Tag: Max Tooley

Texans make first practice squad signing with LB Max Tooley

Max Tooley is headed back to the Houston Texans for the 2024 season.

The Houston Texans are bringing back Max Tooley.

According to The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M Alexander, the Texans are re-signing the rookie linebacker as a practice squad member. Tooley put together a decent preseason as a member of the third-team defense and on speical teams.

Tooley, an undrafted free agent out of BYU, was released following Saturday’s preseason finale against the Rams. In four preseason games, Tooley totaled 11 tackles and a forced fumble against the New York Giants.

At BYU, Tooley was one of Kalani Sitake’s top defensive players. Last season, the 6-foot-3 linebacker recorded 92 tackles a sack and an interception.

Tooley could be raised for three games before being signed to the active roster. The Texans currently have six linebackers on the 53-man squad, plus third-year starter Christian Harris on the short-term injured reserve.

Houston opens the regular season on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. Kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium is scheduled for noon.

Is Texans UDFA LB Max Tooley a lock to make final 53-man roster?

Max Tooley, who graded out by Pro Football Focus as the Houston Texans’ highest-rated player on Thursday night, might have a case of making the final 53-man roster.

The Houston Texans have 90 players fighting for 53 spots on the active roster. Each position differs in the amount of talent needed to be successful.

At linebacker, the Texans often carry five or depending on how they factor in on special teams. Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris and Henry To’oTo’o seem like locks to make the roster. Special teams tackling guru Neville Hewitt probably has an inside track given his previous experience.

As for the last spot or two, BYU standout Max Tooley has gained ground over the past two weeks during the early stages of training camp. During Thursday’s 21-17 loss in the Hall of Fame game, the undrafted free agent recorded two tackles and one pressure against Bears quarterback Brett Rypien.

Usually, one undrafted free agent makes the roster since they shine in the preseason. According to Bleacher Report, Tooley has the best chance among those in Houston entering August.

“Being a bottom-of-the-depth-chart linebacker in the league usually entails playing just about everywhere on special teams,” BR’s Alex Ballentine writes. “At 6’2″ and 225 pounds with a reasonable 4.58-second 40-yard dash, Tooley should be able to contribute in that department. Tooley also had solid ball production for a linebacker at BYU with seven career interceptions and eight pass breakups. He’s already earned a shoutout from veteran safety Jimmie Ward for the skills he’s shown in camp. It doesn’t hurt that his primary competition for a roster spot might come from fellow rookie Jamal Hill, who was only a sixth-round pick.”

Should Tooley only improve throughout the rest of training camp, he could build a solid case to be included on the final 53-man squad. He’ll have competition with Jacob Phillips and Hill, plus fellow UDFA Tarique Barnes.

Ryans praised Phillips on Friday for his attentiveness in practice after coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries. The former third-round pick by Cleveland was expected to be a star before a pectoral injury sidelined him for all of the 2023 season.

“Jacob has continued to improve, continued to show and compete,” Ryans said. “It’s a competition, right, so we have a lot of guys in that linebacker room. Jacob has continued to show the improvement, continued to show playing our style of play, playing fast, playing physical, playing relentless so just want to continue to see those improvements from him.”

Texans training camp: DeMeco Ryans addresses recent in-practice scuffles

While not a fan of the recent number of scuffles, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is looking to use the experience as a teaching moment before the start of the season.

DeMeco Ryans spent 10 seasons in the NFL before electing to turn in his helmet for a headset, during which he saw his fair share of scuffles and skirmishes internally between the offense and defense while leading up to the regular season.

Seven practices into training camp, the Texans have seen two small fights break out. On Wednesday, Derek Stingley Jr. went after tight end Dalton Schultz moments after Jimmie Ward lowered his shoulder to deliver a blow to Stefon Diggs.

Two days later, rookie linebacker Max Tooley nearly had an interception but ran into receiver Ben Skowronek. While not as intense as Wednesday’s scuffle, the two did exchange a few polite jabs before teammates broke it up.

Football — as tight end Brevin Jordan describes — is a game that features “a bunch of grown men with a bunch of testosterone.” They want to hit, especially now that pads have been added to the equation.

Ryans, a former Pro Bowl linebacker, often tries to find a positive in any negative. For scuffles, the second-year coach said it’s a lesson on learning when and how to hit once before actions translate over to gamedays.

“For me if we’re in a game, are you throwing hands in a game? If you do, then you’re thrown out of the game,” Ryans said Friday following practice. “For me, it’s just learning a lesson that if you throw punches, or whatever you do, are you really protecting the team? Because now you’re kicked out of the game. I don’t want it, I don’t like it.”

On gamedays, any late hit will lead to an ejection, thus leaving the 53-man roster short a man and oftentimes a starter. For Ryans, it’s sloppy and an overall putrid representation of the team.

But it’s still football. Things happen when tensions rise. Ryans knows that little hiccups will come in the early stages of camp. It happened last year when Christian Harris and Devin Singletary exchanged shoves after a hit on a swing pass.

The response, however, is more important than the interaction.

“We just want guys to move forward from it. Nobody is holding any grudges,” Ryans said. “We’re still teammates. We’re still brothers. Skirmishes happen in our families all the time. We get upset, but at the end of the day we’re still family and it’s still all love.”

The Texans will finally have a chance to hit someone other than a teammate when they take on the Bears next Thursday in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

Know Your Foe: BYU Cougars to know ahead of Oklahoma’s final Big 12 road game

Taking a look at Cougars to know ahead of Oklahoma’s matchup with BYU in Utah on Saturday.

Oklahoma will play its last road game as a Big 12 member on Saturday. Brent Venables leads his team to scenic Provo, Utah, where they take on the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] as they scrap to keep their Big 12 title hopes alive.

For Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big 12), it’s somewhat funny that their last road game as a founding Big 12 member will come against one of the conference’s newest additions. However, the mission remains the same: win.

BYU (5-5, 2-5) is looking to get that signature win and, most importantly, clinch bowl eligibility. Motivation won’t be lacking for either team. BYU has had a very up-and-down season, mirroring how Oklahoma looked at some points last year.

The Cougars have some talented pieces, but it’ll take those players and a nearly flawless game to beat Oklahoma on Saturday. How does BYU stack up? Who are their playmakers and difference makers? We’ve covered that below as we break down some BYU Cougars to know ahead of the game.

Know the Opponent: BYU’s improved defense primed to slow down Ducks

BYU brings a much-improved defense from a year ago inside Autzen Stadium in hopes of slowing the Ducks down.

BYU would be the first ones to tell you that its defense wasn’t that good last season. The Cougars allowed over 25 points and nearly 400 yards of total offense per game.

What a difference a year has made.

So far, the defense in Provo has been excellent and the Cougars expect more of the same as BYU heads into Autzen Stadium to face an Oregon offense that is looking for big plays downfield.

Easier said than done, however.

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Baylor has been known for explosion plays over the last decade or so, but against this BYU defense, they were nowhere to be found. In the 26-20 double overtime victory, the Cougars held the Bears to just 289 yards of offense.

That’s usually a typical half for Baylor.

But against BYU’s 4-2-5 alignment, the Bears had a tough time moving the ball down the field on a consistent basis. Finding their way into the opponent’s backfield was a tough task for BYU in 2021 as they only garnered 20 sacks and 64 tackles for loss.

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In 2022, the Cougars have lived in the backfield with five sacks already, including four last week. Having healthy linebackers seems to have done the trick as both Keenan Pili and Payton Wilgar are back from injury. Those two along with their leading tackler from a year ago, Ben Bywater, and second-leading tackler Max Tooley, BYU has a linebacker corps that would rival anyone in the country.

According to Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, their athleticism and knowledge of the game are what make BYU’s linebackers different from others.

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“They play a lot of vision break defense, so when you watch them play, you’re gonna see a lot of zone eyes where when the ball is thrown, you have guys swarm to the ball because they have a vision of it,” he said. “They’re not necessarily a man-match team or a lot of man-to-man and because of that, backers are gonna swarm around the ball, they’re gonna be able to get interceptions on tip balls or get their hands on the balls. We have to do a good job of protecting and finding those small windows in between the defenders.”

The BYU defenders have just one interception in their first two games, but if Oregon’s Bo Nix isn’t careful with the ball, that number will definitely increase.

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