Tag: Emanuel Wilson

UDFAs Malik Heath, Brenton Cox Jr. and Emanuel Wilson force their way onto Packers initial roster

There was no denying undrafted rookies Malik Heath, Brenton Cox Jr. and Emanuel Wilson.

There was no denying undrafted rookies Malik Heath, Brenton Cox Jr. and Emanuel Wilson this preseason, and now all three will begin the 2023 season on the roster of the Green Bay Packers.

Together, Heath, Cox and Wilson give the Packers three undrafted rookies on the initial 53-man roster, the most kept by the team since 2018. They also extended the team’s streak of at least one undrafted free agent on the initial roster to a staggering 19 years.

Even during a year in which general manager Brian Gutekunst made 13 draft picks, college free agents got a legitimate shot to make the roster in Green Bay. The trio of Heath, Cox and Wilson made the most of the opportunity.

Heath caught a team-high 12 passes for 146 yards over three preseason games. He finished third in yards per route run (per PFF) among receivers with at least 14 targets this preseason while making four contested catches without a drop. He also blocked like a madman, embracing the “goon” role Matt LaFleur likes at wide receiver and allowing him to beat out seventh-round pick Grant DuBose for a roster spot. Depending on the injury situations for Romeo Doubs (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (hamstring), Heath could be on the field and playing snaps for the Packers come Week 1 in Chicago.

Cox led the Packers in pressures (seven), hurries (six) and batted passes (two). One of his batted passes resulted in an interception. He also had a tackle for loss against the run. His win rate as a pass-rusher was 15.4 percent, the fourth-best among rookie edge rushers during the preseason. Despite having five outside linebackers they liked, Cox forced the Packers to do something rare and keep a sixth. If he stays out of trouble and focused on the job, Cox has the talent to become a pass-rushing asset in time.

Wilson led all NFL players in rushing yards (223) and was tied for first in rushing touchdowns (2). He forced 11 missed tackle attempts, the most among running backs, and his 80-yard run was the longest in the NFL during the preseason. He also caught four passes and displayed some potential as a pass protector. Signed in May, Wilson entered training camp as a roster long shot. He exited as the winner of the No. 3 running back spot, giving him a real chance of factoring into the future of the position past 2023.

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Rookie RB Emanuel Wilson says he made Packers’ 53-man roster

Rookie RB Emanuel Wilson posted on Instagram that he’s made the Packers’ initial 53-man roster.

Rookie running back Emanuel Wilson has made the 53-man roster of the Green Bay Packers, according to a post on his Instagram account.

Wilson, an undrafted rookie out of Fort Valley State, led the NFL in rushing yards during the preseason. He carried 38 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns, including a preseason-long run of 80 yards for a score against the Bengals in the preseason opener.

Per PFF, Wilson also led all running backs in forced missed tackles (11) and runs of 10 or more yards (5) during the preseason.

Wilson might need to get better as a receiver and blocker and find a role on special teams, but his running talent — namely his physicality and contact balance — was too much for the Packers to risk on waivers.

For now, Wilson, Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon will make up the Packers depth chart at running back. It’s unclear as of this writing if Patrick Taylor will make the 53-man roster, but keeping four running backs on the 53-man roster might not work for the Packers.

Wilson will join edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. and Malik Heath as the undrafted rookies making the Packers’ initial 53-man roster.

The Packers originally signed Wilson, a DII All-American in 2022, on May 22. He spent time with the Denver Broncos before joining the Packers. At Fort Valley State, Wilson rushed for 2,206 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Consistency on special teams key for Emanuel Wilson in Packers RB3 battle

Packers RB Emanuel Wilson proved he can run the ball in the preseason opener. But can he block, catch and play special teams?

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson is coming off a very impressive preseason debut, totaling 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati. However, if he is truly going to compete for that third running back role, he will have to be a consistent contributor on special teams and as a blocker.

“Those are areas that we are going to have to see improvement,” said Matt LaFleur on Sunday. “Not that he’s done a bad job, but you want to see the consistency of that, obviously.”

Both LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst were asked recently about the third running back battle, specifically, what they are looking for in that role. Both gave almost identical answers, mentioning that special teams contributions are going to be a must. This player also must be reliable as a blocker and as a pass catcher. Although, of course, there is a certain prerequisite that this player must meet as a ball carrier, basically everything but that will be the deciding factors.

With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon handling pretty much all of the offensive workload, if the third running back is going to contribute, that player will have to do so primarily on special teams.

With that in mind, along with Wilson’s impressive performance on the ground against the Bengals, he did not play any special teams snaps. He was on the field for five snaps in the passing game, including two where he was lined up on the boundary and two that were passes off of play-action. In all instances, the play-call was never designed to get him the ball, or at the very least, he was the last read or close to it. Wilson did not have any snaps as a pass blocker, either.

“Whoever the third back is has to have a role on teams,” said LaFleur. “I haven’t been on too many teams where they’re not a key contributor in that facet of the game. That’s usually a big learning curve for a lot of young players, especially when you were the star player at your school, you’re not getting a lot of those reps.”

Patrick Taylor may not have the same flash as a ball carrier or upside on offense that some of the other running backs on the roster possess, but he is sound in blitz pick-up, as a blocker as a whole, and played 121 special teams snaps in 2022 with the fourth-highest PFF grade on the team.

Moving forward, Wilson is going to have the opportunity to show that he can be effective in these key areas as well. His performance in Cincinnati not only earned him that opportunity, but Tyler Goodson left Friday’s game with a shoulder injury and was in a sling during Sunday’s practice. Lew Nichols has been sidelined for over a week now as well, with a shoulder injury of his own. Based on what I saw Sunday, Wilson is now the fourth available running back, behind Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, and Taylor.

“We have to put him in those situations in practice (special teams and blocking scenarios),” added LaFleur, “and hopefully, he can continue to improve and grow and be a force there.”

Packers rookie RB Emanuel Wilson races 80 yards for TD vs. Bengals

Packers rookie RB Emanuel Wilson scored an 80-yard rushing touchdown in his preseason debut against the Bengals.

Undrafted rookie Emanuel Wilson is having the night of his life on Friday night in Cincinnati. The Packers running back scored twice in the second half of Green Bay’s preseason opener against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium, including an 80-yard score in the fourth quarter.

On the first score, Wilson found a hole off the left side of the offensive line and raced into the end zone from 11 yards out. Later, he bounced outside and sprinted past the Bengals defense for an 80-yard touchdown.

The latter score gave the Packers a 36-19 lead in the fourth quarter. Wilson has six carries for 111 yards and two scores.

Here’s the second Wilson touchdown:

The Packers signed Wilson on May 22. The rookie out of Fort Valley State previously spent time with the Denver Broncos. Standing 5-10 and weighing 226 pounds, Wilson runs hard and brings some straight-line speed to the table.

Could Wilson make some noise in the running back roster battle behind Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon? Tyler Goodson left Friday night’s game with an injury, and rookie Lew Nichols is still out with a shoulder injury, so the door is open.

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Packers sign undrafted rookie RB Emanuel Wilson

The Packers signed running back Emanuel Wilson, an undrafted rookie from Fort Valley State.

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The Green Bay Packers signed running back Emanuel Wilson on Monday.

Wilson (5-10, 226) went undrafted out of Fort Valley State and was briefly with the Denver Broncos following the 2023 draft.

In 2022, Wilson was named a Division II All-American after rushing for 1,371 yards, scoring 17 touchdowns and averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He produced seven games of 100 yards or more in 10 appearances. Twice he rushed for 200 or more, including a season-high 262 yards against Tuskegee. Wilson also caught 24 passes for 269 yards and two more scores in 2022.

Overall, Wilson scored 26 career touchdowns at Fort Valley State.

The corresponding roster move was releasing kicker Parker White, leaving only rookie Anders Carlson on the roster at the specialist position. Wilson joins Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon, Patrick Taylor, Tyler Goodson and Lew Nichols III on the Packers roster at running back.

At his pro day, Wilson hit 34.5″ in the vertical leap, covered 10-0 in the broad jump, finished the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, finished the three-cone in 7.29 seconds and the short shuttle in 4.39 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score is 6.84.

Broncos officially announce 8 roster moves

The Broncos made four roster cuts this week to make room for Kareem Jackson, Tyreik McAllister and a pair of XFL players.

After some roster shuffling, the Denver Broncos have set their 90-man offseason roster ahead of the start of organized team activities.

The Broncos officially waived four players on Monday and re-signed two players. Denver then signed two more players on Tuesday, filling out the roster ahead of the summer.

Here’s a quick recap of the moves the Broncos have made over the last 48 hours.

Broncos announce undrafted free agent signings: Meet the 15 players

Learn more about the 15 undrafted free agents the Broncos signed following the 2023 NFL draft.

After selecting five players in the 2023 NFL draft (and adding a sixth player through a draft-day trade), the Denver Broncos have filled their 90-man offseason roster by signing undrafted free agents.

The Broncos signed 15 UDFAs after the draft, including two running backs and two defensive linemen. Those are two notable positions given that Denver did not select a running back or a defensive lineman during the draft.

The Broncos also brought in tight ends, wide receivers, offensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs. Undrafted players often face long odds to make the 53-man roster, but Denver has a strong history of uncovering UDFA gems.

Here’s a look at the 15 UDFA signings the Broncos made in 2023.

Broncos’ projected running back depth chart after NFL draft

Samaje Perine might serve as a fill-in starter for the Broncos early in the season if Javonte Williams is not fully recovered by Week 1.

The Denver Broncos did not select a running back in the 2023 NFL draft, leaving the team with an interesting RB depth chart going into OTAs.

Here’s a quick projection of where Denver’s running back depth chart stands at the moment.

Projected starter: Javonte Williams is recovering from a serious knee injury that might make him a candidate to begin the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would rule him out for the first four games of the season. Williams is the obvious starter once healthy. 

RB2/Fill-in starter: Samaje Perine proved with the Cincinnati Bengals that he’s a quality RB2 who has the ability to serve as a fill-in starter. If Williams does begin the season the PUP list, Perine will start in his place.

RB3: Tony Jones seems to be the early favorite to win the third-string running back job given his familiarity in Sean Payton’s offense. Jones started four games for the Saints in 2021, rushing 54 times for 142 yards that season. Last year, he split time between New Orleans and the Seattle Seahawks.

Competing for RB4: Damarea Crockett, Tyler Badie, Tyreik McAllister, Jaleel McLaughlin and Emanuel Wilson will likely be competing for the final active roster spot and one or two practice squad spots. Crockett has the most experience in this group. Badie made one appearance last season and McAllister has spent time on Denver’s practice squad. 

McLaughlin and Wilson are expected to be among the team’s undrafted free agent signings, which are yet to be officially announced.

Unless the Broncos are comfortable with Jones potentially serving as the default RB2 if Williams is sidelined early in the season, the team could be in the market to sign a veteran free agent running back. The list of RBs still available includes Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Kareem Hunt and Phillip Lindsay.

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