Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Day to forget to the #Bills defense:
The Buffalo Bills lost 29-25 to the New England Patriots in Week 7.
Following the game that was, here are the five worst-graded Bills players on defense from the outing against the Patriots according to Pro Football Focus:
PFF: 5 worst-graded #Bills players on defense in Week 5:
The Buffalo Bills lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 25-20, in Week 5.
Following the game that was, here are the five worst-graded Bills players on defense from the outing against the Jaguars according to Pro Football Focus:
Countdown to the 2023 season: 39 days until it is football time in Tennessee
Tennessee will kick off its 2023 football season in 39 days.
Kendal Vickers wore jersey No. 39 at Tennessee. He played defensive line for the Vols from 2013-17.
Vickers appeared in 43 games at Tennessee, recording 108 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
The Vols will kick off its 2023 season Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is slated for noon EDT and ABC will televise the contest.
Tennessee’s home schedule has contests against Austin Peay, UTSA, South Carolina, Texas A&M, UConn, Georgia and Vanderbilt.
The Vols’ road schedule features games at Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri.
The 2023 season will be Tennessee’s third under head coach Josh Heupel.
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Former Vol Kendal Vickers signs with Buffalo.
Former Vol Kendal Vickers signed with Buffalo.
Vickers will be part of the Bills’ practice squad two days after he was released by Las Vegas.
The former Vol played three seasons with the Raiders, making two starts.
Vickers missed Las Vegas’ last three games due to a back injury.
He appeared in seven contests this season, recording four tackles and six assists. Vickers last played for Las Vegas against Indianapolis Nov. 13.
Vickers played for the Vols from 2014-17 after redshirting in 2013.
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Raiders swap out defensive tackles
The Raiders swapped out a couple interior defensive linemen Tuesday. They released Kendal Vickers and replaced him with Kyle Peko off their practice squad.
Vickers had missed the past three games with a back injury. In his absence, the team has elevated Peko from the practice squad.
They must have liked what they have seen from Peko and opted to make it official.
Vickers was in his third season with the Raiders, appearing in 25 games with two starts.
The journeyman Peko was signed this offseason as a free agent and didn’t make the team out of camp. He was signed to the practice squad and has seen action in three games this season with three combined tackles (one solo).
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Raiders DT Kendal Vickers sidelined by back injury. LT Kolton Miller once again limited by shoulder/abdomen injuries.
Thursday didn’t bring any upgrades for the Raiders on the injury report. Both LT Kolton Miller (shoulder/abdomen) and LB Luke Masterson (ribs) were once again limited. They did, however, see someone added to the injury report. Defensive tackle Kendal Vickers suffered a back injury that caused him to miss practice Thursday.
DT Kendal Vickers shows up on #Raiders injury report. He missed practice today with a back injury. pic.twitter.com/M1BA7pdNUa
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) November 24, 2022
Seahawks DE LJ Collier returned to practice from illness. He was limited, as was G Damien Lewis (ankle). Still missing was WR Dee Eskridge (hand).
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Two former Vols make 2022 preseason debut.
A pair of former Tennessee players made their 2022 NFL preseason debut in the Hall of Fame game.
Defensive tackle Kendal Vickers and fullback Jakob Johnson appeared for Las Vegas in its 27-11 victory against Jacksonville in Canton, Ohio.
Vickers, played for the Vols from 2014-17 after redshirting in 2013. He recorded two tackles and one sack against Jacksonville.
With the Raiders since 2020, Vickers has recorded 10 tackles and two sacks.
He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and competed in training camp with the Titans and Pittsburgh (2019).
Johnson played against Jacksonville and did not record any stats.
He is in first season with the Raiders after playing for New England.
Johnson played for the Vols from 2014-17.
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There are few surprises on the Raiders’ final 2020 roster, especially on defense. One name, however, is quite unfamiliar.
Scanning the Raiders’ opening week roster, most of the names are familiar, even if some may be new to the club, such as linebacker Raekwon McMillan.
One name jumps out, however: Kendal Vickers. Who is this guy? A look at his profile on Pro Football Reference reveals his height, weight and little else. He’s recorded zero stats in the NFL.
For starters, he’s a defensive end out of the University of Tennessee, measuring 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds. He signed a free-agent deal with the Steelers in 2018 after going undrafted and spent time on the Titans’ practice squad.
And while he’s recorded zero NFL stats, he’s notched some numbers in the Canadian Football League. In 2019, Vickers had 12 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble for the Edmonton Eskimos, according to the Raiders’ official website.
After signing with the Raiders on Jan. 23, he earned his roster spot in part due to his versatility, according to general manager Mike Mayock
“Kendal had a great camp. He came in at about 290 pounds and when he came out of college a couple years ago, he ran in the 4.7’s and we know that [defensive line coach] Rod Marinelli loves defensive lineman that can run with quick feet,” Mayock told reporters on Sunday. “Vickers was a guy with great feet. So, we bring him in here and not only did he compete at a high level for every snap, but he did both inside and outside. So, I think he gets a little bit of inside-outside capability and because of that, it gave him a leg up on a roster spot.”
Coach Marinelli covets defensive lineman that can play both inside and on the edge, and that apparently helped Vickers’ chances. The Raiders’ brass considers competitiveness a vital attribute, and that also worked in Vickers’ favor.
The 4.7-second time in the 40-yard dash that Mayock mentions in intriguing. Though according to multiple sources online, Vickers’ 40-time at his pro day was roughly 5 seconds flat.
Vickers’ story is uplifting, but it’s surprising that the Raiders don’t have a better prospect in this roster slot. Defensive end is an important position in the NFL, and the Las Vegas defense is far from established.
Mayock had three 3rd round picks to address this vital area, for instance, but instead chose two playmakers (with one, Lynn Bowden Jr., no longer with the club) and a project in Tanner Muse, who will attempt to transition from safety to linebacker when he comes off the injured reserve list.
But Vickers’ current status isn’t set in stone. Far from it. The Raiders have shown they’re quick to move on from any player on the roster if it’s not working out as they’d hope. But for now, it appears Vickers will have an opportunity to let the world know exactly who he is on a team starved for defensive playmakers.
Kendal Vickers lands with Raiders in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS — The coronavirus pandemic has shut down college and professional sports on the local, national and global scenes, but NFL free agency has not come to a stop.
Former Tennessee standout and future Hall-of-Fame tight end Jason Witten made a big splash when he announced his intentions to leave Dallas where he spent his entire professional career.
He is reportedly signing with the Las Vegas Raiders along with former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Another former Volunteer will also land with the Raiders as Kendal Vickers signed a reserve/future deal to play in Las Vegas.
Vickers played for the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos in 2019.
Kendal Vickers makes tackle in Edmonton’s finale.
HAMILTON — VFL Kendal Vickers and the Eskimos saw their 2019 Canadian Football League season come to an end recently.
The Eskimos dropped a 36-16 decision to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Division Championship Game Sunday.
The Tiger-Cats were the top team in the CFL in 2019, as they posted a 15-3 record in the regular season.
Edmonton, a West Division team in the CFL, was a wild card entry to the CFL Playoffs and were attempting to become the first team to reach the Grey Cup game as a crossover team.
Vickers, who signed as a free agent with the Eskimos prior to the 2019 campaign, had one tackle against Hamilton.
He appeared in all 18 of the Eskimos’ regular-season games and had 12 tackles and two sacks for Edmonton, which finished the campaign with an 8-9 record and also won a first-round playoff game.
