Tag: Josh Pederson

Chiefs sign WR Justin Watson, host several players for workouts on Friday

The #Chiefs hosted several players for workouts and visits on Friday, also signing former #Buccaneers fifth-round pick Justin Watson.

Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach is hard at work looking to unearth some gems to add to the 90-man offseason roster.

According to the NFL’s official transaction notice on Friday, the Chiefs had four players in for workouts and one player in for a visit. Several players who worked out are former NFL draft picks or undrafted free agents with their most recent professional play coming in the Canadian Football League. Some of these players will see their CFL contracts expire on Feb. 8 and could sign with Kansas City after that point in time.

The Chiefs did sign one player from the group of visits and workouts, the lone one who didn’t most recently play in the CFL. Here’s a quick look at each of the players brought in down below:

Saints sign ex-Jaguars, Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas after free agent tryout

The New Orleans Saints signed ex-Jaguars and Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas after a successful free agent tryout:

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Here’s your new Wil Lutz replacement: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Friday that the New Orleans Saints are signing veteran kicker Aldrick Rosas following a successful free agent workout. Rosas competed with two rookie kickers and made the best impression with New Orleans’ coaches, who were seeking to find a stopgap until Lutz returns from core muscle surgery later this year.

Rosas, 26, was a Pro Bowler and second team All-Pro in 2018 with the New York Giants but ended up being released and suspended four games in 2020 following a hit-and-run incident. He’s set a personal-best of 57 yards on field goal tries, connecting on 81.4% of his 86 career attempts. He’ll have an opportunity to show what he can do inside Caesars Superdome when the Saints hold their first private practice there on Friday night, days ahead of their second preseason game (against the Jacksonville Jaguars).

Still, Rosas shouldn’t be the assumed Week 1 kicker for New Orleans. The Saints will continue to monitor the free agent market (remember, their first candidate was Brett Maher, who injured himself warming up last week) and the waiver wire as rival teams begin to trim their rosters down throughout the preseason. One name to watch is Baltimore Ravens backup Jake Verity, who nailed on two field goals (from 42 and 53 yards) in last week’s game with the Saints. Verity is this summer’s understudy to ironclad Ravens kicker Justin Tucker — ironically just as Lutz once was. Don’t be surprised if the Saints go to that well again should Rosas disappoint them.

The corresponding roster move for Rosas’ addition was the waiving of rookie tight end Josh Pederson, a Louisiana-Monroe product and the son of ex-Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson.

[vertical-gallery id=48219]

Saints sign rookie TE Josh Pederson, son of ex-Eagles coach

The Saints signed rookie TE Josh Pederson while veteran DT Ryan Glasgow chose to retire from the NFL and pursue a master’s degree, keeping the roster at 90 players, via @KadeKistner:

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The New Orleans Saints added tight end Josh Pederson to the roster after a successful workout on Aug. 6, in which he tried out alongside veteran players like Demetrius Harris, Gabe Holmes, and Charles Jones. Backup tight end Ethan Wolf recently suffered an injury and should miss a week a more, though he’s expected to avoid the injured reserve list. Still, more bodies were needed during his absence.

Pederson’s name may sound familiar as he is the son of the former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson. Earlier this offseason, Pederson signed with the San Francisco 49ers after going undrafted from Louisiana-Monroe after the 2021 NFL draft. He was waived on Wednesday, Aug. 4. Pederson played in 35 games over the course of four seasons with ULM in which he recorded 99 receptions for 1,191 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

In other roster news, Saints defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow was placed on the reserve/retired list after announcing his retirement on Saturday. The move comes as a slight surprise as Glasgow had seen time with the first string unit during training camp, but Sean Payton explained that he’s hanging up his cleats to pursue his master’s degree. Glasgow’s career has been riddled by injuries as he has dealt with multiple knee issues including his ACL. This is a decision he has been pondering for some time.

The defensive interior was already thin coming into camp due to a suspension levied against David Onyemata, as well as the departures of  Malcom Brown and Sheldon Rankins in free agency. Glasgow had an opportunity to make his case for playing time this upcoming season during camp. Their younger players have done well in camp, but stay tuned in case the Saints bring in veteran free agents like Geno Atkins or Kawann Short.

[listicle id=47622]

Saints trying out free agent tight ends Demetrius Harris, Josh Pederson

Saints free agent tryouts to include tight ends Demetrius Harris and Josh Pederson following Ethan Wolf injury:

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

There’s a ton of hype building for Adam Trautman at New Orleans Saints training camp, but the rest of the tight ends depth chart is starting to look a little shaky. Backup Ethan Wolf, who took former draft pick Tommy Stevens’ spot on the practice squad last season, is expected to miss a week a more with an ankle injury, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Veteran pickup Nick Vannett was signed to help replace Josh Hill as the co-starter with Trautman (stepping in for Jared Cook), but he’s missed a few practice sessions without explanation. That leaves New Orleans with just three healthy tight ends available.

NJ.com’s Mike Kaye reports that former Louisiana-Monroe tight end Josh Pederson is one player visiting for a workout; the son of ex-Eagles coach Doug Pederson fits the athletic profile at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, with enough college production (99 receptions for 1,191 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches) to move the needle. Maybe he sticks around if his workout goes well.

But SportsTalk790’s Aaron Wilson adds that Pederson faces tough competition in Demetrius Harris, an experienced pro with 108 games (11 of them in the playoffs) behind him. He tips the scales at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds and has made a career as a blocker, with just 83 receptions for 833 yards and 9 touchdowns in his NFL career. He’s previously played for the Chiefs, Browns, and Bears.

Of course other players could be in town for this same workout session. Maybe the Saints choose to not sign any of them and instead rely on Trautman, Garrett Griffin, and Juwan Johnson among the other options on the roster. But if Wolf and Vannett aren’t able to return soon, it’s possible changes are on the way. Stay tuned for updates.

[listicle id=47556]

49ers officially sign 10 rookies, Trey Lance not among them

The San Francisco 49ers signed 10 rookies, including five draft picks to contracts. Trey Lance was not among them.

The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday made 10 rookie signings official, including five of their eight draft picks and five undrafted free agents.

No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance was not among the players to sign one day before the start of rookie minicamp. Third-round picks RB Trey Sermon and CB Ambry Thomas have also yet to ink their rookie deals.

Given the standardized nature of the NFL’s four-year rookie contracts for draft picks there’s not a ton to iron out and the signings are more of a formality than anything. Players just have to sign before training camp starts or they’ll have to hold out.

There weren’t any surprises among the undrafted players either. San Francisco’s UDFA class is relatively small with four plus their signee via the NFL international pathway program.

Here are the 10 rookies who inked their deals Thursday: