Tag: Derrick Dillon

Former LSU football player wins USFL award

A former LSU football player won the USFL’s Special Teams Player of the Year award.

A former LSU football wide receiver earned a significant USFL honor this week.

[autotag]Derrick Dillon[/autotag], who returned kicks for the Memphis Showboats, received Special Teams Player of the Year.

Dillon led the USFL in all-purpose yards as did his 32.8-yard kick return average.

Here’s Dillon taking one back against Birmingham earlier this month.

Dillon also made plays as a receiver this year.

Dillon bounced around a few NFL practice squads before settling in the USFL. He played at LSU from 2015-19 and was a member of the national title team.

He caught 51 passes in his career, the most notable coming at Auburn in 2018 where a 71-yard touchdown from [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] helped allow LSU to pull a top-10 upset on the road.

He finished his LSU career with 721 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 10.4 yards per touch.

Dillon didn’t see much kick return action at LSU but it’s nice to see a former Tiger making the most of his speed now at the professional level.

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Former LSU, USFL receiver gets a second chance in the NFL

Derrick Dillon lands with the Browns after a solid stint with the Tampa Bay Bandits.

After a year with the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits, former LSU receiver [autotag]Derrick Dillon[/autotag] is back on an NFL roster. On Monday, the Cleveland Browns signed the 26-year-old, and he will hope to secure a roster spot as the preseason is about to begin.

A native of Franklinton, Louisiana, Dillon was originally committed to Florida out of high school but ended up with the Tigers. During a career in Baton Rouge that spanned six years, Dillon finished with 634 yards and four touchdowns on 51 catches. He was also a member of the 2019 national championship team

He went undrafted in 2020 but signed with the New York Giants. He spent most of his first season on the Giants practice squad but was cut ahead of the season in 2021.

A 15th-round pick for the Bandits in the first USFL draft, Dillon finished the 2022 season with 386 yards and four touchdowns on 28 catches. That was enough to get a second chance in the league with the Browns, and he will hope to take advantage.

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Browns waive injured WR Isaiah Weston, sign WR Derrick Dillon

Weston waived and his replacement was signed as the Browns continue to adjust to numerous WR injuries:

While the Cleveland Browns have been the focal point of the news on Monday, they went back to work with business as usual. The team now knows that QB Deshaun Watson will be suspended for six games, barring an appeal and change by the league.

QB Jacoby Brissett will lead the way in Watson’s absence.

Earlier today, we reported that OL Jack Conklin was coming off the physically unable to perform list. Conklin’s presence will help Brissett early in the year as the right tackle returns from a season-ending knee injury last year.

Cleveland also waived WR Isaiah Weston a couple of days after he was hurt in practice. Weston could be claimed by another team. If not, the undrafted free agent will be placed on the Browns injured reserve.

Weston’s replacement was added to the team’s 90-man roster with WR Derrick Dillon officially signed by the team. Dillon was brought in earlier this offseason in the same workout that led QB Josh Rosen to be signed.

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.

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Two receivers join Browns workout with Rosen, McCarron

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.

More former Giants selected in USFL Player Draft

On Day 2 of the USFL Player Draft, several more former members of the New York Giants were selected.

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On Day 1 of the USFL Player Draft, a trio of former New York Giants had their names called: Quarterbacks Clayton Thorson, Kyle Lauletta and Case Cookus.

On Wednesday, the returning league conducted their second and final day of the player draft. And similar to the first, some former Giants were among those selected.

Running back Mike Weber, who had a cup of coffee with the Giants in 2021, was selected in the 27th round. He will play for the New Jersey Generals, whose first-round picks were announced by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Derrick Dillon, who was with the Giants from 2020-2021, was selected in the 15th round by the Tampa Bay Bandits. He will be joined by former Big Blue guard Damien Mama, who was selected in 23rd round.

Finally, safety Orion Stewart, who spent time with the Giants in 2018, was selected by the Michigan Panthers in Round 18.

It’s possible, if not likely, that other former Giants will find their way onto USFL rosters as team’s begin to sign undrafted free agents.

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Giants sign DT Elijah Qualls, waive DT R.J. McIntosh

The New York Giants have signed veteran DT Elijah Qualls and waived DT R.J. McIntosh, a 2018 fifth-round pick.

The New York Giants announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed veteran defensive tackle Elijah Qualls.

Originally a sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 NFL draft, Qualls has also spent time with the Carolina Panthers (2018-2019), Baltimore Ravens (2019), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019) and DC Defenders of the XFL.

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In six career games, Qualls has recorded four tackles and one QB hit.

The Giants also announced that they have waived defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh.

McIntosh was a fifth-round pick of the Giants out of Miami in the 2018 NFL draft. He started his NFL career on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list after being diagnosed with a thyroid condition during the NFL combine.

In early November of 2018, McIntosh was activated from NFI and placed on the Giants’ active roster.

McIntosh has appeared in 18 career games, recording 18 tackles, three QB hits and two sacks. However, he has not played in a game since 2019 having been a healthy scratch for all 16 games a season ago.

Finally, the Giants have waived wide receiver Derrick Dillon.

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Giants’ Todd Davis retires, Blake Martinez activated

New York Giants LB Todd Davis, who was signed over the weekend, has retired. Meanwhile, LB Blake Martinez has been activated.

The New York Giants signed veteran linebacker Todd Davis over the weekend but his stay in East Rutherford was short-lived.

Similar to Kelvin Benjamin, who was released last week and subsequently returned to Florida indicating that his NFL career was over, Davis decided that he needed just a sip of Giants camp to call it quits.

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The Giants announced on Tuesday that Davis has been placed on the Reserve/Retired list.

Meanwhile, the Giants also announced that linebacker Blake Martinez and safety Joshua Kalu have been activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Martinez was in pads at the start of Giants practice, although head coach Joe Judge acknowledged that the defensive captain would be on somewhat of a pitch count.

“He won’t take every rep that he’d normally take,” Judge told reporters.

Finally, the Giants placed wide receiver Derrick Dillon the Reserve/Injured list.

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LSU’s best wins vs. Auburn: 2018

The 2018 season saw LSU travel to Auburn and defeat the Tigers 22-21 on a last second field goal for the second straight win in the series.

LSU entered its third game of the season on the road against the Auburn Tigers.

Both teams went into the game 2-0, and a win for either team would mark its first SEC win of the season.

Quarterback Joe Burrow finished the game 15-of-34 for 239 yards and one touchdown. Running back Nick Brossette had 19 carries for 69 yards to propel the Tigers offense to 370 total yards of offense.

Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham finished 16-of-28 for 198 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His two picks thrown were the only two turnovers of the game between the two teams.

LSU jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and went up 10-0 in the second quarter before an Auburn touchdown trimmed the deficit to 10-7. Auburn then went up 14-10 before the half.

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In the third quarter, Auburn struck first to extend the lead to 21-10. LSU responded to trim the lead to 21-13 entering the fourth quarter.

LSU scored twice in the final quarter of play to get the 22-21 victory. Burrow hit receiving target Derrick Dillon on a 71-yard touchdown pass to put LSU down 21-19. Kicker Cole Tracy booted a 42-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tigers to the win.

The victory moved LSU to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in the SEC. The Tigers would go on to finish the season 10-3 after a Fiesta Bowl victory over UCF.

Defeating Auburn for the second straight season helped pave the way for the Tigers to finish the regular season with nine wins before earning the New Year’s Six Bowl against the Knights.

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Giants return Sean Chandler, Chad Slade to practice squad

The New York Giants have returned S Sean Chandler and OL Chad Slade to the practice squad, releasing WR Alex Bachman.

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Following a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Giants made a trio of roster moves concerning the practice squad on Tuesday.

On Monday, New York utilized a new COVID-19 rule moving both safety Sean Chandler and offensive lineman Chad Slade to the active roster for the prime-time game. This rule allows teams to move two practice squad players to the active roster each week and return them afterward. A move like this can be done to a player twice throughout the season before an active roster contract is needed to be signed and the practice squad contract terminated.

The Giants utilized this rule with Slade in order to add guard depth against a tenacious defensive line. Slade was kept as a reserve throughout the game and did not see playing time.

However, Sean Chandler played a moderate role in his one-day promotion. Chandler recorded 14 snaps, all on special teams, and was kept as a reserve safety for the Giants.

After using both Chandler and Slade on Monday, the Giants returned the pair two the practice squad. Following this move, New York also cut second-year wide receiver Alex Bachman from the practice squad.

The dismissal of Bachman came as a surprise to many as he had a strong summer.

It is expected that wide receiver Derrick Dillon, who was waived last week so that he could spend time with his newborn, will be re-signed. He was officially listed as “visiting” on Tuesday.

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Tyke Tolbert has high expectations for Giants’ receivers

Tyke Tolbert believes the New York Giants wide receivers could surprise some people in 2020 if they can remain healthy.

The New York Giants drew some criticism for failing to add an outside threat at wide receiver this offseason, but don’t bring that complaint to the door of Tyke Tolbert.

Despite the perception, Tolbert believes the current crop of Giants receivers have “great potential” so long as they can remain healthy and on the field.

“I think it’s a great potential,” Tolbert told reporters on Thursday. “Coach [Joe] Judge mentioned something earlier to us about the team with the best advantage is the healthiest team. We like all our guys to be as healthy as possible because when you have everybody healthy and everybody on the field at the same time, then you’ll be able to use people in different ways.

“I’m looking forward to those guys being out on the field together and being healthy and having everyone contribute again, because we believe the healthiest team will be the team that has the biggest advantage. Health is priority number one right now.”

Outside of Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard, it’s second-year receiver Darius Slayton who will likely draw the most attention after breaking out as a rookie.

“The difference for Darius is, it’s year two, obviously, and it’s game experience. He did get some game experience in the NFL last year. At this point of time last year, he hadn’t played an NFL snap. Now, he has some game experience,” Tolbert said. “He can go out there and he knows the speed of the game and how the defensive backs play in the NFL. That’s, to me, the biggest difference. He’s a smart guy. He’s starting the new offense, as we all are.”

Although Slayton rounds out the top three, the Giants still have some questions further down their depth chart. Who will be WR4? And who will fill out the remaining positions?

Former first-round pick Corey Coleman, who is returning from an ACL tear, is one of those options.

“I think Corey did a really good job this offseason and this summer, being with the trainers, getting rehabbed and getting ready to go. There’s only so much he can do with all of the COVID stuff, so he still had to do a lot of work on his own, which he did,” Tolbert said. “I think Corey is pretty much back to where he was before he got injured. I’m just looking forward for Corey to go out there and compete like everybody else. He’s making strides right now. He’s going to go out there and practice hard and do what he has to do.”

Other options include the three undrafted rookie free agents — Binjimen Victor, Austin Mack and Derrick Dillon.

“They’re all working very hard. Two guys came from the same college, so they push each other. Another one came from the Princeton of the south down there, LSU,” Tolbert said. “They’re all doing a really good job. They’re all competing, they’re all studying. I like to see good, young guys with a chip on their shoulder to go out there and compete. That’s what they’re doing right now. They’re always working hard and trying to get better.”

However things shake out, Tolbert stresses that it will all boil down to health. And if these Giants can stay healthy, the potential is most certainly there.

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