Tag: Jonathan Woodard

Jonathan Woodard ‘not in a hurry’ to return to CFL, anticipates being re-signed by Chiefs

Jonathon Woodard’s former GM in the CFL revealed that the defensive end anticipates being re-signed by the #Chiefs.

A former member of the Kansas City Chiefs seems to be under the impression that the door might not be closed.

The Chiefs added former Saskatchewan Roughriders DE Jonathan Woodard on a reserve/future contract in February of 2022. He spent the majority of the offseason with Kansas City, but he was among the six players waived ahead of rookie minicamp to make room for undrafted free agents.

In a recent interview, Roughriders GM Jeremy O’Day told reporters that they’ve had discussions with Woodard and his representation about a possible return. It would seem that Woodard anticipates a potential return to the Chiefs based on comments from O’Day.

“We had discussions with Jonathan (Woodard) after he was released. There’s a strong possibility that he’s going to get re-signed with the Chiefs,” O’Day said, via 3DownNation.com. “If that doesn’t come to fruition, we do own his rights but just because we own his rights doesn’t mean that he has to come back to us. It’s his decision if he wants to play, but if he does play in the CFL, it would have to be with us. We have had discussions with him, but he’s not in a hurry to come back north just yet.”

It was a bit of a surprise when the Chiefs waived Woodard, given the uncertainty they have at the edge rusher position. Just a season ago with the Roughriders, Woodard had the second-most sacks in the CFL with 10. He also recorded 21 total tackles and two forced fumbles in 14 games played. Back in 2018, Woodard saw his only NFL regular-season action with the Dolphins, appearing in 6 games. He recorded 10 total tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in limited action.

It’s possible that Woodard was told he’d be on the team’s call list in the event of injury when he was released. It’s also possible that they could bring him back in as early as mandatory minicamp on a tryout basis. What’s certain is that Woodard is holding out some level of hope that he’ll get an opportunity to rejoin the Chiefs and have a chance to compete. Whether that will come to fruition for the journeyman remains to be seen. If not, it sounds like he’ll have an opportunity waiting for him with the Roughriders.

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Chiefs sign DE Jonathan Woodard to reserve/future contract

The #Chiefs have signed one of the CFL’s breakout defensive stars from 2021 to a reserve/future contract.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to sign one of the CFL’s breakout stars from the 2021 season to a reserve/future contract.

The Chiefs worked out Saskatchewan Roughriders DL Jonathan Woodard last Friday, along with three other CFL players. On Monday, the Riders released Woodard from his contract so he could pursue NFL opportunities. We now know what that NFL opportunity will be for the 28-year-old defensive lineman.

According to the NFL’s personnel notice for Monday, the Chiefs have signed Woodard to a reserve/future contract.

According to the NFL’s personnel notice for Monday, the Chiefs have signed Woodard to a reserve/future contract.

Woodard was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft out of the University of Central Arkansas. He’s had stops in Atlanta, Miami and Buffalo, but most recently he was a breakout star with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He appeared in all 14 games with the Riders in 2021, recording 21 total tackles, 10 sacks (second-most in the CFL) and two forced fumbles. Back in 2018, Woodard saw his only NFL regular-season action with the Dolphins. He appeared in 6 games, recording 10 total tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Brett Veach has said that Kansas City will be making the defensive line a big focus this offseason and that means improving depth at all levels. Woodard’s CFL breakout wasn’t a fluke and he’ll have a chance to compete for a depth role with the Chiefs this offseason.

Woodard wasn’t the only former CFL player the Chiefs signed to a reserve/future deal on Monday. Former Ottawa Redblacks CB Brandin Dandridge also signed a reserve/future deal. We spoke to Dandridge this morning about coming back to Kansas City to play for his hometown team.

The team also brought back former practice squad TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart on a reserve/future contract.

Giants host Jonathan Woodard, three others for workouts

The New York Giants hosted former seventh-round pick Jonathan Woodard and three others for workouts in East Rutherford.

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The New York Giants have no general manager and no head coach, but that didn’t stop them from conducting workouts in East Rutherford on Wednesday.

In total, the Giants hosted four players, including defensive end Jonathan Woodard.

The 28-year-old Woodard was originally a seventh-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL draft. After spending his rookie season with the Jags, he went on to play for the Atlanta Falcons (2017), Miami Dolphins (2017-2019), Buffalo Bills (2019-2020) and, most recently, the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL (2021).

In six career regular season games, Woodard has recorded 10 tackles (two for a loss), two QB hits and 1.0 sacks.

The Giants also hosted punter Nolan Cooney, tight end Nikola Kalinic and defensive back J.J. Nunes for workouts.

Cooney signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Syracuse this past year, but was waived as a part of final cuts. He has since worked out for the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers, but hasn’t landed a job.

Kalinic was a second-round pick of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2019 CFL draft. The 24-year-old has spent all three years of his professional career up in Canada.

Finally, Nunes spent his college career in the FCS, lighting things up for Valparaiso University. He played seven total positions and won a multitude of awards. Despite his success, he’s spent the past three seasons in The Spring League.

None of the four players hosted for a workout were immediately signed to a reserve/futures contract.

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Bills bring back Siran Neal, Ike Brown from COVID list, cut two others

Buffalo Bills defensive backs Siran Neal, Ike Brown, activated from COVID-19 list while Antonio Williams, Jonathan Woodard are released.

The Buffalo Bills brought a pair of players back from their COVID-19/ Reserve list on Wednesday. Defensive backs Ike Brown and Siran Neal re-join the team’s roster following their designation for the coronavirus.

In a corresponding set of moves, running back Antonio Williams and defensive end Jonathan Woodard were released by the team.

Both Williams and Brown are undrafted rookie free agent signings of the Bills from earlier this offseason. However, the Bills’ cornerback room took a hit last week when EJ Gaines decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. By comparison, the Bills’ running back room is set with Devin Singletary and Zack Moss at the top, along with TJ Yeldon and Taiwan Jones in backup roles.

Neal is expected to feature as a versatile defender for the Bills in 2020, as both a safety and potential nickel cornerback.

Woodard has bounced around the league, and only appeared in regular season action in 2018 for the Dolphins. The Bills’ defensive end room is also one of the deeper groups on the team’s roster as things currently sit.

The Bills do currently have one open roster spot, but it’s expected that will be taken by offensive lineman Brian Winters in the coming days. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane previously said that new signees might have to wait up to five days before joining their new teammates due to safety precautions involving the coronavirus.

 

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Buffalo Bills training camp preview: Defensive end

2020 Buffalo Bills preview of the defensive end position

The Buffalo Bills are a few short weeks away from arriving for training camp in Western New York. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the preseason festivities will be diminished; the team will not hold their sessions at St. John Fisher College, their training camp location since 2000.

Nevertheless, the aim of the training camp remains the same. The organization must prepare players for the preseason, which depth players will compete in their final battle for a roster spot.

Training camp could hold greater importance this year, as the trimmed down preseason slate leaves fewer opportunities for players to impress the coaching staff.

The Bills Wire will complete a position-by-position analysis of each group on the Bills roster. This edition will focus on the defensive end position:

Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Players (age)

  • Mario Addison (32: 10th season)
  • Bryan Cox, Jr. (26: 4th season)
  • AJ Epenesa (21: Rookie)
  • Jerry Hughes (31: 11th season)
  • Darryl Johnson (23: 2nd season)
  • Mike Love (26: 2nd season)
  • Trent Murphy (29: 7th season)
  • Jonathan Woodard (26: 3rd season)

2019 recap

On the edge for the Bills in 2019, there was a status quo approach. Buffalo didn’t change much up in this rotation until the most recent offseason. Last year, Shaq Lawson produced a career-best 6.5 in addition to playing well against the run. Jerry Hughes didn’t always get to the quarterback, but his pressure forced many poor decisions from opposing signal callers. We later found out that Hughes was dealing with multiple injuries during the 2019 regular season, which likely held him back. Trent Murphy added five sacks and played well late in the season, but for a majority of the year, Murphy was very underwhelming, as he has been during his entire time with the Bills.

For a majority of the past year, the rotation at defensive end saw those three as the main trio at the position. Darryl Johnson played a very minimal role, and in a twist, there’s Lorenzo Alexander to consider as well. The former linebacker/ do-it-all player for the Bills often saw snaps all across the defensive line in 2019.

But the pressure put forth by Buffalo’s defensive line helped create chaos, which made the job a bit easier for the remainder of the defensive unit. The Bills were 12th with 44 total sacks last year. The unit allowed the third-fewest yards per game, giving up an average of 298.3 years per game. In addition, the team allowed the second-fewest drives to end with points, as highlighted by Pro Football Reference.

Now here’s a rundown of storylines to follow in this position group:

What’s the replacement plan for Shaq Lawson?

The Bills lost both of their top sack artists from the two defensive line positions last season, Jordan Phillips (9.5 sacks) and a former first-round pick in Lawson (6.5). Of the two, Lawson didn’t go very far, inking a three-year, $30 million deal with the Dolphins so the Bills will still see him twice a year. The former top selection will have something to prove to his former team, while the Bills will have to show the club found a replacement or two for him.

Last season, Lawson played 47-percent of defensive snaps as part of the Bills’ defensive line rotation under head coach Sean McDermott. The Bills will need to recoup some of that production. In terms of doing so with Lawson, the top candidates are veteran Mario Addison and rookie AJ Epenesa.

In Addison, the Bills add a player who’s had at least nine sacks in each of the past four seasons. Epenesa, while a second rounder, had a first-round grade from many pre-draft analysts. Also to consider is Quinton Jefferson, but his role is up in the air currently. Jefferson may very well play at both the edge and interior of Buffalo’s D-line.

 

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Bills replace Eddie Yarbrough on practice squad

The Bills signed defensive end Jonathan Woodard to their practice squad on Wednesday. The moves comes as a replacement for defender Eddie Yarbrough. Yarbrough cracked the Bills’ 53-man roster in 2017 and 2018, but remained on the practice squad this …

The Bills signed defensive end Jonathan Woodard to their practice squad on Wednesday. The moves comes as a replacement for defender Eddie Yarbrough.

Yarbrough cracked the Bills’ 53-man roster in 2017 and 2018, but remained on the practice squad this season. In that role, a player is allowed to be signed by any other team, with the stipulation that the player is signed to their active roster.

A team came calling this week in the Minnesota Vikings. Yarbrough joined the playoff-bound Vikes this week and is no longer on the Bills.

On his way out, Yarbrough took to his social media account on Instagram to thank the Bills and Bills Mafia which started out, “Word can’t describe what the city, team, and entire Buffalo Bills organization has meant to me…”

Here’s his full post:

View this post on Instagram

#BillsMafia @buffalobills Words can’t describe what the city, team and the entire Buffalo Bills organization has meant to me these last 3 years. I truly gave you everything I had, and in return you adopted me as one of your own. I came in on the ground the floor and 2 playoff births later, we are partying ways. I’ve formed bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime here. The people of Buffalo have made me a better person & player from your examples and “smashing of tables” I wouldn’t trade these last 3 years for the world. I can’t thank you all enough for the love, cheers and support you have given me over the years. It did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. With so much love and all that I have…thank you. With that being said, I couldn’t be more excited to join the @vikings on this playoff run! And into the next year! I’m ready to get started and welcome this new & exciting chapter of my journey. #SKOL #GloryBeToGod

A post shared by Eddie Yarbrough (@eddieyarbrough) on

 

On Woodard, he was a seventh-round pick of the Jaguars in 2016 and suffered an Achilles injury soon after. From there, he spent time on the Falcons and Dolphins via their practice squads. He did see six games on Miami’s active roster in 2018 and has 10 career tackles and one sack.

 

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