Tag: Keith Taylor

Chiefs make 4 roster moves ahead of Week 8 matchup vs. Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs made four roster moves on Tuesday ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a series of roster moves ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 27.

First, the defending Super Bowl champions announced that they had signed cornerback Keith Taylor to their active roster. Taylor was previously on Kansas City’s practice squad and adds depth to the Chiefs’ secondary after cornerback Jaylen Watson’s injury in Week 7.

Next, the team announced that it had signed quarterback Chris Oladokun and wide receiver Cornell Powell to its practice squad.

Finally, Kansas City indicated that Watson had been placed on the Chiefs’ injured reserve list.

 

These transactions came after third-year quarterback Bailey Zappe was signed off of Kansas City’s practice squad by the Cleveland Browns, who needed another signal-caller due to an injury sustained by Deshaun Watson on Sunday.

Stay tuned to see if these moves mark the end of the Chiefs’ adjustments this week, or if they prove to be part of a broader reshuffle of Kansas City’s roster by general manager Brett Veach ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline.

Chiefs vs Lions: DB Keith Taylor comes down with impressive interception

Veteran DB Keith Taylor came down with an impressive interception in the #Chiefs’ preseason loss to the #Lions on Saturday.

The Kansas City Chiefs showed some fight against the Detroit Lions on Saturday afternoon, and even though they couldn’t secure a win in their preseason home opener, several players made outstanding plays for the defending champions on both sides of the ball.

Defensive back Keith Taylor, who is hoping to make a jump from the Chiefs’ practice squad to the team’s 53-man roster, came down with a particularly impressive interception against Detroit, which was one of the best plays of the game.

Check out Taylor’s spectacular preseason highlight in this video, which was posted by the Chiefs’ official Twitter account:

Taylor is one of several players who are vying for a backup spot on Kansas City’s depth chart, and he may have separated himself from his competition with this awesome interception.

Tune into the Chiefs’ final preseason game next week to see if Taylor can follow up his exceptional performance with another splendid showing against the Chicago Bears.

Former Saints draft pick, Alabama football star takes high-profile college coaching job

Former Saints draft pick and Alabama football star Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job at Washington:

Here’s some good news for a former New Orleans Saints draft pick: Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job as the Washington Huskies safeties coach, where he’ll be tasked with developing the next generation of defensive backs at a West Coast powerhouse with national championship ambitions.

Things have come full circle. Sunseri was a standout at Alabama during his own college playing career, and Alabama’s decision to hire Washington’s former head coach Kalen DeBoer led to a lot of turnover for the Huskies coaching staff.

Sunseri, 32, was picked by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. But he struggled to get on the field after dealing with a series of injuries. He finished his NFL playing career with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

After hanging up his cleats, Sunseri began a coaching career at Alabama as a graduate assistant; he returned to the Patriots in 2020 to get more experience, where he first worked with the defense before moving to the offensive side of the ball for three years coaching running backs. Now he’s going back to his roots with much more responsibility under new Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.

The job comes with high expectations. Washington is fresh off a national title bid, and the school has sent many defensive backs to the NFL draft in recent years; Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon were both top-50 picks in 2022, while Elijah Molden was selected at No. 100 overall (followed by Keith Taylor in the fifth round) in 2021. Byron Murphy and Taylor Rapp were each second-round picks in 2019 with Jordan Miller also drafted in the fifth round. Sunseri will be charged with recruiting and developing players to follow in their footsteps. Good luck to him.

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How former Panthers fared in Super Bowl LVIII

Former Panthers Christian McCaffrey and Harrison Butker were two of Super Bowl LVIII’s biggest stars.

The Carolina Panthers may have not been on the brightest stage in football, but a few old friends were.

Here’s how former Panthers players fared in Super Bowl LVIII:

Christian McCaffrey, Steve Wilks, 49ers fall short in classic Super Bowl

Former Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey and coach Steve Wilks did all they could to bring the 49ers their first ring in 30 years. But it wasn’t enough.

Christian McCaffrey and Steve Wilks were on the doorstep of bringing the Bay Area their first Lombardi Trophy in 30 years. But unfortunately for them and the rest of the San Francisco 49ers, a GOAT was standing in their way.

Despite their valiant efforts, the former Carolina Panthers running back and interim head coach were denied on the biggest stage of the game Sunday night—as the Kansas City Chiefs notched a thrilling 25-22 overtime win in Super Bowl LVIII.

McCaffrey, who spent the better part of his first six NFL seasons in Carolina, tallied a game-high 160 yards from scrimmage. The 2023 AP Offensive Player of the Year recorded 80 yards on 22 rushes along with another 80 yards and a score on eight catches.

Wilks, a Charlotte, N.C. native, managed to hold down the Kansas City offense for much of the tightly-contested matchup—as the Chiefs entered the break with only three points. But, as we’ve learned for the third time in five years, there’s no holding down Patrick Mahomes.

The newly-crowned three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player led a game-winning 13-play, 75-yard drive in overtime—a walk-off possession that ended in a 3-yard touchdown pass to wideout Mecole Hardman. Mahomes finished the night having completed 34 of his 46 throws for 333 yards, two scores and an interception.

But hey, at least a few other old friends were on the winning side—including kicker Harrison Butker, whose 57-yard field goal in the third quarter set a new Super Bowl record. The Chiefs have also carried former Panthers receiver Shi Smith and cornerback Keith Taylor on their practice squad.

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Former Panthers on this year’s Conference Championship teams

11 former Panthers are now members of this year’s Conference Championship teams.

Sunday’s Conference Championship Round will have a few familiar faces.

Here are the 11 former Carolina Panthers who are currently members of the 2023 season’s final four teams:

22 former Panthers on this year’s Divisional Round rosters

Here are 22 names from this weekend’s Divisional Round action that Panthers fans may recognize

While the Carolina Panthers are busy trying to find a new power duo, quite a few of their former players are right in the middle of playoff action.

Here are 22 ex-Panthers who are gearing up for this year’s Divisional Round games:

4 of Panthers’ 2023 cuts signed to practice squads on Thursday

Four players who were lost in the Panthers’ 53-man roster shuffle were signed to practice squads elsewhere on Thursday.

Matt Corral wasn’t the only freshly-cut Carolina Panther who just found a new home.

Four players who did not make the initial 53-man roster cut for the Panthers this summer were signed to practice squads on Thursday. They are as follows:

Panthers cut 2021 draft picks Keith Taylor, Shi Smith, Deonte Brown

The Panthers are continuing to purge Matt Rhule’s robust 2021 draft class—as they’ve waived Keith Taylor, Shi Smith and Deonte Brown.

The purge of Matt Rhule’s robust 2021 draft class continues.

As announced on Tuesday morning, the Carolina Panthers have waived three picks from 2021—cornerback Keith Taylor, wide receiver Shi Smith and guard Deonte Brown.

Taylor, perhaps the most surprising departure, was selected in the fifth round that spring. The University of Washington product went on to play a pretty decent role in Carolina’s secondary since, playing in 34 of a possible 35 games in the last two seasons.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder recorded five starts over those 34 outings. He totaled 67 tackles, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and six passes defensed.

Smith, who also served as a depth piece for the Panthers, is another one of the more high-profile cuts of the morning. The Union, S.C. native and University of South Carolina product reeled in a combined 28 passes for 400 yards and a pair of scores over 23 games and fielded 23 punts in 2022.

Brown appeared in three games in 2021.

Only five of the class’ 11 players are currently active members of the roster.

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Panthers snap count standouts: Wear and tear prevalent in Week 6

S Sean Chandler and CB Keith Taylor Jr. stepped up in a huge way for the bruised Panthers in Week 6.

With what feels like an injured reserve that’s large enough to be considered a cavalry at this point, the Carolina Panthers are searching for burn to spread around. Plus, in a matchup that painfully pushed itself into some extended time, there was plenty more of that playing time to be allocated.

Here’s how the Panthers dealt with that, and the implications of their moves, in the Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.