Tag: Darius Jennings

Lions training camp notes: The heat is on for Aug. 10th

Here is some of what we saw in Detroit Lions practice on Tuesday, August 10th

After a rare afternoon practice on Monday that was forced indoors due to a thunderstorm, the Lions were back in their usual 8:30 a.m. practice slot on Tuesday. Even though the morning sun wasn’t in full rise, it was still a hot and steamy morning.

The practice execution was not so hot. While some players thrived, the overall level of play was not great. The half-filled stands of fans (the threat of rain kept the crowd down) in attendance didn’t get many highlights.

Here is some of what we saw in Allen Park on Tuesday, August 10th:

Jalen Reeves-Maybin returns, Darius Jennings signed in Lions roster moves

The Detroit Lions make a couple of roster moves with Jalen Reeves-Maybin returning, the signing of Darius Jennings, and Drake Jackson cut

Heading into Week 3 of training camp, the Detroit Lions have made a few changes to the roster. Jalen-Reeves Maybin has been removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list, along with the signing of WR Darius Jennings and the release of center Drake Jackson.

Reeves-Maybin was looked upon as a player who may benefit from the regime change as his style of play is better suited in this scheme where athletic linebackers are coveted versus Matt Patricia’s, where he preferred big-bodied linebackers.

He landed on the COVID-19 listing right before training camp, slowing down his progress in the new-look defense. Due to this fact, he has lost out on valuable reps to fringe players who know are making some noise with the advantage of the extra playing time like Shaun Dion-Hamilton and Anthony Pittman.

It is hard to say how far behind Reeves-Maybin, but the curve has become higher for him due to other players showing out during camp. Even though he is a solid special teamer, that may not be enough for him to hang his hat on. He has a short time to put his horse ahead, or otherwise, it might be a long road ahead for him.

On the flip side, the Lions brought Jennings to help alleviate the receiver depth after most of the receiver corps was out for Saturday’s scrimmage, Tyrell Williams with a groin injury, Breshad Perriman with a hip issue, and Quintez Cephus with a head injury.

Jennings was undrafted coming out of Virginia and has bounced around between the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Tennesse Titans, and the Los Angles Chargers on various practice squads. He is the biggest guy on the field, but where he made the most impact was kick returns, where he set the Titans franchise record with 31.7 yards per return. He will have a long road ahead coming late in camp and probably a camp body to supplement, but never shut the door.

Jackson was brought in as an undrafted free agent this year, and some believed he had a legit shot at making the team as center depth behind Frank Ragnow with his superb play at Kentucky. Unfortunately for Jackson, due is short arms; he was probably just a center-only prospect holding back the possibility of moving him to guard. Also, with Evan Brown returning from the Non-Football Injury list last week, it ultimately made Jackson expendable since Brown can play anywhere on the interior.

Chargers WR Jalen Guyton working with first-team offense

We might have a front-runner for the third wide receiver spot.

The battle for the third wide receiver spot is one of the most monitored training camp competitions for the Chargers.

Heading into camp, it was Andre Patton who was expected to have the leg up for the job. But in a surprising manner, Los Angeles released him.

Now that Patton is off the team, there are a few contenders for WR3. But it might be Jalen Guyton who could be leading the pack.

According to SB Nation’s Michael Peterson, Guyton was seen working with the first-team during the 11-on-11 portion of Monday’s practice.

Other wideouts in contention for the job include Jason Moore, Darius Jennings, Tyron Johnson and rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill.

The one element that Guyton has that separates himself from the pack is speed. When asked what the team is specifically looking for in terms of the evaluation process, coach Anthony Lynn highlighted “speed.”

Guyton, the 6-foot-1 and 202 pounder, ran a 4.35 40 at his college Pro Day at North Texas. He has the breakaway speed to be a threat on the outside.

It will be interesting the see the rest of the competition unfolds.

2020 expectations for Chargers’ newest free agent signings

A handful of them will play a significant role in the upcoming season.

With the need to bring in more veterans to an already talented roster, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco didn’t shy away from adding a few earlier this offseason.

With that in mind, here is what fans can expect from each of Telesco’s acquisitions heading into the upcoming season:

WR Darius Jennings

The special teams department has been a major concern for the Chargers the past few seasons, and it’s clear that they made it a priority to shore up after the Jennings along with rookie Joe Reed. Over the past two seasons, he returned 31 kickoffs for 894 yards, including a 94-yarder for a touchdown. Jennings has a chance of making the roster. And while he will unlikely see the field on a consistent basis on offense, but he will be in contention for the starting kick returner job. At most, he will be a special teamer in 2020.

LB Nick Vigil

The Bolts released Thomas Davis prior to the start of the new league year and they lost a few key special teamers in free agency, which left some spots that needed to be filled. Vigil offers positional versatility, which is highly coveted in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense. With Denzel Perryman, Kenneth Murray and Kyzir White projected to be the starters, Vigil will provide depth, and would likely see the field on obvious passing downs since he has earned a strong reputation for his play in coverage. Despite not being a starter, Vigil will make his money on special teams right out of the gate.

DT Linval Joseph

Joseph projects as the Day 1 starter in the middle of the defensive line. It remains to be if he will play all three downs, given the fact that he played only 553 snaps last season which was just over 50%. Known for his ability to defend the run, Joseph will be on the playing field on rushing situations, while Damion Square rotates in or Justin Jones and Jerry Tillery slide in on obvious passing situations. However, Joseph has the capability of staying on the field in those situations as he finished top-4 on the team in quarterback knockdowns in three of his first four seasons with the Vikings, recording 41 in total along with 11 sacks.

CB Chris Harris, Jr.

According to NFL.com research, the Chargers allowed nine yards per slot target last season, which was the fifth-highest average in the league. They also ranked No. 30 in completion percentage to slot targets. Harris Jr., 30, is one of the NFL’s polished cornerbacks in that he can play outside corner and shadow a No. 1 wide receiver but also excel as a slot cornerback. Harris projects as the starting slot corner, overtaking Desmond King in that role. Harris is capable of playing on the outside along with some safety, but we can expect to see him primarily on the inside. His coverage skills and open space tackling will be key as the team looks to stop the Chiefs’ high-powered offense.

OT Bryan Bulaga

The right tackle position produced inconsistent results for the past few seasons, but that will quickly change after the signing of Bulaga, who will start from Week 1. Bulaga reunites with former offensive line coach James Campen from their playing days with the Packers, which is a nice to have familiarity on the roster. One of the better pass protecting tackles in the league, and very capable in the run game, Bulaga provides the trenches with a huge boost. If all goes well and he stays healthy, the 10-year veteran could earn a trip to the Pro Bowl, finally.

Projecting the Chargers’ post-draft depth chart at wide receiver

There will be quite a few players fighting for the final wide receiver spots behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Going into the offseason, filling out the wide receiver room was seen as a priority. The Chargers did so by drafting rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill and signing Darius Jennings.

Now that Los Angeles is set at the position with the additional bodies, it’s time to predict how I think the depth chart will shake up heading into the upcoming season.

WR1: Keenan Allen

Allen, arguably one of the league’s route runners and separation gainers, isn’t going to lose his spot as the go-to wideout for the Chargers. The former Cal product finished with 104 receptions for 1,199 yards and six touchdowns. Allen has proven that he can stay durable after a slew of injuries early on in his career. He is tied for sixth with most games with receiving yards since 2017 (12).

WR2: Mike Williams

After being hampered by an injury in his rookie season, Williams has shown flashes of dominance as a jump ball and red zone target. In 2018, the former Clemson product had 10 touchdown receptions. In his third season, his scoring production dropped, but he still managed to top 1,000 receiving yards, while leading the league in 20.4 yards per catch. The team made it clear that he is a priority after having his fifth-year option picked up. If Justin Herbert plays this season, he should have a lot of fun with throwing deep to Williams.

WR3: K.J. Hill

This is where the competition begins. The Chargers have a few that will be in contention for this job, and while each of the newly acquired players bring their own unique skillset, Hill’s is likely to have the most success in the NFL. The team’s seventh-round selection has a knack for getting open and catching everything thrown his way. That’s a large reason why Hill is Ohio State’s reception leader (201), and is a must in the pros. Even though he will be limited to the slot, Allen is capable of playing outside, which will allow them to both be on the field at the same time.

WR4: Joe Reed

Reed will provide some versatility as he has experience out wide, in the slot and occasionally in the backfield. He will be used in sweeps, shovel passes and slants, similar to the role that the 49ers gave Deebo Samuel last season. He could also develop into the deep option, given his speed (4.47), but his route-running needs refinement. Reed should help out with special teams as he averaged 33 yards a return and took two touchdowns to the house. It wouldn’t be surprising if he is the starting kick returner.

WR5: Andre Patton

Patton was the frontrunner to winning the WR3 job entering the offseason after the Chargers released Travis Benjamin, but the acquisitions of Hill and Reed are bound to not make it an easy task for him now. When given the opportunity to step up after injuries hit Benjamin and Geremy Davis, the two-year practice squad member only managed to haul in six passes for 56 yards on 17 targets in 13 games last season.

WR6: Darius Jennings

The special teams department has been a major concern for the Chargers the past few seasons, and it’s clear that they made it a priority to shore up after the acquisitions of Reed and Jennings. Over the last two seasons, he returned 31 kickoffs for 894 yards, including a 94-yarder for a touchdown. Jennings would unlikely see the field on a consistent basis, but having him as insurance on special teams would be a plus (assuming Reed wins the starting job).

Darius Jennings bids farewell to Tennessee Titans in statement

Darius Jennings says goodbye to the Titans.

Darius Jennings’ tenure with the Tennessee Titans is officially over, as the wide receiver and kicker returner has signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.

On Saturday night, Jennings tweeted out a farewell statement to the Titans and specifically named general manager Jon Robinson and controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk.

Jennings spent three years with the Titans after going undrafted out of Virginia and having a short stint with the Cleveland Browns.

After spending time on Tennessee’s practice squad in 2017, he finally got his chance in the NFL the following season.

He caught 13 passes for 118 yards in 24 career games in Tennessee. Jennings saw most of his action as a kick returner and totaled a league best 31.7 yards per return and one touchdown in 2018.

Jennings played in just eight games in 2019, finishing with two catches for 17 yards, along with nine kick returns for 196 yards. The 27-year-old was waived on October 31, 2019, when the Titans needed an extra offensive lineman, but was later re-signed in late December.

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Report: Chargers sign ex-Titans WR Darius Jennings

Former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Darius Jennings has found his new NFL landing spot.

Former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Darius Jennings has found his new NFL landing spot.

He’ll be joining the Los Angeles Chargers, per his agent.

Jennings reeled in two passes for 17 yards last season, contributing mostly on special teams.

He originally signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in May of 2015.

Titans add WR Darius Jennings, promote Rashard Davis to active roster

To make room for the move, the team also waived running back Dalyn Dawkins and linebacker Nigel Harris.

Wide receiver and return man Darius Jennings has a place on the Tennessee Titans active roster again.

The Titans added both Jennings and wideout Rashard Davis to the 53-man roster. Davis was promoted from the practice squad on Monday.

To make room for the move, the team also waived running back Dalyn Dawkins and linebacker Nigel Harris.

The move comes at a time when Titans have have two receivers in concussion protocol as Corey Davis and Kalif Raymond both deal with injuries.

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Jennings saw action on kickoff returns in the first seven games of the season,  and returned seven kicks for a 21.0-yard average. He also reeled in two receptions for 17 yards.

Davis was added to Tennessee’s practice squad in November, and had a successful college career at James Madison.

In 50 games, he totaled 114 receptions for 1,549 yards and 11 touchdowns, also earning CAA Special Teams Player of the Year honors with 426 punt return yards on 15 returns.

The Titans are set to face the Houston Texans at 3:25 p.m. CST on Sunday in NRG Stadium.