Tag: Kahlil McKenzie

Ravens announce five roster moves including signing of RB Trenton Cannon

The Baltimore Ravens announced five roster moves on Wednesday

The Baltimore Ravens have been shuffling around their final roster and practice squad for the past few days. Even after Baltimore trimmed their team to 53 players there was still work to do, and now have compiled not only a very solid roster, but a great practice squad as well.

Despite adding, subtracting and moving players around, the Ravens now look to be close to having their final Week 1 roster. On Wednesday, Baltimore made five different roster moves. They officially announced signing of running back Le’Veon Bell as well as defensive tackle Reginald McKenzie (who also goes by Kahlil) to the practice squad.

The team also announced that they signed running back Trenton Cannon to their active roster.

Baltimore also officially placed running back Justice Hill on injured reserve and released veteran safety Jordan Richards from their practice squad.

Bell is the most accomplished of the group, putting up almost 10,000 total yards and adding 48 total touchdowns over the course of his career. He can be a threat as a pass catcher, and fills a role for Baltimore.

McKenzie is the son of NFL executive Reggie McKenzie. He has bounced around after being a sixth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 and last spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cannon has just a 3.0 yards per carry average on 48 career rushing attempts at the NFL level since entering the league in 2018. However, he has blazing speed and is regarded as a great special teams player, particularly as a gunner.

Hill was entering his third season with the Ravens after being a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He was expected to have an expanded role in 2021 and will also be missed on special teams. Cannon will look to replace Hill as a gunner.

Richards had been with the Baltimore ever since the middle of the 2019 season. He was let go during 2021 cut down day, but brought back to the practice squad a short time later. However, with the addition of Bell, the Ravens had to release on of their veterans from the practice squad and Richards was the odd man out.

Former Vols’ lineman released by Bengals

Former Vols’ lineman released by Bengals.

Former Tennessee football player Kahlil McKenzie was released by the Cincinnati Tuesday as the team set its 53-man active roster.

McKenzie, a defensive tackle, played for the Volunteers between 2015-17.

He is the son of former Vol and NFL player Reggie McKenzie, he

McKenzie made his debut for the Vols in its 2015 season opener against Bowling Green.

After suffering an injury against Alabama during his first career start in 2016, McKenzie returned to Tennessee’s lineup in 2017.

In his final season at Tennessee, he recorded 35 tackles and two sacks.

He was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft by Kansas City (198th overall).

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Former Chiefs draft picks Kahlil McKenzie, Tremon Smith waived by Seahawks, Eagles

Could a reunion with either Tremon Smith or Kahlil McKenzie be on the horizon?

A pair of 2018 draft picks selected by the Kansas City Chiefs were waived by their respective teams on Sunday. Kahlil McKenzie and Tremon Smith were both selected in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Chiefs and neither player made it more than a season with the team.

Expectations were high for McKenzie after general manager Brett Veach talked up his potential. McKenzie switched to guard in the NFL after playing defensive tackle at the University of Tennessee. The Chiefs did say they would have liked to keep McKenzie on the practice squad, but he joined the Seattle Seahawks following 53-man roster cuts in 2019.

Smith was a standout special teamer during his first year in Kansas City. He amassed 33 kick returns for 886 yards and averaged 26.8 yards per return. That was good for the third-most kick return yards in the NFL during 2018. Unfortunately, Smith struggled to learn the cornerback spot with the team. The Chiefs tried Smith at RB before releasing him just after the start of the 2019 season.

Both McKenzie and Smith cleared waivers on Monday. They are free to sign with any team. It’s possible that the Chiefs could seek a reunion with these players as they’re familiar with the system in Kansas City. Smith, in particular, is someone for fans to watch as the Chiefs look to get Mecole Hardman more involved on offense. They’re in need of a solid return specialist and special teams coordinator Dave Toub could seek a reunion.

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Seattle Seahawks sign offensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie

The addition of McKenzie gives the Seattle Seahawks a whopping 18 offensive lineman on the active roster, just before the 2020 NFL draft.

The Seattle Seahawks continue to hoard offensive lineman at an alarming rate, signing Kahlil McKenzie on Monday afternoon – according to a tweet from NFL Insider Field Yates.

McKenzie becomes the 18th offensive lineman on Seattle’s roster, and there’s a good chance they plan to use at least on of their picks in the 2020 NFL draft on a lineman as well.

McKenzie was with the Seahawks briefly in 2019, signing onto the practice squad just before the season began.

A former defensive tackle in college at Tennessee, McKenzie was taken in the sixth round of the 2018 draft by the Chiefs, who began the process of converting him into an offensive lineman.

He never appeared in a game with Kansas City however, and after spending all of 2019 on Seattle’s practice squad he ended up signing with the DC Defenders of the XFL, where he was traded to Los Angeles and eventually placed on the injured reserve a few weeks into the season.

McKenzie has a ton of competition for a roster spot with the Seahawks, and barring an incredible improvement he seems unlikely to be on the team’s 53-man roster come September. However, the Seahawks are clearly prioritizing depth up front, and McKenzie will be a camp body worth keeping an eye on.

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Chiefs 2019 rookie season review: RB Darwin Thompson

Darwin Thompson made strides as a rookie and finished the season as the Chiefs’ No. 2 running back.

The Kansas City Chiefs added six draft picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and each of those rookies made contributions during the season and postseason. This draft had a mix of offensive and defensive players compared to the 2018 NFL Draft, which was primarily defensive players for the Chiefs. Let’s take a look at Darwin Thompson’s 2019 season and see what we can project for the future.

Utah State RB Darwin Thompson – 214 overall

Stat

2019 totals
Games played 12
Games started 0
Offensive Snaps 107
Special Teams Snaps 99
Carries 37
Rushing yards 128
Touchdown 1
Catches 9
Receiving yards 43

2019 season review:

After an exciting preseason, fans thought that Thompson was set to play a significant role for the Chiefs in 2019. Then the team signed veteran RB LeSean McCoy and Thompson took a back seat in the running back pecking order. In Week 2, Thompson had his first NFL carry, but he truly didn’t get a real shot to play until Week 13 against the Oakland Raiders. He had 11 carries for 44 yards and his lone touchdown of the season during that game.

“I think it was good for him to get nationwide confirmation on what we’ve been seeing in practice,” Chiefs RB coach Deland McCullough said of his performance. “I think the last time I was up here I said something very similar. The guy has some juice. We were finally in the position to just let him loose. I know I sat in a meeting and said, ‘man when he’s active, I got to just play the dude,’ that’s what I made a point of doing and making sure everybody was good with it. Let’s get this guy out there and get him going.”

The Chiefs had to make sure that Thompson was the full package before they felt confident putting him on the field. Could he handle protection calls, catch the ball, run the ball and do everything with the same prowess? He had some early bumps in the road when it came to that, however, by the end of the season, he was trusted over veteran RB LeSean McCoy. He was the No. 2 RB to Damien Williams for Kansas City throughout the playoffs including in Super Bowl LIV.

2020 season outlook:

Assuming the Chiefs pick up the 2020 club option on RB Damien Williams, Thompson will be in the mix to be the No. 2 running back spot. He won’t be without competition as Darrel Williams returns from injury. There will also be potential for other players to emerge. Given his role to end the season, it’s safe to assume that Thompson will get an opportunity to show new growth and improvement in 2020.

He’s proven that he can do everything the Chiefs need. He’s even developed into a very good special teams player too. Thompson has OC Eric Bieniemy in his corner too.

“Obviously, I like to think that I’m one of the official presidents of the Short Running Back Club,” Bieniemy said. “So, with Darwin being in that Short Running Back Club, obviously, I have high expectations of him. He has a dynamic personality and he has a great work ethic. So yes, he will be given an opportunity at some point, but right now he is learning behind a number of great players. He is spending time in that room with (RBs) Coach (Deland) McCullough. They’re doing one hell of a job. The only thing that he wants to know is how can he improve on the next particular play.”

Thompson’s opportunity to prove himself might come during the first week of training camp or it might be the last game of the season. Whatever the situation, he needs to be prepared to seize the day when that opportunity comes knocking.

Chiefs 2019 rookie season reviews:

WR Mecole Hardman (Coming soon)

DB Juan Thornhill (Coming soon)

DT Khalen Saunders (Coming soon)

CB Rashad Fenton (Coming soon)

RB Darwin Thompson (You’re here!)

OL Nick Allegretti

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Chiefs 2019 rookie season review: OL Nick Allegretti

Allegretti didn’t see much action as a rookie, but he could be relied upon for more snaps in 2020.

The Kansas City Chiefs added six draft picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and each of those rookies made contributions during the season and postseason. This draft had a mix of offensive and defensive players compared to the 2018 NFL Draft, which was primarily defensive players for the Chiefs. Let’s take a look at Nick Allegretti’s 2019 season and see what we can project for the future.

Illinois OL Nick Allegretti – 216 overall

Stat

2019 totals
Games played 7
Games started 0
Offensive Snaps 8
Special Teams Snaps 41

2019 season review:

The Kansas City Chiefs brought in Nick Allegretti to provide competition and depth along the interior offensive line. He impressed during the offseason and preseason, making the 53-man roster over 2018 sixth-round draft pick Kahlil McKenzie.

“(Nick) Allegretti really came out strong,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach said of his decision.

Allegretti was listed as the backup center to starter Austin Reiter, but played both center and guard during the preseason. Kansas City suffered some early attrition along the offensive line, but Allegretti was still not made active until Week 6 of the regular season. He’d see most of his work throughout the season on special teams. It wasn’t until the Chiefs traveled to Denver in Week 7 that Allegretti saw his first offensive snaps.

2020 season outlook:

If you look at the way that Allegretti was utilized in 2019, it was very similar to how the Chiefs used center Austin Reiter when Mitch Morse was the starting center in 2018. He’d come in as an extra blocker in certain heavy formations and he made the most of his opportunities. Below he gets a pancake block:

It’s moments like this that had the Chiefs comfortable moving on from Mitch Morse in favor of Reiter. This type of play certainly warrants more playing time for Allegretti. We’d still need to see more from him in pass protection, though. Confidence in Allegretti could allow the front office to move on from a player that is a cut candidate (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) or scheduled to become a free agent (Andrew Wylie, Stefen Wisniewski).

Ultimately, Allegretti’s opportunity will depend on which players remain in front of him on the depth chart and how well he improves during his second offseason as a professional. His floor remains a versatile backup on the interior and his ceiling a standout starter in just his second year in the NFL. Not bad for a seventh-round draft pick.

Chiefs 2019 rookie season reviews:

WR Mecole Hardman (Coming soon)

DB Juan Thornhill (Coming soon)

DT Khalen Saunders (Coming soon)

CB Rashad Fenton (Coming soon)

RB Darwin Thompson (Coming soon)