Tag: Jermaine Eluemunor

Raiders send two more to reserve/COVID-19 list bringing total to four in four days

Raiders now up to four new players on their reserve/COVID-19 list since Monday

If the Raiders had played the Browns last Saturday they would have done so with zero players on their reserve/COVID-19 list. They now have four players on the list since Monday.

The latest players to land on the reserve/COVID-19 list are safety Roderic Teamer and guard Jermaine Eluemunor. They join cornerbacks Nate Hobbs and Brandon Facyson who were placed on the list Monday and Wednesday respectively.

The Browns at one point had as many as 21 players on their reserve/COVID-19 list — 17 of whom were still on the list come Monday’s game including starting QB Baker Mayfield and backup QB Case Keenum.

Their ordeal now stand as a reminder of just how quickly COVID can spread throughout a team. And considering the Browns have since had one additional player — G JC Tretter — test positive for COVID, it can make you worry for the Raiders prognosis having just faced them.

The Raiders are already averaging a new reserve/COVID-19 list addition per day this week and the game is still three days away.

Jermaine Eluemunor to make first start for Raiders in Week 2

G Jermaine Eluemunor stepped up in win over the team that drafted him. Now he hopes to keep it going in first start for Raiders

The NFL can be a crazy business. A little over two weeks ago, Jermaine Eluemunor was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sunday he will make his first start for the Las Vegas Raiders. His fourth team in nine months.

Eluemunor’s football life has taken him literally across the globe. Born in England, Eluemunor started his life in sports as a football player. But, the kind that actually uses their feet more than their hands. What we call soccer.

Eventually, he became too big for that kind of football and started playing rugby. He and his family moved to New Jersey when he was a teen and that’s when he got into American football.

By his count, he applied to some 120 schools and had them all tell him — in his words — that he “sucked.” That was before Texas A&M came calling and he left the Northeast for the South.

Four years for the Aggies and he was selected in the 5th round by the Baltimore Ravens. Two years and just three starts and he was traded to the Patriots. Two injury-plagued years with the Patriots and he was headed to the Southeast to join the Dolphins. A stint that lasted a little over two months. He then joined the Jaguars to finish out their training camp, then cut again. Two days later he was headed out West to join the Raiders.

Two weeks after that, he would enter the Raiders season-opening game vs the Ravens in the first quarter for the injured Denzelle Good, seeing his career come full circle as he faced the team that drafted him.

“When you play a former team you always want to show them what they’re missing. You don’t want to play bad against them and they’re like ‘oh yeah, we’re glad we got rid of him’,” Eluemunor said of facing the Ravens.

“I wanted to put on film that I’m getting better every single year and this is one of those games I was waiting for. I didn’t expect to play, but when I got in there I knew I had to make the most of this opportunity. If you followed me you’ll see I got cut in Miami, got cut in Jacksonville. Jacksonville was expected but Miami was a shock, but I told myself the next opportunity I get I’m just going to put it all on the line. So, coming to Las Vegas, I said whenever the opportunity comes, I’m going to be ready for it. It was an amazing feeling for sure.”

The journeyman guard has plenty to be proud of in his Raiders debut. Especially considered that he had only been in the building for two weeks.

“I would say Eluemunor was a factor,” Offensive coordinator Greg Olson said Thursday. “When you have someone come in like that and you don’t notice him, that’s a good thing.”

“We were real happy with his performance first time out without getting many reps or not knowing the system, not being here in the offseason program. So, we were fortunate to have him, and you can see him getting better every day.”

This week Good was placed on injured reserve, which means Eluemunor will make his first start as a Raider. It also means we will get to see how he holds up against a team that has a week to prepare for him. And, of course, All-Pro DT Cameron Heyward.

This will be just the 12th career start for Eluemunor. Most of those starts (8) came at right tackle last season for the Patriots, including the season finale. That versatility was part of what made him a player the Raiders were interested in picking up as they were in need of a utility guard/tackle. They just didn’t expect to be starting him in the second week of the season. But here we are.

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Raiders make series of roster moves heading into weekend

Raiders make series of roster moves heading into weekend

It was a busy week for the Raiders. Early in the week they had to make their roster cuts to get down to 53 players. The next day (Wednesday) they needed to see about putting together a 16-man practice squad, which they did and making a few more moves official.

With the practice squad in place, the team went about placing several players on partial season injured reserve. And with those moves, they added players to fill their vacant roster spots.

Heading to partial season IR were linebacker Nicholas Morrow (foot) and Javin White (knee), RB Jalen Richard (foot), and CB Keisean Nixon (leg).

Corresponding moves saw the return of TE Derek Carrier and S Dallin Leavitt along with the addition of OL Jermaine Eluemunor.

Eluemunor was originally a round five draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2017. The 6-4, 345-pounder has played at guard and tackle in his career. He has appeared in 39 games with 11 starts over his career with the Ravens and Patriots. He was most recently in camp with the Dolphins.

If you’re wondering if the math isn’t working out, you’re right. They placed four players on IR and added three. There is one spot open, officially, though reports have it filled with LB KJ Wright who was signed to a one-year deal.

In order to scrounge up the money to afford Wright, the team restructured the contract of DE Yannick Ngakoue, saving $8 million on this year’s cap.

The team made one last move on Friday and it was bringing back former 5th round LB Marquel Lee to the practice squad and releasing undrafted rookie LB Max Richardson from the practice squad.

Jags announce 2 additions on offense alongside Gardner Minshew trade

In addition to trading Gardner Minshew II, the Jags signed WR Devin Smith and OL Jermaine Eluemunor Saturday.

After making the unsurprising decision to send Gardner Minshew II to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Jacksonville Jaguars made the announcement official. They also announced that they signed two players on offense in receiver Devin Smith and lineman Jermaine Eluemunor.

Smith, who played for Urban Meyer at Ohio State, reportedly worked out for the Jags earlier in the month. With speed threat Tavon Austin recently suffering a quad injury that has put him in a day-to-day situation, the decision to sign Smith makes a ton of sense. He will join the Jags after previously being on the New England Patriots’ practice squad last season.

Smith, who was a second-round pick for the New York Jets in 2015, has also spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. He’ll enter his time in Jacksonville with 15 catches for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

As for Eluemunor, he was a fifth-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 out of Texas A&M. He spent two seasons with them, then two with the Pats before spending this offseason with the Miami Dolphins. He has experience at both guard and tackle and has registered 11 career starts since entering the league. As a rookie, he was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team after seeing the field for eight games and playing in two.

Dolphins sign offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor

Dolphins sign offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor

The Miami Dolphins, on the cusp of this week’s mandatory mini-camp, have made yet another roster move in an effort to churn the bottom of the offensive line room. Miami’s front has been a continued work in progress from the moment head coach Brian Flores stepped into the building — and his unit appears to be as talented and deep as it has ever been under Flores’ watch.

But good ain’t good enough. So the Dolphins’ line welcomes a new addition as of yesterday: the team announced that they were waiving offensive tackle Timon Parris and signing free agent lineman Jermaine Eluemunor.

Eluemunor, an alumni of Texas A&M and a member of the 2017 NFL draft class, has spent time thus far in his career with the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots. Last season was a career high in playing time for Eluemunor, he started 8 games for New England.

Eluemunor is the kind of offensive lineman the Dolphins have trended towards in the past:

  • Big (332 pounds)
  • Side of line versatility (starts at both left & right tackle for New England) 
  • Inside/outside versatility (snaps at tackle for New England and guard for Baltimore)
  • Explosive (the overwhelming majority of Dolphins OL investments under this regime have had a standing broad jump > 60th percentile versus NFL Combine data. Eluemunor’s 103″ jump at his Texas A&M pro day qualifies as the 63rd percentile among offensive guards)

One would have to assume that Guard is where Eluemunor will get his best look as a member of the Dolphins. Miami appears to have Robert Hunt penciled in at right guard but head coach Brian Flores stated that Hunt’s final position will ultimately be “up to him”. If Hunt claims the right tackle job once again, then veterans DJ Fluker and Jesse Davis would battle it out with Eluemunor for a spot on the line.

The Patriots lose their starting RT, and the offensive line is enormously depleted

The Patriots’ already-depleted line just lost some more depth.

Heading into their Week 6 matchup against the Denver Broncos, the New England Patriots’ offensive line was already extremely depleted.

Isaiah Wynn was shifted to left guard and sixth-round rookie Justin Herron slid out to the left tackle position. Joe Thuney got the start at center, while Michael Onwenu shifted to right guard and Jermaine Eluemunor started at right tackle. David Andrews is injured, Shaq Mason was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and it left the team shorthanded.

During the second quarter against Denver, Eluemunor noticeably screamed as he went down with an apparent ankle injury. The Patriots put 2019 fourth-rounder Hjalte Froholdt on the field in place of him.

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2017 NFL Draft has been boom or bust for Ravens

Of the Baltimore Ravens’ seven picks in the 2017 NFL Draft, four are now no longer on the team while two have turned into stars.

The Baltimore Ravens are one of the best teams at scouting and drafting talent. They’ve been able to find stars and key contributors in pretty much every round over the last two decades. From guys like Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis in the first round to star outside linebacker Matthew Judon in the fifth round, you can usually count on Baltimore making the most of each draft.

However, the 2017 NFL Draft apparently ran hot or cold for the Ravens. With news that Baltimore is trading defensive end Chris Wormley to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it marks yet another 2017 draft pick that is no longer on the team.

Of the Ravens’ seven selections in that draft, four are now with different teams, with Wormley being the highest-drafted of the group. Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor and Wormley have both been traded, guard Nico Siragusa was cut and eventually signed off Baltimore’s practice squad and outside linebacker Tim Williams was outright cut after struggling for four games last season.

On the flip side, when Baltimore hit, they hit hard. The Ravens’ first-round pick was Marlon Humphrey, who has turned into one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Safety Chuck Clark was Baltimore’s sixth-round pick and their final of the 2017 NFL Draft. Though he might not be well known around the league, the Ravens clearly think highly of him, signing him to a three-year contract extension early.

The only player remaining that hasn’t situated himself in the hot or cold category is former second-round pick outside linebacker Tyus Bowser. Prior to last season, it seemed as though Bowser could be on his way out as a failed project but he stepped up his game over the course of the 2019 season. Bowser finished with five sacks, 14 pressures and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. As Bowser enters his final year, this is his make-or-break season and the last chance for Baltimore to ring everything out of the 2017 NFL Draft.

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Report: Patriots place original-round tender on OL Jermaine Eluemunor

The Patriots are giving RFA Jermaine Eluemunor a fifth round tender.

The New England Patriots are placing an original-round tender on offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Eluemunor was drafted in the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 and traded to New England at the beginning of last season. The Patriots would receive a fifth-round pick if another team signs him to an offer sheet and the Patriots don’t match. The one-year tender is a nonguaranteed and worth roughly $2.1 million.

He dressed for ten games last season and only collected 29 snaps total, but the Patriots appear to find value in him. Eluemunor is a 6-foot-4, 335 pound player who’ll require some extensive work over the offseason.

The Patriots will watch unrestricted free agents James Ferentz, Ted Karras and Joe Thuney hit the market when the NFL league year opens on March 18. They’ll need some stability on the offensive line, and the departure of Dante Scarnecchia leaves even more questions.

New England is also expected to place a second-round tender on restricted free agent Adam Butler.

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