Tag: Kevin Toliver

Colts sign CB Kevin Toliver II

The Colts signed CB Kevin Toliver II on Wednesday.

The Indianapolis Colts signed free-agent cornerback Kevin Toliver II, the team announced Wednesday.

An undrafted free agent out of LSU, Toliver signed with the Chicago Bears following the 2018 NFL draft. He spent two seasons with the Bears (2018-2019) and another season with the Denver Broncos (2020).

Toliver, 27, has played 29 career games (two starts) with 27 of those games coming with the Bears. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since the 2020 season.

In those 29 games, Toliver has recorded 32 tackles (27 solo) and four passes defended.

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Ravens waive CB Kevin Toliver

The Baltimore Ravens have waived cornerback Kevin Toliver

The Baltimore Ravens have reshaped their secondary during the 2022 offseason, bringing in multiple talented players while letting others walk for other opportunities. After a down year in 2021, the unit will look to bounce back in a big way this season with all of their new additions as well as a few returning familiar faces.

Baltimore agreed to terms with cornerback Kyle Fuller earlier in the week, adding to an already very impressive cornerback room. However, on Thursday it was announced that the team had waived a different member of their secondary in cornerback Kevin Toliver.

Ravens sign eight players to Reserve/Future deals

The Ravens signed eight players to Reserve/Future deals

The Baltimore Ravens have begun their 2022 offseason after finishing 2021 8-9 and missing the postseason for the first time since 2017. Their 16-13 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was a disappointing end to a very trying year, but now Baltimore has the opportunity to get better and come back stronger next season.

On Monday, the Ravens announced that they had signed eight players to Reserve/Future deals in wide receivers Binjimen Victor and Jaylon Moore, tight end Tony Poljan, center James Murray, tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith, guard/defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie, and defensive backs Robert Jackson and Kevin Toliver.

Reserve/Future deals don’t count against the salary cap until the new league year begins. Some of the players signed played in key moments for Baltimore in 2021, including Jackson, who was called upon multiple times due to the fact that the Ravens’ secondary was so decimated.

Players signed to Reserve/Future deals last offseason included quarterback Tyler Huntley and cornerback Chris Westry.

Ravens add two more players to Reserve/COVID-19 list, activate one

The Ravens added two more players to the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday

The Baltimore Ravens have shuffled around their roster quite a bit during the 2021 season, as they’ve dealt with countless injuries, COVID-19 and more. They’ve still managed to work their way to an 8-6 record, although they have lost three straight amidst a brutal number of losses on both sides of the ball.

On Tuesday, Baltimore announced that they placed outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and practice squad cornerback Kevin Toliver on the Reserve/COVID-19 list while activating practice squad wide receiver Binjimen Victor from the list.

With McPhee and Justin Houston being added to the list in the last few days, the Ravens currently only have three outside linebackers on their roster in Tyus Bowser, Odafe Oweh and Tyus Bowser. If McPhee and Houston are able to play on Sunday it will leave Baltimore without two important players on their front seven.

 

Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 13

The Ravens protected four players on their practice squad ahead of their Week 13 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens have done plenty of practice squad shuffling over the course of the 2021 season. They have used their elevations every week in order to get more contributors onto their roster for game day, and they have paid off, sometimes in a big way.

On Tuesday, Baltimore protected four players on their practice squad ahead of their Week 13 game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in quarterback Chris Streveler, offensive lineman David Sharpe, guard/defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie, and defensive back Kevin Toliver.

Streveler was signed to the Ravens’ practice squad on Monday in place of fellow quarterback Kenji Bahar. Sharpe and McKenzie can provide some offensive line depth, with McKenzie also being able to play defensive line. Toliver could be a key piece in the secondary depending on how thin they are at the position come Sunday.

Ravens sign three players to practice squad, release one

The Ravens signed three players to their practice squad on Tuesday while releasing one

The Baltimore Ravens have found some solid contributors on their practice squad in 2021. They’ve needed to elevate multiple players to be able to play high-level football due to how many injuries the team has sustained over the course of the year, including losing multiple stars for the season.

On Tuesday, the team made multiple moves in relation to their practice squad, signing three players while releasing one. The team added quarterback Kenji Bahar, offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith, and defensive back Kevin Toliver, while saying goodbye to offensive tackle Adrian Ealy.

Bahar is a Baltimore native, and spent time with the team in training camp, so he has some familiarity with the offense. The move comes after the Ravens lost quarterback Trace McSorley to the Arizona Cardinals.

Toliver has spent time with both the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears, and will give Baltimore some depth in the secondary, a position where they have been decimated by injuries.

Jones-Smith had been on the Ravens’ practice squad until last week, when he was released by the team. He will provide offensive line depth for unit that has had to shuffle around all season long.

Ealy signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He was released during final roster cuts but signed with the Baltimore practice squad the following day.

Colts try out 4 kickers, host CB Kevin Toliver on visit

Colts had a tryout for 4 kickers and hosted CB Kevin Toliver on a visit.

The Indianapolis Colts held a tryout for four free-agent kickers and hosted cornerback Kevin Toliver for a visit on Monday, per the league’s transaction wire.

With kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on the injured reserve list, the Colts signed Michael Badgley to the practice squad and elevated him for the Week 6 game against the Houston Texans.

However, it seems Chris Ballard is still doing his due diligence at the position. The four kickers they had try out were Ramiz Ahmed, Chris Blewitt, Austin Jones and Sam Sloman.

It isn’t clear if this is just them keeping an eye on the market and who’s available or if a move is coming. Badgley converted his only field-goal attempt from 41 yards and all four of his extra-point attempts in Week 6.

With Rock Ya-Sin re-aggravating an ankle injury on Sunday, it seems the Colts are keeping tabs on the cornerback position as well. Toliver has spent time with the Chicago Bears (2018-2019) and Denver Broncos (2020). In 29 career games, he has four passes defended.

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5 takeaways from Bears’ initial 53-man roster

The Bears trimmed their roster down to 53 on Saturday. There weren’t any big surprises, but here are our takeaways from the initial roster.

The oddest training camp and preseason in recent NFL history concluded this weekend as all 32 NFL teams trimmed their rosters down to the final 53. The Chicago Bears were one of the final teams to officially announce their final roster, as is tradition over the last few seasons.

While there were truly no shocking cuts or transactions, the movement we saw so far paints a pretty clear picture as to what the Bears saw over the last month. Here are my takeaways from the team’s final cuts.

1. No undrafted rookie free agents made the team

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

As I said, this was the preseason in a very long considering no fans were allowed in attendance for any Bears practices and there were no preseason games either. That meant none of the undrafted rookie free agents (UDFAs) the Bears signed after the draft could showcase their skills against opposing NFL players. It was clearly a problem because after final cuts, no rookie UDFA made the team.

Guys like running back Artavis Pierce, and outside linebacker Ledarius Mack, two of the most-hyped players coming into camp, are now left with very little NFL tape and a ton of uncertainty following the Labor Day Weekend. This likely isn’t an issue just for the Bears, as other teams likely had difficulty keeping those players on the roster with little to judge them on. Here’s hoping all seven UDFAs find work elsewhere.

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Bears’ cornerback situation dubbed one of biggest Achille’s heels of 2020

ESPN ranked Chicago’s cornerback situation among the biggest concerns in the NFL heading into the 2020 season.

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ESPN examined some of the biggest Achille’s heels teams are facing heading into the 2020 season, ranking them from teams most likely to least likely to overcome those weaknesses.

As for the Chicago Bears’ biggest weakness, it surprisingly wasn’t quarterback. But it does involve another contested battle in training camp at cornerback. ESPN ranked Chicago’s cornerback situation at No. 3, which makes it among their biggest concerns in the NFL. They projected Buster Skrine to land the starting job opposite two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller.

Achilles’ heel: cornerback
Projected starter: Buster Skrine

In 2018, the Bears had the most fearsome secondary in football. In 2019? Not so much. Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan left town, but even the stars of 2018 took a step backward. Eddie Jackson’s tackling was inconsistent, and the ball hawk intercepted only two passes after taking away six the prior year. Kyle Fuller went from seven picks to three, and his passer rating allowed jumped from 63.7 in 2018 to 102.0 in 2019. No cornerback last season allowed more than Fuller’s 942 yards.

I would expect Fuller to allow fewer yards in 2020, in part because teams won’t throw at him as frequently. The Bears cut Prince Amukamara this offseason and tried to replace him with former Steelers first-rounder Artie Burns, only for the corner to tear his ACL in August. The Bears used a second-round pick on Utah product Jaylon Johnson, but he has been limited after returning from shoulder surgery. The likely Week 1 starter is Skrine, who was the slot corner a year ago and might be stretched on the boundary. Little-used LSU product Kevin Toliver would be next up. The Bears will need Johnson to play like a veteran when he does get on the field to avoid a barrage of targets to the left side.

The Bears have had brutal luck at cornerback this offseason, losing two of their three contenders at starting cornerback to injury. Tre Roberson broke his foot in preparation for the season while Artie Burns, just one day after taking opening snaps with the first team defense, suffered a torn ACL.

That left second-round rookie Jaylon Johnson and Kevin Toliver to battle for the starting job. But Skrine, who has played nickel back for the Bears, is certainly in the mix on the outside. He’s seen a fair share of looks at right cornerback in the base 3-4 defense and rotates inside to the slot in nickel personnel with Toliver taking the right corner spot.

The hope is that Johnson will become the No. 2 guy opposite Fuller. But Johnson has been limited in training camp as he recovers from shoulder surgery. He’s not expected to see action early, but Johnson does have potential to make an impact in his rookie season.

While there isn’t much concern about Chicago’s defense heading into this season, it’s not without its concerns. And cornerback is no doubt the biggest.

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Bears camp: CB Kevin Toliver likens TE Jimmy Graham to The Terminator

CB Kevin Toliver has seen a lot of TE Jimmy Graham in practice, and Toliver hinted that Graham been giving the defensive backs fits.

While we’re still fairly early into training camp, there have been rave reviews for new Chicago Bears tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham has brought an intensity and passion to the practice field, along with some impressive catches, that has excited his teammates and coach Matt Nagy. And he’s already getting under the skin of some Bears defensive backs, including safety Deon Bush.

Take it from someone that’s going against Graham regularly in practice. Cornerback Kevin Toliver was asked how Graham has looked so far, and Toliver hinted that he’s been giving the defensive backs fits. Which is in line with what the media has noticed about Graham in the first padded practices.

“Like The Terminator,” Toliver said. “He looks like him, he walks like him and everything.”

While the entire tight end group has been solid, Graham has stood out in the early padded practices, including with 1-on-1 opportunities.

“But for one day – even in August – it was notable to see that the Bears’ defense was searching for an answer to what the offense was doing,” Adam Jahns wrote about Tuesday’s practice on The Athletic. “Graham couldn’t be stopped — and that was in all drills. It reached a point where Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson had enough and stepped in during 1-on-1s.

“Jackson’s coverage resulted in an incompletion against Graham in the end zone, but Graham finished the day by beating veteran safety Tashaun Gipson on a fade for a touchdown from Trubisky later in team drills.”

There’s something to be said about the fact that it’s practice. But following a season where Bears tight ends were among the worst in the NFL, these are the kinds of things that are encouraging to hear. Especially when they weren’t heard from camp practices last year.

Now, the important question is whether or not that production in practice will translate to the field on game day.

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