Tag: K.J. Costello

Report: Saints waive QB K.J. Costello, RB Devine Ozigbo ahead of roster cuts deadline

Report: Saints waive QB K.J. Costello and RB Devine Ozigbo ahead of roster cuts deadline

The New Orleans Saints have already begun the difficult process of trimming down their roster ahead of Tuesday’s NFL deadline, with teams required to downsize from 85 players to 80 by 4 p.m. ET. Per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, the Saints released both quarterback K.J. Costello and running back Devine Ozigbo on Sunday after returning to New Orleans following a week in Green Bay. That brings the team down to 83 contracts.

So what do these roster moves mean? Costello was signed after starting quarterback Jameis Winston suffered a sprained foot late in training camp, which sidelined him for a few weeks. Only Andy Dalton and Ian Book saw any snaps in the Saints’ two preseason games, so Costello was brought in more to help keep drills running on schedule in practice. At this stage in the summer the team needs three arms to keep everything running smoothly. Now that he’s on the outs, this may signal that Winston is healthy and ready to return to practice fully with the team.

It’s more intriguing at running back, though. Ozigbo was competing with Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr., and undrafted rookie Abram Smith for the opportunity to back up Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II. We’re very much on the outside looking in, but it feels like Washington is in the lead for that third spot in the rotation, leaving just one more vacancy for either Jones or Smith to fill (though it’s likely someone ends up returning on the practice squad). They’ve got one more exhibition game in which to make their case for that last roster spot.

Before that, though, the Saints will practice in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday evening — possibly with Winston running the first-team offense again. It’s definitely something to watch out for, as are the three remaining roster cuts the Saints must make by Tuesday’s deadline.

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Saints sign free agent QB K.J. Costello with Jameis Winston on the mend

The New Orleans Saints signed free agent quarterback K.J. Costello, adding a third arm to training camp with Jameis Winston on the mend:

Short-handed at quarterback with Jameis Winston on the mend and Taysom Hill lining up at tight end, NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the New Orleans Saints are signing free agent quarterback K.J. Costello. It makes sense to bring in a third passer for training camp so that backups Andy Dalton and Ian Book aren’t overworked. Having another arm in camp should help drills run more smoothly and keep everyone on task.

And the decision to bring in a journeyman like Costello as opposed to a bigger name like Jimmy Garoppolo or Jordan Love supports head coach Dennis Allen’s public downplaying of Winston’s injury. If he were going to miss an extended amount of time, the Saints likely aim higher. Instead they’re bringing in a low-cost backup to bridge the gap until Winston’s return.

Costello, 25, played college ball at Stanford and Mississippi State — memorably dropping an astounding 623 yards on the defending-champion LSU Tigers back in 2020 (which set an SEC record for single-game passing yards). He also owns Stanford’s single-season passing record, having surpassed both Andrew Luck and John Elway in the school history books. Since turning pro, Costello has spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers and the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars, and was briefly with the Saints earlier this summer during a tryout at rookie minicamp.

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7 players tried out for Broncos on Wednesday

The Broncos brought in three running backs, three wide receivers and one quarterback for tryouts on Wednesday.

Story update: The Broncos signed wide receiver Darrius Shepherd on Thursday, the team announced. The 90-man offseason roster is now full. See our original post below.

Looking to fill two open roster spots following the injuries suffered by wide receiver Tim Patrick and running back Damarea Crockett, the Denver Broncos brought in seven players for tryouts on Wednesday.

The Broncos brought in three running backs: Max Borghi, Jaquan Hardy and Jaylen Samuels. Hardy is a second-year player who spent time with the Dallas Cowboys last year. Samuels is a fourth-year back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2018-2021. Borghi is a college free agent out of Washington State.

Borghi won the RB tryout and signed with the team Wednesday. That leaves Denver with one open spot on the 90-man offseason roster.

The Broncos also brought in three wide receivers: Jonathan Adams, Kekoa Crawford and Darrius Shepherd. At the time of this writing, none of the receivers have signed. Shepherd has spent time with six NFL teams since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019.

Finally, Denver also tried out a quarterback: K.J. Costello, who went to training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers as a rookie last summer and spent time with the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL this spring.

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Chargers trim roster to 85 players

The Los Angeles Chargers have trimmed their roster down to 85 players.

The Chargers have trimmed their roster down to 85 players ahead of the mandatory cut deadline, which is at 1 pm PT.

Yesterday, Los Angeles cut three and added long snapper Matt Overton to bring the roster to 86 players.

To get it to 85, L.A. released quarterback K.J. Costello and tight end Matt Seybert and signed edge defender Davin Ballamy on Tuesday.

This is the first of three roster cuts the Chargers are required to make, with the league’s new rule that started this year.

Here’s a look at the rest of the mandatory cut dates:

  • Tuesday, August 24: Down to 80.
  • Tuesday, August 31: Down to 53.

Chargers QB Chase Daniel to start preseason opener vs. Rams

With Justin Herbert out, Chase Daniel is being handed the keys for the preseason opener.

It was announced Thursday that Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert won’t make his 2021 debut until the regular season against the Washington Football Team.

With Herbert out of the preseason to rest up, the team is handing the keys to Chase Daniel, who will start this Saturday night against the Rams at SoFi Stadium, according to head coach Brandon Staley.

Daniel will then be followed by Easton Stick and K.J. Costello.

Daniel is the current favorite to win the backup job due to his experience in this league and familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s system to continue to mentor Herbert.

Between his time with the Saints, Chiefs, Bears, Lions and Eagles, Daniel has thrown for only 1,694 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

If Los Angeles decides to enter the season with two signal-callers, Stick and Costello will likely be battling it out for a spot on the practice squad.

Chargers sign QB K.J. Costello

The Chargers added a fourth quarterback in the midst of training camp.

The Chargers made a roster move on Sunday.

Los Angeles signed quarterback K.J. Costello, the team announced.

During the pre-draft process, the team met with Costello. Soon after, he attended their rookie minicamp in May.

With Justin Herbert, Chase Daniel and Easton Stick on the roster, L.A. likely made the move to offer competition for a practice squad spot (assuming two quarterbacks make the final 53-man roster).

Costello finished a four-year career between Stanford and Mississippi State with a completion percentage of 62.9%, 7,434 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.

Ideal fits and projections for each SEC QB in the 2021 NFL Draft

Looking into landing spots for Kellen Mond, Kyle Trask, KJ Costello, Feleipe Franks and Mac Jones.

We saw an SEC quarterback drafted at No. 1 overall last year when Joe Burrow was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The conference doesn’t feature a quarterback with quite as much hype surrounding him as Burrow did this time last year, but former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones has been projected as high as No. 3 overall.

Outside of him, there are some prospects at the position who may prove to have great upside if given the proper opportunity.

Here’s a look into the projections and some possible fits for SEC quarterbacks making the jump to the next level in 2021.

LISTEN: Saints Wire Podcast considers QB draft prospects

Episode 27 of the Saints Wire Podcast considers 2021 NFL draft prospects at quarterback, ranging from Kyle Trask to K.J. Costello.

Episode 26 of the Saints Wire Podcast is live, hosted weekly by Ryan O’Leary (@RyanOLearySMG) with Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler (@john_siglerr). You can subscribe for new episodes on Apple Podcasts or your podcast app of choice, and catch up on past episodes in the playlist embedded below.

This week, we’re surveying the landscape at quarterback in the 2021 NFL draft, with several prospects already linked to the Saints: Florida’s Kyle Trask, Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello, and Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman among them.

Saints met with Mississippi State QB prospect K.J. Costello

The New Orleans Saints are one of several NFL teams to contact Mississippi State QB K.J. Costello, a prospect in the 2021 NFL draft.

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Here’s another name for the list of 2021 draft prospects contacted by the Saints: Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello, who has been picking up steam after recent throwing sessions in front of NFL scouts. LSU Wire’s Crissy Froyd reports that Costello has also spoken with the Chargers, Eagles, and Patriots in addition to his meeting with New Orleans.

Costello transferred to Mississippi State after three years at Stanford, but an initially-impressive start against LSU in the season opener didn’t quite set the tone. Five of his six touchdown passes on the year came in that upset against the defending national champs, and he ended up missing four weeks between a concussion and COVID-19 exposure. He wasn’t allowed to do much within the constraints of Mike Leach’s limited Air Raid offense, which SEC defenses figured out in a hurry.

So where is he projected to be drafted? Costello has good size (6-foot-4 and 225 pounds) but poor athleticism, along with inconsistent college performance. While he has the profile of a late-round flyer like his predecessor Tommy Stevens — cut from the Saints practice squad after failing to convert to tight end — the priority teams feel to acquire quarterbacks and maybe some optimism that he can flourish in a better situation could see him go higher, maybe earlier on the draft’s third and final day.

Right now, the Saints have a vacancy at the end of their depth chart. Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are slated for a training camp battle to start. Adding someone like Costello to compete with Trevor Siemian to back them up as the team’s third-string quarterback makes sense. Keep an eye out for him on draft day.

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Mississippi State QB K.J. Costello mets with Patriots ahead of 2021 draft

K.J. Costello put up HUGE numbers in his game against LSU.

Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello has met with the New England Patriots, among other teams, during the pre-draft process, according to LSU Tigers Wire’s Crissy Froyd.

Costello, who told Tigers Wire he suffered from an overly-pass-happy system that was forcing him to throw into disadvantageous situations, finished his 2020 season with a 64.1 completion percentage, 1,283 passing yards, six touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He had six appearances after transferring from Stanford.

His best performance came against LSU. He completed 60% of his passes for 623 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. That’s the performance that has put him on NFL radar, along with his 2018 season at Stanford, when he put up a 65.1 completion percentage, 3,540 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

New England has been thorough in getting in touch with many of the quarterbacks in this draft class by attending pro days and holding virtual interviews. The Patriots have an uncertain situation at the position, with Cam Newton penciled as the starter (but on a one-year contract). Jarrett Stidam will probably serve as the backup. It’s likely the team adds a rookie to the mix.

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