Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
After a full week of training camp, here is an update on Chargers players fighting for a roster spot.
While highlight reels from superstar players tend to grab the headlines during NFL training camps, there are upwards of 40 players on every team fighting for their professional survival.
The Chargers are no exception, with a handful of final roster spots available for the taking.
Here are the ones making an impression.
Which Chargers acquisitions are poised to make the biggest impact in 2023?
The Chargers stayed fairly quiet this offseason, signing just three external free agents and holding on to each of their seven original draft picks.
Of those 10, which ones are poised to have the biggest impact on the 2023 squad?
Darrius Shepherd brings some returner competition for Derius Davis.
Training camp is nearing, and with a few more weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before it kicks off.
The Chargers signed wide receiver Darrius Shepherd last month.
Shepherd went undrafted in 2019 out of North Dakota State. He spent two seasons with the Packers, appearing in 14 games mostly as a kick returner over that time.
Shepherd spent time on the practice squads of the Cardinals, Vikings, Steelers and Broncos over the 2021 and 2022 seasons before getting taken by the Battlehawks in the XFL Draft last November.
Shepherd had a productive campaign in the XFL, finishing fourth in the league in receptions (48), seventh in receiving yards (519) and tied for second in touchdowns (six).
He made plenty of noise as a kick returner, racking up a league-leading 907 kick return yards en route to being named the XFL’s Special Teams Player of the Year.
Los Angeles’ decision to sign Shepherd was solely for special teams, as he is expected to offer some competition for the return specialist spot with Derius Davis.
Contract (2023): Shepherd signed a 1-year, $940,000 contract, including an average annual salary of $940,000.
Acquired: The Chargers signed Shepherd on June 1, 2023.
Highlight:
Darrius Shepherd is having some fun in the XFL. Had a big week last week including a touchdown, tonight a big kick return. The former #NDSU standout even got a shoutout from The Rock on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/Vul1ZBrcy6
— Dom Izzo (@DomIzzoWDAY) March 19, 2023
The Lions invited 10 players to tryout at this weekend’s rookie minicamp
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There were quite a few unsigned players in Allen Park for this weekend’s Detroit Lions rookie minicamp event. The Lions invited several free agents to the minicamp on a tryout basis.
A couple of the names were previously announced, including two players from the XFL. Wide receiver Darrius Shepherd and kicker John Parker Romo were known as official tryout participants from the upstart XFL.
Here are the list of the players who are participating on a tryout basis for the rookie minicamp, via the Lions:
S Chris Bacon – Bowling Green
S Xavier Bell – Portland State
CB Da’Meak Brandon – Limestone
WR Dylan Drummond – Eastern Michigan
DL Jacorey Johns – Wake Forest
DL Wyatt Ray – Boston College
K John Parker Romo – Virginia Tech
WR Darrius Shepherd – North Dakota State
DL Jullian Taylor – Temple
CB David Vereen – Newberry
One of the interesting names here is Wyatt Ray, who has 23 games of NFL experience across three teams since 2020.
Former Packers Jack Heflin, Delontae Scott and Darrius Shepherd all made the 2023 All-XFL Team.
The Green Bay Packers had three former players recognized on the 2023 All-XFL team, which was announced Monday.
Defensive linemen Jack Heflin and Delontae Scott and return specialist Darrius Shepherd all were honored on the team.
All three were former undrafted free agents signed by the Packers coming out of college.
Heflin, who played two seasons in Green Bay, created 25 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks for the Houston Roughnecks.
Scott, who spent the 2020 season on the Packers’ practice squad, produced 36 tackles, 7.5 sacks (tied for second-most) and 11 tackles for loss (tied for third-most) for the San Antonio Brahmas.
Shepherd, who played 14 games for the Packers over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, led the league with 37 kickoff returns and 907 kick return yards for the St. Louis Battlehawks. His 80-yard return against D.C. was the second-longest in the XFL in 2023.
The XFL title game will feature the Arlington Renegades against the D.C. Defenders on Saturday, May 13 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Other notable Packers to play in the XFL this season: Brett Hundley (four starts), Kurt Benkert (two games), John Lovett (three touchdowns), Ryquell Armstead (217 rushing yards), Sal Cannella (41 catches), Alize Mack (28 catches), Ethan Wolf (13 catches), Marwin Evans (7 tackles for loss), Josh Hawkins (fumble recovery), Kentrell Brice (one interception).
Shepherd did well as a receiver but thrived as the XFL’s best special teams player in 2023
Now that the XFL is winding down its season, several players from teams no longer in the hunt are getting NFL tryouts. One of them, St. Louis Battlehawks wideout Darrius Shepherd, will audition with the Detroit Lions.
Shepherd is coming off an impressive season catching passes from A.J. McCarron in St. Louis. The former North Dakota State standout caught 48 passes for 510 yards and six TDs. But it’s another aspect of his game that could be Shepherd’s ticket back to the NFL, where he played for the Packers in 2019 and 2020.
Shepherd was named the XFL’s special teams player of the year across the entire league. He averaged 24.5 yards per return on kickoffs. At 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds with a 40-time in the low 4.5s at his pro day back in 2019, being a special teams ace is probably more appealing to Detroit than what he offers as an undersized outside receiver.
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Darrius Shepherd is off to a good start with the Broncos.
Turned it up a notch. 😤#BroncosCamp Day 8️⃣ highlights: pic.twitter.com/qrKSWajT8p
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 4, 2022
Look at the new guy!
On his first snap of training camp after signing with the Denver Broncos on Thursday, new wide receiver Darrius Shepherd caught a deep touchdown pass from backup quarterback Josh Johnson (the second play in the above video).
“It’s pretty funny,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said of the catch after practice. “That was his first play, and everybody was mad. He[‘s supposed] to do more dirty work before he gets those.”
Shepherd was signed by Denver after Tim Patrick went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Shepherd’s not a lock to make the 53-man roster, but he’s certainly off to a good start.
Shepherd spent two seasons with the Green Bay Packers from 2019-2020, so he should have some familiarity with Nathaniel Hackett’s offense.
“He played a lot of football for us [in Green Bay],” Hackett said. “He’s a guy you can depend on. Tough, smart guy. We’re happy that he can come in here and help us out. You saw already he did some good stuff.”
Shepherd returned 20 kickoffs for 374 yards and caught six passes for 47 yards and a touchdown with the Packers. He’ll now aim to impress in preseason and win a role with the Broncos.
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Following Tim Patrick’s season-ending injury, the Broncos signed ex-USFL wide receiver Darrius Shepherd.
After placing wide receiver Tim Patrick (knee) on injured reserve on Wednesday, the Denver Broncos brought in seven players for tryouts, including ex-USFL receiver Darrius Shepherd.
Shepherd won the WR tryout and signed with the team on Thursday morning, as was first reported by KOA Radio’s Brandon Krisztal.
Shepherd (5-11, 186 pounds) played college football at North Dakota State, winning three FCS championships. He went undrafted in 2019 and signed with the Green Bay Packers as a college free agent.
In two season (14 games) with the Packers, Shepherd caught six passes for 47 yards and one touchdown. He also returned 20 kickoffs for 374 yards.
Green Bay waived Shepherd near the end of his second season and the receiver went on to spend time with the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers, but he hasn’t appeared on a regular-season active roster since 2020.
This spring, Shepherd played for the New Jersey Generals in the USFL. He caught 27 passes for 323 yards and one touchdown in eight games.
Shepherd will add more depth to Denver’s receiver room, but he’ll face long odds to make the 53-man roster this summer.
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The Broncos brought in three running backs, three wide receivers and one quarterback for tryouts on Wednesday.
Story update: The Broncos signed wide receiver Darrius Shepherd on Thursday, the team announced. The 90-man offseason roster is now full. See our original post below.
Looking to fill two open roster spots following the injuries suffered by wide receiver Tim Patrick and running back Damarea Crockett, the Denver Broncos brought in seven players for tryouts on Wednesday.
The Broncos brought in three running backs: Max Borghi, Jaquan Hardy and Jaylen Samuels. Hardy is a second-year player who spent time with the Dallas Cowboys last year. Samuels is a fourth-year back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2018-2021. Borghi is a college free agent out of Washington State.
Borghi won the RB tryout and signed with the team Wednesday. That leaves Denver with one open spot on the 90-man offseason roster.
The Broncos also brought in three wide receivers: Jonathan Adams, Kekoa Crawford and Darrius Shepherd. At the time of this writing, none of the receivers have signed. Shepherd has spent time with six NFL teams since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Finally, Denver also tried out a quarterback: K.J. Costello, who went to training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers as a rookie last summer and spent time with the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL this spring.
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The Browns needed receivers to catch passes from Rosen and McCarron. Shepherd and Dillon joined the team’s workout today:
The Cleveland Browns worked out a total of four players in advance of the opening of training camp for the team. Quarterbacks Josh Rosen and A.J. McCarron get the headlines due to their position and name value. Rosen, a former first-round pick, and McCarron, a player Hue Jackson really wanted the team to trade for, were two of the limited supply of quarterbacks available at this point.
Rosen was signed following the workout.
The team needed players for Rosen and McCarron to throw to for the session on Thursday so two receivers were brought in. Darrius Shepherd and Derrick Dillon caught passes from the pair in Berea.
The 5’11” Shepherd was with the Green Bay Packers for two seasons starting in 2019 before bouncing around on practice squads in 2021. In two seasons with the Packers, Shepherd was targeted 10 times, hauling in six of those passes for 47 yards.
He spent time with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL this year.
Also standing 5’11”, Dillon is known for his speed. He ran a 4.29 at LSU’s pro day. Already 26, Dillon left LSU in 2019 with 51 catches in 31 career games.
Both receivers were likely brought in to help the team evaluate Rosen and McCarron but are names to keep in mind if injuries decimate the team’s depth.
