Tag: Max Scharping

Bengals bring back G Max Scharping in free agency

The Bengals retain one of their own.

The Cincinnati Bengals retained one of their own on Monday, re-upping with guard Max Scharping.

The team announced the move roughly one week prior to free agency’s legal tampering window opening.

Scharping 26, was a second-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2019 and the Bengals claimed him off waivers late last summer.

With the veteran likely key depth on the interior behind the likes of Cordell Volson, the move might be a hint the team is done adding to the offensive line on the open market — especially with needs remaining at cornerback, tight end, running back and others.

Even if the Bengals remain still on the line in free agency from here, the unit remains a possibility as early as Round 1 in the draft.

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12 free-agent OL the Colts could consider in 2023

Taking a look at 12 free-agent offensive line options for the Colts in 2023.

After a tumultuous campaign, the Indianapolis Colts will have their eyes on adding some depth and talent to the offensive line through the free-agent market during the 2023 offseason.

While Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith are expected to be the starting tackles, adding depth behind them is crucial. The Colts also will be in the market to add a starting-caliber right guard and depth at the interior spots.

We took a look at the following positions for the Colts to consider adding to in free agency:

We shouldn’t expect the Colts to go on a wild spending spree in free agency. It’s not their M.O., and Chris Ballard isn’t working with the same amount of salary-cap space as he’s used to.

Now, it’s time to take a look at the free-agent options along the offensive line for the Colts to consider:

14 free agents the Colts should watch during wild-card playoffs

Here are 14 pending free agents the Colts should watch during wild-card weekend.

The Indianapolis Colts will be watching the playoffs unfold from their couch this offseason, and it begins Saturday with the start of the wild-card games.

While the Colts won’t be leading the NFL in salary-cap space like we’ve been used to seeing, they should be a bit more active than they have been in the past.

We shouldn’t expect general manager Chris Ballard to completely change his ways regarding free agency, but it’s reasonable to believe he may be a bit more aggressive when it comes to adding depth, especially to the offensive line.

We’re taking the list of unrestricted free agents, according to Spotrac, for the teams playing in the wild-card games. So there won’t be any Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles players on this list. We’ll save that for next week.

As wild-card weekend gets underway, here are 14 pending free agents the Colts should keep an eye on:

Bengals’ Frank Pollack scouted waiver claim Max Scharping while with Jets

Frank Pollack was more than familiar with the team’s waiver wire claim.

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The Cincinnati Bengals added offensive lineman Max Scharping as one of three claims on the waiver wire right after meeting the NFL’s 53-man cutdown deadline.

And it wasn’t a claim in the dark by any means.

In fact, Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack and assistant line coach Derek Frazier scouted Scharping out of college while members of the New York Jets, with the latter even attending his pro day in person.

So yes, the line coaches like the new arrival and clearly had input.

“We liked his work ethic. He’s smart,” Pollack said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He plays squarely and has stoutness in his movements and obviously he has a lot of tape in the league playing games. It’s nice to get another vet in the mix.” …

At least for now, rookie Cordell Volson has won the starting left guard job over second-round product Jackson Carman. But Scharping comes over as a veteran the coaches like and he’s safely considered immediate depth should the team need him.

For what it’s worth, while Pollack might be thrilled, the Texans certainly didn’t sound happy about losing Scharping.

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Texans don’t sound thrilled about losing Max Scharping to Bengals on waiver wire

The new Bengals guard was a tough cut for the Texans.

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The Cincinnati Bengals claimed three players off waivers on Wednesday after making “final” cuts to the 53-man limit.

One of those was a tight end. The other two were linemen on both sides of the trenches, highlighted by former Texans second-round pick Max Scharping.

Scharping pops out the most because of his draft status and the fact he put in 2,200-plus snaps of work with the Texans.

After the fact, Texans general manager Nick Caserio told Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network the loss hurts: “That was a tough one. Max is a good player. It’s where we were right now. We felt like it was the best decision for us.”

From the sounds of it, the Texans might have tried to find a way to keep Scharping if he had cleared waivers. And he almost did, considering the Bengals have a very late spot in the official order.

Now in Cincinnati, Scharping is, at the very least, high-quality depth at the guard spot that could spell the end of Jackson Carman’s time on the roster. He’s also got a shot to be in the mix as a starter should rookie Cordell Volson struggle.

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The NFL’s most interesting Wednesday waiver claims

After final cuts on Tuesday, NFL teams had Wednesday to claim players on the open market. Here are the most interesting waiver claims.

The bad news as NFL teams get down to their league-mandated 53-man rosters is that hundreds of players lost their jobs Tuesday, August 30 by 4:00 p.m. EST. That’s when the clock stopped for anything more than the final 53.

The good news? That’s a lot of talent on the open market, and teams are looking to place waiver claims on some of those players — and some of those players still have a lot left in the tank.

Here’s how it all works, once it’s time to pick from those players, especially if those players are added to practice squads.

Here are the most interesting players who were cut on Tuesday, and were subsequently added to other rosters on Wednesday.

Bengals claim OL Max Scharping and DT Jay Tufele off waivers

The Bengals added two more players on the waiver wire.

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The Cincinnati Bengals got quite active on the waiver wire and free agency on Wednesday.

On the same day news broke that the team wanted to sign former first-round pick O.J. Howard, the Bengals also claimed tight end Devin Asiasi on waivers.

The Bengals claimed two other players on the waiver wire, too: Guard Max Scharping and defensive tackle Jay Tufele.

Scharping was a former second-round pick by Houston in 2019 who has had up-and-down play over the last few years. But his arrival might signal some interesting things for former second-round pick Jackson Carman.

A former fourth-rounder in 2021, Tufele only played four games in Jacksonville last year and is part of the big turnover there. The Bengals wanted more depth after letting guys like Tyler Shelvin go.

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Texans release G Max Scharping

The Houston Texans have released former 2019 second-round guard Max Scharping.

The Houston Texans have all but one of their 2019 NFL draft class remaining.

According to Aaron Wilson from the Pro Football Network, the Texans have released former second-round pick Max Scharping. The guard was in a battle for playing time as the Texans signed former Jacksonville Jaguars guard A.J. Cann in the offseason. Houston also bolstered their interior offensive line by drafting Texas A&M product Kenyon Green in the first round.

With the Texans going with a youth movement in Green and familiarity as Cann previously played under current offensive line coach George Warhop, who was with the Jaguars from 2019-21.

Texans OL Max Scharping gets work at tackle

Houston Texans offensive lineman Max Scharping has been getting work at tackle during the early parts of training camp.

When the Houston Texans signed A.J. Cann and drafted first-rounder Kenyon Green, it meant Tytus Howard could finally kick out to right tackle. The former 2019 first-round pick no long had to experiment playing inside.

The acquisition of those players also meant that the Texans needed to explore the versatility of another member of the 2019 draft class in Max Scharping. The former second-round pick from Northern Illinois has started 33 of his 48 activations at guard, but the Texans have been experimenting with something different.

Through the first two days of training camp, the Texans have had Scharping play at tackle.

“Max has been around awhile, and he just started at tackle position,” coach Lovie Smith told reporters on July 30 at Houston Methodist Training Center. “We feel like we have two of the best tackles in football.”

Two-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil has left tackle sealed, and Howard mans the right side. However, the Texans are evaluating what position flex they have across the offensive line.

“We just talked about [center] Justin Britt, A.J., we know eventually Kenyon Green will get into the mix,” said Smith. “But you need more backups too, and Max has done that well. When we have asked him to step into the play, he’s done that. So, we feel like with Charlie Heck, we have some depth at that offensive line position.”

Scharping played both tackle spots while at Northern Illinois as part of his overall versatility across the offensive line. When the Texans selected Scharping with the 55th overall pick in Round 2, the 6-6, 327-pound offensive lineman was listed as a tackle.

The 25-year-old from Green Bay, Wisconsin, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Scharping playing at tackle would give him the opportunity to display his versatility and provide evidence he can still be a valuable part of the Texans’ blocking unit.

Texans’ 2019 draft class may have led to downfall of the Bill O’Brien era

The downfall of the Bill O’Brien era with the Houston Texans may actually have started with the 2019 NFL draft.

The Bill O’Brien era may have gone downhill when the Houston Texans traded two first-round picks and a second-round selection as part of a compensation package to acquire Miami Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

The Texans’ top-100 selections were effectively gutted for the 2020 and 2021 drafts — all because O’Brien had influence over the five-man general managing council following the firing of Brian Gaine on June 7, 2019. Senior vice president of football administration Chris Olson may have been the interim general manager, but O’Brien was calling the shots.

However, the downfall of O’Brien’s era as coach may not have been the Tunsil trade. Rather, it may have been the 2019 NFL draft when Gaine was still in control.

According to Pete Prisco from CBS Sports, the Texans had a C-minus grade after that draft, but in a reassessment, Prisco gives them a D.

The Skinny: They had seven picks, but just one — first-round offensive tackle Tytus Howard — is a lock to start this year. Second-round corner Lonnie Johnson was traded to the Chiefs this year after playing both corner and safety for the Texans. Second-round round guard Max Scharping has started and will compete this year for a job.

Initially analysts declared the Texans reached for Howard after the Philadelphia Eagles grabbed tackle Andre Dillard the pick prior. Howard made the Pro Football Writers of America’s all-rookie team and has had a solid career since while Dillard has sailed into bust territory.

The Texans had four picks in the top-100 with back-to-back second-rounders in cornerback Lonnie Johnson and guard-tackle Max Scharping. Neither player manifest as a starter for the Texans.

However, that wasn’t the worst selection of the top-100 that year.

How I did: I thought third-round tight end Kahale Warring had a chance to be special, but he didn’t work out. I questioned taking Howard, and he’s been just OK. I liked the pick of Johnson, but he’s now gone.

Warring didn’t see the field until 2020, and he only caught three passes for 35 yards in his seven games with the Texans. Consider running backs Damien Harris, Alexander Mattison, and receiver Miles Boykin were all in the neighborhood of where Houston picked Warring.

The Texans’ other selections were fifth-round defensive end Charles Omenihu, who was traded last year, sixth-round cornerback Xavier Crawford, who was waived after over a month into his rookie season, and seventh-round fullback Cullen Gillaspia, who only played two seasons with the team.

With just one starter developing out of the 2019 class, the Texans didn’t have the homegrown talent to replace departing veterans. Adding general manager duties to O’Brien only doomed his tenure with the Texans.

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