Tag: Eric Tomlinson

After NFL draft, Broncos should consider these 12 free agents

With the NFL draft now complete, should the Broncos sign any of these free agents who remain available?

The Denver Broncos improved their roster over the weekend by selecting five players in the 2023 NFL draft and adding a tight end via trade.

While the new arrivals should help, the Broncos did overlook a few positions during the draft, most notably including running back and the defensive line. Denver could also still use more depth at guard and tackle, and a Week 1 starting-caliber center wouldn’t hurt.

After signing their draft class, the Broncos are expected to still have around $7 million worth of salary cap space available. That’s not much — and Denver will want to carry some of it into the season — but it is enough to make another budget signing or two.

With the above positions (and a few others) in mind, here’s a quick list of 12 free agents who are still available and could provide more depth for the Broncos as the team prepares to go into organized team activities in May.

Broncos were happy to get ‘viking’ Eric Tomlinson a touchdown

“It is great to see a guy like that get a touchdown,” Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said of blocking tight end Eric Tomlinson.

The Denver Broncos scored a touchdown through an unlikely source against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

In the fourth quarter, Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien pulled off a clever play-action pass to find tight end Eric Tomlinson in the end zone for a score.

That marked Tomlinson’s eighth catch of the season, and his first touchdown as a Bronco. He’s not typically a receiving threat for Denver, but the coaching staff wanted to reward the hard work he’s put in this year.

“We call him the Viking,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said of Tomlinson after a 24-15 win. “He does not say anything. He is primarily a run-blocker and pass-protector. He puts his head down every day and comes to work. He wants to know how he can do the next blocking pattern. He never asks about catches or anything. …

“To be able for him to get that touchdown is huge for a guy that puts his head down, works every day, does everything that he can, does not talk much. He just uses his play to show the type of person he is. It is great to see a guy like that get a touchdown. It just rallies the whole group together.”

That marked just the second touchdown of Tomlinson’s career — his first came in his second season with the New York Jets five years ago. Blocking tight ends are often overlooked by fans, but Tomlinson’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by his coaches and teammates this season.

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Broncos make 2 changes to 53-man roster

The Broncos officially brought back DL Mike Purcell and TE Eric Tomlinson on Wednesday. The 53-man roster appears to be set for Week 1.

After setting an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos were not awarded any players off the waiver wire on Wednesday morning. The Broncos also didn’t have any of their cut players claimed off the wire by other teams.

So far, the Broncos have brought back 13 cut players on their practice squad.

Denver also made a few expected tweaks to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. First, the Broncos placed tight Greg Dulcich (hamstring) and cornerback Michael Ojemudia (elbow) on injured reserve. Then the Broncos re-signed nose tackle Mike Purcell and tight end Eric Tomlinson, who were cut Tuesday to reach the 53-man roster limit.

Dulcich and Ojemudia will be eligible to return to the active roster after four games. Purcell and Tomlinson didn’t have to clear waivers because they’re both veterans, so it was easy for Denver to bring them back.

Following those changes on Wednesday, here’s how the Broncos’ 53-man roster stands as the team prepares for Week 1 of the regular season.

Offense

QB: Russell Wilson, Brett Rypien

RB: Javonte Williams, Melvin Gordon, Mike Boone

FB: Andrew Beck

TE: Albert Okwuegbunam, Eric Tomlinson, Eric Saubert

WR: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Montrell Washington, Jalen Virgil, Tyrie Cleveland

OT: Garett Bolles, Billy Turner, Calvin Anderson, Cam Fleming

G: Dalton Risner, Quinn Meinerz, Graham Glasgow

C: Lloyd Cushenberry, Luke Wattenberg

Defense

DE: Dre’Mont Jones, DeShawn Williams, Eyioma Uwazurike

NT: D.J. Jones, Mike Purcell, Matt Henningsen

OLB: Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Aaron Patrick

ILB: Josey Jewell, Jonas Griffith, Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad

CB: Pat Surtain, Ronald Darby, K’Waun Williams, Damarri Mathis, Essang Bassey

S: Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Caden Sterns, P.J. Locke, Delarrin Turner-Yell

Special Teams

K: Brandon McManus

P: Corliss Waitman

LS: Jacob Bobenmoyer

Denver also still has room for three more players on the practice squad.

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Broncos to re-sign a pair of cut players on Wednesday

Broncos plan to re-sign DL Mike Purcell and TE Eric Tomlinson after they place TE Greg Dulcich and CB Michael Ojemudia on IR today.

NFL teams get creative during roster cuts.

Players who go on injured reserve before the initial 53-man roster is set are not eligible to return during the season. But players who do make the initial roster are eligible to return from IR after sitting out four games.

So teams often carry an injured player on the initial roster and then move him to IR the next day. Denver Broncos general manager George Paton said Tuesday that the team plans to use that strategy with two players this year: tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring) and Michael Ojemudia (elbow).

To be able to carry Dulcich and Ojemudia on the initial 53-man roster, though, the Broncos had to cut two players who would be able to return the next day.

Denver chose tight end Eric Tomlinson and nose tackle Mike Purcell as the cuts making room for Dulcich and Ojemudia on the initial roster. Because they are both veterans, Tomlinson and Purcell are not subject to the NFL’s waiver wire — they simply became free agents right away.

As soon as Dulcich and Ojemudia are placed on IR on Wednesday, the Broncos plan to re-sign Tomlinson and Purcell to the 53-man roster.

Creative? Complicated? Maybe a combination of both. Whatever the case may be, Tomlinson and Purcell should be back on the active roster soon.

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Broncos reach agreement with TE Eric Tomlinson on 1-year deal

The Broncos have a new blocking tight end to pair with Albert Okwuegbunam.

The Denver Broncos have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with tight end Eric Tomlinson, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported Tuesday. The contract will not become official until the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday afternoon.

Tomlinson (6-6, 263 pounds) entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. He went on to spend time with eight different teams from 2015-2021, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens.

Tomlinson, 29, will presumably be asked to contribute primarily on special teams with his offensive contributions coming mostly as a blocker. He caught just one passes for seven yards in 17 games with the Ravens last year.

The seventh-year tight end has hauled in 18 receptions for 201 yards and one touchdown in 68 career games (41 starts). He will likely get a chance to be the team’s No. 2 tight end this season behind Albert Okwuegbunam, who is poised to serve as Denver’s primary receiving tight end in 2021.

We are tracking all of the Broncos’ free agency moves on this page.

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Ravens make multiple roster moves ahead of Week 10 matchup vs. Dolphins

The Ravens made a series of roster moves ahead of their Week 10 game against the Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens are set to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 of the 2021 season. Baltimore currently stands on top of the AFC North at 6-2, while Miami has struggled for most of the season as they boast a 2-7 record.

Ahead of their matchup with the Dolphins, the Ravens made a series of roster moves just a few hours before kickoff. They announced that they have promoted tight end Eric Tomlinson and cornerback Chris Westry to the active roster, while also elevating guard James Carpenter and guard/defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie from the practice squad to the active roster.

The promotion of Tomlinson to the active roster casts doubt over whether tight end Nick Boyle will be able to suit up in this game. Boyle has been out since the middle of the 2020 season with a serious knee injury. Westry suffered a torn meniscus in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Radiers, and now makes his return to the active roster.

For their practice squad elevations, Baltimore decided to beef up their offensive line with the elevations of Carpenter and McKenzie. Carpenter has years of experience at left guard, while the Ravens are cross-training McKenzie, who is a defensive lineman, to play on the offensive line.

Ravens elevate two practice squad players to active roster for Week 9 game vs. Vikings

The Ravens activated two of their practice squad players to the active roster for their Week 9 game against the Vikings

The Baltimore Ravens have seen positive contributions on the field from practice squad elevations all season long. With how many injuries they have gone through, they’ve needed production from elsewhere, and so far they’ve done a good job of finding it.

Ahead of their Week 9 game with the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore elevated two players from their practice squad to the active roster in tight end Eric Tomlinson and offensive lineman/defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. The team also promoted offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi to the active roster.

As Zrebiec notes the Ravens ended up not activating tight end Nick Boyle from injured reserve, so he will not play on Sunday. Baltimore has two games in a span of five days over the next two weeks, so it makes sense for the Ravens to not want to activate Boyle and put him through two full games in such a short amount of time.

Tomlinson will play Boyle’s role once again on Sunday, as he has been for the entire season up to this point. McKenzie is an interesting activation, as Zrebiec notes.

Now that Ogbuehi is officially on the 53-man roster, he will provide some depth at the offensive tackle position, while even potentially being asked to play big snaps depending on who the team decides to roll with at right tackle.

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 9

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of their Week 9 game with the Vikings

The Baltimore Ravens returned from their bye week at the top of the AFC North thanks to a Cincinnati Bengals loss to the New York Jets in Week 8. Baltimore will try to keep their hold of the top spot in their division by beating the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.

Ahead of their game with Minnesota, the Ravens protected four players on their practice squad in tight end Eric Tomlinson, offensive lineman James Carpenter, offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi, and inside linebacker Joe Thomas.

Tomlinson was recently released and re-signed to the team’s practice squad, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get called up for Week 9, especially if fellow tight end Nick Boyle still isn’t ready to return to action. Both Carpenter and Ogbuehi could provide some offensive line depth, but it seems more likely that Ogbuehi would get a call up between the two players based off of the injures that the team has sustained at the tackle position. Thomas would provide some inside linebacker depth after Malik Harrison was placed on the Non-Football Injury list.

Ravens make roster moves involving three players on Monday

The Ravens made roster moves involving three players on Monday

The Baltimore Ravens have done plenty of roster shuffling this season with how many injuries they’ve sustained on both sides of the football. The team has put together an impressive 5-2 record through eight weeks, finding ways to win with contributions not only from their stars, but from plenty of unsung heroes as well.

On Monday, Baltimore announced roster moves involving three of their players in tight end Eric Tomlinson, offensive tackle Andre Smith and inside linebacker Malik Harrison. The Ravens first announced that they had moved Tomlinson to the practice squad, which involved releasing him and then re-singing him to the practice squad.

Shortly after, the team announced that they had placed Harrison on the reserve/non-football injury list while placing Smith on the Practice squad reserve/injured list.

Harrison was hit by a stray bullet in Cleveland, and his placement on the reserve/non-football injury list means that he’ll miss at least then next three weeks as he recovers.

It’s unclear what Smith was put on the practice squad reserve/injured list for, but he is currently out of practice squad elevations.

 

Ravens place two WRs on injured reserve, sign TE Eric Tomlinson

The Ravens placed two wide receivers on injured reserve and signed veteran tight end Eric Tomlinson

The Baltimore Ravens surprised a few people when they decided to keep seven wide receivers on their final 53-man roster. The talent of the players that they kept is unquestioned, it was still unexpected in some circles due to the fact that the team needed depth elsewhere.

Miles Boykin was the primary surprise, as he had been sidelined for most of training camp with a hamstring injury. It wouldn’t have been shocking if he had been placed on injured reserve outright or just released. However, Baltimore values him as a player and trusts his talent, so he remained with the team.

On Wednesday, the Ravens announced three roster moves, all involving players on the offensive side of the ball.

It’s unclear how much time both Boykin and Bateman will miss. Bateman is expected back sometime in September by the team, while not much has been said about Boykin’s injury.

Tomlinson was expected back with the team after he was cut on Tuesday. Head coach John Harbaugh said fellow tight end Nick Boyle isn’t ready to play yet, but he did return to practice on Wednesday, which is a good sign. Tomlinson could be on the roster only until Boyle is ready to play, or the team might just decide to carry four tight ends altogether.