Tag: Darius Leonard

Report: Eagles among teams expected to have an interest in signing LB Shaquille Leonard

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly among the teams expected to have an interest in signing LB Shaquille Leonard

The Eagles continuously do their due diligence on potential free agents and added talent. GM Howie Roseman will make his pitch with Shaquille Leonard now a free agent after clearing waivers.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the obvious, and that’s the news that Philadelphia and Dallas are among the teams interested in signing the All-Pro linebacker.

A 2018 second-round pick of the Colts, Leonard won Defensive Rookie of the Year while being named a first-team All-Pro. He developed into one of the top linebackers in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors three times in his first four seasons.

Back injuries limited him to three games last year, and he saw a sharp cut to his playing time throughout this season, leading to Indianapolis making the shocking move.

For Philadelphia, Zach Cunningham has 61 tackles, two tackles for loss, four passes defended, and is the 37th highest-graded linebacker in the NFL per PFF.

Nicholas Morrow has 36 tackles, three sacks, and eight tackles for loss while landing as the 12th-highest-graded linebacker in the NFL.

The Eagles also offer familiarity with head coach Nick Sirianni, the Colts’ offensive coordinator from 2018-2020, and saw Leonard up close.

Dallas will counter with immediate playing time after longtime starter Leighton Vander Esch was ruled out for the season.

The Cowboys currently have Micah Parsons (edge rusher), Damone Clark, and former FAMU safety Markquese Bell listed at the position.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=15489]

Should Eagles have an interest in adding Shaquille Leonard after he’s waived by Colts?

The Colts waived linebacker Shaquille Leonard and the Eagles should have an interest in signing the veteran defender

Philadelphia has two of the highest-graded linebackers in the NFL, but you can never have enough good talent heading into the playoffs.

Indianapolis just shocked the NFL, waiving former All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard.

The NFL waiver wire order is based on the reverse order of the current NFL standings, meaning the Panthers are 1, the Cardinals are 2, and the Eagles would be 32nd on the list.

Zach Cunningham has 61 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 4 passes defended, and is the 37th highest graded linebacker in the NFL per PFF.

Nicholas Morrow has 36 tackles, 3 sacks, and 8 tackles for loss, while landing as the 12th highest graded linebacker in the NFL.

Leonard is owed $6.1M for the rest of this season, and if a team claimed him, they’d also be on the hook for $6.5M, which is guaranteed for injury.

A 2018 second-round pick of the Colts, Leonard won Defensive Rookie of the Year while being named a first-team All-Pro. He developed into one of the top linebackers in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors three times in his first four seasons.

Back injuries limited him to three games last year, and he has seen a sharp cut to his playing time throughout this season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=15489]

Shaquille Leonard practiced with starting defense

The Maniac saw a surprising amount of work during the first training camp practice.

The first day of Indianapolis Colts training camp came with a slight surprise as linebacker Shaquille Leonard was out with the first-team defense taking starting reps for both the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 portions of practice Wednesday.

This comes as a bit of a surprise as general manager Chris Ballard pumped the brakes on Leonard being ready for contact immediately in his session with the media yesterday after not being placed on the Physically Unable To Perform list.

“He will start out at practice and pretty much just go through individual, start building his endurance back up. But slowly but surely, we’ll get there. He has worked extremely hard,” Ballard said during his training camp presser. “There is really no timeline on exactly when he’ll be completely cleared for contact, but it’s good to get him back – just his presence back on the team, back out in drill work is important for us.”

Even Leonard himself was a bit surprised at the workload he saw during the first training camp practice. There was no contact, of course, as the players were in shorts and t-shirts, but it was an encouraging step for The Maniac.

“It most definitely surprised me. I was nervous; I felt like this was a game day for me. First time in a while, no sleep last night, jitterbugs all morning, I probably didn’t truly feel like myself until after individual,” Leonard said Wednesday. “I was so nervous, then after that, it felt like right where I left off. Coming in and being a leader for this team and being able to run around and hopefully make some plays.”

Perhaps Leonard is further along than originally speculated or perhaps the Colts want to see how much Leonard can handle in a live setting. Either way, it is certainly encouraging to see Leonard doing so much on the field so early into camp.

Colts’ Darius Leonard wants to be called Shaquille

Darius Leonard is going by Shaquille now.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has requested to be called by his middle name and the name he used growing up: Shaquille.

As the Colts reported for training camp Tuesday, among the many topics Leonard discussed with the media was the name he wants to go by from here on out.

Leonard told the media that everyone called him Darius when he broke into the league in 2018 and didn’t want to make a scene about being called a certain name.

After four years in the league, three of which have included All-Pro First Team selections, Leonard has certainly earned the right to go by whatever name he chooses.

This does present another question, though. Can we call him Shaq? Shaq Leonard is a great name for an athlete. Shaq the Maniac has a nice ring to it as well.

Jokes aside, it may get some taking used to, but the heart of the Colts defense has made it clear what name he wants to go by.

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

[lawrence-related id=73523,73521,73506]

[listicle id=73519]

AFC South news round-up: Jags bonding, Colts’ Leonard among 4 on PUP

Darius Leonard is one of four Colts to go on the PUP list ahead of training camp.

As the Tennessee Titans prepare to embark on training camp this week, the rest of the AFC South — the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts — will do the same.

Like the Titans, the Colts saw their rookies report on July 23, and then the veteran will show up on July 26. The Texans have the same veteran report date, but rookies show up on July 24. The Jags will see all of their players report on July 24.

Ahead of training camp, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is getting together with teammates not only to work out, but to bond as well.

In Indianapolis, the Colts placed four players on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, one of whom is their best player on defense.

In Houston, one writer believes the Texans could be an option for a future Hall of Fame head coach down the road if they can right the ship.

We cover those stories and more in our latest AFC South round-up.

Colts place Darius Leonard, 3 others on PUP list

The Maniac and three others open training camp on the PUP list.

The Indianapolis Colts placed linebacker Darius Leonard on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list along with three others, the team announced Sunday.

Leonard going to the PUP list isn’t a surprise considering he had back surgery during the offseason. The expectation is that he will miss some of training camp but, at this point, is expected to be ready for Week 1.

When it comes to the PUP list, there is no set timeline during training camp and the preseason. If a player goes on the PUP list, he can return whenever he is ready. These players also count toward the 90-man roster so no corresponding moves will need to be made.

The Colts also placed rookie defensive tackle Eric Johnson II on the Active/Non-Football Injury list.

Here’s a look at the full list of moves made Sunday:

30 Most Important Bears of 2022: No. 5 Roquan Smith

At No. 5 in our 30 Most Important Bears is linebacker Roquan Smith, who is now the unquestioned leader of the defense

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2022 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 most important Bears for the 2022 season. We’ll recap their 2021 season, look ahead to 2022 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

We’re now down to the top five with linebacker Roquan Smith, who is now the unquestioned leader of the defense.

Colts’ Madden NFL 23 ratings revealed for DEs, LBs

Here’s a look at the Madden NFL 23 ratings for Colts DEs and LBs.

The Indianapolis Colts are expecting the front seven of the defense to make a major impact on that side of the ball, but it appears the Madden NFL 23 ratings are a bit low on the unit as a whole.

The video game will be released Aug. 19 and most of the position groups have been slowly revealing the ratings of players. Next up on the list are the defensive ends and linebackers.

We’ve already taken a look at the wide receiver and tight end ratings for the video game.

Darius Leonard leads the way with a 90 overall, which is fifth among linebackers in the game. But then only two other players have a rating above 80 overall.

Here’s a look at the Madden NFL 23 ratings for the Colts’ linebackers and defensive ends:

Colts’ 2022 training camp preview: Linebackers

Here’s a look at the LB corps entering Colts training camp.

The Indianapolis Colts are officially one week away from the start of training camp with veterans set to report July 26.

Among those veterans will be the linebackers led by Darius Leonard and Bobby Okereke. The Colts didn’t make too many changes to the linebacker room outside of adding a veteran special teamer and two intriguing undrafted rookie free agents following the 2022 NFL draft.

Be sure to check out the other position previews ahead of training camp:

Here’s our preview for the linebacker position entering training camp:

Colts’ Darius Leonard ranked 43rd in PFF’s top-50 players

The Maniac came in at No. 43 in PFF’s top-50 players.

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard was ranked at No. 43 overall in Pro Football Focus’ top-50 players list ahead of the 2022 season.

It isn’t clear how many linebackers will wind up being ranked ahead of Leonard as PFF releases the rest of the list each day, but it’s likely going to be in the top two or three players at the position.

Here’s what they had to say about Leonard’s ranking:

Few players have Leonard’s nose for the football, and his ability to perfect the “Peanut Punch” style of forcing fumbles at linebacker has made him a major problem for offenses to deal with on any given play. He generated a ridiculous seven forced fumbles last season along with four interceptions.

Leonard probably won’t be happy about that ranking. It’s likely that at least Fred Warner is going to be ranked ahead of him on this list, just considering where Leonard currently sits.

The Maniac wound up being an All-Pro First-Team selection for the third time in his career despite dealing with a bu ankle for the majority of the 2021 season.

Leonard underwent back surgery this offseason and could miss some time during training camp but is expected to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season where this ranking is surely going to be used as bulletin board material.

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

[lawrence-related id=73334,73330,73323]

[listicle id=73367]