Tag: Donovan Jeter

Giants waive Jeff Smith, place Evan Neal in concussion protocol

The New York Giants have waived/injured WR Jeff Smith (knee), signed NT Donovan Jeter and placed RT Evan Neal in concussion protocol.

After an impressive start to training camp, New York Giants right tackle Evan Neal was forced to leave Friday’s practice early.

It was initially unclear what forced Neal off the field but following the afternoon practice, it was revealed that the second-year player had suffered a concussion and was placed into protocol.

Earlier in the day, head coach Brian Daboll praised Neal’s progress and his improved technique.

“I think Evan’s done a good job, like I said a couple of days ago. He’s improved, he’s got the right mindset and we’ll just grinding along with him,” Daboll said.

Meanwhile, the Giants also made a series of transactions on Friday, waiving wide receiver Jeff Smith with an injury designation. The veteran had suffered a knee injury earlier in the week.

If Smith clears waivers, he will revert to injured reserve.

In a corresponding roster move, the Giants signed nose tackle Donovan Jeter, who was recently released by the Chicago Bears.

The 6-foot-3, 325-pound Jeter was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Michigan in 2022. He also spent some time with the Washington Commanders last season.

Jeter has appeared in one career game and recorded one tackle.

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Commanders’ sudden change of mind on defensive tackle position

There are suddenly depth concerns at defensive tackle after losing two players in two weeks.

Did you notice how soon the Washington Commanders changed their mind regarding a defensive tackle?

It all started in the season opener when Phidarian Mathis was injured early against the Jaguars. Mathis was lost for the season. So, the next day (Sept 12) Washington placed Mathis on Injured Reserve and signed Donovan Jeter to the active roster.

Jeter who played his college ball at Michigan, is listed as 6-foot-3, 325 pounds. He was undrafted (2022) and subsequently signed by the Steelers, went through training camp and the preseason and was one of their later cuts. Chicago called to sign him to their practice squad, but when Washington called to sign him to the active roster, he signed with Washington.

Head coach Ron Rivera told reporters he liked signing Jeter. “Big, stout, physical young man more so than anything else. I like his first-step quickness, his ability to get into the crease and hold the point.”

After one game in Detroit, Jeter is gone. The former Commander was in on 18 defensive snaps, and 7 special teams snaps. Jeter recorded one solo tackle. Perhaps he didn’t look as big, stout, physical, or possess the first-step quickness Rivera thought he’d seen on tape?

On Monday, after the Detroit loss, Rivera cut Jeter and signed John Ridgeway, another tackle, who had been released by Dallas. Interestingly enough, NFL teams very much avoid cutting the players they draft in their very first year. It is a public admission that they really missed on that player when drafting him.

So, inquisitive people like myself can’t help but inquire, “Why did Dallas not keep a player they drafted this year in the 5th round?

Perhaps like Jeter, might Ridgeway also have only one game to show if he is going to be retained as well?

Commanders make a pair of roster moves Tuesday

The Commanders added another defensive tackle Tuesday, this time to the practice squad.

Losing defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis Sunday has resulted in two more transactions Tuesday by the Washington Commanders.

Washington signed DT Benning Potoa’e to the practice squad. To make room for Potoa’e, Washington released S Ferrod Gardner from the practice squad.

Mathis was the Commanders’ second-round draft choice in April’s draft. A former member of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Mathis was excited to be drafted by Washington and to learn from Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.

Mathis went down Sunday on the first play of Jacksonville’s second possession, having torn his meniscus and, after an MRI Monday, was ruled out for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Losing Mathis so early in the contest, inside tackles Payne and Allen were in on 55 and 54 defensive snaps respectively. Daniel Wise (6-3,279) played on 30 defensive snaps inside, and the Commanders were forced to use Efe Obada (6-6, 265) inside as well.

The Commanders brass fully aware they need more size have now obtained Potoa’e (6-3, 290) Tuesday and Donovan Jeter (6-3, 325) Monday. Potoa’e played his college ball at the University of Washington. He appeared in one game for Tampa Bay in 2020 and then again in 2021. Jeter went undrafted out of Michigan, was signed by the Steelers, and played in all three preseason games before being cut.

Gardner (age 25) at 6’1”, 215 pounds, played linebacker at Louisiana. The Commanders were hoping to develop him as a strong safety. Perhaps with the size, they were hoping to see if he could develop into a Buffalo nickel role such as Landon Collins did in 2021.

 

Commanders sign defensive tackle Donovan Jeter

The Commanders signed defensive tackle Donovan Jeter to provide depth at defensive tackle.

The Washington Commanders needed help at defensive tackle Monday after placing second-round pick Phidarian Mathis on season-ending injured reserve.

Head coach Ron Rivera told the media Monday that the Commanders were already looking at several options for the active roster and practice squad.

Not long after Rivera spoke, Washington had signed defensive tackle Donovan Jeter. An undrafted rookie from Michigan, Jeter signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2022 NFL draft and participated in all three of Pittsburgh’s preseason games before becoming one of the team’s final cuts.

A former four-star recruit to Michigan, Jeter is from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. The 6-foot-3, 325-pound Jeter battled injuries throughout his college career but appeared in 37 games with four starts. Jeter recorded 38 career tackles and his best season was his final season in 2021, where he finished with 24 tackles.

Behind starters Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, the Commanders now have Jeter, Daniel Wise and Efe Obada. Obada can play inside or outside. It is a surprise Washington hasn’t pursued a veteran such as Star Lotulelei.

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Donovan Jeter signs an undrafted free agent deal

Great spot for him!

The former 2017 four-star recruit from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania inked a deal on Saturday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.

Jeter was with the Wolverines since 2017 and was a four-year letterman with Michigan. Jeter appeared in 37 career games with four starts during that span.

This past season was Jeter’s best season statistically, and he was a really good rotational defensive tackle for Michigan. Jeter had 24 total tackles on the season. His claim to fame came back in 2020 at Minnesota when Jeter returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Jeter is headed to Pittsburgh where he will try and crack the opening day roster, but the practice squad could be a legit possibility for the former Wolverine. Jeter has done a really good job at Michigan as a rotational piece, and that could exactly be what coach Mike Tomlin is thinking about doing.

Jeter really couldn’t ask for a better place to go to learn the NFL game — Mike Tomlin has been known as a defensive guru.

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Physicality, execution, handling adversity among keys for U-M defense vs. Wisconsin

The defense knows it has to be fundamentally sound and can’t let one bad play turn into two.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Wisconsin’s offense hasn’t exactly been stellar to start out the 2021 season thus far. But it hasn’t been terrible, save for turnovers.

The Badgers are averaging 202 rushing yards per game through three games, led by Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi, but Graham Mertz and the 97th-rated passing offense has been turnover prone. Wisconsin is dead last in the country in turnover ratio at 2.33 giveaways per game.

Thinking back to Michigan’s last trip to Madison, though he had no success against the Wolverines previously, Jonathan Taylor ran wild, while then-quarterback Jack Coan did just enough to keep the maize and blue on their toes. In order for Michigan to escape with the first win in Camp Randall since 2001, it’ll have to be prepared for everything that the Badgers throw at them on that side of the ball, regardless of how putrid it’s been at times.

“Just gotta be physical,” fifth-year defensive tackle Donovan Jeter said. “They’ve got a great, big offensive line, great players, great coaches. Just gotta go in there with the mindset of being physical and gotta tackle. Two-to-three-yard runs could turn into six-to-seven-yard runs just by lack of tackling. Really big on that and the biggest thing is being physical and trying to not let them get off with the ball.”

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Jeter vividly remembers the 2019 trip, even to the point where he remembers speaking to the media in the lead-up to the game. If fans are expecting style points and a fun game where skill players run amok, Jeter says you’re looking for the wrong matchup.

“You gonna get the bear and the bear’s gonna get you sometimes,” Jeter said. “It’s four quarters of just nine-on-seven. It’s gonna be physical, it’s not gonna be a pretty game. It’s gonna be real ugly, rugged and physical. But at the end of the day, if we want to be a championship team, you’ve gotta have all types of games. You’ve gotta have a game where you put up 60 points, you’ve gotta have the games where we hang onto a lead.

“I think playing in Madison is hard. The last time we went there, we got the brakes beat off us. I’m a little superstitious because last time you interviewed me it didn’t go well two years ago! At the same time, it didn’t go well! Playing over there, like I said before, you’ve gotta execute, you’ve gotta handle adversity. Like I said, you’re gonna have good plays and you’re gonna have bad plays, but you can’t let one bad play turn into two because the momentum just builds and builds and builds. And like I said, it’s hard to get momentum back.”

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This will also be Michigan’s first road test of the season. The Wolverines haven’t been a good road team in recent years, looking stellar at home before barely showing up when they’re playing in another team’s stadium.

Jeter notes that it makes it that much more imperative that the defense remains fundamentally sound. Because if the momentum does either start with Wisconsin or shift that way, it’ll be quite difficult to turn it back in Michigan’s favor.

“Executing, and then handling the adversity,” Jeter said. “Because 90,000 people in the stadium want you to lose. So five-yard runs are gonna feel like a 50-yard run because everyone’s losing their mind. Really just handling adversity and then not letting one bad play turn into two bad plays.

“Obviously, you’ve gotta be lights out, you’ve gotta be physical, you’ve gotta communicate. It’ll be hard to communicate because there’s 90,000 people there going against you. But, for the most part, like I said, handling adversity, executing, tackling — tackling is always a big thing. Like I said, two-yard runs can turn into seven-yard runs just from not tackling and that hurts you on the road. And then getting off the field. You don’t want to let a home team get the momentum by going on long drives, because it’s really hard trying to take the momentum back. Just being physical, executing and handling adversity.”

Of course, Jeter would have liked to had some kind of road test before going to a hostile environment where the team hasn’t won in 20 years. But the schedule is what it is, thus the team will have to make the most of it.

If you didn’t grasp what he was saying previously, the message is still the same: it’s all about execution, no matter where Michigan is playing.

“It’s hard. We’ve been here for a month straight — same hotel, same schedule, stuff like that,” Jeter said. “Any championship team has to win on the road. For an older guy like me, I’ve been in both situations where you start more road games than you start with home games. You’ve just gotta be consistent, week-in and week-out. We could play in the parking lot and we’ve gotta execute. It’s all about execution.”

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Why Donovan Jeter is ignoring his own camp hype

Donovan Jeter has heard the annual camp hype, and just like #Michigan fans, he’s ready for results — not talk.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Donovan Jeter is accustomed to this. Not just preparing for a football season — though he’s on his fourth fall camp after having been in the program for five years. No, he’s used to hearing how great he’s doing every year.

And just as fans are tired of players not living up to the fall camp hype, so is Jeter for not living up to it.

On Friday, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh praised Jeter, as he and the rest of the coaching staff usually do, saying that he’s looking better than ever.

“There’s a lot of guys like Donovan Jeter — having his best, best months ever, best offseason, all through his best camp. His level of consistency has been outstanding.”

But Jeter isn’t buying it. Not that he isn’t performing well — it appears he is — but he doesn’t want to hear it.

“I’ve been alright. The compliments from coach are always nice but I’ve been getting compliments since 2019,” Jeter said. “The biggest part is now going week in, week out of the season. Because it’s always nice to get a compliment from the head coach — I don’t want to say it doesn’t mean nothing, that comes off wrong. I really just gotta go out on Saturdays in The Big House.”

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Some say that complacency is the enemy of greatness, and Jeter is determined to be great in 2021. This is his last opportunity, lest he uses the 2020 season free year, to make the impact he’s long been rumored to be on the verge of.

But why hasn’t he lived up to the hype? In a few words, he hasn’t been consistent enough.

“I personally think it’s my technique — I’ve been a little bit inconsistent,” Jeter said. “There’s plays where my technique’s been good, my technique’s good, I handle my business. And then there’s plays where my technique isn’t where it should be and I become a very average defensive lineman. Just — the biggest emphasis for me, and I think the whole D-line this year, this offseason is technique, consistently doing it. That’s what separates the elite from good linemen. Everybody can go in there and have one good play, have one bad play. Just keep consistent. I think if we’re all consistent, like myself, the entire D-line is consistent then I think we’ll be real good up front.”

We’ll see if Jeter’s actions speak louder than the words often spoken about him come Sept. 4, when Michigan hosts Western Michigan for the season opener at The Big House.

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Report: Michigan football retaining two fifth-year players in 2021

Both fifth-year seniors, Michigan football is retaining two key starters heading into 2021, per a report.

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Everyone always talks about attrition when it comes to Michigan football, but seldom does retention gather similar narratives for the Wolverines. And it turns out, the maize and blue have both heading into 2021.

Yes, there were some key losses, both via the NFL draft and via transfer. Linebacker Cam McGrone and offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield are early draft entrants, while Zach Charbonnet and Luiji Vilain have opted to seek better fortunes at other schools. But Aidan Hutchinson, the star defensive end and team captain announced a return in 2021, and he’s apparently not the only one coming back.

According to MLive’s Aaron McMann, Michigan football is getting back two key defensive players in 2021, as fifth-year linebacker Josh Ross and defensive tackle Donovan Jeter are set to return to Ann Arbor this fall.

Two key defensive players are expected back for Michigan football this fall, sources tell MLive, providing much-needed experience and leadership to a unit ravaged by injury this past fall.

Defensive tackle Donovan Jeter and linebacker Josh Ross are both planning to return to the Wolverines for the 2021 season, utilizing an extra year of eligibility provided by the COVID-19 abbreviated schedule this past fall.

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This is big for a Michigan football team that’s low on returning defensive players in the front seven. Both of the aforementioned started games, and while the defense will assuredly look different under new coordinator Mike Macdonald, both players could be linchpins in the overhauled defense.

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Focus on hard work, mentality shift paying dividends for Donovan Jeter

After languishing on the bench, Michigan football DT Donovan Jeter is making the most of his opportunity to shine on the field.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — We heard time and time again for over a year now that, as Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown would say, ‘This Donovan Jeter,’ is impressing off the field. But it never rectified with on-field results for the fourth-year defensive tackle.

However, this season, Jeter came out of the gates with a fumble recovery for a touchdown in Big Ten Week 1, and has since been a mainstay on the defensive line.

So how did he manage to become a vital part of the D-line rotation? Through five games he’s already more than doubled his total output, snap count-wise, having played 188 defensive tackle snaps compared to 93 snaps the whole season last year. He’s also had 8 tackles (compared to zero a year ago and 3 in 2018) and has graded out fairly well according to PFF, with an overall grade of 68 this year. He posted his best game yet against Rutgers, with an overall grade of 76.1.

As far as getting to see the field early and often, Jeter says he put in the effort to make sure he was ready now that it’s his time.

“Just work. There will never be a time where you work hard and it doesn’t pay off,” Jeter said. “I just told myself during quarantine, during the offseason, when I was able to get back up here and start practicing a little bit, I told myself to work hard and the rest will take care of itself.”
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But getting to this point wasn’t an overnight type of deal — it took a lot of work to get to this place for Jeter.
The biggest difference for him is his mentality. He felt like he had something of a lackluster effort a year ago, the setback caused by a poor outing when his name was called. So, once he dusted himself off and got focused later in the year, he vowed that he would do everything possible to fulfill his promise as a player.
“I think I got mentally tougher,” Jeter said. “Last year, I played horribly against Wisconsin — and that kind of affected my mindset throughout the rest of the year. I didn’t really get back into myself until right around the bowl game, Alabama, honestly. I told myself after that game, ‘I’m never going to have that feeling last year — that feeling that I could of did more, I could have did this.’ I invested everything I had into this offseason, just to work hard — and, like I said, just let the rest take care of itself.”
Jeter has played at least 27 snaps in all five games this year, steadily increasing his workload as the season has gone one, especially with defensive line injuries mounting.
Now that he can see his tangible contribution and the playing time has come to fruition, he can look back knowing that all that hard work this offseason has been worth it.
“It’s a good feeling, to go in there and help the defense with a few starts,” Jeter said. “Play major snaps. Now, it’s about making more plays. It’s about making plays that put our defense in a position to be better. I’m happy, blessed to be in this position to help the defense. But now, I’m trying to take it another level — to even help the defense some more.”
Jeter will have yet another opportunity to prove himself this week, as the Wolverines take on the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium on Saturday at noon EST.
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What Shaun Nua sees in Michigan’s defensive line struggles

The Michigan football defensive line hasn’t generated nearly as much pressure as usual and the team DL coach discusses why.

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Currently mired in a three-game losing streak, the program’s longest in a single-season since dropping their final three games of the 2017 campaign, there is more than just a singular issue plaguing Michigan football.

One of the most glaring, however, has been the lack of pressure generated by the defensive line. After posting five sacks in the season-opening victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Oct. 24, the Wolverines have totaled just one sack in the last three games, which came in the loss to the Wisconsin Badgers on Nov. 14.

Second-year defensive line coach Shaun Nua, who joined Jim Harbaugh’s staff after one season under Herm Edwards with the Arizona State Sun Devils, appeared on the Inside Michigan Football radio show with Jon Jansen on Monday to discuss his young – and banged up – position group and where they go from here.

Prior to embarking on his coaching career as an intern with BYU in 2009, Nua played for the Cougars from 2003-05 and spent three seasons on National Football League rosters with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, meaning he can relate to the frustration his players are feeling.

“You rely on the leadership that you have from your coaches, to the leaders on your team, especially your teammates, people that have your best interest,” Nua said. “It’s very, very easy, for times like this, for you to be very, very down and depressed and start pointing fingers. Truth is, it’s very simple, you just go the mirror and look in there and see what you can do better. That’s probably the main thing I learned through all the adversity as a player and now as a coach, it holds true then, and it still holds true now.

“What can you do as an individual to get better? What can I do as a coach to help my guys? What can I do as a coach to help the other coaches? That’s kind of my focus right now, just dig deep, humble yourself, and figure out what the heck is going on.”

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While not completely absolving the defensive line for their struggles, Nua’s young men have been hit particularly hard by the injury bug.

The team’s starting defensive ends, junior Aidan Hutchinson and senior Kwity Paye, are presently sidelined. The former left the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington on Nov. 7 with a fracture in his right leg and will likely miss the remainder of the season, while the latter was unavailable for the Wisconsin contest due to a reported groin injury.

“Anytime you lose players the caliber of those two, you want to change, but you don’t want to change too much, not in a panic mode,” Nua said. “You still got to have faith in the guys that are up next, you know, next guy up mentality, but at the same time, the hardest part, you lose two leaders. That’s probably just as much of them as players.

“The challenge now falls, not just on the players that are stepping up, but myself to make sure, not only their mindset is right, but that they know what they’re doing so that way they can perform at a higher level.

“Losing those two definitely is a challenge, but I also look at is as an opportunity for guys like (redshirt sophomore) Taylor Upshaw, all the younger guys, (redshirt junior) Luiji Vilain, (redshirt freshman) Gabe Newburg, for those guys to step up and see what they can do. That’s what we’re going through right now.”

With Hutchinson and Paye out of action, redshirt senior Carlo Kemp slid out from his normal tackle spot to end against the Badgers. As Nua shared, having an experienced player with this type of versatility is a luxury and someone the younger guys can learn from.

“It means the world because it’s a very sensitive thing,” he said. “Does that mean you have lesser faith in the guys that were there? No, it’s just you want to put the best players on the field, and we have good faith in (Christopher) Hinton and (Donovan) Jeter inside, and Kemp was the next best guy.

“To have him, it’s not like he hasn’t played the position before, he played it two years ago, so, it was almost like an easy move for us to say, ‘OK, we’re playing Wisconsin, let’s get some bigger bodies out there.’

“He did a heck of a job getting the plays down, especially the technique and the fundamentals to play on that edge, he did a good job.”

One of the few positive takeaways from the 38-point loss to Wisconsin, which was the program’s worst home defeat in nearly 85 years, was the extended action some of the younger ends saw, particularly Upshaw and Vilain. Nua took a moment to comment on what he saw from some of his less experienced student-athletes.

“Obviously, not good enough for us to win, but very, very encouraging to see them get in there and make some plays,” he said. “Taylor (Upshaw) did a great job of taking advantage of some of the plays that came his way and made some plays. The experience they get is invaluable, it’s constantly strengthening their foundation of them continuing to become better players.

“Unfortunately, their time has come a lot faster than we thought with Kwity (Paye) and Aidan (Hutchinson) being out, but it’s still a good opportunity for all of them. Guys like Gabe Newburg, Taylor Upshaw, Luiji Vilain, huge, huge opportunity for them to get better, get some experience.”

Paye was in sweats on the sideline on Nov. 14, but Nua remained vague when Jansen asked about when fans will see him back on the field.

“Hopefully, as soon as possible. The sooner, the better, and I know he’s working his butt off trying to get back as fast as possible.

“His influence on these guys is very, very high, they respect him a lot. I told him, ‘Do not shy away during the game, you’re basically one of the coaches now, go help out, whatever you see, help out the guys on the edges.’

“And that’s exactly what he did because his experience is invaluable for us. He did a good job communicating with the guys on the sideline and it was fun to watch him see the game from that perspective. Hopefully, we get him soon.”

Transitioning to the interior of the line, Nua laid out the plan for steady improvement for sophomore Christopher Hinton, redshirt junior Donovan Jeter, and redshirt freshman Mazi Smith.

“Consistency,” Nua said. “Especially with Jeter and Chris Hinton, consistency is my biggest challenge to them, consistently dominant the middle.

“We all know we’re not there yet, so, the challenge for them is consistency. Mazi Smith and (redshirt junior) Jess Speight, they don’t have a lot of experience in there, so, that’s what they need. Whatever reps they get is huge for their development.

“The two veteran guys, Hinton and Jeter, the challenge for them is to consistently be dominant, and be more dominant in the middle.”

The next chance for the defensive line to generate some pressure and build some confidence among the fans will come on Saturday against Greg Schiano’s Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-3) at 7:30 p.m. EST on the Big Ten Network.

Rutgers is averaging just 328.8 yards per game, a total that ranks No. 104 among Football Bowl Subdivision programs, and has surrendered eight sacks, suggesting this matchup could be exactly what Nua’s group needs.