Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Texas cornerback Josh Thompson will be wearing a new jersey number this fall.
Texas cornerback Josh Thompson wore jersey No. 29 last season. Continue reading “Fourth-year Texas DB Josh Thompson switches jersey number”
Alabama landed a commitment from four star CB Devonta Smith, who recently recommitted from Ohio State.
Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide will continue what seems like an age-old tradition of a high-quality defensive secondary after achieving a commitment from 2021 four-star cornerback Devonta Smith.
Smith recently announced his decommitment from Ohio State, and was not open for recruiting very long.
He announced his decommitment from the Buckeyes on June 25, and less than a week later, he was verbally committed to Alabama.
Respect My Decision!! #AGTG pic.twitter.com/iQga0LbUlb
— š„Devonta Smithš„ (@Prince_Tay_) June 25, 2020
Smith, a native to Cincinnati, Ohio, will leave his home state to join the Crimson Tide.
Blessed Because Iām Destined
Gps Done
Found A Better Way…šØā¤ļøš #COMMITTED #RollTide #BamaFactor pic.twitter.com/YvDTZEWqHC— š„Devonta Smithš„ (@Prince_Tay_) June 29, 2020
He’s ranked No. 30 as the nation’s best cornerbacks list from 247Sports.
Alabama currently sits ranked at No. 19 for the country’s 2021 recruiting class rankings. They have nine total commits that are comprised of two five-stars and five four-stars.
There’s plenty of time for the 2021 recruiting trail to heat up, Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama football recruiting!
A look at the one-year deal for the newest Kansas City Chief.
The Kansas City Chiefs recently re-signed DB Andrew Soroh, who spent the 2019 offseason with the team. He started out as a minicamp tryout with the team and ultimately earned a 90-man roster spot. He was unable to make 53-man roster cuts and eventually latched on with the XFL’s New York Guardians, where he played during the 2019 season.
Soroh is back with the Chiefs and has a brand new contract. Here’s a look at Soroh’s base salary and cap numbers courtesy of Spotrac:
| Year | Base Salary | Cap Hit | Dead Cap |
| 2020 | $675,000 | $675,000 | $0 |
Soroh is basically making the same non-guaranteed salary on a one-year deal that players like Gehrig Dieter, Ryan Hunter, Chris Lammons and Alex Brown are making. These are the bottom of the roster guys who are on the cusp between the active roster and the practice squad. That might suggest where the Chiefs currently value and envision this player. At the same time, with no guaranteed money attached to the contract, it makes it very easy for Kansas City to release Soroh without hurting their salary cap space.
If Soroh sticks with the Chiefs in 2020, he’ll be an exclusive rights free agent in 2020. He actually does have an advantage over many of the rookies vying for a roster spot. He practiced and played in the preseason during 2019. This crop of rookies has yet to hit the practice field due to the coronavirus shutdowns.
This contract leaves the Chiefs with just over $6.2 million in cap space per the NFLPA’s public salary cap report.
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Bruce Lee has inspired Tyranna Mathieu in a number of ways that still impact him today.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Tyrann Mathieu has found many inspirations in life.
He’s drawn inspiration from his upbringing in the Fifth Ward of New Orleans. He’s been inspired by players like Patrick Peterson who mentored him when they were teammates at LSU and on the Arizona Cardinals. One of Mathieu’s top inspirations is the subject of a new ESPN documentary.
Iconic martial artist Bruce Lee is someone who has long inspired Mathieu, specifically in his mentality and preparation. Mathieu even has a tattoo of Lee, along with Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X on his leg. He spoke about that tattoo ahead of the 2019 season.
“I think Bruce Lee ā I feel like he always knew his opponents,” Mathieu told GQ Sports in September. “I think that’s the most critical thing to not only understand myself and my game but to understand who I was going against.”
The upcoming documentary is titled “Be Water” and is directed by Bao Nguyen. It offers an unseen look, chronicling the trailblazing career and life of Lee as told by archival film, Lee’s writing and collaborators.
Mathieu was recently asked to give a few words on what Lee meant to him in a trailer for “Be Water” which he shared on his Twitter page.
āBe Waterā, the latest 30 for 30 film directed by Bao Nguyen, premieres Sunday 6/7 at 9pm ET on ESPN and will be available to stream on ESPN+ following the debut pic.twitter.com/xjQg1BhA31
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) June 7, 2020
“The ability to conquer the mind and to understand our weaknesses,” Mathieu said of Lee in the trailer.
These are all things that Mathieu has been able to take from Lee and his martial arts and apply to his own career as an NFL player. It seems quite unique to see a martial artist and film star having such an impact on a professional athlete.
Here’s a description of “Be Water” from ESPN’s press release on the film:
In 1971, after being rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to his parentsā homeland, Hong Kong. Over the next two years, heād complete four iconic films that would define his legacy, a legacy cut short when he died, stunningly, in the summer of 1973. He was 32 years old.
āBe Waterā is a gripping, fascinating, intimate look at not just those final, defining years of Leeās life, but the complex, often difficult, and seismic journey that led to Leeās ultimate emergence as a singular icon in the histories of film, martial arts, and even the connection between the eastern and western worlds.
The film chronicles Leeās earliest days, as the son of a Chinese opera star born while his father was on tour in San Francisco, and then raised in Hong Kong over what became an at times troubled childhood. Sent to live in America at the age of 18, he began teaching Kung Fu in Seattle, and established a following that included his future wife, Linda. His ambition ever rising, Lee eventually made his way to Los Angeles, where he strove to break into American film and television. There, despite some success as a fight choreographer and actor, it was clear Hollywood wasnāt ready for an Asian leading man ā and so he returned to Hong Kong to make the films that would in fact make him a legend, his international star skyrocketing just as his life was cut short.
āBe Waterā is told entirely by the family, friends, and collaborators who knew Bruce Lee best, with an extraordinary trove of archive film providing an evocative, immersive visual tapestry that captures Leeās charisma, his passion, his philosophy, and the eternal beauty and wonder of his art.
You can watch “Be Water” on Sunday, June 7 at 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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After spending the offseason with Kansas City, Soroh spent the 2019 season playing with the XFL’s New York Guardians.
A move that has been in the works for months finally seems to be moving towards becoming official.
Back when the Kansas City Chiefs were in the frenzy of signing undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL Draft, a former Chiefs defensive back announced that he’d rejoined the team. Then a few weeks passed with no official announcement and it seemed like perhaps he jumped the gun on his return to Kansas City. On Friday, David Canter of DEC Management announced that his client, Andrew Soroh, had signed with the Chiefs.
Soroh played college football for Florida Atlantic. He was a Chiefs’ rookie minicamp invite who was signed in 2019. He didn’t make 53-man roster cuts with Kansas City and wasn’t added to the practice squad during the 2019 season, so he pursued other opportunities outside of the NFL
Feels good to be back! @Chiefs
— Andrew Soroh (@1DrewMajor) April 25, 2020
During 2019, Soroh played for the XFL’s New York Guardians, recording 18 tackles, one QB Hit, one tackle for loss, one interception and one pass defended.
Congratulations to #TeamDEC client @1DrewMajor on signing with @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/loahwoGPBJ
— DEC Management (@davidcanter) June 5, 2020
The decision to bring in Soroh is an intriguing one. He’ll add competitive depth and he knows the Chiefs’ system after learning it during the course of the 2019 preseason. That could provide an advantage over other players who don’t yet know the playbook and calls. Kansas City only added SMU’s Rodney Clemons to their safety group following the 2020 NFL Draft.
As injured players return to team facilities for rehab and treatment, perhaps this could signal that Juan Thornhill might be further behind in his recovery than originally believed.
The team will need to make a corresponding move in order to make room for Soroh on the 90-man roster. We’ll update you with that information as soon as we know it.
Thornhill signals that he’s been cleared to resume running.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Juan Thornhill took to Twitter on Monday and signaled an important step in his recovery from his ACL injury.
Thornhill suffered an ACL injury in Week 17 of the 2019 season against the Los Angeles Chargers. While Thornhill is tracking to be ready for the start of the 2020 NFL season, there are certain mile markers you look for in the ACL recovery process. One of those markers is returning to non-football workout activities.
Posting an encouraging message on Twitter, Thornhill appears to have been cleared to resume running. From my understanding, this is something that takes place anywhere from 12-20 weeks after ACL surgery. Thornhill didn’t have his surgery until the middle of January, so he’s right around that 18-week point.
Got the wheels moving again šš½āāļøšØ
— The_Juan_And_Only (@Juan_Thornhill) May 11, 2020
If all goes well for Thornhill, he should soon be able to resume non-contact football-related activities such as cutting and lateral movement drills. The most important factor is to build up the strength to resume those types of activities.
Thornhill isn’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of his rehab and recovery either. He is working with the brand TRXTraining to ensure that he’s on top of his training while he maintains social distancing guidelines at home.
A standout rookie during the 2019 season, Thornhill is a big part of the Chiefs’ plans on the defensive side of the ball moving forward. When he’s ready to return from his injury the team will look for him to continue to work opposite Tyrann Mathieu, forming one of the best safety duos in the NFL.
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Get to know the Chiefs’ newest defensive back L’Jarius Sneed.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Louisiana Tech DB LāJarius Sneed with their fourth-round selection. Kansas City has found success taking late draft picks in the secondary and coaching them up to be contributors on the defense, so he could be next to follow that narrative.
Here are three things that you should know about the Chiefs newest defensive back:
Itās clear the Chiefs are making speed a priority for the defense in this draft since they got speedy linebacker, Willie Gay Jr., on day two. Sneed ran a 4.37 40-yard dash, fourth among all prospects in the NFL combine. He has the potential to keep up with some of the fastest guys in the league which is a priority as the rest of the AFC West has focused on speed offensively this offseason. His speed could also be used for special teams as Dave Toub often likes to try speedsters out as kick returners and gunners.
Chiefs DB Tyrann Mathieu can already tell that Willie Gay Jr. is the right type of different.
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The Kansas City Chiefs have a new linebacker on the team and he already has a very big fan in the locker room.
In the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Chiefs added LB Willie Gay Jr. of Mississippi State. Many consider Gay to be one of the best coverage linebacker prospects in the draft, including defensive team leader Tyrann Mathieu. Immediately after the Chiefs selected Gay, Mathieu took to Twitter to let everybody know his thoughts on his newest teammate with Kansas City.
Mathieu gave Gay, quite the endorsement and appears to be excited to have the opportunity to teach and work with him. Check it out:
He can run… one of best cover LBsin draft. They wonāt tell you that
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) April 25, 2020
After the verbal endorsement, Mathieu had to endorse Gay’s tape with some emojis.
š„š„š„ https://t.co/U6qb96Rsof
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) April 25, 2020
If anyone knows about having a chip on his shoulder, it’s Mathieu. He can see it in other players from a mile away. He could tell exactly what his newest teammate was all about from this interview ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.
THE CHIP!!!! https://t.co/O0AWWtRYxM
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) April 25, 2020
“I feel like we all can play football,” Gay said. “We all can run, jump and hit. But my passion is different. I would die for this game and I really depend on this game to change lives around me, not just financially but in any other kind of positive way. Man, when I step on the football field it’s a different Willie then… It’s really all I know.”
Just like Mathieu, Gay is a different type of player. That passion and chip on his shoulder should make him the perfect fit in Kansas City.
A standout from the get-go, Kansas City Chiefs DB Juan Thornhill now faces a comeback after an injury ended his 2019 prematurely.
[jwplayer rs5QtsrP-ThvAeFxT]
The Kansas City Chiefs added six draft picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and each of those rookies made contributions during the season and postseason. This draft had a mix of offensive and defensive players compared to the 2018 NFL Draft, which was primarily defensive players for the Chiefs. Let’s take a look at Juan Thornhill’s 2019 season and see what we can project for the future.
Stat |
2019 totals |
| Games played | 16 |
| Games started | 16 |
| Defensive Snaps | 996 |
| Special Teams Snaps | 48 |
| Total Tackles | 57 |
| Solo Tackles | 41 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
| Touchdowns | 1 |
| Passes defended | 5 |
Thornhill came in and made his presence felt early. He was a star of training camp, leading all Chiefs’ defenders in interceptions. He was a bit gun shy when the preseason got underway and didn’t initially stand out, but he did enough to earn the trust of the coaching staff. He unseated veteran safety Daniel Sorensen for the starting spot opposite Tyrann Mathieu to become the only opening day starter of this draft class.
āOne of the things I like, his open-field tackling,ā Chiefs DB coach Sam Madison said of Thornhill at the midseason mark. āHeās been doing really good in that area. Heās improved from Week 1. We try to explain to him that this isnāt college anymore and these quarterbacks are going to lie to you. Theyāre going to look one way to hopefully move you and then theyāre going to come back. Heās gotten better with that and the play down in the endzone when he came up with the interception, it just shows that he can get there. When you have a middle-of-the-field post safety, you want him to be able to get from two-to-three yards outside the numbers to two-to-three yards outside the numbers and heās able to do that. Heās showing his range and hopefully, he can keep getting better.ā
From a season-long perspective, Thornhill was remarkable in coverage, allowing just 0.22 yards per coverage snap according to Pro Football Focus. That number was good for the sixth-fewest in the NFL among all defensive backs. He gave up a single play of 20 or more yards one time during the entire 16-game 2019 season.
Unfortunately, Thornhill’s season ended prematurely as he suffered a torn ACL in the regular-season finale. He was placed on injured reserve before the postseason run that would make the Chiefs Super Bowl LIV champions.
Thornhill seems motivated in his recovery, but right now we don’t even have all the details on his injury. We know that he tore his ACL, but we don’t know if there was any accompanying ligament damage. Those details can make all the difference when it comes to the recovery timeline.
The 2020 season outlook for Thornhill is very much a wait-and-see type of scenario. Even if he returns by the preseason or start of the regular season, there could be an adjustment period before he looks like the players we saw dominate as a rookie. It’s also possible that he comes back as sharp as ever and prepared to pick up right where he left off. With Jordan Lucas and Kendall Fuller set to leave in free agency, Kansas City will be hoping to see Thornhill sooner than later.
WR Mecole Hardman (Coming soon)
DB Juan Thornhill (You’re here!)
