Tag: Chigozie Anusiem

Browns sign promising rookie off Commanders practice squad

Other teams are now signing players off Washington’s practice squad.

The Adam Peters effect is real. Since Peters was hired in January and reshaped the Commanders’ roster, other NFL teams are now signing players off Washington’s practice squad.

This week, the Cleveland Browns signed undrafted rookie cornerback Chigozie Anusiem off Washington’s practice squad to their 53-man roster. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound corner played collegiately at California before finishing his career at Colorado State.

After going undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft, the Commanders gave Anusiem a $50K signing bonus and a $300K base salary guarantee to sign with them as an undrafted free agent.

Anusiem showed promise throughout the offseason. While he didn’t make Washington’s initial 53-man roster, the Commanders quickly re-signed him to their practice squad. He has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Washington currently has five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster: Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes and Michael Davis. While Lattimore has yet to make his Washington debut since being acquired in a trade two weeks ago, there is optimism he’ll be available in Week 12 vs. Dallas.

Browns poach young player from Commanders

The Browns have signed cornerback Chigozie Anusiem to their active roster.

The Cleveland Browns have made a roster move today, adding youngster cornerback Chigozie Anusiem off of the practice squad of the Washington Commanders.

Anusiem, a rookie undrafted free agent from Colorado State, will wear No. 35 for the Browns. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Anusiem recorded one interception for the Rams a year ago as a fifth-year senior.

Perhaps where he will see the majority of his snaps, Anusiem played 91 special teams snaps a year ago, predominantly on punt return and field goal block.

This is just one of several roster spots the Browns have left to fill after releasing defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, trading defensive end Za’Darius Smith, and placing linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on Injured Reserve. Expect to see two more roster moves come down the pipeline shortly.

Commanders’ 2024 UDFA class ranked 6th in NFL

The Commanders had an impressive draft and followed it with a strong UDFA class.

The Washington Commanders have done a good job over the years finding undrafted gems after the NFL draft. Two original members of “The Hogs” were undrafted free agents: Offensive tackle Joe Jacoby and center Jeff Bostic. Jacoby should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Other notable undrafted Washington stars are Neal Olkewicz, Mel Kaufman, Mark Murphy and current Raiders coach Antonio Pierce. Last year, the Commanders had wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley make the 53-man roster. While Tinsley didn’t make an impact in the regular season, he has an opportunity under the new regime.

Washington selected nine players in the 2024 NFL draft and signed 11 undrafted free agents. The Commanders paid big bonuses to at least three of their UDFA signings, led by cornerback Chigozie Anusiem and quarterback Sam Hartman.

So, where does Washington’s class stand against the rest of the NFL?

Thor Nystrom of FantasyPros ranked all 32 UDFA classes, and the Commanders came in at No. 6.

The Commanders followed a smash draft with the No. 6 UDFA class. That crop included six prospects I had ranked in my pre-draft top-300.

The Commanders won the CB Chigozie Anusiem bidding war with $350,000 in total guarantees. Per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, “half the league wanted Anusiem after he went undrafted.” Anusiem broke up 11 balls over the last two seasons at CSU after transferring from Cal. He’s an intriguing size/athleticism developmental flier who probably should have been drafted.

Speaking of size/athleticism freaks, S Tyler Owens is one of the fastest 210-plus-pound humans walking the earth, and he was one inch shy of the NFL Combine’s broad jump record. But his technique and instincts need work on the field, and the latter inarguably needs more work off it. At the NFL Combine, Owens told reporters that he doesn’t “believe in space” or “other planets”, adding “I started seeing flat earth stuff and I was like, this is kind of interesting.” I promise I am not making these quotes up.

Per Nystrom, the Commanders had six prospects he had ranked in his top 300 ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

Here are three sleepers, according to Nystrom:

Three sleepers to keep an eye on: FB Colson Yankoff, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and S Ben Nikkel. All three signings pointed to an all-encompassing, holistic draft process under the new administration. This is why: The trio were all core special-team standouts on their college teams.

Making Washington’s 53-man roster will be competitive in 2024. General manager Adam Peters has done an excellent job of flipping the roster with well over 40 newcomers to the current 90-man roster. However, players at specific positions, such as Anusiem, are intriguing prospects to watch this summer.

 

Which UDFA is most likely to make the Commanders’ 53-man roster?

Which undrafted rookie has the best chance of earning a roster spot?

It’s been a busy offseason for the Washington Commanders. In addition to hiring a new general manager (Adam Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn), the team was busy with free agency and the NFL draft.

Washington signed over 20 outside free agents, selected nine players in the draft and signed 11 undrafted free agents. That’s a lot of turnover in one offseason, but it was needed after a disastrous 4-13 season.

The Commanders entered the offseason needing help almost everywhere. Quarterback and offensive tackle were the most talked-about positions, but cornerback was also needed.

Washington selected Emmanuel Forbes in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Forbes’s rookie season was disastrous. He was benched multiple times after being beaten badly. However, in fairness to Forbes, he didn’t necessarily have great coaching.

That will change now with Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. While there is optimism that the new coaching staff will help Forbes, the Commanders still needed reinforcements at cornerback. Washington signed multiple veterans to compete in training camp and used a second-round pick on Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil.

Sainristil almost immediately becomes the Commaders’ starting slot cornerback.

Washington signed former Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem in undrafted free agency. Anusiem began his career at Cal and spent his final two seasons with Colorado State. Many were surprised he wasn’t drafted as Anusiem is 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, with long arms and speed.

Anusiem was a hot commodity after the NFL draft, as nearly half the league tried to sign him.

With all of these factors in mind, you’d think Anusiem has a great shot at making Washington’s 53-man roster.

Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report recently named one undrafted free agent from every team that he believes is most likely to make the initial 53-man roster.

Fowler chose Anusiem.

A long and physical corner, Chigozie Anusiem fits the mold of what new Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn covets in his perimeter defenders. He’s built eerily similar to the corners already in Washington.

Anusiem’s ability to seamlessly work downhill as a Cover 3 corner should give him a floor for success in the NFL.

Questions still remain about Benjamin St-Juste and 2023 first-rounder Emmanuel Forbes, so a solid showing this summer could help Anusiem suit up in a key rotational role for Washington this fall.

This isn’t like past regimes, where coaches or executives kept a player on the roster because of their draft status or how much money they were owed. Under Peters and Quinn, the best players will make the roster. And there’s a good chance they believe Anusiem is one of their best defensive backs once the pads go on this summer.

Commanders signed undrafted cornerback that ‘half the league wanted’

The Commanders beat out several other teams for Colorado State cornerback.

The Washington Commanders immediately began working after the 2024 NFL draft, signing undrafted free agents. By the end of Saturday, they had agreed to terms with at least 10 undrafted free agents.

One of those free agents is Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem. Who is Anusiem?

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Anusiem began his career at Cal-Berkeley, where he appeared in 25 games with six starts. He graduated and transferred to Colorado State ahead of the 2022 season.

In two years with the Rams, Anusiem became a full-time starter, playing in 23 games and recording 93 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and one interception.

Washington wasn’t the only team that tried to sign Anusiem, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, who indicated that “half the league wanted Anusiem,” but the Commanders “paid up to lock him in.”

Why would so many teams want Anusiem without one drafting him in the final round? Only the NFL teams can answer that question, but a quick look at Anusiem’s measurables shows they are elite.

Here is Anusiem’s Relative Athletic Score:

Anusiem ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, has excellent size and long arms, and is excellent in press coverage. One area that hurts Anusiem a bit is the lack of interceptions. In five seasons of playing, he has only one interception.

The Commanders will play a lot of press coverage, which would explain their appeal to Anusiem. Head coach Dan Quinn has helped develop several young cornerbacks with similar skills, which makes signing Anusiem a smart move.

Washington drafted only one cornerback — Michigan’s Mike Sainristil in the second round. Sainristil will play slot cornerback, and questions remain on the outside with Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste.

 

 

Dolphins reportedly hosted Colorado State CB Chigozie Anusiem on visit

Chigozie Anusiem, a 6’1, 200-pound defensive back with 4.39 speed, visited the Dolphins last week.

The Miami Dolphins hosted Colorado State cornerback Chigozie Anusiem at their facility for a pre-draft visit last week, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Last week, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Anusiem going to the Dolphins in the sixth round of his seven-round mock draft. Anusiem offers plenty of developmental talent at 6’1, 200 pounds with 4.39 speed and experience at both cornerback and safety.

While Anusiem wasn’t invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, his athletic profile suggests there’s a good chance he hears his name called Saturday.

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The Dolphins have a pair of starting cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller, as well as a couple veteran backups in Kader Kohou and Nik Needham. Miami also has 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith, who played just 20 defensive snaps in his rookie season.

Adding more to the secondary would make sense, but the Dolphins seem to be focusing on potential late-round draft picks, based off the players they’ve brought in for pre-draft visits.

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4 defensive standouts from Shrine Bowl practices

The defense was strong at the East-West Shrine Bowl practices. Which 2024 NFL draft prospects were standouts from that side of the ball?

The Senior Bowl isn’t the only college all-star game for NFL draft prospects to shine. East-West Shrine Bowl practices wrapped up on Tuesday morning, and the New Orleans Saints were in attendance. The defense jumped off the screen at multiple positions. Throughout the four days of practice, I found myself gravitating towards the defense during practice for both teams.

The position group that stood out the most was the defensive ends on the West team. You could have filled the defensive standouts with just that group and been justified. I decided to pick one guy from the group in Sundiata Anderson, however. These are four defensive standouts from the Shrine Bowl practices: