Tag: Marqise Lee

Kenny Stills among latest Saints free agent tryouts

Kenny Stills, Marqise Lee among latest Saints free agent tryouts:

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Well that’s interesting. The New Orleans Saints reported a group of free agents in for tryouts on Monday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, and one of them is pretty familiar: wide receiver Kenny Stills. He was one of four wide receivers to work out for the team after it sent Tre’Quan Smith to injured reserve for at least three weeks.

That leaves a group of receivers on the 53-man roster that includes Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Ty Montgomery, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Chris Hogan, with three more on the practice squad — Kevin White, Easop Winston Jr., and rookie draft pick Kawaan Baker.

Originally drafted by New Orleans out of Oklahoma, Stills found immediate success with the Saints until he was surprisingly traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2015, where he remained until he signed with the Houston Texans in 2019. After two years in Houston, he’s a free agent again, and could return where his career started. Stills has averaged 2.6 receptions and 41.4 receiving yards per game in the NFL.

But no one has been signed yet. Here’s the other players who worked out on Monday:

Report: 49ers interested another former Jags WR

The 49ers gave Marqise Lee a brief look, now they are looking at another former Jags receiver.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have drafted their share of receivers over the last five years and some have worked out, while others haven’t. One of those who has been the most puzzling to figure out is former receiver Dede Westbrook, who saw a significant decline in play time last season and ended his time with the Jags with an unfortunate ACL injury Week 7 against Los Angeles.

However, since free agency has started, Westbrook has received a good amount of interest, and once late June arrives, he’ll be eight months removed from his injury. Earlier in the month it was revealed that the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings all had some type of interest, but it appears another team has joined the mix. That team is the San Francisco 49ers, who’ve seeming been looking at help at receiver this offseason, and recently signed former Jags Marqise Lee for a brief period.

With the most significant part of free agency over with, it makes sense that teams would start taking chances on a player like Westbrook, who is coming off a significant injury, but has proven to be a playmaker on occasions. Bright offensive minds like Kyle Shanahan and Andy Reid could especially give Westbrook a chance at a resurgence, and as the season gets closer, it appears he’ll have a decision to make.

Westbrook will enter the season with 160 catches for 1,720 career receiving yards and nine touchdowns. His best season came in 2017, where he was able to haul in 66 catches for 717 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He also could help a team as a returner with 47 punt returns for 461 yards and a touchdown to his name.

49ers sign WR Bennie Fowler, release recent signing WR Marqise Lee

The San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Bennie Fowler as a free agent, releasing recently acquired wide receiver Marqise Lee.

The San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Bennie Fowler, according to a team press release on Friday. To create a roster spot, the Niners released recently-signed wideout Marqise Lee.

While Lee has a far longer track record of success as a receiver, Fowler has made a name for himself on special teams. The move suggests San Francisco is confident in its remaining depth at receiver behind presumed starters Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

Fowler was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State by the Denver Broncos in 2014. Over the past seven years, Fowler has amassed 1,101 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 97 receptions while earning significant playing time on special teams.

49ers sign WR Marqise Lee to 1-year contract, release WR Austin Proehl

The San Francisco 49ers officially signed former Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick Marqise Lee to a 1-year contract.

The San Francisco 49ers on Monday announced the addition of wide receiver Marqise Lee to their 90-man roster. To clear a spot for him, the team released wide receiver Austin Proehl who signed with the club during the offseason.

Lee, 29, was with the club on a tryout basis during rookie minicamp, and did well enough to earn a contract and a shot at the 53-man roster.

The Jaguars selected Lee in the second round of the 2014 draft, and he put together enough production in four years to earn a four-year, $38 million contract. The height of his time in Jacksonville were his third and fourth years as a pro when he put up a combined 119 receptions, 1,553 yards and six touchdowns in 30 games.

A torn ACL in the third preseason game of the 2018 season sidelined him for that year. A shoulder injury in 2019 wound up limiting him to only six unproductive games.  He was waived after his second injury and signed with the Patriots last offseason before opting out.

Now he’ll try and revitalize his NFL career with the 49ers, who could use a veteran receiver in an unproven receiving corps. Lee’s best year as a pro was in 2016 when he had 63 catches for 851 yards and three touchdowns. If he shows signs of being that player in training camp, he could not only make the roster, but carve out a significant role in the 49ers’ passing game.

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Former Jags draft pick Marqise Lee among players to tryout for 49ers

After being released by the Patriots this offseason, Marqise Lee hasn’t given up on his dreams to remain in the NFL.

Mini-camp isn’t just a process for rookies around the league to get their feet wet, but it’s also a chance for teams in the league to try out at least five veterans, too. Former Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick Marqise Lee was one of several veterans to jump on such an opportunity and took the field with the San Francisco 49ers on Friday, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.

Lee, 29, was selected by the Jags in the second-round of the 2014 NFL Draft (39th overall) and spent six seasons with the team. While with them, he was able to accumulate 174 receptions for 2,184 yards and eight touchdowns. However, 2019 proved to be his last season with the Jags as he was only able to garner three catches for 18 yards before ending up on injured reserve with a knee injury.

After his tenure with the Jags, Lee signed with the New England Patriots last season but ultimately ended up opting out due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, he never got a chance to take the field for a game with the Pats and they ultimately decided to release him before the draft this year.

With many years of experience to his name, Lee could very well find himself getting a contract to make the 49ers’ 90-man offseason roster, which would then give him a chance to compete for a regular season roster spot. So far, it appears he’s stood out, and according to Barrows, Lee caught a 15-yard pass, which was the best throw of Friday’s mini-camp session by rookie quarterback Trey Lance.

Former Jaguars 2nd-round WR trying out for 49ers

Marqise Lee was a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014. Now he’s trying out for the San Francisco 49ers.

Not every player at 49ers rookie minicamp is participating in their first ever NFL practice. One player in uniform when the club took the field Friday for their first day of rookie minicamp was former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee per Matt Barrows of the Athletic.

Lee, a second-round pick of the Jags (No. 39 overall) out of USC in 2014, was participating on a try-out basis.

It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Lee carve out a spot on the 90-man roster to compete in a relatively unproven receiving corps. He inked a four-year, $38 million extension with Jacksonville after the 2017 season. He’d finally broken out in his third season in 2016 and backed it up with another strong campaign the following year. Between those two seasons Lee posted 119 receptions for 1,553 yards and six touchdowns.

A knee injury during the 2018 preseason wound up requiring season-ending surgery. He came back for 2019, but played just six games before another knee injury knocked him out for the year. Lee was released by the Jags and signed with the Patriots before opting out of the 2020 season.

Now Lee finds himself in Santa Clara vying for a chance to earn his way back onto an NFL roster. The 49ers still haven’t nailed down a No. 3 wide receiver, and the only rookie they added was undrafted free agent Austin Watkins Jr. There are a slew of names who could conceivably earn the No. 3 WR job, but there’s no clear-cut favorite heading into the offseason.

In 59 games (30 starts) with the Jaguars, Lee posted 174 receptions for 2,184 yards and eight touchdowns.

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Marqise Lee says he’s ‘eager to get back’ to Patriots after opting out

Can Marqise Lee make a comeback?

New England Patriots receiver Marqise Lee may have skipped the 2020 season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, but he is getting geared up for a 2021 season, which would be his first with the team.

He is already taking steps to rejoin the team, including a physical in New England this week.

“I got to Boston on Sunday, did the physical and everything was perfect. As far as this year goes, I’m eager to get back,” Lee told ESPN’s Mike Reiss recently.

Because he opted out in 2020 and dealt with injuries in 2019, he has played just six games over the last two years with three receptions for 18 yards. However, he had his two most productive seasons in 2016 and 2017 when he had 55 or more catches for 700 or more yards and six total touchdowns. He signed one-year, a veteran minimum contract ($1.05 million) with the Patriots this offseason.

“I felt like me choosing New England, just to go there as far as this season was in the sense of just trying to get back to myself,” he said in May after joining the team in free agency. “I felt like which place is the perfect place to get back and try to get back to yourself rather than New England – very strict, basically just all about football and handling your business.”

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Patriots WR Marqise Lee elects to opt out of 2020 season

Lee elected to opt out on Saturday, becoming the seventh member of the Patriots to do so.

Another member of the New England Patriots has elected to opt out of the 2020 season. Wide receiver Marqise Lee has elected not to play this year. Lee joins Don’t’a Hightower, Patrick Chung, Marcus Cannon, Brandon Bolden, Dan Vitale, and Najee Toran as players who have elected not to play this year.

Lee just had a child in February. As he told Mike Reiss, he did not feel like it was smart for him to go out and play.

Lee was an intriguing depth signing by New England in April. He signed with New England for $300,000 guaranteed. With Lee not playing this year, New England’s salary cap increases to $25,420,302. This could certainly be used for future assets as the Patriots continue to rebuild their roster.

It will be interesting to see who steps up at the position With Lee not partaking in the 2020 season, this now opens up a roster spot. As training camp gets underway, it will be interesting to see who can make the most of this opportunity.

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Marqise Lee provides unique perspective on Patriots’ new QBs coach

“A great, great coach.”

The New England Patriots put an unfamiliar face in a hugely important position at a time of great uncertainty. Specifically, Bill Belichick hired assistant Jedd Fisch to coach quarterbacks after the departure of Tom Brady.

But there’s one Patriot who has worked with Fisch. It’s another newcomer: receiver Marqise Lee. They worked together in Jacksonville, where Fisch was the offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014. Lee was a rookie in 2014.

“Coach Jedd was a great, great coach at Jacksonville for me as far as when I first got there, just teaching me the things I needed to be as far as a player,” Lee told reporters on a videoconference call on Wednesday.

And though they were only together one year, they kept in touch.

“Even when he left, just staying in communication, just making sure I stayed on top of things for the next couple of years,” Lee said. “It was a little helpful for me to actually know he was on the team. … I really just haven’t really got the chance to really communicate because of the coronavirus and things like that, but I’ve been on Zoom with him a couple of times with the group, spoke to him and things like that. He just gave me some tips as far helping me going forward.”

Lee has been working largely with new receivers coach Mick Lombardi, who was the assistant quarterbacks coach last year. But it seems Fisch isn’t far.

“That’s why Coach Fisch’s line is always available to hit up and communicate as far as if I have any questions,” Lee said.

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Marqise Lee seems to be hoping for some Bill Belichick magic with Patriots

Marqise Lee seems to be hoping Bill Belichick can help him turn things around.

Marqise Lee’s injury woes came up a few times as he spoke to reporters on Wednesday during an introductory videoconference call.

Lee has recently dealt with knee and shoulder injuries, and his 2019 season was his least productive year of his career, with just three catches for 18 yards with the Jacksonville Jaguars. If he’s going to stay relevant in the NFL, the 28-year-old receiver will need to stay healthy in 2020. And he may need to fight his way up New England’s depth chart to get targets on Sundays. Even though he’s facing a competitive group of receivers, Lee liked the Patriots in free agency for obvious reasons.

“I just knew the last couple years, I didn’t really have the opportunity to go out there and do the things that I felt like I needed to do as a player,” Lee said. “And I felt like me choosing New England, just to go there this season was a sense of just trying to get back to myself. I felt, which place is a more perfect place to try to get back to yourself other than New England?”

It’s true that Bill Belichick has a track record of helping veterans find their way to production, whether they enjoy breakout seasons, like Kyle Van Noy did after getting traded from the Lions, or they return to form, like Jamie Collins did in 2019 and Patrick Chung has done in his second stint with the team. It doesn’t always work out. Dontrelle Inman, Maurice Harris, Nate Washington, Jordan Matthews and so many other receivers came looking for a resurgence in their careers — and they didn’t get it.

But Lee seems to be getting off on the right foot in New England. Amid a virtual offseason during the coronavirus pandemic, he understands, to some degree, how the team operates and he likes what he’s seen.

“Very strict, basically just all about football and handling your business,” he said. “I felt like I was a little bit off on that point with these last two injuries I had, so I just wanted to get back right on track and get everything back on point, and I feel like New England was the right place for me.”

It certainly seems that way. In fact, he already sounds like a Patriot.

“I’m the type of person who will give everything that he team needs to me to do.” Lee said ”Whatever they need me to do at the end of the day is what I’m willing to do regardless of what it is. That’s my main focus. I haven’t had the opportunity to really stay healthy in the league so my main focus right now is really just staying healthy.

“I’m just here. They need a body, a healthy body, I’m here to rock out.”

Lee joins a depth chart of receivers which includes Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu, Damiere Byrd, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski, among others. Byrd is the only other veteran who joined in free agency, and though the team added a few interesting undrafted free agents, namely Miami’s Jeff Thomas and Auburn’s Will Hastings, they did not draft a receiver. Lee seems like a natural fit in the offense, with versatility to operate inside the slot and outside the numbers. If he can develop rapport with the team’s top quarterback, he has a shot to be a contributor in 2020.

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