Lewerke and former Michigan RB Karan Higdon headline the workouts
The Detroit Lions welcomed several NFL free agents into Allen Park on Tuesday for a tryout with the team. Among the notable names are a Michigan State quarterback and a Michigan running back.
Higdon played at Michigan before joining the Houston Texans in 2019. He spent his rookie season on the Texans’ practice squad. His tryout in Detroit came on his 24th birthday.
Lewerke was a three-year starter for the Spartans before going undrafted this April. He is Michigan State’s all-time leader in yards from scrimmage. He was waived on Saturday after spending training camp with the New England Patriots.
Foster is a Detroit-area (West Bloomfield) native who played collegiately at Syracuse. He is an undrafted rookie.
The Houston Texans have options at running back behind David Johnson and Duke Johnson, and the depth will play itself out throughout August.
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The Houston Texans believe they have two three-down running backs in David Johnson and Duke Johnson.
What’s the plan after that?
According to coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, fullback Cullen Gillaspia, a 2019 seventh-round pick from Texas A&M who excelled at special teams as a rookie, is developing a larger role in the team’s offense.
“You’ve got guys like Cullen Gillaspia that’s kind of a guy that is a core special teams player but can do a lot of things from the backfield,” O’Brien said.
Gillaspia played all 16 games for Houston last season, recording six special teams tackles. In fact, the former 12th Man for the Aggies played 274 special teams snaps compared to just 13 snaps on offense.
The Texans haven’t exactly been a fullback heavy team under O’Brien. Jay Prosch, who played from 2014-17, tallied 16 touches for 103 yards in his four seasons with the club.
Karan Higdon, who returns after his rookie season as an undrafted free agent from Michigan, is battling with practice-squadder Buddy Howell for an opening on the final roster. The Texans are expected to carry three running backs as they did last season with Taiwan Jones playing the role of special teams ace.
While O’Brien has acknowledged 2020 will be a difficult season for rookies and younger players to make rosters, undrafted running back Scottie Phillips from Ole Miss managed to get mentioned as it related to the running back depth.
“You’ve got Scottie Phillips out there, an undrafted guy who’s gotten better and better every day,” O’Brien said. “So in some ways it’s very competitive relative to the 53.”
The Texans know who their front line starters are in David Johnson and Duke Johnson. The depth behind the two running backs is a position battle that will work itself out as the extended training camp rolls on through the rest of August.
Creating something of a fantasy football situation selecting from nearly 40 Wolverines who are currently on NFL rosters to form a team.
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According to ESPN, while not all of them are actively playing, Michigan has 40 players currently in the league, bolstered by the 2020 haul with ten draft picks — though it lists Charles Woodson as active, and we’re pretty sure that’s no longer the case.
So, as our colleague over at BuckeyesWire asked, what would an NFL team look like if comprised solely of the players who graduated from one school? Naturally, a Michigan contingent had our interest piqued.
Given that there are a variety of schemes, offensively and defensively, and some players perhaps played a different position in the NFL than they did at Michigan, we came up with our starting maize and blue team in the pro ranks, taking a look at what could be if all of those who wore a winged helmet joined forces to create a Wolverines super team.
Especially with the man leading the charge under center, we’d put this team up against anybody.
Offense
There’s an obvious player to start with, and lots of solid linemen. But otherwise, Michigan is lighter than in recent years with skill position players.
Regardless, with the top choice overall — a man that many pick in the first round of their fantasy drafts — the Wolverines NFL team could be formidable.
Quarterback – Tom Brady
Photo: Isaiah Hole
The most obvious selection of the bunch is the greatest of all time.
If you have Tom Brady as your quarterback, you’ve got a chance to win it all. He’s won more rings than anybody with six in his time with the New England Patriots.
While he wasn’t as beloved during his time in Ann Arbor as much as he is now, if you’re building an NFL team out of former Michigan players, the former team captain and over-achieving sixth rounder from the 2000 NFL Draft is like getting the No. 1 pick in your fantasy league — it’s just good business.
In his career, Brady has amassed 74,571 yards in 285 games, with 541 touchdowns to just 179 interceptions.
Brady is No. 2 on the NFL’s all-time passing yards leaders list, behind Drew Brees — but literally ahead of everyone else. He’s also just behind Brees at No. 2 in passing touchdowns, just six away from the top, however.
