Tag: dorian o’daniel

Browns tryout 3 defenders including former Bearcat Cortez Broughton

The Browns brought in three defenders for a tryout today, including former Cincinnati Bearcat Cortez Broughton

The Cleveland Browns have brought in three more players for tryouts this week. A week ago, the Browns brought in three safeties for tryouts, and then turned around and signed one to the practice squad as Mike Brown must have impressed them. Today, two linebackers and former Cincinnati Bearcats defensive tackle Cortez Broughton were in Berea trying to earn a spot within the organization.

We take a deeper look here at the three players the Browns have brought in for tryouts today. Who knows? One of them could land on the practice squad shortly just as Brown did.

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Former Baylor LB among 6 players Panthers bring in on Monday

In addition to holding tryouts for five players on Monday, the Panthers brought former Baylor LB Blake Lynch in for a visit.

Now that the Carolina Panthers have fired head coach Matt Rhule, are the pipelines from both Temple University and Baylor University set to be dismantled?

It seemed that way, at least early on. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley, longtime staffers of Rhule, followed their leader out the door last week. Heck, former Owl Robbie Anderson just got the boot today.

But one Bear just squeaked through to Charlotte, as linebacker Blake Lynch made a visit to the Panthers on Tuesday. Lynch played three seasons, and three different positions, under Rhule at Baylor.

A holdover from the previous regime led by Art Briles, the 6-foot-3, 233-pounder transitioned from wide receiver to safety to linebacker between 2017 and 2019 with Rhule. He would later go undrafted, however, and sign with the Minnesota Vikings on April 28, 2020.

Lynch played in 20 games for Minnesota in 2020 and 2021. He totaled 47 tackles, 2.0 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.

Carolina, additionally, held tryouts for five players on the afternoon—running back Spencer Brown, defensive linemen Delontae Scott and Raequan Williams and linebackers Joel Iyiegbuniwe and Dorian O’Daniel.

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Colts worked out four LBs

Colts worked out four LBs, including a former third-round pick.

The Indianapolis Colts held a tryout for four linebackers, per the league’s transaction wire Saturday.

The four linebackers included Aaron Hansford, Justin Hilliard, Dorian O’Daniel and Kadofi Wright.

The Colts showed interest in Hansford before the 2022 NFL draft. Hilliard spent some time with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants and is suspended for the first two games of the season after violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

O’Daniel was a third-round pick with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2018 NFL draft. He has appeared in 58 games (one start) while spending the majority of his time on special teams.

Wright was an undrafted free agent out of Buffalo who signed with the Denver Broncos.

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Chiefs LB Dorian O’Daniel proved he deserves more snaps on defense in Week 4

In just 2 snaps against the #Eagles in Week 4, #Chiefs LB Dorian O’Daniel proved he deserves more opportunities on defense moving forward.

Dorian O’Daniel has been a bit of a mystery with the Kansas City Chiefs, but during the Week 4 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, he proved that he needs more snaps on defense.

The former 2018 third-round draft pick has played just 319 defensive snaps during his career, with 302 of those snaps coming in his rookie season under defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. Since Steve Spagnuolo has been in the fold, he has played just 17 total snaps on defense. Two of those snaps came in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Sunday, and they prove exactly why he can be an asset to the Chiefs’ defense in the coming weeks.

O’Daniel’s first snap came on second-and-10 in the fourth quarter on one of the Eagles’ final possessions. He was entrusted as the quarterback spy on a three-man rush, essentially mirroring the moves of Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. The result of the play was a sack by Mike Danna, but O’Daniel certainly drew the assist.

This week, the Chiefs face Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, who has the fourth-most rushing yards by a QB in the NFL through four weeks of play (129). Allen is big, physical and he’s known to scramble if he faces pressure. It’s the perfect opportunity to bust out the three-man rush with O’Daniel spying the QB, especially when Buffalo has a long down and distance to convert.

It shouldn’t stop there, though. In Week 6, the Chiefs face Washington Football Team QB Taylor Heinicke, who has the eighth-most rushing yards among QBs. In Week 7, Kansas City heads to Tennessee to face the Titans and QB Ryan Tannehill, who has the sixth-most rushing yards in the league. If O’Daniel can replicate his play from Week 4, he’ll be a massive asset for Kansas City over the next three weeks.

The second snap for O’Daniel came on a zero blitz on fourth down. He wasn’t the sole reason the Chiefs secured a turnover on downs, but he certainly helped contribute to that. It was a good snap where he beat veteran Eagles C Jason Kelce.

When defensive play has been lacking through the first four weeks, especially at the linebacker position, the Chiefs would be wise to reward O’Daniel’s play with more opportunities on defense. Even with Willie Gay Jr. expected to return to action, O’Daniel could be a nice weapon for the Chiefs to employ against dual-threat QBs. Had they discovered this a few weeks earlier, the team might have found more success containing Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.

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Chiefs make several roster moves on Saturday

The Chiefs have sent Dorian O’Daniel to injured reserve and made two other roster moves on Saturday.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made three roster moves ahead of the Week 13 clash with the Denver Broncos.

The team announced three transactions on Saturday, with the most considerable move being the decision to send LB Dorian O’Daniel to injured reserve. O’Daniel suffered a high ankle sprain during punt coverage work in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dave Toub mentioned this week that O’Daniel’s recovery would “take a minute.” It’ll take at minimum three weeks as he’s now been moved to injured reserve.

O’Daniel is known as one of the best special teams players on the team. Toub said he was playing at a Pro Bowl level this season.

In what appears to be a corresponding move, the Chiefs activated DB Chris Lammons from the practice squad. Lammons has been a member of the practice squad for two seasons now. He can play a number of different spots on special teams and fill in as a safety or cornerback on defense. His mastery of the playbook and ability to fill in on special teams is likely the reason he was elevated over a player like CB DeAndre Baker.

The next transaction is an anticipated move by Kansas City. The team has officially activated Super Bowl LIV’s starting left guard Stefen Wisniewski from the practice squad. Wisniewski rejoined the team after his release by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Earlier this week, Eric Bieniemy spoke a bit about Wisniewski’s progress in his return to the team.

Don’t expect Wisniewski to start right away, but it wouldn’t be crazy to see him work in on some heavy sets. He’ll also likely be the first player off the bench to fill in if there is an injury at the guard position.

Both of these appear to be standard elevations, which means they’ll revert to the practice squad after Week 13. That would leave the Chiefs with an open roster spot due to O’Daniel’s move to injured reserve. It appears the team is keen on keeping their options open as they head into the final quarter of the season.

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