Tag: Kenjon Barner

Bucs place RB Kenjon Barner on injured reserve

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed running back Kenjon Barner on injured reserve, ending his 2022 season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without one of their running backs for the rest of the 2022 season.

Kenjon Barner has been placed on injured reserve, the team announced Monday.

Barner has 18 rushing yards on seven carries in Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, adding 13 yards on two receptions.

To fill Barner’s spot on the 90-man active roster, Tampa Bay signed former Dolphins running back Patrick Laird.

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Ranking the best rushing tandems in Oregon Ducks football history

The departure of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye got us thinking…where do they rank among the best rushing tandems in Oregon history? We decided to find out…

When it comes to the running back position, the Oregon Ducks have always seemed to find a lot of success. Over the past several decades, that’s a spot in the offense that has received a lot of attention, and rightfully so, as multiple all-conference and future NFL players came through Eugene.

That’s partly why it feels a little weird going into the 2022 season without a “known quantity” in the backfield. After the departure of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, the Ducks don’t have an RB on the depth chart with more than 500 total yards (Byron Cardwell rushed for 417 in 2021.) Oregon will be placing a lot of faith in the current backs on the roster — Cardwell, Sean Dollars, Seven McGee, and Jordan James — to shoulder the load going forward and keep up the tradition of a strong running game in Eugene.

While it feels likely that we could see the blossoming of a new dominant duo in the coming months, the departure of Verdell and Dye got us thinking about the past. Who are the best rushing tandems that Oregon has ever seen? I’m not talking about the best running backs, but the best 1-2 punches. The best compliments to each other. The pairs who never gave the defense a chance to breathe, because as soon as one went off the field, a player of equal caliber came in to replace him.

Doing the research to answer this question wasn’t straightforward. We took into account career rushing yards, receiving yards, touchdowns, and ranks on Oregon’s all-time career rushing list. Then you have to factor in that a lot of these guys didn’t play their entire careers together, and may have only overlapped for a season or two. We added weight to their combined place on the all-time rushing list — if the No. 7 and No. 11 players were a duo, they might be ranked higher than the No. 2 and No. 23 player, for example. Lastly, we took into account a couple of players who made a huge impact in their short times at Oregon; the combined ranking may not look great, but anyone who watched them knows they belong pretty high on the list.

After taking all of that into consideration, the results were pretty fascinating. You have a pair of undisputed winners, a few quarterbacks that snuck onto the list, and a pair of players who anyone under the age of 40 may struggle to remember. In the end, it offered a fun look at the past several decades of Oregon history, and showed truly how important the running back position has been for the Ducks. Enjoy.

Travis Dye has cemented his place in Oregon Ducks history

Travis Dye might decide to return to the Ducks for his senior season. If he doesn’t, though, his name is already cemented in the record books.

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The Valero Alamo Bowl was not a banner performance for the Oregon Ducks. Nearly 500 yards of offense and over 30 points were a nice way to end the season, but the Oklahoma Sooners were able to find more success, putting up 47 points and almost 600 yards of offense.

It’s easy, and completely justified, to blame the lack of depth on Oregon’s roster for the loss, and while it’s a tough way to end a once-promising 2021 season, there should be no blame or hard feelings about the defeat.

While it was unfortunate to watch play out, there was one good thing that came from the game. Running back Travis Dye cemented his place in the Oregon Ducks history books.

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During the first half of a game in which Dye stood as one of the lone trustworthy sources of Oregon offense with 181 total yards and a touchdown, the junior RB surpassed the 3,000-yard mark for his career, becoming just the 5th player in Duck’s history to do so. Dye now stands alongside Royce Freeman, LaMichael James, Kenyon Barner, and Derek Loville in the record books.

We don’t yet know if Dye will be returning to Eugene for his senior season, but if he does, his legacy with the Ducks could grow even larger. Let’s take a look at the career numbers:

Freeman is first in Oregon history with 5,621 total rushing yards and 64 touchdowns. James follows him with 5,082 yards and 57 TDs; Barner is next with 3,623 yards and 48 TDs; Loville follows with 3,296 yards and 45 TDs.

Then there is Dye, who now has 3,111 career rushing yards and 29 total touchdowns. Should he decide tomorrow that his career at Oregon is done, it’s safe to say that he will go down in history as one of the best RBs to come through the program.

If he should return, then it could add to an already great career.

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Ravens get OLB Jaylon Ferguson back at training camp, WR Kenjon Barner hurt

The Baltimore Ravens saw second-year outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson return to training camp after dealing with an injury this week.

The Baltimore Ravens have had a few bumps and bruises throughout training camp. Luckily (knock on wood), the Ravens have been fortunate to not have too many major injuries or too many injuries to key players. In fact, Baltimore actually returned outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson to practice on Friday, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.

Ferguson missed the first three padded practices of training camp with an undisclosed injury. While coach John Harbaugh said Monday the injury was “just normal training camp-type stuff,” Baltimore is expecting big things from Ferguson this year and needs him to get as many reps in practice as possible to live up to it. With a shortened offseason due to the coronavirus pandemic, every single practice carries a lot of importance.

The Ravens are Ferguson develops into a fearsome pass rusher this season. By not addressing outside linebacker through free agency or the 2020 NFL Draft, Baltimore effectively indicated they felt their young guys will develop into their roles and have more of an impact this season. While Tyus Bowser has impressed early at training camp, Ferguson’s absence has been noticed after such an impressive ramp-up period.

Defensive coordinator Don Martindale heaped heavy praise on Ferguson in the early stages of training camp. Martindale specifically called out Ferguson’s development in the second half of last season and said the full offseason of training has him starting off strong this year. With Ferguson getting back on the practice field in pads, the hope is he’ll continue to make strides in his development and become the impact player Baltimore saw when they selected him in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Ravens only saw Ferguson return to practice, still having wide receivers Chris Moore and Antoine Wesley, and tight end Eli Wolf out with their respective injuries. Late in practice, return specialist Kenjon Barner limped off the field after a big hit and didn’t return, according to Aaron Kasinitz of Penn Live. No update was given about his condition, however, so we’ll see if Barner returns to practice this weekend.

Ravens sign former Falcons RB Kenjon Barner

The Falcons’ starting kick returner from 2019 won’t be returning this season as RB Kenjon Barner signed with the Baltimore Ravens officially on Wednesday morning.

The Falcons’ starting kick returner from 2019 won’t be returning this season as RB Kenjon Barner signed with the Baltimore Ravens officially on Wednesday morning.

Barner was solid for Atlanta last season, returning 35 punts for 267 yards and a touchdown. He added 17 kick returns, racking up 406 yards on a 23.9 average per return.

In Week 11, Barner took home NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his outstanding performance in a game against the Panthers, including this 78-yard punt return for a score.

The Falcons will look to wide receiver Brandon Powell to handle the kick-return duties in 2020.

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Ravens sign RB Kenjon Barner

The Baltimore Ravens added to their return specialist competition, signing journeyman running back and former Falcons returner Kenjon Barner

The Baltimore Ravens continue to bolster their roster at the start of training camp. After waiving fullback Bronson Rechsteiner Monday, Baltimore has announced they’ve signed journeyman running back Kenjon Barner.

Though the Ravens already have four running backs on the roster right now, Barner should be primarily viewed as a return specialist in Baltimore. Over seven years in the NFL, Barner has 100 total carries and 43 targets in the passing game, including just 10 total touches with the Atlanta Falcons last year. In comparison, last year Barner returned 35 punts for 267 yards and a touchdown as well as 17 kickoffs for 406 yards.

The Ravens have been looking for more stability in their return game over the last two years. Defensive back Cyrus Jones won the punt return job in 2018 before losing it last season when Baltimore signed De’Anthony Thomas. With Thomas opting out this season, the competition for the job has fallen to the likes of rookie James Proche, Willie Snead, and even Marquise Brown.

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5 backup running backs the Jets should target in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at five running backs the Jets should target in free agency this offseason.

In 2019, the Jets ranked fourth in the NFL behind the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots in terms of running back spending by cap dollars. New York allocated over $10 million to five different backs.

Now, with Le’Veon Bell’s at the top of the depth chart, New York ranks only second to Los Angeles in spending by cap dollars at the position. Gang Green will be searching for a backup to its All-Pro back, as Ty Montgomery was ineffective in limited use and Bilal Powell is getting up there in age.

Jalin Moore, an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State, Josh Adams, Trenton Cannon and Kenneth Dixon still remain on the roster, but none of them have proven they can be a legitimate option behind Bell. The Jets need experience there, and free agency is the best place to find it.

With that said, here are five backup running backs the Jets should target in free agency.

Jordan Howard

(Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

When healthy, Jordan Howard was the perfect complement to Eagles rookie Miles Sanders.

Joe Douglas was part of the Chicago Bears personnel department that took Howard in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Douglas was then with the Philadelphia front office that sent a sixth-round pick to Chicago for Howard. If nothing else, the connections to Howard are there.

Howard appeared in 10 games and recorded 525 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in 2019. He missed six games after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 9. 

Howard is by no means flashy and won’t get any premier offers to be a team’s No. 1 back, but he’s proven to be a perfect complementary piece. He would pair excellently with Le’Veon Bell. The problem the Jets face is if Howard is willing to see a decrease in snaps due to Bell’s workhorse nature. That remains to be seen, but the Jets should definitely attempt to court Howard in free agency regardless.

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Watch: Christian Blake’s block clears way for Kenjon Barner’s TD return

It’s not surprising that Barner, who’s had to do the dirty work that fans rarely appreciate to stay in this league for seven seasons, would be eager to credit Blake for making a potentially game-changing block.

The Falcons had an open competition for their kick return duties in the preseason and although there were some sexier options, veteran Kenjon Barner’s consistent play earned him the job.

Ten games into the season, Barner is averaging 25.0 yards per kick return and 10.7 yards per punt return. In Week 11, he finally got loose and returned a punt for a touchdown against the Panthers.

Watch below as Barner reads his blocking perfectly and goes 78 yards for the score:

Barner did enough to earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance on Sunday. After the game, though, Atlanta’s do-it-all utility man was quick to credit wide receiver Christian Blake for a key block that set the whole return up.

Blake, No. 13, took a vicious hit to open up the cutback lane for Barner, which you can see below as tweeted out by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure:

It’s not surprising that Barner, who’s had to do the dirty work that fans rarely appreciate to stay in this league for seven seasons, would be eager to credit Blake for making a potentially game-changing block.

As the Falcons are without running backs Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith, Barner is likely to see an expanded role in the team’s Week 12 matchup with the Buccaneers.

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Falcons RB Kenjon Barner wins Special Teams Player of the Week

The Falcons won their second straight game on Sunday, and for the second straight week, they’ve brought home NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

The Falcons won their second straight game on Sunday, and for the second straight week, they will take home NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Kicker Younghoe Koo won the award in Week 10 for his six-for-six debut against the Saints. This time, it’s kick returner Kenjon Barner taking home the honor.

Barner had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown during Sunday’s game, which you can check out below.

Atlanta plays its third straight NFC South game when the team hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12.

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Watch: Former Panthers KR Kenjon Barner scores on 78-yard punt return

They’re stopping the run, but pretty much nothing else is going right for the Panthers so far.

The Panthers have been looking for an answer at return specialist all season. The guy they had doing the job at the end of last year just showed he’s still got something. Watch former Carolina running back/kick returner Kenjon Barner run a punt back for 78 yards and a touchdown for Atlanta.

They’re stopping the run, but pretty much nothing else is going right for the Panthers so far. The Falcons lead 10-0 going into the second quarter.

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