Tag: Kellen Mond

Saints waive backup quarterback Kellen Mond before rookie minicamp

The Saints waived backup quarterback Kellen Mond before rookie minicamp. Change was inevitable after the team drafted Spencer Rattler:

And then there were four. ESPN’s Field Yates first reported that the New Orleans Saints have waived backup quarterback Kellen Mond, just a few days before the start of rookie minicamp. The Saints were overcrowded at quarterback between Derek Carr, Jake Haener, Nathan Peterman, Mond, and this year’s fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler. Someone was going to go.

As we expected, Mond was the first to go. He was also the latest to sign, having arrived in New Orleans just before the 2024 NFL draft (and a month after Peterman). So Peterman will have to make his case for a spot on the Saints practice squad at training camp this summer while Haener and Rattler compete for the backup job behind Carr.

Something else to note: Mond leaving frees up the No. 2 jersey, which could be highly coveted. Both wide receiver Chris Olave and cornerback Alontae Taylor have hinted at switching to it on social media this offseason. If Taylor wants to pick it up that would open the No. 1 jersey for his rookie teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry. Fans may want to see Olave in his college number, but buying out unsold stock in his No. 12 jerseys might be cost-prohibitive. Stay tuned.

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Anonymous NFL executive comments on Spencer Rattler’s ‘image concerns’

An anonymous ESPN source downplayed Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler’s “perceived image concerns” after a surprise fall in the 2024 draft:

Why did Spencer Rattler fall into the fifth round of this year’s NFL draft? The New Orleans Saints made a great value pick by selecting him at No. 150 overall, but he was projected to go much higher. Reporting during and after the draft cited character concerns and suggested Rattler’s less-than-flattering appearance on a Netflix documentary when he was in high school had rattled some teams.

But that’s a narrative many of Rattler’s supporters have worked to unravel, including his former coach at South Carolina, Shame Beamer. Whatever immaturity and arrogance that may have been perceived back then is behind him. And it’s by no means a consensus opinion in the NFL that Rattler was riddled with red flags coming out of college.

“Really didn’t harp on it much — it wasn’t a big thing,” one anonymous team source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He’s matured a lot since then, like we all have. If there was a camera in my face when I was in high school, I wouldn’t have looked great, either. He was impressive in his interviews.”

Of course that’s only part of the equation. The teams that needed quarterbacks most this year already added them early in the draft, with six passers being taken in the first dozen selections. Fowler elaborated on that point:

South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler‘s fall to the fifth round was, in part, a need issue. Two teams extremely high on him — the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos — drafted quarterbacks in the top 12. That essentially left the Las Vegas Raiders, who had made the calculation that an Aidan O’Connell–Gardner Minshew combo alleviated the need to reach for a quarterback.

But make no mistake, Rattler is not perceived as 138 picks worse than Bo Nix — some evaluators had him awfully close to the same tier as Nix.

One team source had zero issues with the perceived image concerns facing Rattler, whose appearance in the documentary “QB1” during his high school career did not portray his personality in the best light.

So what are the expectations for Rattler in New Orleans? He isn’t going to take Derek Carr’s job just yet, but he has the talent to do so in a year or two. If he’s receptive to coaching and puts in the work to develop into a credible starter, he could be the one leading the team out of the tunnel in the not so distant future. But the first thing he needs to worry about is outplaying Jake Haener, Nathan Peterman, and Kellen Mond for the right to back up Carr in 2024.

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Alontae Taylor hints at changing his Saints jersey number again

Alontae Taylor hinted at changing his Saints jersey number again on social media. Who could end up wearing No. 1?

Alontae Taylor has maintained an interesting social media presence during his career with the New Orleans Saints, and another chapter was added on Tuesday as he hinted at changing his jersey number for a second time.

After coming into the NFL and initially choosing the No. 27, he switched to No. 1 for 2023. Now, he is hinting at changing to his college number of 2. Jameis Winston held it when Taylor first joined the team, so it only recently became available.

The No. 2 jersey is currently being used by backup quarterback Kellen Mond. Mond could be cut, though, after the team drafted Spencer Rattler. Taylor may be hinting at changing his number because rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry wore No. 1 in college.

This also isn’t the first time this offseason that someone has mentioned changing into No. 2, as Chris Olave also made a reference to switching his number as well. That didn’t come to fruition, possibly because of the costs involved in buying unsold No. 12 jerseys to facilitate the move (which would be prohibitive on a rookie salary).

Who will end up wearing the number? Is Taylor really hinting at a move? Only time will tell.

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Mac Jones trade keeps dropping the 2021 draft QB class into deeper ignominy

5 QBs were drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Only one has done enough to stay with the team that drafted him 3 years later.

Back in the 2021 NFL draft in Cleveland, Mac Jones famously strode his way into legend with his long, purposeful walk to the podium to be the next quarterback of the New England Patriots. Jones was the 15th overall pick in that draft and the fifth quarterback off the board in that draft class.

Now Jones gets to walk back to his hometown, Jacksonville. The Patriots kneecapped the Jones experiment and traded him to the Jaguars on Sunday. The price? A sixth-round pick in next month’s draft.

It didn’t work for Jones in New England. Unfortunately, that’s become the prevailing theme for the teams that took quarterbacks in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft.

In fact, Jones will now back up the only quarterback drafted in the first round of 2021 who will be with the team that selected him in 2024. Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, and to this point, he’s the only one of the five that hasn’t been a failure.

Sure, Justin Fields has had his moments and successes with the Chicago Bears. However, the Bears are moving on from Fields with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, presumably Caleb Williams. Chicago earned the top overall pick in 2023 in part because Fields wasn’t successful enough. Fields is expected to be traded any day now for pennies on the initial draft dollar — just as Jones was.

That too will happen with the No. 2 overall pick, Zach Wilson. The Jets gave up on Wilson quickly, choosing to mortgage their future on Aaron Rodgers. Heck, they brought in Tim Boyle to play ahead of Wilson. He’s expected to be off the Jets roster before the ’24 draft, either via trade or release, if no team wants to give anything up for him. That wouldn’t be a surprise either, after three short seasons.

The third QB selected was also the No. 3 overall pick. Trey Lance has already been traded away by the 49ers, sent to Dallas last year for a 2024 fourth-rounder. After two seasons of barely playing — Lance threw 102 passes in two years for the 49ers — San Francisco happily accepted a Day 3 pick for Lance, a player they sacrificed three first-round picks to acquire in 2021.

Diving a little deeper in the 2021 QB class, Kyle Trask was the last pick of the second round. The Buccaneers brought in Tom Brady and then Baker Mayfield to play over him. He’s thrown 10 career passes, completing three of them. Mayfield is a free agent and there’s been zero talk about Trask maybe taking the reins.

The third-rounders didn’t work either. The Vikings abandoned ship on Kellen Mond (No. 66 overall) after just one game. He ended 2023 on the Colts practice squad. David Mills got a shot with the Texans as the No. 67 pick. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2022, winning just five of his 25 starts in two seasons. He now backs up C.J. Stroud.

Even Lawrence has taken some quiet criticism as the top pick. He led the league in INTs as a rookie and has had an up-and-down career with the Jaguars. He followed a deserved Pro Bowl berth in 2022 with an underwhelming 2023 when he lost his final five starts and threw as many INTs as TDs in that critical late-season collapse by Jacksonville.

Let the 2021 draft class serve as a cautionary tale for teams going crazy with dreams of grandeur stemming from their shot at drafting a first-round quarterback in 2024. Those dreams quickly proved delusional for 80 percent of the 2021 class.

ESPN identifies Texas A&M’s quarterback room as its biggest strength entering 2024 season

“The upside of all those quarterbacks getting thrown into the fire due to injuries is that there’s now a solid QB room full of confidence.”

ESPN college football reporters identified the biggest strengths of college football’s top 25 teams on Wednesday.

Coming in at No. 25, Texas A&M‘s biggest strength entering the 2024 season is its quarterbacks, according to Dave Wilson.

“The Aggies have been trying to find the right man for the job since the departure of Kellen Mond in 2020, and Jimbo Fisher‘s complex offense — combined with a struggling offensive line — did them no favors,” Wilson wrote. “But the upside of all those quarterbacks getting thrown into the fire due to injuries is that there’s now a solid QB room full of confidence.

“Starter Conner Weigman threw for 979 yards, 8 TDs and 2 INTs in four starts with a 68.9 completion percentage. Unheralded Fresno State transfer Jaylen Henderson got the job after an injury to backup Max Johnson, and Henderson completed 67.9 percent for 715 yards and 6 TDs to 2 INTs. When Henderson was hurt on the first play of the Texas Bowl against Oklahoma State, true freshman Marcel Reed completed 20-of-33 passes for 361 yards and added a 20-yard TD run.

“New offensive coordinator Collin Klein molded Will Howard and Avery Johnson before departing for College Station and Weigman could be the best Aggies quarterback since Johnny Manziel if he lives up to his potential.”

Johnny Football didn’t quite live up to the hype in the NFL, but will Weigman do so at the college level, led by new head coach Mike Elko? We’ll all find out together beginning on Aug. 31.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

4 QBs the Browns could sign after season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson

The Browns need of another QB after the injury to Deshaun Watson and Tom Brady is not walking through the door. Here are some options.

As it felt like the tides were turning for the Cleveland Browns in 2023, they were struck with bad news as quarterback Deshaun Watson is now expected to miss the rest of the season with a break in his shoulder. Tom Brady is not walking through the doors in Berea anytime soon (we can dream though, right?), and the Browns are now in the market for another quarterback to fill that roster spot.

Unfortunately for the Browns, the options are bleak as the trade deadline has passed. This means they will likely pull a quarterback from the practice squad of another team. As they prepare to start Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Browns will now have to ride out their rookie quarterback and PJ Walker the rest of the way this season.

Looking for a third quarterback, however, here are some options that are out there that make sense for the Browns to bring in.

Colts sign QB Kellen Mond, WR Anthony Miller to practice squad

The Colts signed QB Kellen Mond and WR Anthony Miller to the practice squad.

The Indianapolis Colts signed quarterback Kellen Mond and wide receiver Anthony Miller to the practice squad, the team announced Wednesday.

With the news that Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is going on the injured reserve list due to a shoulder injury, the Colts needed to add some depth at quarterback.

They will be rolling with Gardner Minshew as the starter with Sam Ehlinger now working as the backup.

Mond was a third-round pick with the Minnesota Vikings in the 2021 NFL draft but only saw playing time in one game. He spent the 2022 season and 2023 offseason with the Cleveland Browns but never saw any game action.

At 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, Mond spent four seasons at Texas A&M (2017-2020), serving as the starter for all four campaigns.

Miller, 29, was a second-round pick with the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFL draft. In 50 career games (18 starts), Miller has 150 receptions for 1,589 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Colts also announced they released wide receiver Juwann Winfree from the practice squad.

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Former Browns quarterback Kellen Mond lands with the Colts

The former Browns quarterback is signing to Indianapolis Colts practice squad

Anthony Richardson will miss time with a shoulder injury, leaving the Indianapolis Colts looking to add more depth. The Colts worked out former Cleveland Browns quarterback Kellen Mond Tuesday and will sign him to the team’s practice squad.

Mond spent last season on the Browns roster after being claimed on waivers before the season. He never saw any regular season playing time with the team though he did play a significant amount of snaps in this year’s preseason. He struggled during the preseason to read defenses and overall didn’t play very well for the team.

There were some moments for Mond when he showed the talent he displayed at Texas A&M as a dual-threat player. The Colts offense was mostly designed for a mobile quarterback in Richardson so it makes sense to add depth that has a similar skill set so that they having him to fall back on might come in handy.

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Panthers work out 2 QBs, 3 others on Tuesday

The Panthers worked out five players on Tuesday, including former Vikings third-round pick Kellen Mond.

Despite having a bit of a rest on Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers were still hard at work trying to construct their roster.

As reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, the team worked out five players on the day. They are as follows:

Add QB Kellen Mond, DT Trysten Hill to the list of those cut

Two more bite the dust

Getting closer to the initial 53-man roster, the Cleveland Browns have cut down two more players. This time, it is quarterback Kellen Mond and defensive tackle Trysten Hill who have gotten the axe from the team. Mond, of course, was brought back onto the roster after the trade of Joshua Dobbs for the sole purpose of taking snaps in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hill, a former second round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, flashed this preseason but was sidelined most of training camp with a hand injury. Given his explosiveness and tools, Hill is a player who could land on the practice squad.

For Mond, however, expect the Browns to explore other practice squad quarterbacks. This is not to say that Mond could not land on the practice squad, but we have reached a point where we know who he is as a player. There are better quarterbacks out there.

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