset to any defense. Jewell covers well in zone, with good spacial awareness to get proper depth, and has the ability to come forward and blitz up the middle on occasion.”

According to PFF, Cushenberry could draw a  four-year contract worth approximately $57 million, while Jewell could sign a projected two-year, $12.5 million deal. Denver general manager George Paton has made it a point to sign internal role players before targeting outside free agents, so it remains to be seen if he will continue to follow that pattern.

Jewell and Cushenberry are among the team’s most notable looming free agents. NFL free agency is set to begin in March.

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Broncos’ Lloyd Cushenberry nominated for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Denver Bronco center Lloyd Cushenberry has been nominated for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

The Denver Broncos have nominated center Lloyd Cushenberry for the 2023 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, the team announced Tuesday.

According to the NFL’s website, “The (Art Rooney Award) is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents and integrity in competition.”

Cushenberry is a fourth-year veteran who has been a starting offensive lineman who has played nearly every snap since he came into the league in 2020.

This is not the first time Cushenberry has been recognized for his on-field sportsmanship. While he was a player at LSU in college, he was the first offensive lineman in school history to wear the No. 18 jersey, which is given to player who “represents what it means to be an LSU player both on and off the field.”

Cushenberry is one of 32 players to be nominated for the award in 2023, and the winner will be announced at the NFL Honors ceremonies at the end of the year. Other nominees from around the league include Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Khalil Mack and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.

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Cowboys add former first-rounder to practice squad; team currently has 4 centers

From @ToddBrock24f7: The signing of award-winner Billy Price could speak to the severity of Tyler Biadasz’s injury; Brock Hoffman is out of gameday elevations.

The Cowboys are welcoming yet another former first-round draft pick to the locker room.

Dallas has signed center Billy Price to the practice squad. Price’s addition fills the spot left open when C.J. Goodwin was promoted to the active roster prior to Week 3’s game in Arizona.

Price, who turns 29 in October, was the 21st overall pick in the 2018 draft, selected out of Ohio State by the Bengals. After 42 game appearances in three seasons with Cincinnati, the 6-foot-4-inch former Rimington Award winner was traded to the Giants in 2021 and then bounced from Las Vegas to Arizona last season, and finally New Orleans this past summer.

His signing by Dallas comes after a 28-16 loss in which the offensive line saw major substitutions, including at center. Starter Tyler Biadasz was out with a hamstring injury; Brock Hoffman took his place in the lineup, but Sunday marked his third and final gameday elevation from the practice squad. He must be signed to the active roster in order to be active again this season.

Price joins Sean Harlow as the team’s practice squad centers. Harlow has two gameday elevations remaining in 2023.

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The Cowboys listed just one center on Aug. 29’s initial 53-man roster. Less than one month later, the club suddenly has four of them.

This development could speak to the severity of Biadasz’s injury and/or the long-term expectations of Hoffman and/or Harlow. But it’s a situation that bears watching.

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Alabama MBB offers 2025 center Malachi Moreno

The Alabama coaching staff extended an offer to 2025 center Malachi Moreno on Thursday night. Moreno is ranked as a four-star by 247Sports.

Class of 2025 center Malachi Moreno received an offer from Alabama on Thursday. Moreno is one of the top center prospects in the country for the 2025 recruiting cycle.

He is listed at 6-foot-11 and 200 pounds. His size gives him the option to play two positions at the collegiate level. Those two positions are power forward and center.

At Alabama, head coach Nate Oats welcomes versatility in the Crimson Tide’s frontcourt. In 2023, Alabama will have a versatile group consisting of Mohamed Wague, Jarin Stevenson, Nick Pringle, and Mouhamed Dioubate. Each of the players listed can play the four or five positions when their number is called upon. Moreno will be used in a similar role if he decides to commit to Alabama in the future.

During his sophomore season at Great Crossing High School, Moreno averaged 14.9 points, 11.4 rebounds per game, and 4.8 blocks per game.

Roll Tide Wire breaks down Malachi Moreno’s recruiting profile.

Olu Oluwatimi allowed zero pressures in his preseason debut for Seahawks

Continue keeping an eye on the center position battle moving forward

Last season, the Seattle Seahawks were engaged in a legitimate quarterback battle for the first time since the 2012 preseason. Now, the biggest position battle storyline to follow this year is up front at center.

The Seahawks’ offensive line improved dramatically in 2022, but the interior of the line was still a weakness. Seattle focused on improving this position by signing Evan Brown from the Detroit Lions, then drafting rookie Olu Oluwatimi from Michigan.

Although Brown has more experience (obviously) than Oluwatimi, do not count the former Wolverine out in this very much alive battle.

Against the Vikings, Oluwatimi impressed quite a bit.

In the Seattle Seahawks’ system under Pete Carroll, there are no penciled in starters. Every position can be up for grabs under his “always compete” mantra. It is a system where even a fifth round rookie can legitimately challenge an established, solid veteran.

Continue keeping an eye on the center position moving forward, this is a battle we’ll be seeing throughout the remainder of the season.

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Packers OL Zach Tom takes first-team snaps at center on Tuesday

Let the competition truly begin at center. Zach Tom tooks snaps at center with the first-team offense during Tuesday’s practice.

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom took first-team snaps at the center position in place of Josh Myers during Tuesday’s fully padded practice, suggesting for the first time that a true competition is taking place in the middle of the Packers offensive line.

Tom, who is also competing to start at right tackle, made 14 starts at center while at Wake Forest. He played every position but center as a rookie for the Packers last year, but it’s possible center is his best position. The Packers are attempting to find out where he best fits into the puzzle to open 2023.

Coach Matt LaFleur often talks about finding the five best starting offensive linemen. Tom’s versatility provides unique opportunities for LaFleur and the Packers to mix and match personnel, opening the possibility that Tom, Myers and Yosh Nijman are three players competing for just two open spots.

It’s even possible the Packers already see Tom as a starter — whether it’s at center or right tackle — and the real competition is between Myers and Nijman. In other words, if Myers is a better center than Nijman a right tackle, then Tom plays right tackle, and vice versa.

Myers took snaps with the second-team offense at center but rotated in and out of the starting offense with Tom during Tuesday’s practice.

The Packers made Myers a second-round pick in 2021. He’s started 23 games over the last two seasons, including in Week 1 of his rookie season and all 17 games last year. His inconsistency through two seasons left the door open for competition at center entering Year 3.

Creed Humphrey hints at extra grit, cohesion brewing along Chiefs’ offensive line

Creed Humphrey is excited for the pads to come on in St. Joseph on Friday as the #Chiefs offensive line continues building chemistry. | from: @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs opened training camp conducting practices without their players in pads. They have been following a strict low-to-no contact guideline throughout their workout sessions to this point, but plan to ramp up their intensity on Friday.

Center Creed Humphrey is among the Chiefs waiting most anxiously to get back to full-pace high-stakes action. He gladly revealed to reporters after practice on Wednesday which of his teammates felt the same way.

Humphrey sparked laughter at the podium, with his comment on guard Trey Smith, in particular.

“He gets to hit people, and he has pads,” Humphrey joked.

Smith earned a reputation for his brutal blocks last season, much to the delight of his teammate Humphrey. The team’s offseason additions, though,  were also favored by the decorated center. Players like tackles Wanya Morris, Donovan Smith, and Jawaan Taylor all seemed to have made great first impressions on Humphrey through four days of practices in St. Joseph, Missouri.

“They’ve been great so far,” Humphrey explained. “Everybody has been really eager to learn, everybody has been really eager to grow together, build chemistry together, so it’s been really good. I say this all the time, when you’ve got five guys up front who’ve got the same mindset and everything like that, it’s going to lead to good results. I feel like they did a good job of bringing in guys that have the same mindset as us.”

Humphrey and the rest of the line will do their best to continue playing with an edge and fostering unit cohesion as the Chiefs look to defend their Super Bowl LVII victory in 2023.

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Broncos offseason roster: No. 55, OL Kyle Fuller

Kyle Fuller started nine games at center with the Seahawks in 2021. He will now reunite with Russell Wilson after joining the Broncos.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at fifth-year center Kyle Fuller, No. 55.

Before the Broncos: Fuller, (6-5, 320 pounds) began his professional career when he was drafted in the seventh round (243rd overall) of the 2017 NFL draft out of Baylor by the Houston Texans.

Fuller started two games, playing in nine during his rookie year, before he was released by the Texans ahead of the 2018 season. Fuller promptly signed with Washington, where he saw action in two games of that season. He was then released by Washington. After failing to make the Dolphins’ 53-man roster in 2019, Fuller was picked up by the Seahawks. In three years in the Pacific Northwest, Fuller started 10 games, including nine games with now-teammate quarterback Russell Wilson.

Broncos tenure: Fuller signed with the Denver Broncos to a one-year pact during the 2023 offseason.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: Fuller has a decent chance to win the backup center job behind Lloyd Cushenberry, who started eight games in 2022 before suffering an injury. Denver has a crowded interior offensive line depth chart, so Fuller certainly isn’t a lock, but he’ll get an opportunity to impress the coaching staff this summer.

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Broncos roster series: No. 60, OL Luke Wattenberg

Entering his second season with the Broncos, Luke Wattenberg is a versatile lineman who can provide cover both at center and guard.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at second-year offensive lineman Luke Wattenberg, No. 60.

Before the Broncos: Wattenberg (6-5, 300 pounds) played college football at Washington, earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition in 2021 and 2020. He started all 12 games at center for the Huskies in 2021. Before that, he started four games at center during a COVID-shortened season in 2020. He began his college career with 27 straight starts at guard with Washington before switching to center. Wattenberg ran a 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds and a 10-yard shuttle in 1.77 seconds at the NFL combine in 2021.

Broncos tenure: Denver used a fifth-round pick to select Wattenberg in last year’s NFL draft. He dressed for seven games as a rookie last season and earned one start.

Chance to make the 53-man roster: Wattenberg should have strong odds to make the team as a backup swing guard/center. The Broncos have a crowded center depth chart, but Wattenberg could win a spot on the active roster thanks to his experience at guard.

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Alabama MBB offers 2025 center Oswin Erhunmwunse

The Alabama coaching staff extended an offer to 2025 center Oswin Erhunmwunse. Erhunmwunse plays for Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut.

The Alabama coaching staff extended an offer to 2025 center Oswin Erhunmwunse on Friday.

Erhunmwunse plays for Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut. He is listed at 6-foot-9, 210 pounds.

With two years of high school remaining, Erhunmwunse will have time to continue to grow his frame and develop his skillset. In Alabama’s system, he would likely play power forward or center. He is similar in stature to Alabama forward Nick Pringle. Pringle is 6-foot-9, 220 pounds.

Several other 2025 prospects that Alabama is recruiting at the center position are Francis Chukwudebelu and Jamarion Davis-Fleming.

Roll Tide Wire breaks down Oswin Erhunmwunse’s recruiting profile.