Tag: Eric Smith

Browns host 3 for tryouts on Thursday including DB Troy Apke

The Browns hosted three for tryouts yesterday.

The Cleveland Browns have frequently hosted tryouts throughout the season as they follow their own guardrail of churning the bottom of their roster. They have even signed a few players straight from tryouts to their practice squad, including safety Mike Brown who is set to make his third gameday appearance as a practice squad elevation. This week is no different, as the Browns tried out three players, including former starting defensive back of the Washington Commanders, Troy Apke.

Here we take a look at those three players and give their college and NFL background, and their athletic testing numbers. Could the Browns add one of these guys to the practice squad as well with five weeks to go in the 2022 season?

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Titans waive K Josh Lambo among four roster moves

The Titans made four roster moves on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans announced four roster moves on Monday, one of which included the parting of ways of kicker Josh Lambo, who was waived from the active roster.

This appears to be good news for the Titans, as it likely means kicker Randy Bullock is ready to return after a one-game absence. Lambo missed one of his four extra point tries in Week 11 but did not attempt a field goal.

And, with nobody being added in Lambo’s place on the roster, it leaves the Titans with an open spot. The hope is rookie wide receiver Kyle Philips, who is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, eventually takes that spot.

In addition to that move, the Titans waived tight end Anthony Auclair from the practice squad and added both wideout Chris Conley and offensive lineman Eric Smith.

Tennessee will host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, with kickoff set for noon CDT on Sunday.

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Titans sign OT Eric Smith to the practice squad

The Titans added to their offensive line group on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans are adding to their offensive line room on Monday with the signing of offensive tackle Eric Smith to the practice squad.

The Titans made the move official on Monday after Smith’s agent tweeted out a picture of the Virginia product signing his practice squad deal. In a corresponding move, the Titans cut outside linebacker Gerri Green.

Smith first broke into the league in 2019 with the New York Giants, where he appeared in two games for them that season. He has also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.

Smith has never made a start in his career but has played in four games in total. In the one full game he played with the Giants in 2019, Smith surrendered three sacks and five pressures at left tackle.

In other words: he’s a perfect fit for an offensive line group that already has issues blocking, especially in pass protection.

The Titans need an impact move at left tackle, but this one doesn’t move the needle. It appears Dennis Daley is safe for at least one more week.

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Giants sign OT Eric Smith

The New York Giants have signed veteran offensive tackle Eric Smith, who was with the team in 2019.

Following the loss of Matt Gono and rookie Marcus McKethan, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll acknowledged the team had serious depth concerns at offensive tackle.

“I think Joe (Schoen) and his staff — the scouting department — are going to look at every avenue to try to improve that situation. You obviously can’t, you don’t have a crystal ball when that stuff happens,” Daboll told reporters on Sunday.

“And it’s too bad, by the way, about Marcus. I spoke to him yesterday. For a young player to have a non-contact injury, it was tough. But he’s in good spirits. So, he’ll have to start rehabbing. But we’ll try to do whatever we need to do. Whatever it needs to do, we’re going to try to do.”

It didn’t take long for Schoen & Co. to act. They held a tryout for veteran offensive lineman Eric Smith following Sunday’s practice and intend to sign him.

The 26-year-old Smith originally signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia in 2017. He later made stops with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.

This will be Smith’s second stop with the Giants (2019).

The 6-foot-4, 308-pound Smith has appeared in four NFL games with one start. The most playing time he received came with the Giants in 2019 when he took 56 offensive snaps over a two-game span.

In order to clear room for Smith, the Giants terminated the contract of offensive lineman Matt Gono (neck), whose roster exemption had recently expired.

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72 days till the Cardinals’ 2022 season opener vs. Chiefs

Here are some players for the Cardinals over the years who have worn No. 72. It includes a Hall of Famer.

As we begin the holiday weekend on this the first of July, we are 72 days away from the start of the regular season for the Arizona Cardinals.

In 72 days, it will be Sept. 11, when they take the field at home in State Farm Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.

No. 72 currently belongs to tackle Eric Smith, who was on the Cardinals’ practice squad last season. There are no pictures of Smith in a Cardinals uniform yet in No. 72, but he and other Cardinals who wore No. 72 before him are below.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals protect 4 on practice squad for Week 5

They choose to protect three defensive backs and an offensive lineman.

The Arizona Cardinals have protected four players on their practice squad in Week 5. NFL teams are able to keep up to four players from being signed by other teams each week.

This week, according to Tuesday’s NFL transaction report, the Cardinals protected these four players:

  • CB Luq Barcoo
  • OT Eric Smith
  • CB Jace Whittaker
  • S James Wiggins

Barcoo was recently signed to the practice squad after he was released last Thursday. With injuries to Byron Murphy and Antonio Hamilton, he might get called to duty this week.

Smith was elevated from the practice squad last week and played a pair of offensive snaps against the Los Angeles Rams. If Justin Murray and Kelvin Beachum don’t come back from injury this week, Smith could be elevated again.

Whittaker gives them special teams help and depth in the slot. If Hamilton can’t play this week, he likely will be the player they call up for the game,.

Wiggins has been protected for the second week in a row. He was drafted in the seventh round this year by the Cardinals.

With tight end Darrell Daniels landing on the COVID list on Wednesday, expect to see tight end Ross Travis elevated this week. He was not protected so he potentially could get signed by another team before that happens.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals protect 4 players on practice squad in Week 4, including rookie S James Wiggins

Among the four players the Cardinals protected, one of is safety James Wiggins, drafted in the seventh round this year.

The Arizona Cardinals have elected to protect four practice squad players in Week 4, according to the NFL transaction report on Tuesday. Not included on this list is recently added cornerback Quinton Dunbar.

His signing did not become official until Wednesday after the Cardinals made their selections.

The four players they are protecting this week, keeping other teams from being able to sign them, are the following:

  • S Chris Banjo
  • T Eric Smith
  • TE Ross Travis
  • S James Wiggins

Banjo has been elevated to the active roster each of the last two weeks and likely will be again this week when the Cardinals take on the Rams. He is a core special teams player, and his presence is more important with the loss of safety Charles Washington, who was placed on injured reserve.

Smith’s protection is surely related to the injury of Kelvin Beachum. His availability is in doubt with a rib injury that kept him out of the last game and a half.

Wiggins might be elevated to replace Washington. Washington is one of the Cardinals’ gunners on the punt team. Wiggins got work as a punt gunner in training camp and in the preseason.

He was one of the Cardinals’ draft picks this year, getting selected in the seventh round out of Cincinnati.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cowboys place CB Chidobe Awuzie on IR, promote from PS

The Dallas Cowboys made a roster move on Saturday, prior to facing off against the Seattle Seahawks in their Week 3 matchup in the Pacific Northwest. Already ruled out of action for the week and thought to be out for multiple weeks, things became …

The Dallas Cowboys made a roster move on Saturday, prior to facing off against the Seattle Seahawks in their Week 3 matchup in the Pacific Northwest. Already ruled out of action for the week and thought to be out for multiple weeks, things became official for cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, as the club has placed him on injured reserve.

Awuzie will now be out through at least their first NFC East game, Week 5 against the New York Giants. To fill his spot, free agent signing and second-year corner Saivion Smith has been signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. The team also took advantage of the 2020 rules and has elevated practice squad players CB Deante Burton and OT Eric Smith to the active roster.

Awuzie, a fourth-year corner, seemed to have injured his hamstring in the game against the Falcons. He had started for Anthony Brown who went on IR the week prior with a rib injury. Dallas will continue to start rookie corner Trevon Diggs on one side. Fourth-year corner Jourdan Lewis and free-agent Daryl Worley are expected to be the other key corners in use, as well as veteran Brandon Carr. Carr was signed right before the season to the practice squad and was active for 17 snaps against the Falcons in Week 2. He was signed as a safety, but will have to resume corner duties as injuries have ravaged Dallas’ already suspect secondary.

Smith went undrafted out of Alabama, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an udrafted free agent in 2019. He never appeared in a game so Sunday will be his professional debut.

Smith last played football for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL’s inaugural, then defunct season. He was once a top high-school prospect who finished his college career at Alabama after trasnferring from LSU.

The Florida native started 12 games as a junior for the Crimson Tide in 2018 and racked up 60 tackles, three interceptions, and five pass breakups, Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 200 pounds, Smith seemingly has the physical profile necessary to play in the league.

Burton signed with the Cowboys down the stretch of the 2019 season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound corner came off of the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and has a wide receiver background before making the conversion to defense.

Both players seem to have leapfrogged 2019 UDFA and 6-foot-4 Chris Westry, who still remains on the practice squad.

As for the tackle, Eric Smith, he has to be seen as a precaution against a second-straight week of not having Tyron Smith available. Last week, Smith was replaced by Brandon Knight, who fared very well while UDFA rookie Terence Steele continued to struggle in replacing right tackle La’el Collins. Eric Smith was brought up last week as well.

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To Be Continued? Cowboys in contact with guard Ron Leary

The Dallas Cowboys are visiting with veteran guard and former Cowboy Ronald Leary.

After a disappointing performance in Week 1, and a number of injuries,  before during and since, the Cowboys are searching for help along the offensive line. Dallas entered the season with a couple depth members on season-long injured reserve and starting right tackle La’el Collins on returnable IR. Backup Cam Erving left the season opener and starting left tackle Tyron Smith has missed the last two practices with a neck injury.

It’s gotten to the point the Cowboys must consider moving their guards, Connor Williams and Zack Martin back outside where they played in college. To that extent, and because it’s easier to find interior players then tackles, Dallas is set to visit with former Cowboys guard Ronald Leary, according to a report by ESPN’s Field Yates.

Leary started at left guard for the Cowboys from 2013 through 2016, before joining Denver on a high-priced deal. There was speculation Leary could join earlier Dallas in the off-season, but now it appears there’s a real chance of a reunion. Leary reportedly is undergoing the Covid-19 protocols.

Williams got the first crack at left guard for Dallas, but he struggled against Aaron Donald and the Rams in Week 1. Williams could certainly preform better in the coming weeks when he’s not lined up across Donald, but the addition of Leary could allow Williams to play more tackle, the position he played at the University of Texas. Some believe he is more naturally built for that role, though most projected a move inside for him entering the 2018 draft.

Behind Williams Dallas has 2019 third-round pick Connor McGovern available at guard.

Mike McCarthy recently made it known that both Williams and right guard Zack Martin haven taken snaps at tackle in practice.

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2020 Giants training camp preview: Offensive line

Have the New York Giants finally solved their offensive line issues as they head into training camp here in 2020?

The New York Giants may or may not have solved their offensive line issues this offseason through the draft, free agency and a coaching change.

Then again, they may not have. Outside of two staples they have at the guard positions, the rest of the line is fluid at the moment, and with no preseason games and limited practice time in camp, they may not have time to put a cohesive group on the field.

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What’s new

Joe Judge, the latest consigliere to Bill Belichick in New England takes over as head coach. He knows his life as a first-timer in this league will be difficult so he surrounded himself with a veteran staff, mainly offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who just came off a decade-long stint as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Garrett adroitly hired Marc Colombo, his offensive line coach in Dallas (where he coached three Pro Bowlers) to the same position here with the Giants. Colombo, a massive, intimidating lineman in his day, knows the ropes and will turn this unit into the band of tough guys Giant fans have been yearning for.

Here are the members of that band general manager Dave Gettleman hopes will make him proud:

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Nate Solder

With the salary cap getting pinched next year, Solder’s $20.5 million cap hit is untenable, so this is his swan song unless the Giants ink him long-term and tear up his current deal. Don’t count on that.

The former Patriot’s game is in decline, which is why the Giants used two of their top three draft picks this year on tackles. Solder is not guaranteed anything as camp nears, so he’ll have to show marked improvement if he is going to be at left tackle again this year.

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