Tag: K Riley Patterson

Eagles sign former Commanders/Ron Rivera draft pick

Two of Rivera’s former draft picks find new teams.

The Eagles felt they needed another offensive lineman under their roof, so they signed a lineman the Commanders released earlier this season.

As the Commanders approached opening day, they released offensive guard/tackle Braeden Daniels.

The Commanders drafted Daniels in the fourth round, 118th overall, in the 2023 NFL draft. It was Ron Rivera’s last draft, beginning what would be his final season in Washington.

Daniels was noticeably behind the other offensive linemen during his rookie training camp, so the Commanders placed him on season-ending injured reserve in hopes that he would develop and be ready to contribute in 2024.

However, Daniels was released on August 27 by the new administration of head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters. Two days later, the Houston Texans signed Daniels to their practice squad; however, he was released after only two weeks.

The following week, the Chargers signed Daniels to their practice squad before releasing him only five days later. Thus, in summary, Daniels was drafted in the fourth round, and now, in his second season, he has yet to make an active roster during the regular season.

Three other former Commanders were also signed to practice squads on Wednesday.

The Cardinals (4-4), tied for the lead in the NFC West, signed former Commanders linebacker Milo Eifler. Playing with Washington in 2021 and 2022, Eifler appeared in 13 games. His biggest moment was tackling the punter in the 2022 season finale against the Cowboys.

The Carolina Panthers (1-7) signed receiver/returner Dax Milne. Drafted in the seventh round (258 overall), Milne played in 28 games for Washington in 2021 and 2022. He collected 15 receptions for 120 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown in a home loss to the Vikings in 2022. Returning 40 punts, he had a long return of 19 yards.

Finally, kicker Riley Patterson was signed by the Jets. Patterson kicked in the preseason for Washington before being released on August 22.

Dan Quinn relieved the Commanders found a kicker

Quinn talks going from looking for a kicker to giving Austin Seibert a game ball in less than a week.

Dan Quinn has coached two Commanders’ regular-season games and is already on his fifth kicker.

Appearing on the “Rich Eisen Show” Wednesday morning, Eisen asked Quinn, “When you signed your kicker last Tuesday, did you think you would be giving him a game ball five days later?”

“Hell no!” Fired back Quinn, laughing in amazement.

“I wanted to make sure that we were just constantly supporting him. We have a fantastic snapper and holder that work with him in Tyler Ott and Tress Way. They gave him a great chance to come in and do well.”

“We’re really pumped. He came through in the biggest of ways, including a game-winner. So, a remarkable first game as a Commander.”

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1835411403395510350

“Is that your first game coaching ever with seven field goals?’, asked Eisen.

“Absolutely. It was actually a franchise record with six. But we joked maybe Austin wanted to put a little distance between himself and somebody else, so he nailed seven.”

Oh, the kickers who have been Commanders in such a short time for Dan Quinn. The Commanders opened the regular season with Cade York, whom they had acquired from the Browns for a conditional draft pick. He didn’t meet the conditions, so he was released after the opening week loss to Tampa Bay.

Having played the Jets in the preseason opener, Austin Seibert did a fine job kicking, so when he was released, GM Adam Peters quickly grabbed him before anyone else could, preparing for their Week 2 games.

Riley Patterson wasn’t performing up to expectations, so he was released on August 22. Before York and Patterson, the Commanders had signed and given some preseason experience to Ramiz Ahmed before releasing him on August 13.

Of course, all of this came about because veteran Brandon McManus, the guy Washington expected to be its kicker in 2024, had been signed, participated in workouts, and never informed the Commanders of his impending legal charges. So, they released him on June 2.

Commanders’ first-half observations vs. Dolphins

10 quick observations from the Commanders’ first half against the Dolphins.

The Commanders trail the Dolphins 10-6 at the half.

Here are some observations of the first half:

  1. Jayden Daniels looked poised and under control. He completed 10 of 12 attempts for 78 yards. He had a nice designed run of 13 yards.
  2. Jeff Driskel showed he has some wheels as well, with a 41-yard run. Driskel has been a pleasant surprise, making plays in the pocket in both games. He completed 7 of 10 for 57 yards.
  3. Was hoping Riley Patterson would kick well tonight and move towards winning the job, but with missing two field goals in the first half, it’s most likely not going to happen.
  4. Dyami Brown has won the confidence of Daniels. Brown received three targets early, catching all three passes for 19 yards.
  5. The Commanders had two runs of 11 yards from Brian Robinson and another 11-yard run from Michael Wiley.
  6. On a 3rd and 2, Austin Ekeler followed a good inside push by the OLine; however, Andrew Wylie was called for holding, setting up a 3rd & 12. That was huge, as it basically killed the drive, forcing a field goal attempt.
  7. Defensively, Jamin Davis had a nice rep when he forced a quick pass, and also leaped to block down the pass.
  8. Frankie Luvu was in on four tackles on the first Dolphins possession. He was very active out there.
  9. Percy Butler was beaten for a touchdown but recovered to get a finger on the ball, deflecting it just enough to save a touchdown.
  10. The Commanders exhibited plenty of Kliff Kingsbury’s uptempo offense.

 

Some good and some not so good from Commanders, Thursday

Some good and bad from Thursday’s practice vs. the Jets.

There is no overarching narrative to the Commanders’ joint practice on Thursday; there were some good and some not very good moments.

Hey, it’s only the tenth day into this 2024 preseason. So, no need to overreact to what transpired in today’s joint practice with the Jets in New Jersey.

It was a joint practice on August 8, and the most significant thing to come out of Thursday might have been that the regular season opener at Tampa against the Buccaneers is to the day, September 8, a month away.

Where there were questions coming into Thursday’s practice, there will still be questions. Remember, this was the first scrimmage action prior to the first preseason game.

Jayden Daniels moved the ball around to several players and Dyami Brown made a nice catch deep. Daniels seemed to process at times and hit a few checkdowns as well.

Corner Emmanuel Forbes collected an interception during the 7-on-7 reps. However, he also gave up some sizeable yardage in man coverage. Benjamin St-Juste also gave up a big pass gain; keep in mind these were not against Aaron Rodgers, who sat out Thursday.

At times, Andrew Wylie and Brandon Coleman have been the starting offensive tackles. Well, neither one of those guys worked in scrimmage reps against the Jets defense. No word on what type of injury kept Coleman out Thursday. NFL coaches don’t need to publicly report injuries, and consequently, most of the time, they won’t.

Both kickers missed multiple kicks today. Apparently it was not that good a day for either Ramiz Ahmed or Riley Patterson.

On an off day, Commanders release two, sign two

The Commanders move on from former draft pick, Dax Milne.

It wasn’t an off day for Dan Quinn and Adam Peters, as on Wednesday, the Commanders signed two players and released two players.

After working out three consecutive days (Sunday through Tuesday) Quinn had given the players Wednesday off from training camp, with practices resuming Thursday.

However, Quinn and Peters continued staying busy Wednesday, when they made four moves to the 90-man roster.

Released were wide receivers Dax Milne and Damiere Byrd. Added to the 90-man roster were WR Byron Pringle and kicker Riley Patterson.

Milne was drafted by Ron Rivera in round 7 (258) of the 2021 draft out of Brigham Young.

Milne secured the last receiver roster spot in 2021 and 2022, catching 15 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown, and six first downs. In his two seasons he also returned 40 punts with a long return of 19 yards. He also returned 15 kickoffs and enjoyed a 33-yard return.

A groin injury in the 2023 preseason led to Milne’s missing all of last season. Milne became the first player who had been drafted during the Ron Rivera term (2020-23) to be released by Dan Quinn.

Following playing at South Carolina, Byrd went undrafted in 2015 and was signed soon thereafter by the Panthers. Byrd made the Panthers practice squad and then the active roster for three seasons (2016-18).

Next, Byrd played one season for the Cardinals (2019), Patriots (2020), and Bears (2021), his best season coming with the Patriots, when he accumulated 47 receptions for 604 yards. Byrd then spent the last two seasons with the Falcons before signing with the Commanders on May 16.

Pringle returns to the Commanders after catching 14 passes for 161 yards with Washington in 2023. Previously, Pringle was with the Chiefs (2019-21) and the Bears in 2022. His best production came in 2021 when he collected 42 receptions for 568 yards, 5 touchdowns and 32 first downs.

Patterson had been waived earlier in the week by the Jaguars. Patterson kicked seven games for the Lions in 2021 and all of 2022 with the Jaguars. He split time with the Lions and Browns in 2023.

Brandon McManus had been signed to a one-year deal, but once allegations arose of sexual assault by McManus on a Jaguars team flight during the 2023 season, the Commanders released him.