Tag: Hayden Hurst

Andy Bischoff speaks on the state of the Chargers’ tight end room

Chargers tight ends coach Andy Bischoff had his first media availability on Monday.

Chargers tight ends coach Andy Bischoff had his first media availability on Monday, during which he spoke on the team’s tight ends and their current status.

First, he mentioned the signings of Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst.

When you start with [TE] Will [Dissly], you’re talking about one of the three guys in the league that can own the C-gap, period. There’s not many of them. This is a different kind of football league that we live in now. To have a tight end that can own the C-gap is rare. He’s one of those guys. You start with him and his ability to get that done for you and then, let’s not lose sight on what he can provide you in the passing game. This is a guy who catches the ball at a high percentage, in terms of his target-to-catch ratio, a guy that doesn’t drop the football and who protects the football, doesn’t fumble it.

Then, you have a guy in [TE] Hayden [Hurst] — to me, you have six guys in the league who everybody wants. You name the six, you go with [49ers TE George] Kittle, you say [Giants TE Darren] Waller. Name whoever you want. Everybody wants those six guys. There’s no reason that Hayden can’t be that next guy. There’s no reason. He has all the speed, all the hands, all the ability. Hayden just needs to find the right situation. We knew when we had him in 2019 that was the right situation for us. We couldn’t control where it went from there, but we love the guy. We’re nothing but happy to have this guy here. He will provide that athletic element to this offense that gives us an opportunity.

The Chargers made Dissly’s signing a priority on day one when the tampering period opened. Hurst followed very soon after that. Both will be critical blockers in Greg Roman’s scheme and LA expects Hurst to match his receiving output from earlier in his career. On the 2020 Falcons, Hurst had career highs in yards and touchdowns with 571 and six respectively.

Combining Bischoff’s comments with Hurst’s mention of the opportunity last week, it does seem that both sides think this is the right opportunity for a bounce-back season.

Bischoff also mentioned Donald Parham, Stone Smartt, and newly signed Ben Mason competing for spots. He mentioned Parham as still a “developing” player whose size they can use to their advantage. For Mason, it seems they view his usage in a tight end/fullback hybrid-type way adjacent to previous players’ usage in the past.

The way we’ve always done it in this system is that Ben is an ‘F’. In our offense, some will call him a fullback only. We don’t want to limit that. When we started with [Ravens FB Patrick] Pat [Ricard], he was an ‘F’. He turned into what he turned into. He actually started as a d-lineman and he turned into what he turned into. I was also fortunate enough to coach [49ers FB] Kyle Juszczyk, and he turned into what he turned into. You have this balance of guys. We’ll bring out the greatest strengths that Ben has to offer. We’ll also give other guys in the room the ability to compete for those spots. Not just limit to this is a fullback. They’re an ‘F’ in our room. They’ll function in every way they can to help us.

Hayden Hurst on joining the Chargers: ‘It was kind of a no-brainer to come here’

Chargers new tight end Hayden Hurst attributed the offensive scheme and familiar faces to why he made the move to Los Angeles. 

Chargers new tight end Hayden Hurst attributed the offensive scheme and familiar faces to why he made the move to Los Angeles. 

“For me, it was kind of a no-brainer to come here,” Hurst said. 

Hurst was the No. 25 overall pick by the Ravens in 2018 so he already had some connections to various Chargers personnel. 

“[Chargers General Manager] Joe Hortiz, [Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman], [Run Game Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach] Andy [Bischoff], getting back into the Harbaugh system — that’s who drafted me and brought me into the league, gave me my first opportunity,” Hurst said.

“It’s a lot of broad strokes from the Baltimore days — 2018-19, when I was there,” Hurst later added. “They’re reliant upon their tight ends, the receivers have to get open. It’s going to be a hell of a run game. It’s just cool seeing that playbook pop up there, familiar words, just kind of getting back to my roots.”

Under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Hurst experienced how the run game would operate under Roman’s system. Though it was just one year with Roman in Baltimore, Hurst knew coming to Los Angeles the level of dominance on the ground the Chargers could have. 

“You have to be solid up front,” Hurst said about Roman’s run game. “You have to have smart guys all across the board — tight ends, offensive linemen, running backs. I think the most important part has just been that wherever he’s been, it’s just been a collective effort.

“When I was in Baltimore, those were two of the closest teams that I’ve ever been on, just guys fighting for one another,” Hurst continued. “It’s not that individualized stuff like you see in the NFL, it’s really a family. It’s a family.

“It’s what I signed up for, playing for the guy next to me, giving it my all to make sure that he gets his job done,” Hurst added. “It’s just a collective effort. I think that’s the beauty of it.”

Hurst spent two seasons with the Falcons before signing with the Bengals in 2022 and the Panthers last season.

Hurst has two seasons with at least 50 receptions. His best year was with Atlanta in 2020, when he had 58 catches for 571 yards and six touchdowns.

Hurst knows how important his position at tight end is for the offense to run successfully.

“You have to be able to do everything,” Hurst said about tight ends in the scheme. “Obviously, besides quarterback, I think that tight end, in this offense, probably has the most on their plate with run game protection stuff and pass game stuff.

“You have to be on your P’s and Q’s,” Hurst added. “From what I know of Andy and G-Ro, there’s not going to be specialized stuff, you have to be able to do everything. You have to be a well-rounded tight end in this offense.”

Although this is Hurst’s first time playing for Jim Harbaugh, he’s had experience with his brother, John Harbaugh, so the philosophy is quite similar. 

“He’s just very positive,” Hurst said of Jim Harbaugh. “A lot of coaches make this about themselves and their egos get in the way. But with him, he just wants to win, and he wants the guys to get better. He wants guys to get healthy. He wants guys to have success.

“Even in meetings, I’ve met him over the phone, but just seeing him in-person, how eccentric he is in meetings — he’s getting up, he’s showing guys how to do stuff. It just makes it fun because I think we all know that this can be a really, really long season if you don’t have the right people in place, it can kind of drag along,” Hurst added. “But, if you have a guy like that in the building who’s just enthusiastic about football and wants to win, then that’s infectious.”

Harbaugh has made it clear that he wants the Chargers to play physical football this season, and Hurst is eager to demonstrate this mentality on the field. 

Former Panthers TE Hayden Hurst says he was cleared from concussion in 2023

Ex-Panthers TE Hayden Hurst says he could have returned from what was ultimately a season-ending concussion in 2023.

According to Hayden Hurst, his season-ending concussion in 2023 didn’t really have to end his season.

That head injury came back on Nov. 9, during the Carolina Panthers’ Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears. The now-former Panthers tight end wouldn’t play a single snap the rest of the way out, which Hurst said didn’t necessarily have to be the case.

“I had the concussion and for a week after it was a little touch-and-go, but I went to the Mayo Clinic down in Jacksonville, got a second opinion, got full clear bill of health,” Hurst said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “The only reason I sat out as long as I did was just, from the front office, there was really no point. They were 2-15, or 2-13 at the time, so there was really no point in rushing back.”

Carolina ended at a league-worst 2-15 mark. Hurst appeared in nine of those games, totaling 184 yards and a touchdown on 18 receptions.

The former first-rounder would then be released just one season into his three-year, $21.75 million deal.

He has since signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Jersey numbers for Chargers’ free agent signings

Here’s a look at the numbers new players will wear in 2024.

The Chargers signed a few free agents over the course of the past few weeks, and now we know what numbers they will wear.

Here’s a look at the numbers new players will wear in 2024 and number changes for players on the roster.

Gus Edwards: 4

TE Will Dissly: 81

TE Hayden Hurst: 88

LB Troy Dye: 43

C Bradley Bozeman: 75

DL CJ Okoye: 69 (Number change)

Joe Hortiz speaks on Chargers’ free agency additions with ties to Ravens

Almost half of the free agents the Chargers added to their roster for the 2024 season have come from the Ravens.

Almost half of the free agents the Chargers added to their roster for the 2024 season have come from the Ravens. General manager Joe Hortiz recruited running back Gus Edwards, center Bradley Bozeman, and tight end Hayden Hurst, all of whom played under him during his tenure with Baltimore. 

“All three of those guys, I know what we’re getting with them,” Hortiz said.

They were inevitably ‘a natural fit,’ according to Hortiz. 

Edwards is slated to be the Bolts’ top running back. He’s a physical addition to the offense. In 2023, he ran for 810 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. 

“I think specifically with Gus, l’ve seen him deal with the adversity of the [ACL] injury two years ago and come back from it,” Hortiz said. “Grind, be physical, continue to play the same brand of football he’s always played. Really excited to have him.

“He’s the bell cow, the goal line [guy], the finisher,” Hortiz added. “The right mentality for what we’re looking to do here. I told you we wanted to be bigger, play a physical style of football on both sides of the ball and he helps us do that.”

The connections to the Ravens continue with the Chargers acquiring Hurst and Bozeman who were part of the same 2018 draft class in Baltimore.

“Bradley and Hayden are the same way [as Edwards],” Hortiz said. “I do my best to get to know the players and those are two I knew pretty well from my time in Baltimore.

“Feel very fortunate that the situation presented itself to get both those guys,” Hortiz added. “You get two quality players that know our scheme, that fit our scheme and that fit the mentality.”

Former Panthers C Bradley Bozeman signing with Chargers

Bradley Bozeman will be joining Hayden Hurst out in LA.

Hayden Hurst is going to have some familiar company out west.

As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Monday, former Carolina Panthers center Bradley Bozeman is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Chargers. The deal, per, Rapoport, is a one-year agreement.

The Panthers first inked Bozeman back in the spring of 2022. He’d eventually earn starting duties in Week 7 of that campaign, taking over for an injured Pat Elflein.

Bozeman played an integral part in Carolina’s turnaround to close out the season, helping establish a hard-nosed, ground-and-pound rushing attack for what was previously a listless offense. His impressive work led to a fresh three-year, $18 million contract last spring.

That pact, however, would only last through 2023—as Bozeman was officially released by the Panthers at the start of the new league year this past Wednesday. The team also parted ways with safety Vonn Bell and Hurst, who joined the Chargers last week.

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Panthers officially announce releases of 3 players

The releases of Bradley Bozeman, Hayden Hurst and Vonn Bell were made official on Wednesday.

Not only did the start of the new league year bring the official announcement of some fresh additions, but it also brought the official announcement of a few departures.

On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers officially announced the releases of tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman and safety Vonn Bell. The releases come before March 16, when each would’ve been able to collect on 2024 roster bonuses.

Hurst saw through just one year of the three-year, $21.7 million deal he signed last offseason. Derailed by a concussion, his lone campaign in Carolina resulted in just 18 catches, 184 yards and one touchdown.

Like Hurst, Bell is also a one-and-done for the Panthers. He started in each of his 13 games, posting 69 combined tackles and an interception.

Bozeman’s release comes a year to the day he signed his new pact to return to the team. He spent two seasons in Carolina and represented the organization as their 2023 Walter Payton Man of Year nominee.

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Panthers LB Shaq Thompson: ‘It’s a sad day’

Shaq Thompson summed up a pretty rough day for Panthers fans.

Shaq Thompson was all of us on Monday.

The opening of this year’s legal tampering period brought some punishing blows for the Carolina Panthers and their fans. We started the eventful and exhausting afternoon by taking the expected release of safety Vonn Bell on the chin and went on to eat two gut punches with the loss of linebacker Frankie Luvu and the trade of pass rusher Brian Burns.

With the defense losing three key members, one of its leaders tweeted this in the painful aftermath:

 

Thompson then went on to see another fellow backer in Yetur Gross-Matos find a new home, as he reportedly has a two-year, $18 million deal in place with the San Francisco 49ers. The dearly departed will also include tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman and cornerback Donte Jackson—all of whom are expected to be let go before March 16.

Sadly enough, the second-longest tenured Panther may be next. Thompson, who turns 30 years old in April, is entering the final season of a reworked pact.

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Panthers reportedly releasing S Vonn Bell

Per NFL Network, the Panthers are planning to release S Vonn Bell.

Vonn Bell’s stint with the Carolina Panthers may have already come to an end.

As first reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Monday, the team is planning to release the 29-year-old safety. Bell signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal with the Panthers last spring.

The only season that pact saw through resulted in 13 games for the veteran defender—who amassed 69 combined tackles, one interception, two passes defensed and one quarterback hit. By Pro Football Focus’ standards, he was good enough for an overall defensive grade of 63.9—the lowest since his rookie campaign back in 2016.

With the Panthers moving on to their latest regime under new general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales, Bell is the latest player the team is deciding to cut ties with. Carolina is also reportedly parting ways with tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman and cornerback Donte Jackson.

Bell was due a $3 million roster bonus on March 16.

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Panthers reportedly restructuring TE Ian Thomas’ contract

The legend of Ian Thomas may be living on in Carolina.

The legend of Ian Thomas will live on.

According to Joseph Person of The Athletic, the Carolina Panthers are restructuring Thomas’ contract—a move that will keep the 27-year-old tight end on the roster moving forward. 2024 would mark his seventh season with the organization.

Thomas, an Indiana University product, was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. He’s appeared in 94 of a possible 99 games since—having amassed 116 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns.

Carolina re-signed Thomas on a three-year, $16.9 million deal in February of 2022. As he did in the second season of that pact in 2023, Thomas will likely be taking a pay cut to stick around for the 2024 campaign.

If he does indeed last into the season, Thomas will have played under four different full-time head coaches in Carolina (Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule, Frank Reich and Dave Canales).

The Panthers, additionally, are expected to part ways with a number of fellow veterans including tight end Hayden Hurst, center Bradley Bozeman and cornerback Donte Jackson.

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