Tag: Chase Cota

Giants place WR Chase Cota on injured reserve

The New York Giants have placed WR Chase Cota on injured reserve (IR) will a broken collarbone.

After officially signing UFL running back Jacob Saylors on Tuesday, the New York Giants needed to clear a spot on their 90-man roster. That came by way of wide receiver Chase Cota, who was placed on injured reserve (IR) after suffering a broken collarbone during minicamp.

Cota, 24, went undrafted in 2023 out of Oregon.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder who began his college career at UCLA, spent time on the practice squads of the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans last season.

In late January, the Giants signed Cota to a reserve/futures contract but he was unlikely to make the final 53-man roster. He was more likely vying for a spot on the practice squad.

Cota will become eligible for an injury settlement, at which point he can be waived off of IR and will be free to sign with another team.

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Giants expect a full roster of healthy players for training camp

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll expects a roster near complete health by the time training camp begins in July.

The New York Giants opened their annual spring minicamp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Tuesday. The two-day session is mandatory to all players but head coach Brian Daboll said everyone would not be participating in full.

Quarterback Daniel Jones, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered midseason last year, is going to have his activities slightly curtailed this week.

“I think we’ll keep him out of team drills, continue the rehab process. He’s really right on point with where he needs to be,” Daboll told reporters. “But in terms of the team, we’ll keep him out here the next few days and get him ready to go for training camp.

“We’ll only do team stuff today, so be it’ll be individual, it’ll be team. Won’t do 7-on-7 today. That’s no reflection of DJ or where he is at. He’s not too happy about it, but we’re going to go all team today.”

Right tackle Evan Neal, who played in just seven games last season due to an ankle injury, will also not participate in full at camp this week.

“No, you’ll see him at training camp,” Daboll said when asked about Neal doing anything beyond walkthroughs.

“He’s kind of about the same. He’s about the same. He has done some various things. We thought for the next couple of days, we’ll back off on him.”

Daboll then revealed that this week is just the first step. The goal is to have everyone ready for training camp the end of July.

“We’re going to back off him here and hopefully we can get — the plan is right now as of whatever today is, is I think we should have everybody ready to go for training camp, which is important,” he said.

After this week, the Giants will not reconvene as a team until July 24 when training camp opens.

If there is a player who may not be ready for training camp, it’s wide receiver Chase Cota, who suffered a broken collarbone on Tuesday.

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Trio of Giants receivers injured on Day 1 of minicamp

Three New York Giants wide receivers were injured on Day 1 of mandatory minicamp — one more seriously than the others.

On the first day of mandatory minicamp, the New York Giants saw three players leave the field with injuries: Darius Slayton, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, and Chase Cota.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that Slayton and Ford-Wheaton both walked off the field while Cota was carted off.

Slayton simply slipped while running a route, so his injury is likely minor and he can return to the field quickly. The Giants recently made adjustments to Slayton’s contract as an incentive to keep him with the team.

The other injuries were a bit more significant.

Ford-Wheaton signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent in May 2023. He flashed a bit early on but then suffered a season-ending torn ACL, which he’s currently attempting to work his way back from.

Any player being carted off is concerning. Cota entered the NFL on May 12, 2023, when he signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. Since then he made his way through Kansas City and Houston before signing with the Giants in January.

No one wants to see a player get injured, and no matter what time of year it is, it’s never a good time. The Giants are hopeful all three of these players can return to the field sooner than later.

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Giants sign two players to reserve/future contracts

The New York Giants have signed wide receiver Chase Cota and center Jimmy Morrissey to reserve/future contracts.

The New York Giants have added wide receiver Chase Cota and center Jimmy Morrissey to the roster on reserve/future contracts.

The 24-year-old Cota went undrafted last spring out of Oregon.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder who began his college career at UCLA, spent time on the practice squads of the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans this season.

Morrissey, 25, was a 2021 seventh-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders out of Pitt. He was signed off the Raiders practice squad by the Houston Texans and spent the majority of the last two seasons on their practice squad.

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Predicting the 22 remaining Detroit Lions roster cutdowns

The Detroit Lions have 75 players on the active roster as of noon Monday and have to be down to 53 by 4 p.m. Tuesday

It’s almost time for the Detroit Lions initial 53-man roster to be set for the 2023 regular season. The team has already trimmed several players from the 90-man preseason limit, but there are more cutdowns to be made.

As of 12 p.m. ET on Monday, the Lions have 75 players still on the active roster. That leaves 22 more players to be removed from the active roster before 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Note that CB Emmanuel Moseley and QB Hendon Hooker are not currently on the active roster, so they don’t factor in. WR Jameson Williams begins serving his suspension after the cutdowns, so he’s not involved either. 

12 players projected to make the Lions practice squad

These 12 players from the Lions’ final preseason game roster should make the team’s 16-man practice squad

One of the first orders of business for the Detroit Lions following the conclusion of the roster cutdowns and initial waiver claim period is to form the 16-man practice squad. Teams can start signing players to the practice squad after Wednesday, August 30th at 12 p.m. ET.

Most teams prefer to stock the practice squad with players who were on the roster for the final preseason game. The Lions did that last year and are expected to do so once again.

Here are 12 Lions expected to be cut by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline who should make the practice squad.

Lions WR battle will be some closely watched roster cuts

The Detroit Lions have three wide receivers who are vying to make the team and they did make it easy for the Lions come roster cuts

The Detroit Lions finished their preseason on a high note by defeating the Carolina Panthers. However, their work is not done yet as they must decide on their final roster before facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lions have already made some roster moves to try and find new homes for their veterans before Tuesday’s deadline.

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One of the toughest decisions the Lions face is determining who will be the WR 5-6 for the team. Each player vying for the position has shown potential and could justify making the team. This decision is especially important with the Jameson Williams suspension leaving a gap in the wide receiver room. The Lions will choose between Antonie Green, Dylan Drummond, and Chase Cota.

Antonie Green, the Lions’ seventh-round draft pick, has steadily improved throughout training camp and preseason games. His 70-yard touchdown against the Panthers showcased his speed and size, making him a potential matchup nightmare. Green also contributed to special teams assignments, which could prove to be crucial in securing his spot on the roster.

Dylan Drummond has shown consistency throughout camp and games, proving himself to be a reliable weapon. He has played the least amount of special teams snaps out of the three receivers, but whenever the Lions needed a play, he was the go-to playmaker. Drummond finished the preseason strong with great catches, solidifying his spot as a dependable receiver.

Chase Cota has also made a case for himself with his standout performances in preseason games. He led the receiving group with 60 yards in the Lions’ first preseason game against the Giants and had a touchdown catch in the Jaguars game. However, he dropped some passes in the Panthers game, including a potential touchdown. Cota did play the most special teams snaps among the three receivers, but Kalif Raymond has secured that spot.

The battle for the fifth and sixth WR positions is a closely monitored one, with each receiver showing potential. Drummond is the top choice for his dependability, while the decision between Cota and Green is a tough one. Ultimately, Green’s improvement and tangible skills make him the preferred choice. However, Cota could still develop his skills on the practice squad. It will be interesting to see which direction the Lions go in making this decision.

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Studs and Duds for the Lions preseason win against the Panthers

With the preseason in the books, here are this week’s Studs and Duds for the Detroit Lions preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers

The Detroit Lions have wrapped up their preseason with a 26-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers. As most of the Lions’ top players sat out, the coaches and management had the opportunity to closely observe the players who are on the brink of making the final roster. It will be intriguing to see which players the Lions choose, as many of them performed exceptionally well, making the decisions more difficult. Unfortunately, some players did not perform at their best and may have fallen behind in the roster selection.

Here are the Studs and Duds for the Lions in their preseason win against the Panthers.

5 hardest decisions to project from the Lions 53-man roster cutdown

Here are the five toughest cuts or decisions to project for the Lions final 53-man roster

The Lions held the final significant practices before Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline this week. With Friday’s preseason finale in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers the final chance to win or lose roster spots, the team is very close to finalizing the 53-man roster.

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There isn’t a ton of drama over the constitution of most of the roster. However, there are a few final spots up for grabs. They make for very difficult decisions for head coach Dan Campbell, GM Brad Holmes and the Lions braintrust.

Here are the five toughest cuts or decisions to project for the Lions’ final 53-man roster.

Detroit Lions rookie WR Chase Cota taking advantage of his opportunity

Cota has played well when given chances to show what he can do in Lions training camp and the preseason

The beauty of the preseason is the different backstories for each player that is fighting for their spot on the 53-man roster of an NFL team. From first-round draft picks to undrafted rookies, there’s so much intrigue with it all.

For the Detroit Lions, there have been a few intriguing names that have stood out for the team. But currently, nobody has been grabbing more attention than undrafted rookie Chase Cota. He’s a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver out of Oregon. Prior to posting 36 receptions for 497 yards with the Ducks, Cota played at UCLA for four seasons.

His father, Chad, played at Oregon and was in the NFL from 1995 to 2002 with the Panthers, Rams, Colts and Saints. Also, Chase is first cousins with his Lions teammate Brady Breeze.

For Chase Cota, he’s taken advantage of every chance he’s been given so far for the Detroit Lions. In the first preseason game, he was the most productive Lions player on offense with 4 receptions for 60 yards against the Giants. He was tied for the team lead with 7 targets in that game.

In week two of the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cota saw his production totals slip from where they were a week ago. However, he still was able to produce a touchdown and he had an impressive 28-yard punt return after the Jaguars opening drive stalled due to a holding penalty. More importantly, Cota is seeing the field more than just about any receiver on the roster.

Looking at the graphic above from Pro Football Focus (PFF), Cota played 17 snaps, and he had 11 routes run. As you can see, the only player who had more snaps than him at receiver was 7th-round pick Antoine Green. Regardless, the consecutive weeks of production is a promising sign for the undrafted receiver out of Oregon.

During training camp, head coach Dan Campbell has been asked frequently about the wide receiver room in Detroit. He’s been very upfront about anyone and everyone in that room. He’s even said, “the wide receiver room is wide open. If you want a spot, go get it.”

Players such as Dylan Drummond, Trinity Benson and Chase Cota have all been players that have been named as guys that can go get a spot. After two weeks of the preseason, Lions fans may want to get familiar with Cota. He’s continued to impress from offense to special teams. He’ll get one last chance this Friday against the Carolina Panthers to earn his spot on the Lions’ 53-man roster. No matter the outcome, it sure looks like Chase Cota is taking advantage of every opportunity he’s gotten with the Detroit Lions.

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