Tag: Kelvin Harmon

Commanders make multiple roster moves ahead of Tuesday’s cut deadline

Commanders release two players ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to trim rosters to 80.

The Washington Commanders were busy on Tuesday making roster moves to trim the roster to 80 players ahead of the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Washington moved star defensive end Chase Young from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to the reserve/PUP list, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the 2022 NFL season.

Reserve center Tyler Larsen was also moved to the reserve/PUP list.

In addition to those moves, the Commanders released veteran offensive tackle Rashod Hill and wide receiver Kelvin Harmon.

Hill is a seven-year NFL veteran Washington signed last month amidst the injuries along the offensive line. He played in the first preseason game against the Panthers but did not play last week against the Chiefs.

Harmon was a sixth-round pick by Washington back in 2019. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, catching 30 passes for 365 yards. He missed the 2021 season with a knee injury. Washington released Harmon last offseason but was later re-signed to the practice squad.

The Commanders also placed recently signed linebacker Nathan Gerry on injured reserve.

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Washington signs 8 players to reserve/future contacts

Washington signs eight players to reserve/future contracts Monday.

The offseason is finally here. One day after the Washington Football Team completed the 2021 NFL season, they began looking ahead to 2022.

Washington signed eight players to reserve/future contracts Tuesday, including a pair of former draft picks who’ve spent considerable time on the main roster. Here is the complete list:

  • G Zack Bailey
  • ​C/G Beau Benzschawel
  • ​G Deion Calhoun
  • ​ DT Tyler Clark
  • ​WR Antonio Gandy-Golden
  • ​WR Kelvin Harmon
  • ​G Nolan Laufenberg
  • ​WR Marken Michel

The most notable names from the list are Harmon and Gandy-Golden. Harmon was a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He spent the 2019 season on Washington’s roster, catching 30 passes for 365 yards. He missed all of 2020 with a knee injury. Harmon was released over the summer before re-signing with Washington’s practice squad.

Gandy-Golden was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and appeared in six games. In 2021, Gandy-Golden spent the entire season between Washington’s practice squad and active roster.

Benzschawel spent all of 2021 on Washington’s practice squad.

We’ll keep you posted on any future signings.

Washington signs a familiar face to the practice squad

Kelvin Harmon was a sixth-round pick in 2019. He was originally released by Washington in August.

The Washington Football Team brought back a familiar face on Wednesday when the team announced it had signed wide receiver Kelvin Harmon to the practice squad.

Harmon was a sixth-round of Washington back in 2019. During his rookie season, Harmon appeared in all 16 games and finished with 30 receptions for 365 yards.

Harmon was expected to play a significant role on the 2020 roster but injured his knee in the summer before training camp and missed the entire season.

This summer, Harmon was among the first cuts because the team had depth at wide receiver and gave Harmon a chance to catch on elsewhere. He never signed with anyone, so on Wednesday, Washington brought Harmon back to the practice squad.

Harmon is a big receiver with good hands and is a strong blocker from the wide receiver position. Harmon joins 2020 fourth-round pick Antonio Gandy-Golden, on Washington’s practice squad.

Chiefs waive LB Omari Cobb from practice squad, host a pair of players for tryouts

The #Chiefs have terminated the contract of practice squad LB Omari Cobb. They also hosted a receiver and running back for tryouts.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to fiddle with their 16-man practice squad ahead of their Week 2 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

Yesterday, the Chiefs officially added developmental TE Mark Vital to the practice squad after a successful tryout. In a corresponding move, the team waived WR Maurice Ffrench.

On Tuesday, the Chiefs made another move, waiving LB Omari Cobb from the practice squad per the NFL’s personnel notice. Cobb was signed as an undrafted free agent signing out of Marshall following the 2020 NFL draft. He spent the past season on the practice squad in Kansas City and was a standout during the preseason this year, even sacking 49ers QB Trey Lance in preseason Week 1. Unfortunately for Cobb, it would seem the Chiefs are going in a different direction at the position, at least for this week as they prep for the Ravens.

The Chiefs have yet to make a corresponding move, but they did bring a pair of players in for tryouts on Tuesday. According to the NFL’s personnel notice, the team hosted WR Kelvin Harmon and RB Brenden Knox.

Harmon, 23, is a former sixth-round 2019 NFL draft pick by Washington. He caught 30 passes for 365 yards during his rookie campaign, appearing in all 16 games in the process. Unfortunately, Harmon suffered an ACL injury while training during the 2020 offseason. Washington released Harmon on August 15th. He should be fully recovered from his injury by now and could potentially be a steal for Kansas City were he to sign to the practice squad.

Knox went undrafted out of Marshall in the 2021 NFL draft. He was a bit of a workhorse back with the Thundering Herd, known for his power and elusiveness. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys for the offseason and managed to showcase some good work during the preseason, but he was still released during 53-man roster cuts.

Both are intriguing prospects and I’d expect one of them to be signed to the practice squad as early as tomorrow now that they have an open space.

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Kenny Stills among latest Saints free agent tryouts

Kenny Stills, Marqise Lee among latest Saints free agent tryouts:

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Well that’s interesting. The New Orleans Saints reported a group of free agents in for tryouts on Monday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, and one of them is pretty familiar: wide receiver Kenny Stills. He was one of four wide receivers to work out for the team after it sent Tre’Quan Smith to injured reserve for at least three weeks.

That leaves a group of receivers on the 53-man roster that includes Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Ty Montgomery, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Chris Hogan, with three more on the practice squad — Kevin White, Easop Winston Jr., and rookie draft pick Kawaan Baker.

Originally drafted by New Orleans out of Oklahoma, Stills found immediate success with the Saints until he was surprisingly traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2015, where he remained until he signed with the Houston Texans in 2019. After two years in Houston, he’s a free agent again, and could return where his career started. Stills has averaged 2.6 receptions and 41.4 receiving yards per game in the NFL.

But no one has been signed yet. Here’s the other players who worked out on Monday:

Could Kelvin Harmon bolster the Lions receiving corps?

With the lackluster Detroit Lions receiving corps, could the team take a chance on Kelvin Harmon to help bolster the group? Our Zack Moran takes a look.

The Detroit Lions receiving corps will not win hearts and minds across the league and the fan base. There are too many unknowns surrounding them that it’s not easy to find an area to hang your hand on. Will Tyrell Williams overcome his injuries? Does Breshad Perriman emerge as a viable deep threat? Can Quintez Cephus take the next step forward? The questions go on and on, leaving much doubt for success from the receivers.

With the first preseason game in the books, rosters have to be trimmed down to 85 from 90, unfortunately leaving many players looking for a job. Now you can down two avenues with the cuts either cut veterans to give them a shot grabbing somewhere else or hit the bottom part of the roster. Typically not many who are among the first wave of cuts end up getting on another team. Still, there is one player that was recently cut from the Washington Football Team that could potentially help one of the most problematic areas on the Lions roster.

Former sixth-round pick Kelvin Harmon was a victim of loaded Washington receiving corps that features Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel (who was just removed from the PUP list), Adam Humphries, and rookie Dyami Brown; it was going to be an uphill battle for Harmon to make the squad.

Harmon missed all of the 2020 season after he tore his ACL and couldn’t prove himself to newly hired coach Ron Rivera. During his 2019 rookie season, Harmon played in all 16 games. He really came on late in the season after Washington made a quarterback change, finishing the season with 30 catches, 69.8% completion percentage, and 365 yards. He played mostly as the X-receiver but played a little in the slot.

He is a big-bodied, physical receiver at 6’2”, 215 pounds which gives him the upper hand in press coverage. He does most of his damage in intermediate routes and is great at contested catches due to his strong hands and big frame. He will not beat anyone with his speed and Harmon’s explosion lacks a bit, giving him issues creating separation. He is a willing blocker who is not hard-pressed to do the dirty work and creating opportunities for his fellow teammates.

The problem that may lead to a fit for the Lions is those speed and separation issues. If you look at the type of receivers the Lions have brought in this offseason, they are fast players who can easily create separation. So far, Jared Goff has been reluctant to throw into coverage and would rather take the quick throw or check-downs, however. It could be due to not enough chemistry with the receivers or other underlying issues, but that could pose a problem with how well Harmon could fit in the Lions scheme.

Next, he would be competing with Quintez Cephus for that big slot, outside receiver role. So far through camp, he has not taken that next step forward and is currently battling a head injury. It would be hard to say if Harmon could win out the job considering he wasn’t able to accomplish that in Washington, but he is not competing with the likes of McLaurin and Samuel anymore.

Harmon is only 24, fully healthy, and has the necessary tools to be a productive receiver. Sometimes his lack of speed may get the better of him, but he has good route running skills and is a master at contested catches due to his size and length. The biggest question will be, will Goff give him the opportunity to throw to him if he’s covered?

He does display the toughness and grit the coaching staff loves from their players and is willing to do anything it takes to make the team successful. With the Lions receiving corps one of the worst in the league, could they pull the trigger and this young receiver?

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Washington releases 3 players, including wide receiver Kelvin Harmon

Washington began trimming its roster on Sunday by releasing three players. Every NFL team must be down to 85 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

The NFL rules for roster cuts are a bit different in 2021. Every NFL team must trim their roster from 90 players to 85 after the first preseason game.

The Washington Football Team cut the following three players on Sunday: wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, running back Lamar Miller and defensive back Chris Miller.

Only Harmon was a bit of a surprise. And, his release really isn’t a surprise. I haven’t included Harmon on any of my 53-man roster projections all summer.

A former sixth-round pick from N.C. State in 2019, Harmon caught 30 passes for 365 yards as a rookie. He played in all 16 games. Unfortunately for Harmon, he suffered a torn ACL last summer and missed the 2020 season — and a chance to impress head coach Ron Rivera and the new coaching staff.

The release of Harmon shows how much depth Washington has at wide receiver now. There will be other players cut who can play, which is a good problem to have.

The competition at wide receiver is stiff right now with DeAndre Carter, Antonio Gandy-Golden, Steven Sims Jr. and Dax Milne battling it out for what is likely one roster spot.

Lamar Miller is a 30-year-old running back who signed with Washington late in the season in 2020. A former Pro Bowler with the Texans, Miller was never making Washington’s roster in 2021, barring injuries.

Chris Miller was claimed off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals in May.

After releasing three players, Washington is down to 87 players. Defensive end David Bada’s roster spot doesn’t count against the 90-man roster as he is in the International Pathway program.

 

Does Cam Sims have a chance to fill WR void in Washington this season?

Cam Sims has been unable to find his footing in the NFL just yet, but the loss of Kelvin Harmon could give him the opportunity he needs.

The Washington Football Team seemingly has a number of options that they can utilize at the wide receiver position, but outside of Terry McLaurin, nobody seems confident on the depth chart or hierarchy of power and skill at the position.

While Kelvin Harmon was recently lost for the season with a torn ACL, many expect players like Steven Sims, Antonio Gandy-Golden, and Trey Quinn to step up into that void, as well as a potential free-agent signing that could help carry the load. But what about the guys that could be fighting for a roster spot? Particularly, what about Cam Sims?

Two years ago, Sims held the role that was occupied by Steven Sims in 2019, where he was one of the final players to make the roster before the season, and his standout performance in the preseason is part of what helped get him the job. A lackluster 2019 season for Cam left him without much to show for the season, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t reclaim his spot going forward. Judging by a recent video that’s circulating Twitter, he seems to be in pretty good form.

In his two year career, Sims has only played in 8 total games, with very little production to show for it. However, with a hole needing to be filled in Washington, there’s a chance that he could step up and assume a bigger role in the offense going forward.

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With Kelvin Harmon out for 2020, it becomes Antonio Gandy-Golden’s time to shine

With Harmon out for the 2020 season with a torn ACL, the spotlight now shifts to Gandy-Golden, who could be partial to the task.

If you’re a fan of the Washington football team and you’re looking for some good news to kick-start your weekend, nobody can blame you. Unfortunately, the past week has dealt a series of blows to the team, highlighted by second-year receiver Kelvin Harmon’s torn ACL, not to mention the searing report of 15 former employees coming forward with sexual and verbal abuse cases.

If you’re looking for a silver lining, we can offer none as far as The Washington Post report goes. However, there could be a sliver of upside that comes from Harmon’s injury. While his absence in 2020 will undoubtedly serve as a blow to the offense and deplenish Dwayne Haskins’ repertoire of offensive weapons, it will at the very least give rookie WR Antonio Gandy-Golden a chance to step into the spotlight. Judging by his success in college, there is a belief that he is up to the task.

AGG may have been a bit overlooked in the 2020 NFL Draft, but that was partially due to the fact that he was a part of in an incredibly strong draft class of receivers, many of whom were selected in the early rounds, causing Gandy-Golden to fall to the fourth. Many draft analysts believed that in any other year, AGG would have easily been a second- or third-round pick.

With an increased role in the offense, Gandy-Golden will need to perform like an early-rounder. His stats say that he can, but we’ll see how he makes the transition from Liberty to the NFL.

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Washington’s offensive weapons rank dead-last among all 32 NFL teams

When looking at the playmakers that each team will be putting on the field in 2020, Washington’s weapons ranked dead last in the league.

What’s one of the best things you can do for a young quarterback in the NFL in order to help him succeed? Surround him with weapons.

What’s one stat that you hate to see if you’re a fan of both Washington and QB Dwayne Haskins? ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ranked all 32 NFL teams from ‘best to worst’ as far as offensive weapons go, and Washington came crashing down all the way to the bottom.

Before we get into it, Barnwell set out some parameters for how he ranked each team’s weapons, based on the following:

  • Contract value doesn’t matter.
  • Only 2020 matters.
  • Wide receivers matter more than other positions.
  • Top-level talent is worth more than depth.
  • Not everyone who was considered gets mentioned.

With that being said, here’s Barnwell’s take on Washington’s offensive firepower.

It’s rock-bottom for Washington, which has a budding star in No. 1 wideout Terry “F1” McLaurin and little else after the 24-year-old. McLaurin was second among rookies in receiving yards and yards per route run behind A.J. Brown, and his speed proved to be absolutely devastating, especially when stretching defenses out of the slot. He was a couple of long misses away from a 1,000-yard, nine-touchdown season.

After McLaurin, though, the weapons for second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins are underwhelming. Washington has moved out disappointing additions like Josh Doctson and Paul Richardson, but the receivers who replaced them were Kelvin Harmon and Steven Sims, the latter of whom averaged just 9.1 yards per catch. Trey Quinn ranked No. 103 out of 111 wideouts in yards per route run. The organization is optimistic about Harmon and 6-foot-4 fourth-round pick Antonio Gandy-Golden, but over the past decade, less than 16% of fourth-round picks have topped 500 yards during their rookie season. And while it seemed like Washington would add tight ends to replace the departing Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis, those replacements were Logan Thomas and Richard Rodgers.

It’s tough to argue with much of that, as McLaurin really is the only player that Washington can surely count on to be productive in 2020, while there is hope and upside for others. It’s also important to note the loss of Harmon, who will miss the upcoming season with a torn ACL. While his absence could drive the team to sign a top free agent at the position — potentially Josh Gordon or Antonio Brown — there is also a chance that Rivera opts to develop young talent in what will likely be an underwhelming season anyway.

As for the running backs in Washington, the outlook does not get much better.

The running back depth chart looks like someone is dedicating a homage to your fantasy waiver wire of a year ago. Adrian Peterson and Peyton Barber are low-ceiling, run-only veterans who serve little purpose for a rebuilding organization. Derrius Guice and Bryce Love have serious injury histories and have combined for 95 pro snaps over their first three seasons. The big hope here is hybrid weapon Antonio Gibson, who is converting from serving as a wideout in college, but it would be a surprise if he’s an impactful player from the jump. The bright side is that this is one of the youngest groups in the league.

Oof. Again, hard to argue, but important to note that the goal is not to ‘win now’ in Washington; eyes are set for the future, and a playoff birth is likely a few years from now, rather than in a few months. If you’re a fan of this team, there’s no getting around it — 2020 could be another grind to get through, with several frustrating losses and an early exit, But what is important to remember is the last thing that Barnwell noted — this is a young team with a lot of high-upside talent. There is a bright future to be had in Washington, even if it might take a couple of years to get to the light at the end of the tunnel.

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