Tag: J.J. Taylor

Texans bring back two recently cut players before Titans game

J.J. Taylor and Myles Bryant are back for the Houston Texans after being waived on Monday.

Myles Bryant and J.J. Taylor are leaving the Houston Texans after all.

According to the team’s transaction report, Taylor and Bryant are being signed back to the practice squad before Sunday’s showdown against the Tennesse Titans.

In a corresponding move, the Texans released offensive lineman Cam Erving and defensive end Rashad Weaver.

Both Taylor and Bryant saw action for the Texans due to injury. Bryant, a former starter for the New England Patriots, shifted inside to the nickel position once Jalen Pitre was asked to play safety.

He recorded four tackles in six games. Most recently, Bryant was a healthy scratch in back-to-back games before being released on Monday prior to the Texans’ Week 11 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

As for Taylor, he’s bounced around from the practice squad to the active roster this season. He played in five games before being waived on Monday, totaling 10 carries for 44 yards.

The Texans let go of both players to make room for defensive tackle Mario Edwards Jr. and cornerback Jeff Okudah.

Houston (7-4) takes on Tennessee (2-8) at NRG Stadium this Sunday at noon CT.

Texans make adjustments to practice squad entering Week 9

The Houston Texans made some changes to their practice squad as they prepare for Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Houston Texans have made some changes to their practice squad as they entering Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Texans have signed running back J.J. Taylor and center Lecitus Smith to the practice squad.

As a corresponding move, the Texans released defensive end Derek Rivers and cornerback Alex Austin.

Smith is a former Arizona Cardinals 2022 sixth-round pick and started two of 10 games active as a rookie. The Cardinals released Smith at the end of preseason.

Taylor is a former New England Patriots running back, who spent three seasons with the AFC East club from 2020-22. The 5-5, 185-pound running back has carried 52 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns through 12 games.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1362]

5 free agents worked out for the Seahawks on Tuesday

The list includes a couple of wide receivers, a pair of running backs and a quarterback.

The Seattle Seahawks hosted several free agents for workouts yesterday, according to the NFL’s transactions report. The list includes a couple of wide receivers, a pair of running backs and a quarterback.

Here’s a look at who came in on Tuesday.

Colts worked out free-agent RB J.J. Taylor

The Colts worked out free-agent RB J.J. Taylor on Monday.

The Indianapolis Colts worked out free-agent running back J.J. Taylor, according to the league transaction wire Monday.

While the Colts in Week 2 saw the return of Zack Moss, who dominated the snaps and touches in the backfield, they will continue to keep an eye on the available options.

Taylor, 25, entered the league as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL draft out of Arizona. He spent the last three seasons (2020-2022) with the New England Patriots, appearing in 12 games without making a start during that span.

In his career, Taylor has recorded 48 carries for 156 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns while adding six receptions for 20 receiving yards. At 5-foot-5 and 185 pounds, Taylor ran a 4.61 in the 40-yard at the 2020 NFL combine.

[lawrence-related id=88992,88990,88985]

Studs and duds from Patriots’ preseason finale loss to Titans

Who were the studs and duds for the Patriots on Friday night?

The preseason didn’t end the way the New England Patriots hoped in Friday’s road trip meeting with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. There were issues on offense, defense and special teams that culminated in a 23-7 loss for New England.

The Patriots opted not to play their starters in this game, while the Titans trotted starters on the field for several plays. Even starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill got in on the action briefly.

It wasn’t the most exciting game given the constant struggles along the offensive front. Bailey Zappe, who received the starting nod, looked helpless against the Titans’ defensive front. On defense, the Patriots did show some promise, but they also struggled keeping scrambling Titans quarterback Malik Willis in check.

Let’s take a look at the studs and duds from the game.

5 takeaways from Day 5 of Patriots training camp practice

Here’s how Day 5 of training camp looked for the Patriots

There was a different feeling in the air on Monday with the pads coming on for the first time at New England Patriots’ training camp.

It felt like real football with the clanging and banging of shoulder pads and helmets. The offense was looking to build on some of the success they started to show on Sunday, while the defense wanted to continue making life difficult for quarterback Mac Jones and company.

The Patriots had six players in total missing in practice with Ty Montgomery, Cody Davis, Michael Onwenu, Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews and Terez Hall being out. Matthew Judon, Trent Brown and Rhamondre Stevenson were also limited.

Here are five takeaways from Day 5 of training camp;

42 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 42 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 42 jersey number

With the first week of training camp in the rearview, the New England Patriots are officially 42 days away from their September 10 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

So we’re continuing our countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 42 jersey.

Veteran running back J.J. Taylor is the current owner of the jersey. He joined the Patriots as an undrafted rookie in 2020, and he has managed to stick around predominantly as a member of the practice squad.

There have been a total of 11 players that have worn the No. 42 for the Patriots, including All-1980s Team member Ronnie Lippett, who spent eight seasons as one of the foundational pieces in the secondary.

Here’s every player, along with Lippett and Taylor, that has worn the number throughout franchise history (via Pro Football Reference):

Rhamondre Stevenson highly underrated in Patriots Madden 24 RB ratings

Madden definitely got this one wrong with Rhamondre Stevenson

Player ratings for EA Sports’ “Madden NFL 24” have been trickling out, and New England Patriots fans are already upset with the overall rating given to running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

The Patriots’ lead back was given an 80 rating, despite rushing for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns last season. He also hauled in 69 receptions for 421 yards and one touchdown.

Not only did Stevenson not rank in the top-20 of rated NFL running backs, but he almost fell to 30th in the league as officially the 28th-ranked running back in the entire game.

Ouch.

To make matters worse, the game even has rookie Bijan Robinson rated ahead of him, even though the former Texas standout has yet to take his first official NFL snap. Make it make sense, somebody?

Stevenson will have a chance to show the game creators just how wrong they are when suiting up for his third season as the official starter for the Patriots.

James Robinson is also listed as a Patriot, but he was waived by the team back in June. So keep that in mind when perusing these official running back ratings for New England.

Reading the room: Evaluating running backs on Patriots’ roster

Not having Damien Harris on the roster opens the door for a new star to emerge at the Patriots’ running back position.

After the departure of Damien Harris, the New England Patriots have a wide open running backs room behind budding star Rhamondre Stevenson.

Some teams like similar scheme fit running backs, and some like having situational backs who have different roles. Meanwhile, other teams like clones of their top guy so the game plan stays the same.

It’ll be hard to predict just exactly what the Patriots do, but one thing is for sure: They like to have variety and flexibility. This is why we started this series. It was so we could look at the position group with a wider lens, rather than just wanting four running backs on the roster.

Today, we’re diving into what roles the running backs play and why the Patriots philosophically have them on the roster in 2023.

WATCH: Mac Jones and teammates bond with night out bowling

Mac Jones and some of his Patriots teammates enjoyed a fun evening out on Wednesday.

There’s nothing like a little team bonding to take the edge off after getting back into the groove of NFL workouts.

Several New England Patriots players, including quarterback Mac Jones, running back J.J. Taylor and wideouts Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne and Lynn Bowden, got together for a game of bowling on Wednesday to help take the edge off.

A little team bonding goes a long way for what is obviously a tight-knit offensive unit, regardless of the struggles they endured throughout the 2022 season.

They’ve stuck together through the good and bad. Hopefully, there’s less of the latter in 2023 with Bill O’Brien taking the reins of the offense.

The offseason workout program is currently underway for the Patriots, and the team is trying to get an early start on preparing for the season.

Jones will be tasked with helping to lead the team back to relevance after they missed the playoffs for a second time in three years. The climb will be as steep as it’s ever been in a much-improved AFC East division suddenly filled with contenders.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]