Tag: Logan Ryan

The NFL’s most surprising roster cuts in 2022

Here are the NFL’s most surprising player cuts as teams move to the required 53-man rosters.

“Success is never final, and failure is never fatal.”

That quote has been attributed to everybody from Winston Churchill to John Wooden, but whoever said it, it’s something important to remember as NFL teams got to their required 53-man rosters on Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of players were told by their teams that their services were no longer required, and that’s always a big hit, no matter who you are.

That’s not a professional death sentence, by any means. Veterans who can’t catch on with one team can still do great things with others. And rookies who don’t make the cut in one city can certainly do so elsewhere.

I mean, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut Len Dawson and Johnny Unitas in the late 1950s, and those guys went on to have fairly decent careers.

So, with that in mind, here are our most surprising cuts from NFL teams as the required roster constrictions happened.

Bucs release veteran DB Logan Ryan

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are releasing veteran defensive back Logan Ryan

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are releasing veteran defensive back Logan Ryan, per multiple reports.

This move might seem like a surprise, but as Auman points out, it’s likely a formality that will eventually result in Ryan being re-signed later this week.

The Bucs need to carry Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen on their active roster through Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for roster cuts in order to place him on injured reserve without losing him for the entire season automatically.

That means the team will have to release a veteran player they know they can bring back later this week, once the deadlines have passed and Jensen has been placed on IR.

So, don’t be surprised when Ryan is still a Buc a few days from now.

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Watch: Kyle Philips breaks Logan Ryan’s ankles in Bucs-Titans practice

Kyle Philips faked Logan Ryan out of his cleats during Day 2 of Titans-Bucs joint practices.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kyle Philips continues to impress in training camp, and former Titans and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Logan Ryan saw that first hand on Thursday.

During Tennessee’s second joint practice with Tampa Bay, Ryan was tasked with matching up against Philips during one-on-ones, and he got a taste of just how dominant the rookie receiver has been in practice.

Philips got the better of Ryan on one play. The UCLA product flashed his moves against the veteran, leading to Ryan getting faked out of his cleats in what was one of Philips’ more impressive exchanges of the summer.

That wasn’t the only highlight of Philips’ day, though. He also showed out in multiple periods of practice, as Jim Wyatt of Titans Online noted.

“Receiver Kyle Philips stole the show early in the 1-on-1s and 2-on-2s with the Buccaneers defensive backs, and he didn’t stop there,” Wyatt wrote. “Philips got open again and again and again — and in a hurry… Philips was also a big factor in the 7-on-7 and team periods, especially near the goal line.”

After practice, head coach Mike Vrabel had a funny way of describing Philips’ quickness, saying the rookie “goes rabbit hunting with a hammer.”

Other than a quiet preseason Week 1, Philips has remained one of the biggest standouts of the entire offseason. He should have at least some kind of role early on when the 2022 season begins.

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Bucs’ Logan Ryan talks return to Nashville in practice with Titans

Bucs CB Logan Ryan was happy to be back in Nashville for joint practices with the Titans.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Logan Ryan was one of the familiar faces coming back to Nashville on Wednesday during the team’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans.

Ryan was a total class act and fan-favorite over three seasons with the Titans and was responsible for nabbing the pick-six that helped finish off the Tom Brady era in New England back in 2019.

However, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing with Titans fans since Tennessee decided not to bring Ryan back in 2020, which led to him signing with the New York Giants.

In 2021, the veteran stirred up some controversy after criticizing the Titans’ fan base for being “non-existent,” while also saying “you couldn’t even get fans to the game, you had to put tickets half off to get fans to the game.”

Ryan would later say he “meant no disrespect,” and he even got some support from Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan, but there’s no question the comment left Ryan worse off with Titans fans, many of whom wanted him back in 2020 when he hit free agency.

Ryan’s appearance in Nashville on Wednesday was his first since making the comment. He wasn’t asked about the subject but did say he was happy to be back.

“Yeah, it’s great. I love it here,” Ryan said. “This is where my son was born, and my foundation was born. I have great memories here. They’ve got a lot more buildings now — it’s nice, they’ve got a whole parking deck — so hopefully I was a part of that.

I’m happy for the guys. It’s good to see familiar faces and it was good work today.”

Ryan wasn’t the only notable former Titan in attendance on Wednesday. Wide receiver Julio Jones also made his first appearance in Nashville since being cut earlier this offseason. He didn’t speak with the media following practice, though.

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Former Rutgers football star Logan Ryan is making an impression with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Logan Ryan is turning heads with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Logan Ryan has made an impression in training camp, even getting a nice interception earlier this week. He also has made a fan in head coach Todd Bowles, who praised the veteran defensive back for being the consummate professional.

A former Rutgers football standout cornerback, the 31-year old Ryan is set to enter his tenth season in the NFL. He shows no signs of slowing down; last season with the New York Giants he had a career-high 117 tackles. Ryan also posted eight passes defended, two forced fumbles and an interception on a Giants team that, well, wasn’t very good.

Over the weekend, Ryan did a nice job of reading the quarterback (Blaine Gabbert) and then reacting for an interception. It is the stuff that made him a legend with Rutgers football, where he was an All-Big East selection and an All-American Conference selection.

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Check out his interception:

 

Ryan was a third-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2013 NFL draft.

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He has also developed into quite the ironman. In his nine NFL seasons, Ryan has only missed four games. He signed this offseason as a free agent with Tampa Bay.

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Last week, Bowles was asked which new players have adapted to the team the best. He singled out Ryan. The former New York Jets head coach, who grew up in Elizabeth, N.J. and played his college football at Temple, certainly sounded impressed with Ryan.

“Logan Ryan has come in and been a joy to work with. His work ethic, his intelligence and the way he prepares for practice is unbelievable,” Bowles told reporters last week.

“Going out there, trying to learn something every day, doing the right thing and trying to help the other guys.”

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Xavier McKinney training with former Giants’ teammate Logan Ryan

Giants safety Xavier McKinney is training with former Giants’ cornerback Logan Ryan. Ryan is a veteran and leader who will teach McKinney.

New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney is entering his third season in the NFL, arguably a season in which he needs to perform well if he wants to show that he’s adjusting to the NFL game.

In order to do that, he has to ensure that his fitness and mentality are right for training camp later this month. Who better to help him than veteran and former teammate Logan Ryan?

Ryan was a New York Giant for two seasons but is now signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Some might turn their nose up at the thought of allowing a player to train with the “enemy,” for lack of better terms, but head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen haven’t said a word.

Ryan is an eight-year veteran who has missed just a handful of games, never more than two in a season. He’s known to be a leader on the field, and it’s clear he took to McKinney when they both joined the Giants in 2020. That bond is continuing this off-season as Ryan helps McKinney with some offseason workouts.

McKinney has already made his mark as a Giant. He appeared in only six games his first season, recording 24 tackles (14 solo), one pass defended and one interception. In 2021, though, he appeared in every game of the season. He recorded 88 tackles (54 solo), defended five passes and had five interceptions, one of which included a touchdown.

The Giants defense will take all the help it can get this offseason. If McKinney training with a former teammate who is a mentor despite being on a different team now helps them, then that’s what they need to do.

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Logan Ryan says he took his Giants release personally

Logan Ryan doesn’t know what more he could have done for the New York Giants, telling Jim Rome he took the release personally.

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The New York Giants are in the midst of another restructure/rebuild this offseason and have parted ways with many veterans, some due to salary cap constraints while others sonly didn’t fit the new narrative or direction.

Safety Logan Ryan, one of the team’s most productive and outspoken leaders, was abruptly released in mid-March even though the team was already thin in the secondary.

The rumors were the new coaching staff wanted new voices in the locker room and decided to take Ryan out. It was clearly part of a culture purge as the team did not realize much salary cap relief (less than $1 million) from the move.

That did not get past Ryan, who told CBS Sports’ Jim Rome in a recent interview that he felt the release was personal.

“I took it personal, a little bit of a chip. I felt like I gave it all I had in New York, but I think new management,” Ryan said. “A coach being fired, as well as the GM so  obviously a whole new regime over there looking to in a different direction.

“Honestly, I don’t know what me, (James) Bradberry and these other guys could have done. They’re looking in a different direction, that’s okay. I think we landed on our feet and you have to keep moving forward because this is a business.”

Ryan was scooped up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers less than a week after his release.

Bradberry was cut in May, which was a salary cap-reducing exercise, and he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Report: former Rutgers star Logan Ryan is filing a grievance with the New York Giants

Logan Ryan files a grievance against the New York Giants.

Logan Ryan is reportedly filing a grievance for damages stemming from his release from the New York Giants. At issue is the timing of Ryan’s release from the Giants.

In a report from Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Giants beat reporter says that Ryan had offseason surgery on a finger and was then released following the surgery. The timing of the release, according to Duggan, could put the Giants on the books for another $3 million to Ryan.

The 31-year old cornerback has been with the Giants the past two seasons, appearing in 31 games. He had 211 tackles, an interception and 17 passes defended in those two seasons.

Ryan is a former standout cornerback at Rutgers who, in 2012, was selected First-Team All-Big East and was named an All-American by Pro Football Weekly. The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots was a third round pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

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Ryan signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent this offseason.

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Report: Logan Ryan files grievance against Giants

Former New York Giants S Logan Ryan reportedly filed a grievance against the team.

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Former New York Giants safety Logan Ryan has reportedly filed a grievance against the team, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

The Giants released Ryan on March 17 as what was thought to be a cost-cutting move at the time but that didn’t make much sense since the cap savings were less than $1 million. The narrative then became that the team didn’t want the veteran influencing the locker room under the new coaching staff.

Duggan added more context below via Twitter:

“From what I gather, Ryan had postseason finger surgery. So the dispute is based on if he’s entitled to the full $8.5M because he was released after surgery. While the sides await a resolution, 40% of the disputed amount counts on the cap. So that’s $1.2M currently unavailable.”

Ryan was signed a week later by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants have been the focus of several lawsuits this offseason, most notably the one by Brian Flores, who contends his interview for the Giants’ head coaching job was a sham and by fans who want both them and the Jets to shed the “New York’ from their names since they both play their home games in New Jersey.

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Report: Giants close to finalizing trade of James Bradberry

The New York Giants are close to finalizing a trade of CB James Bradberry, and three teams are in the mix.

The New York Giants have intended to trade cornerback James Bradberry since the onset of free agency and now it’s finally going to happen.

Despite an unexpectedly dry market, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that the Giants are close to finalizing a trade of Bradberry. And in addition to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are also in play.

GM Joe Schoen is expected to unload the team’s best defensive back soon, according to league sources here at The Breakers luxury resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

The Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts are teams to watch in a Bradberry trade, sources say.

What the Giants get in return for Bradberry remains to be seen, but the involvement of three teams can only help improve New York’s eventual haul.

Still, the Giants aren’t necessarily pleased to have to trade Bradberry. While speaking at the NFL owners meetings in Florida on Sunday, co-owner John Mara praised the veteran and admitted his departure would “hurt.”

“That would hurt because he’s been a very good player and he’s been a consummate professional for us,” Mara told reporters. “But the cap situation is what it is. So we’d have to consider all options there.”

If Bradberry is traded in the coming days, it will mark the second veteran departure from the secondary this month. The team had previously released safety Logan Ryan, eating a ton of dead cap in the process.

“It was a decision that Brian and Joe made, they decided they wanted to move on so I wasn’t gonna block it,” Mara said. “I was sorry to see him go. I thought he was a good player who did some great thigs for our community. But if our head coach and general manager make a football decision, I’m not gonna block it.”

With needs at both cornerback and safety, keep an eye on Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Kyle Hamilton when the Giants come up at No. 5 and No. 7 in the 2022 NFL draft.

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