Tag: Linden Stephens

Ravens announce two practice squad moves

The Ravens made two practice squad moves on Monday

The Baltimore Ravens stand at 3-1 through four weeks of the 2021 NFL season. They have overcome injuries, having to acclimate new faces to the team and more, and have put together and impressive performance all things considered.

Players from Baltimore’s practice squad have been stepping up in a big way. Call ups have been playing at a high level as they fill in for injured players. On Monday, the Ravens announced that they had made two changes to their practice squad. They signed defensive back Mazzi Wilkins, while releasing defensive back Linden Stephens.

Wilkins played at the University of South Florida for five seasons after redshirting for his freshman year. He finished his college career with 110 total tackles and three interceptions in 47 games. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2019, spending two years with the Buccaneers. He most recently spent a week on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad.

Stephens signed with Baltimore’s practice squad on September 21st. He didn’t appear in a game for the Ravens.

Washington signs a pair of veteran free agents

The 2021 NFL draft is over, but that doesn’t mean the Washington Football Team is done adding talent to the roster. 

The 2021 NFL draft is over, but that doesn’t mean the Washington Football Team is done adding talent to the roster.

The Football Team announced on Wednesday they had agreed to terms with a pair of veteran free agents in tight end Deon Yelder and cornerback Linden Stephens.

The 26-year-old Yelder is entering his fourth season in the NFL. After going undrafted out of Western Kentucky, Yelder signed with New Orleans as an undrafted free agent. He was cut at the end of training camp.

Yelder then signed with Kansas City’s practice squad on Oct. 4, 2018. He was promoted to the active roster and appeared in three games that season. Yelder played in a total of nine games for the Chiefs in 2019, catching three passes for 50 yards.

Yelder appeared in 14 games for Kansas City in 2020. He caught seven passes for 36 yards.

He comes to Washington with a chance to compete for a roster spot as the backup to starter Logan Thomas. Washington drafted Boise State tight end John Bates in the fourth round of the draft. Yelder joins Thomas, Bates, Sammis Reyes, Marcus Baugh and Temarrick Hemingway as the tight ends on Washington’s roster.

Stephens entered the league, coincidentally enough, in 2018 as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints. He has spent time with the Saints, Broncos, Rams, Dolphins and two stints with the Seahawks. He played 13 games for Seattle in 2020.

The 6-foot-0, 193-pound Stephens played collegiately at Cincinnati.

 

Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar still battling a knee injury

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar is still battling a knee injury and had to leave the team’s Week-9 contest against the Bills.

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Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar had himself a difficult outing Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills before he was finally pulled from the action and replaced by Linden Stephens.

“He had a tough day,” coach Pete Carroll said after the loss. “He was playing on a sore knee, and eventually we had to take him out. He just was hobbling. He tried to suck it up and keep going, but we needed to get him out.”

The Seahawks have been particularly thin at defensive back, with both cornerback Shaquill Griffin (hamstring/concussion) and safety Ugo Amadi (hamstring) inactive against the Bills.

“Under these circumstances, we needed (Dunbar) to play today,” Carroll continued. “We need to help him more. There was some stuff where he was by himself – we hung our guys out with things that we did, and it didn’t work out for us . . . Dunbar sucked it up today in a way you probably don’t recognize right now, because he looked like he was struggling; he was surviving a little bit more than we wanted to.”

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Seahawks place 3 players on injured reserve, add 2 from practice squad

The Seahawks have placed Bruce Irvin, Marquise Blair and Phillip Dorsett on the injured reserved ad promoted two from the practice squad.

The Seattle Seahawks announced a number of personnel moves ahead of the start of Wednesday’s practice. Seattle has placed three players on the injured reserve: wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II, defensive back Marquise Blair and linebacker Bruce Irvin.

Blair and Irvin suffered ACL injuries during the Seahawks’ Week-2 win over the Patriots and the roster moves were anticipated. Both will undergo knee surgery and their seasons are now over.

Dorsett, on the other hand, is dealing with a foot injury but is expected to return to the roster after sitting out the mandatory three games this season. Seattle’s early bye this week will allow Dorsett an additional week to recover.

To fill two of the empty spots on the active roster, the Seahawks have promoted cornerback Linden Stephens and defensive tackle Anthony Rush from the practice squad.

After the personnel moves on Wednesday, Seattle has one open roster spot remaining.

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How Quinton Dunbar’s arrest could impact Seattle’s depth at CB

The Seattle Seahawks have six cornerbacks vying for a final roster spot as a backup and special teams contributor.

The Seattle Seahawks set themselves up to have a cornerback room featuring Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar and Ugo Amadi as the starters on the outside and at nickel, respectively, with former starter Tre Flowers joining Neiko Thorpe as depth options across the secondary in 2020.

The best laid plans don’t always come together, however, and now, four months before the season is set to begin, the Seahawks are already facing a big wrinkle with the recent arrest of Dunbar, who is facing four counts of felony armed robbery.

It’s far, far too early to know how Dunbar’s situation is going to play out, especially with his defense lawyer disputing the facts of the original warrant. The legal proceedings could easily take the entire summer, and regardless of if he is convicted of a crime or not the NFL can, and will, do their own investigation, which could lead to a suspension.

So while that will be an unresolved matter of interest for the next few months, the Seahawks will be forced to evaluate their depth at cornerback, in case Dunbar is not available when the regular season rolls around.

The most likely scenario, if that ends up being the case, is to plug Flowers back into a starting role at right corner, a role he held in both 2018 and 2019.

Should that happen, a role as a backup corner (and likely special teams contributor) would open up on the active roster – and you know how much coach Pete Carroll loves hosting an open competition.

The contenders currently on the roster include Linden Stephens, Brian Allen, Jayson Stanley, Debione Renfro, Gavin Heslop and Kemah Siverand.

Stephens spent most of 2019 on Seattle’s practice squad before he was claimed by the Dolphins, appearing in three games and making three combined tackles. Stephens made it back to Seattle in April and is in contention to play some nickel this season, if he plays well in camp.

Allen played in 16 games for the Steelers between 2017-2018, exclusively on special teams, racking up three combined tackles. He’s the biggest of the group however, standing six-foot-three, and his size and NFL experience make him a strong candidate to take the final roster spot in the secondary.

Stanley was claimed just after the draft, and he has the size profile (six-foot-two, 209 pounds) that the Seahawks target, as well as experience as a former wide receiver in college.

Renfro, Heslop and Siverand were all signed as undrafted free agents. Renfro starred at Texas A&M in college, and his scouting profile points to someone who should excel as a special teamer, which will give him a nice advantage when looking for a roster spot.

Heslop is six-foot-one and was a big-time playmaker while at Stony Brook, able to play any spot in the secondary and contribute on the special teams.

Lastly, Siverand played wide receiver A&M before transferring to Oklahoma State, where he racked up 11 tackles as a defensive back. His stats aren’t very telling, but he also possesses the size and versatility to potentially contribute on the special teams.

The Seahawks also have a handful of options they could pursue on the open market, including Logan Ryan and Trumaine Johnson, but don’t be surprised if the team decides to hold a competition with the players they already have on the roster.

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Seahawks players use social media to celebrate Mother’s Day

Seattle Seahawks current and former players took to Twitter to wish a happy Mother’s Day to their moms and wives on Sunday.

Mother’s Day celebrations will no doubt be impacted heavily this year, with social distancing practices still in place around the United States – which of course limits people’s ability to see their parents.

That of course won’t stop people from celebrating, however, and social media will continue to be a prominent way for people to share their feelings about their own moms and the other moms in their life.

The Seattle Seahawks, as well as many current and former players, have already begun sharing pictures and stories on Twitter, in light of the holiday.

Many players used the platform to send love to their own moms, while a handful of others celebrated their wives, a few who are celebrating their first Mother’s Day as a new mom.

In light of this pandemic’s impact on social gatherings, we here at Seahawks Wire hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday and is able to celebrate with the moms in their life in some capacity while we wait for a return to normalcy in the (hopefully) near future.

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Seahawks claim DB Jayson Stanley off waivers from Jaguars

The Seattle Seahawks claimed receiver-turned-cornerback Jayson Stanley off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday.

The Seattle Seahawks did not add any defensive backs during the 2020 NFL draft, but they have added three so far in other ways this offseason: a trade to acquire Quinton Dunbar as well as two waiver claims, the first to land Linden Stephens and a second one on Tuesday afternoon which brought Jayson Stanley to Seattle.

Stanley stands six-foot-two and weighs 209 pounds, giving him the size profile that Pete Carroll and the Seahawks staff love in their defensive backs.

Stanley is a converted wide receiver who went undrafted out of the University of Georgia in 2018, where he was a backup and core special teamer. Atlanta signed him and moved him to corner, and he spent the last two seasons on the practice squad of the Dolphins and Jaguars before Jacksonville released him on Monday.

The Seahawks made it clear they intend to bring some competition to the nickel corner position, where Ugo Amadi is the presumed starter, and Stanley may be someone they are eyeing for that role.

He also has extensive experience on the special teams, including as a kick returner, and could just be someone they are hoping can contribute in that area as well.

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3 biggest winners for Seahawks after 2020 NFL draft

The Seattle Seahawks added eight new players via the 2020 NFL draft, and that was really good news for some of their current players.

The 2020 NFL draft is in the books, and the Seattle Seahawks came away with eight new players to compete for jobs on the 53-man roster during training camp.

A pair of edge defenders and a pair of tight ends highlight the class, but the team also added a run-stuffing linebacker, a slot receiver, a third down running back and a mauling right guard – an eclectic group of talented players, many who have battled adversity in their young careers and are ready to come in with a chip on their shoulder and immediately make an impact on this club.

Adding eight new players creates some competitive positional battles in camp, and while that will certainly create some tough roster decisions for Pete Carroll and John Schneider – that’s exactly how they prefer it.

While a few players will be sweating their job security, the Seahawks had a trio of obvious winners on their current roster after the draft was over.

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Seahawks claim Linden Stephens off waivers from Dolphins

Stephens was on Seattle’s practice squad for most of 2019, and now he will have a chance to compete for a roster spot during training camp.

The Seattle Seahawks claimed Linden Stephens off waivers from the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday, according to a tweet from NFL Insider Tom Pelissero.

Stephens spent most of the 2019 season on Seattle’s practice squad, but was claimed by Miami late in the season and appeared in three games for them, playing 55 snaps and recording three solo tackles.

Stephens was originally an undrafted free agent pickup by the Broncos in 2018 after an accomplished career at Cincinnati.

He gives Seattle added depth at the cornerback position, a spot expected to be occupied by Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar on the outside, with Ugo Amadi at the nickel position and Tre Flowers, Neiko Thorpe and recently re-signed Ryan Neal on hand as reserves.

Stephens is a camp body who will get a chance to compete for a reserve role in the secondary, and a spot on the special teams, once camp gets underway this summer.

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