Tag: Maxx Williams

87 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

Tight end Maxx Williams was an impactful No. 87 for the Cardinals.

We are yet a day closer to the start of the 2024 NFL regular season and the Arizona Cardinals have concluded their offseason program. Today,  Thursday, it is 87 days away from their season opener when they take the field in Week 1 ay Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park to face the Buffalo Bills.

No. 87 belongs to a rookie. After veteran tight end Geoff Swaim wore it last season, third-round pick Tip Reiman now has it.

Many are excited about Reiman because he enters the league with the expectation that he can be a solid blocker from the very start.

Ideally, he will be an impact player.

Who was the last reasonably impactful player to wear No. 87?

That might be Swaim, but he played less than a full season, although his influence on Trey McBride in his breakout season can’t be overlooked.

But we will say it was the player to wear it before Swaim — tight end Maxx Williams.

Williams was signed by the Cardinals in 2019 and played through 2022.

He was adored by head coach Kliff Kingsbury because he was able to do everything as a tight end, whether it was blocking or catching the ball. He never had more than 16 catches in a season for the Cardinals but he was a very important part of the offense, especially in the run game, making things easier for both Kenyan Drake and James Conner.

In 2021, he was off to a career-best start, catching 16 passes in five games (his career-high was 32) but he tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season. He came back to play 11 games in 2022 but battled through the year because the knee injury affected his day-to-day life as well.

Maxx Williams was awesome.

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PFF believes Commanders should sign former second-round tight end

Adding a veteran tight end ahead of training camp wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Commanders.

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The Washington Commanders feel good about their tight end position for 2023. Literally, no one outside of the Washington organization shares that same optimism.

Are the Commanders being overly optimistic, or are others correct in their assessment of Washington’s tight ends?

It’s fair to question if the Commanders have enough at tight end. Washington is counting on Logan Thomas returning to health and a cast of young players to take a step forward. Things became more difficult for the Commanders when Armani Rogers injured his Achilles on Day 1 of OTAs.

Head coach Ron Rivera has repeatedly stated he’s happy with Washington’s tight ends. Cole Turner, like Rogers, is another exciting young player that, if healthy, the Commanders believe can be a starting-caliber performer.

With less than one month until training camp, Washington could still add a veteran to the room. Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus believes the Commanders should sign 29-year-old veteran Maxx Williams.

Washington quietly has a pretty solid and deep roster on both sides of the ball, with their offensive line upgraded over the course of the offseason and their secondary adding two potential impact players in the 2023 NFL Draft in first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and second-round defensive back Jartavius Martin. Another addition at offensive tackle or guard would make sense, as well, but we went in a different direction here.

There are a few young tight ends behind Logan Thomas who the Commanders are optimistic about, notably 2021 fourth-round pick John Bates — a stout run blocker — but adding another depth piece in Maxx Williams couldn’t hurt now that he’s recovered from an unfortunate ACL tear sustained at the worst possible time in 2021. Through Week 5 of 2021, Williams was earning a 77.6 receiving grade with 16 receptions, as many receptions as he’d had in a full season since 2015. Perhaps more importantly, Williams’ 81.0 run-blocking grade since 2015 is the top mark in the NFL over the span.

Williams was a second-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2015. He’s spent the last three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. In his career, Williams has played in 72 games with 44 starts. He has 102 receptions for 994 yards and six touchdowns.

Everything Spielberger said is correct. The Commanders do have a solid roster, and while there is promise at tight end, adding another veteran would bolster depth in case of another injury.

10 free agent tight ends the New Orleans Saints should consider

The New Orleans Saints could use a blocking tight end after they traded Adam Trautman. Here are 10 free agents who could help the team:

The New Orleans Saints could use a blocking tight end after they traded Adam Trautman during the NFL draft — Juwan Johnson has developed into a competent blocker but he’s at his best running routes, catching passes, and scoring touchdowns. And he should benefit in that department with Derek Carr throwing to him. But someone needs to pick up the 519 snaps Trautman played last year.

Maybe one of the backups impresses this summer. Guys like Lucas Krull, Miller Forristall, and Joel Wilson have put up some good game tape in the past. But as a group they don’t inspire a ton of confidence, and this looks like a role the Saints could upgrade without investing a weighty contract. Taysom Hill isn’t a big part of this equation either given all of his other responsibilities on offense.

And the clock is ticking. Veteran tight ends like Eric Tomlinson (Houston Texans), Stephen Carlson (Chicago Bears), and even Dan Arnold (Philadelphia Eagles) have all been signed by other teams during the last week. The Saints do need to take action sooner or later. Here are 10 free agents who could help the team:

Cardinals could have a few players retire this offseason

J.J. Watt has concluded his NFL career. The Cardinals could have a few others retire this offseason as well.

The Arizona Cardinals bid farewell to a 4-13 2022 season and also to defensive lineman J.J. Watt, who announced he would retire after the season.

However, with big changes coming this offseason between hiring a new head coach and general manager, Watt might not be the only player retiring.

The Cardinals have a number of players who could decide to move on to other things, closing the chapter on their football playing careers.

Who are they? Read on.

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Marquise Brown not activated from IR; Maxx Williams, Michael Dogbe elevated

Brown will not play against the 49ers but Maxx Williams will with Zach Ertz out for the rest of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals announced a pair of roster moves Monday afternoon, hours before they kicked off against the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City. However, the news is the roster move they didn’t announce.

They did not activate receiver Marquise Brown from injured reserve, who has missed the last four games with a foot injury. His return is delayed at least one more game.

The moves the Cardinals made were to elevate tight end Maxx Williams and defensive lineman Michael Dogbe from the practice squad.

With Zach Ertz done for the rest of the season after knee surgery, the Cardinals will bring back Williams to play with rookie Trey McBride. Ertz was not yet placed on injured reserve.

Dogbe was released last week before the game and re-signed to the practice squad this week.

He has appeared in nine of the Cardinals’ 10 games this season.

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TE Maxx Williams re-signed to practice squad

Williams needs time to get confident in his surgically repaired knee. The team wants him around still.

The Arizona Cardinals released veteran tight end Maxx Williams, a move that was a bit surprising. He is back with the team now, as the Cardinals announce he was re-signed to the practice squad.

The team needed the roster spot over the weekend and Williams’ salary is fully guaranteed for the remainder of the season.

He is still working through recovering from his knee injury. He tore his ACL last season in Week 5.

The release had nothing to do with performance. Everyone wants him there and to be able to contribute.

“Obviously, we want Maxx to be here,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Monday when he spoke with reporters. “We love what he’s about. He’s one of the real leaders in the locker room and we just want him to continue to work and feel more and more confident on that leg. That was the biggest thing. Let’s get you back, continue to build confidence on that and at some point, I’m sure we’ll have him active again and rocking with us.”

Williams will continue to be with the team and train, and he will continue to earn his salary.

We might yet seem him suit up later this season.

To make room for Williams on the practice squad, the team released receiver C.J. Board.

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Cardinals release TE Maxx Williams

Williams was released in a move that might be some roster manipulation.

In what can be called nothing short of a surprise, the Arizona Cardinals have released tight end Maxx Williams. It was not a move anyone saw coming.

The move comes after he played a season-high 23 snaps in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers.

Williams is a vested veteran so he is not subject to waivers. And as a vested veteran, he is guaranteed the remaining part of his salary.

The move could be simple roster manipulation to allow for players to be activated off injured reserve, much like they did with linebacker Devon Kennard to start the year.

Since he is not subject to waivers, he can simply sign with the practice squad next week and can be elevated to play, it might not happen this week.

The Cardinals did not announce any other roster moves. They will announce moves on Saturday for practice squad elevations and other injury moves.

It was Williams’ fourth season with the Cardinals.

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Cardinals TE Maxx Williams activated from PUP

Williams should be ready to go for the regular season based on his return from his torn ACL now.

The Arizona Cardinals got back a key offensive player on Thursday. The team announced that tight end Maxx Williams was activated from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list Thursday, allowing him to practice for the first time in training camp.

Williams was recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 5 of last season.

Williams’ return comes a week before the team’s first preseason game. He likely will not play much in the preseason, but his return to practice makes it likely he will be healthy enough to play in the season opener.

Williams was having the start to what appeared to be a career season last year. He had 16 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown in the first five games of the season before he injured his knee.

Williams is a very good blocking tight end and the offense was at its best when he was part of it.

His return makes the tight end room very deep, as the Cardinals also have Zach Ertz and Trey McBride, a highly touted tight end they drafted in the second round this year.

Williams was suited up and in pads for Thursday’s practice.

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Injuries to watch as Cardinals open training camp

The status of Maxx Williams, Hollywood Brown and D.J. Humphries are worth noting as camp starts.

The Arizona Cardinals opened training camp on Tuesday and held their first practice Wednesday. Not everyone is completely healthy.

As they open camp and begin competition and preparation for the coming season, below are the players with injuries or recovering from injuries to know about.

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Cardinals TE Maxx Williams begins training camp on PUP

Williams is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last year in Week 5. The team anticipates a decision will have to be made near the end of camp.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Maxx Williams was not expected to be ready to practice during training camp, coming back from a severe knee injury he suffered last season. He will not be active to start camp as the team announced he was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Williams will still occupy a spot on the 90-man training camp roster and he is ineligible to practice with the team while on PUP. Placing him on the list to start camp creates some roster flexibility later on in case he is not ready to play when the regular season begins. If he remains on the preseason PUP when final cuts are made, he can bypass injured reserve and the 53-man roster to land on the regular season PUP, which would not burn a roster spot.

If he comes off PUP at any time before final cuts, he will be ineligible for the regular-season PUP list.

Williams suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 last season. He is working hard, but head coach Kliff Kingsbury said earlier in the offseason that it will probably be closer to the end of training camp before they have to make a decision on him.

Williams played in five games last season and was on pace for a career year. He had 16 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown.

His contract expired after the season and he re-signed on a one-year deal.

Kyler Murray contract extension details, salary, bonuses, salary cap information and more

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