Tag: Kingsley Keke

Cardinals cut DL Kingsley Keke, CB Breon Borders, 3 others

The Cardinals announced five player cuts Sunday afternoon.

The Arizona Cardinals must cut five players from their offseason roster by Tuesday. They announced those moves Sunday afternoon.

They released defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, cornerback Breon Borders, offensive lineman Greg Long, offensive lineman Haggai Ndubuisi and running back Ronnie Rivers.

Keke’s release is perhaps the most surprising, but he had missed time under COVID protocols and did not play in the preseason opener.

Borders played a little last season and was a long shot to make the team.

Both Keke and Borders have been in the league a little while, getting released now might improve their chances of landing with another team.

Long and Rivers were undrafted rookies.

Ndubuisi is also a surprise, as he was an international player and had $207,000 of his salary fully guaranteed.

NFL teams must cut their rosters down to 85 players by Tuesday afternoon.

Arizona has 86 players on the roster but have an exemption for international tight end Bernhard Seikovits. They do not need to make any other moves before Tuesday.

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96 days till the Cardinals’ 2022 season opener vs. Chiefs

Let’s have a look a some of the players over the years to wear No. 96 for the Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals will open the 2022 regular season at State Farm Stadium against quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 11. That is in 96 days.

Defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, who signed with the Cardinals this offseason, is the player who now wears No. 96, although it has been a different each of the last few years.

With 96 days until the season opener, let’s look at some of the players over the years for the Cardinals to wear No. 96.

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DL Kingsley Keke salary, contract details, cap hit

Keke gets a one-year deal worth $1 million if he makes the team.

The Arizona Cardinals recently signed defensive lineman Kingsley Keke to a one-year contract. He spent the last three seasons with the Green Bay Packers and part of this offseason with the Houston Texans before he was released.

Keke has appeared in 41 games in his career, starting 17, and has 54 tackles and 6.5 sacks.

Over the Cap has the details of his contract, which we go over below.

Kingsley Keke contract details, cap hit

The deal for Keke is simple. It is a one-year deal worth as much as $1 million.

There is no signing bonus. He will make $965,000 in salary and can earn a roster bonus of $35,000.

That bonus is presumably if he makes either the 53-man roster or the Week 1 active roster.

If he is cut before the roster bonus is due, then the Cardinals have no cap hit. If he makes the team, his cap hit will be $1 million.

His contract is identical to the one Michael Dogbe got to re-sign with the team.

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Former Texas A&M standout signs with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency

Former Texas A&M standout signs with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency

Former Texas A&M defensive tackle Kingsley Keke signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, first reported by Darren Urban of the Arizona Cardinals team website. Keke spent three seasons with the Green Bay Packers who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, amassing 54 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 pass deflections during his three seasons with the team.

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During his time with Texas A&M from 2015 to the 2018 season, Keke was one of the best run-stopping defensive tackles in the country, playing in 52 total games, and filling up the stat sheet with 150 total tackles, 12 sacks, 7 pass deflections, and 3 fumble recoveries. During Jimbo Fishers’ first season with the Aggies in 2018, Keke took on a leadership role as one of the select seniors that looked to be a stable force as the new regime implemented their program, having one of his best individual seasons that year totaling 51 total tackles, 7 sacks, and a forced fumble, and helping lead the team to a 9-4 record in Fisher’s inaugural season.

After the release of veteran defensive tackle Jordan Philips, now a member of the Buffalo Bills, Kingsley Keke, currently listed at 6-3, 288lbs, has a chance to earn a starting or key rotational position in the defensive line rotation. At the age of 25, Keke’s best seasons are in front of him as he begins his new journey with the Cardinals.

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Cardinals add D-line depth, sign Kingsley Keke

Keke spent three seasons with the Packers and part of this offseason with the Texans.

The Arizona Cardinals announced a move to add depth to their defensive line. After it was reported that they were bringing in defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, he is now officially a member of the team.

The team announced he signed a one-year contract.

The 6-3, 288-lb interior defender was drafted in 2019 by the Green Bay Packers and played three seasons for them. He appeared in 41 games, started 17 and had 54 tackles, 6.5 sacks, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

He had a career-high four sacks in 2020.

He was waived by the Packers in January, claimed off waivers by the Houstons and then cut this month.

He played collegiately for Texas A&M.

He is an above-average athlete for his position but has exceptional arm length.

To make room for him on the offseason roster, the Cardinals placed tight end Alex Ellis on the non-football injury (NFI) list.

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Free agent DL Kingsley Keke visiting the Cardinals

Former Packers DL Kingsley Keke is visiting the Arizona Cardinals, according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.

The Arizona Cardinals have yet to make any significant additions along the defensive line, an area of weakness for them late last season. They may find some help by way of former Packers and Texans defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, who is visiting the team, according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.

A fifth-round selection of the Packers in 2019, Keke was released by the team in January. He was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans but was released last week. Last season, he had 2.5 sacks and 20 tackles. He has 47 tackles and 6.5 sacks so far in his three-year career.

Keke was a standout player Texas A&M during his three years, totalling 150 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Seven of those sacks came during his senior season, leading the team.

His 2020 season was his best statistically, as he had two standout performances against the Eagles and Saints, where he brought down both Drew Brees and Carson Wentz twice.

The Cardinals could certainly use help along the defensive line. They have Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence but rush defense was not an area of strength last season. There is added stress on the front-seven following the departure of Chandler Jones to the Raiders, and the team’s lack of adding to what they lost via free agency.

We’ll see in the coming days if Kingsley Keke ends up a member of the Cardinals.

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Report: Texans claim Packers DT Kinglsey Keke off waivers

The Houston Texans have claimed Texas A&M defensive end Kingsley Keke from the Green Bay Packers.

The Houston Texans are adding former Green Bay Packers 2019 fifth-round defensive tackle Kinglsey Keke to their roster.

According to Aaron Wilson from Sports Talk 790, the Texans claimed Keke off waivers from the Packers on Thursday.

Keke will not be able to join the Texans until after the Super Bowl.

Joining the Texans will be a homecoming for the former Texas A&M product. Keke provided the Packers with 54 combined tackles, 6.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and five pass breakups through 41 games, 17 of which he started.

In 2021, Keke started in eight of 12 games, giving Green Bay 23 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, four quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and a forced fumble on 393 defensive snaps.

Keke graduated from nearby George Ranch High School in Richmond, Texas. The Houston native was a Greater Houston Rotary Lombardi finalist as a senior for the Longhorns.

Former Packers DL Kingsley Keke claimed off waivers by Texans

The Houston Texans claimed former Packers DL Kingsley Keke, who was waived on Wednesday.

Former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Kingsley Keke didn’t have to wait long to find a new team.

The Houston Texans claimed Keke off of waivers on Thursday, according to the league’s transaction wire.

In a surprising roster move, the Packers waived Keke on Wednesday. His roster spot went to Randall Cobb on Thursday.

Keke’s departure remains a bit of a mystery. He was a healthy scratch during the Packers’ Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns and didn’t play while dealing with COVID-19 and an illness over the final two weeks. His last action for the Packers was in Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Coach Matt LaFleur declined to get into specifics or the reasoning behind his release when asked on Thursday, calling it a “tough decision.” He was confident Keke would get another opportunity in the NFL, and his prediction was proved correct soon after.

Keke, a fifth-round pick in 2019, produced 2.5 sacks and a career-high 24 total pressures over 12 games and 393 defensive snaps in 2021.

An ascending young player, Keke provided a disruptive interior pass-rusher who was developing into a starting-caliber defensive end.

Keke is from Texas and went to school at Texas A&M.

Because the transaction was made during the playoffs, Keke won’t officially join the Texans until after the Super Bowl.

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Packers release DL Kingsley Keke

The Green Bay Packers made a surprise roster move on Wednesday. The team announced the release of DL Kingsley Keke, a fifth-round pick in 2019.

The Green Bay Packers made a surprise roster move on Wednesday. The team announced the release of defensive lineman Kingsley Keke.

Keke, a fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2019, appeared in 12 games for the team this season but hadn’t been on the field since Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Keke missed the Packers’ Week 17 win over the Minnesota Vikings while on the COVID-19 reserve list and also missed Week 18 due to an illness. He was a healthy scratch for Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns, the first sign of potential trouble.

More information on why Keke was released will need to be uncovered. When healthy and available, he was a preferred starter along the defensive line, an important part of Joe Barry’s pass-rushing group and an ascending individual pass-rusher.

Over 41 games in Green Bay, Keke produced 6.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits. He had 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and four quarterback hits in 2021.

Keke was the 150th overall pick in the 2019 draft.

The Packers did not make a corresponding roster move.

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Packers DL Kingsley Keke puts on 10 pounds to help against the run

Packers DL Kingsley Keke added weight this offseason to help become a three-down player.

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Kingsley Keke got bigger going into Year 3 in anticipation of a bigger role and more production in the run game in 2021.

Keke said he put on around 10 pounds this offseason, going from 293 last year to around 303 this year. He pointed to a need to get better against the run as the primary reason for getting bigger.

“Just being more consistent in the run game. Working on getting off releases. Being more strong at the point of attack. That’s why I put on a little bit more weight this year,” Keke said Monday. “Still having that explosion, being able to rush the passer. Just put on a little bit more weight so I can be stronger at the point of attack.”

Keke, who delivered a career-high four sacks and 22 pressures during his second season, said he “felt light” in 2020, but he noted the added weight was “lean weight.”

“I don’t want to look like Mark Henry out there. It’s just good lean weight so I can still be explosive,” Keke said.

A fifth-round pick in 2019, Keke broke out as a key rotational lineman in 2020, playing 414 snaps as a defensive end and interior pass-rusher. His 22 ranked fifth on the team.

While productive in the passing game, Keke wants to get better against the run so he can be on the field for all three downs. Pro Football Focus gave him below-average grades in the run game in 2020, so improving against the run will be vital to Keke emerging as a player capable of playing in all situations.

“I worked very hard this offseason to put myself in this position. Year 2 into Year 3, I can definitely make that jump,” Keke said. “Being a three-down lineman. Playing into the quarterback, playing the run. Just being an overall disruptive force for my team. Just getting out there and causing havoc.”

All offseason, defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery has pointed to a big jump coming for Keke in Year 3. There’s a good chance he’ll be a starter in the three-man fronts with Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry.

“I know I have that ability to be a three-down lineman,” Keke said.

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