Tag: Micah Kiser

What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at LB ahead of free agency

Assessing Raiders level of need at linebacker with free agency approaching

We take a look at the linebacker position for the Raiders ahead of free agency to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Returning starters: Divine Deablo

Depth: Luke Masterson, Darien Butler, Harvey Langi, Curtis Bolton
Free agents: Denzel Perryman, Jayon Brown, Micah Kiser

Deablo earned the starting job entering his second NFL season. After eight start, he was lost for the remainder of the season.

Perryman headed to the Pro Bowl after the 2021 season. He followed that up with 84 combined tackles last season while missing five games and seeing less than 70% of the snaps in five other games.

Undrafted rookie Masterson stepped in for Perryman to make seven starts. He showed some flashes and it may be a risky proposition to expect him to step into a starting job full time.

Condition: Serious

Why: Losing Perryman would be significant. If they don’t re-sign him, they will have to be in the market for his replacement.

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1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC West Edition

Listing one free agent from each of the Chargers’ division rivals who could be a fit for them.

The Chargers won’t be as aggressive as they have been in recent years when it comes to signing free agents.

While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Tom Telesco will likely make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some low-cost players.

That said, I will list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

First up is the AFC West.

Recent key injuries at linebacker leads to Raiders signing LB Curtis Bolton

Raiders sign LB Curtis Bolton due to injuries to 2 key linebackers the past 3 days.

The past few days have seen the Raiders lose two key newcomers at linebacker. First it was Kyler Fackrell who was expected to contribute some edge rush from the outside linebacker spot and recently it was Micah Kiser who left practice on a cart.

After the Fackrell injury, the team hosted a couple of linebacker for workouts. One of those linebackers was Curtis Bolton.

If the Fackrell injury wasn’t to enough for them to have them sign one of those linebackers, then the Kiser injury certainly was.

In a matter of hours, Bolton was signed and this morning took the field with the team.

Bolton went undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2019, originally signing with the Green Bay Packers.

Injuries had him miss his rookie season and cut heading into his second season. From there he spent time on the practice squad for the Texans, Colts, 49ers, and Lions before seeing his first action for the Lions over the final five games of last season. He played primarily on special teams.

The Murrieta California native tweeted out yesterday that he had just signed with his childhood team for which his father was a diehard fan.

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8 Broncos free agents have signed with other teams

Seven Broncos free agents have signed with other teams this offseason, headlined by QB Teddy Bridgewater.

The Denver Broncos re-signed 10 of their in-house free agents this offseason and 12 of the team’s free agents remain unsigned. Meanwhile, eight of the team’s out-of-contract players signed with new teams.

Here’s a quick look at the ex-Broncos who found new homes this spring.

Broncos made several roster moves ahead of Week 14

The Broncos activated CB Bryce Callahan, LB Micah Kiser and CB Michael Ojemudia from IR and placed OLB Malik Reed on Reserve/COVID-19 ahead of today’s game against the Lions.

The Denver Broncos made four roster moves ahead of their Week 14 showdown with the Detroit Lions. Here’s a quick look at the team’s transactions.

Broncos made several roster moves this week

The Broncos signed guard Zack Johnson to the practice squad and made several other roster moves.

Mac McCain III’s going to get whiplash soon.

McCain signed with the Denver Broncos as undrafted free agent out of North Carolina A&T in the spring but did not make the initial 53-man roster. McCain then began the season on Denver’s practice squad.

The Philadelphia Eagles later signed McCain off the Broncos’ practice squad to their active roster, only to cut him on Nov. 9. Denver then claimed McCain off waivers from Philly, and then waived him on Nov. 23.

The Eagles re-claimed McCain on Nov. 24, and he can only hope the bumpy ride he’s had this season will now start to settle down.

Denver also activated guard Austin Schlottmann from the Reserve/COVID-19 list and restored outside linebacker Pita Taumoepenu from the Practice Squad/COVID-19 list to the practice squad.

The Broncos also designated inside linebacker Micah Kiser to return from injured reserve. Kiser now has a 21-day window to be activated to the 53-man roster.

Finally, Denver also signed guard Zack Johnson to the practice squad and protected tight end Shaun Beyer and wide receiver Seth Williams on the practice squad. Other teams will not be allowed to poach Beyer or Williams off the Broncos’ practice squad this week.

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Broncos sign LB Micah Kiser off Rams’ practice squad

After losing Josey Jewell to injury, the Broncos brought in Micah Kiser to provide more depth at linebacker.

The Denver Broncos have signed inside linebacker Micah Kiser off the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad, The Denver Post‘s Ryan O’Halloran  first reported on Wednesday.

Kiser’s one-year deal with the Broncos includes $600,000 fully guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Kiser (6-0, 244 pounds) entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Virginia with the Rams in 2018. After playing as a rotational defender as a rookie, Kiser spent the 2019 season on injured reserve before starting in name games last season.

Last year, Kiser totaled 77 tackles, three pass breakups and one forced fumble in Los Angeles. He will now likely serve as one of the team’s rotational linebackers while also playing on special teams.

Kiser was signed to fill the spot on the active roster that became available when Josey Jewell (pectoral) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Justin Strnad is expected to start in Jewell’s place, but Kiser could push for playing time.

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Broncos signing LB Micah Kiser off Rams’ practice squad

The Broncos are signing Micah Kiser off the Rams’ practice squad.

The Rams’ inside linebacker depth just got a bit thinner. The Broncos are signing Micah Kiser off the team’s practice squad, which was first reported by Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. This comes just days after the Rams promoted Kiser to the active roster for their Week 2 game against the Colts, though he did revert to the practice squad immediately after.

Kiser started nine games for the Rams last season before suffering a knee injury and missing the rest of the regular season. He had 77 tackles and three passes defensed in 2020 but failed to make the 53-man roster this year and was signed to the practice squad.

Kiser only played special teams on Sunday against the Colts but will now get a chance to contribute on Denver’s defense, especially with Josey Jewell out for the season.

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Rams announce final roster cuts, including Micah Kiser and Justin Lawler

The Rams announced their final roster moves to get the team down to 53 players, waiving Micah Kiser, Justin Lawler and Xavier Jones.

The Los Angeles Rams began trimming their roster on Monday afternoon when they waived six players in the first round of cuts. They continued sifting through the 74 players remaining on Tuesday, finally setting their initial 53-man roster just before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Below is the list of the first six players cut by the Rams on Monday.

  • DB Brontae Harris
  • WR Jeremiah Haydel
  • G Jeremiah Kolone
  • G Jordan Meredith
  • DB Donovan Olumba
  • DB Troy Warner

And here are the players they waived on Tuesday to get their roster down to 53. They also placed Coleman Shelton on the reserve/COVID-19 list and traded Corey Bojorquez to the Packers.

There aren’t any huge surprises on the list, and you’ll notice Johnny Hekker’s name isn’t on it. He made the team over Bojorquez after restructuring his contract.

Xavier Jones was waived/injured, which means he can revert to injured reserve if he clears waivers. He would miss the 2021 season in that case, however.

Could the Rams trade Micah Kiser before final roster cuts?

With plenty of options at linebacker, the Rams could trade Micah Kiser, according to Albert Breer.

The Los Angeles Rams may not be rich with talent at inside linebacker, but what they don’t lack is depth. Troy Reeder and Kenny Young are projected to be the starters, with Ernest Jones, Travin Howard, Micah Kiser and Christian Rozeboom also on the depth chart behind them.

It’s highly unlikely that the Rams will carry more than four inside linebackers on the 53-man roster, especially considering they typically only play two of them in a given game. That opens the door for at least two of them to be cut before Tuesday’s deadline.

But what if the Rams instead choose to trade someone in an attempt to recoup a draft pick? According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it’s possible. In his MMQB column on Monday, he noted that the Rams are among the teams that could trade a linebacker, specifically mentioning Kiser’s name.

And Cleveland would be a third team where you can find a linebacker. Mack Wilson, who’s been up and down, is a name the Browns have taken calls on. The Rams (Micah Kiser) and Cowboys (Jaylon Smith) are two other teams that could deal a linebacker.

Kiser wouldn’t seem to carry much value on the trade market, being a former fifth-round pick in the final year of his contract. The Rams certainly aren’t going to get more than a fifth-rounder in return, but a seventh-rounder might be enough to get a deal done if the Rams plan to cut Kiser anyway.

If the Rams trade Kiser, they’ll save only $850,000 in cap space, so this isn’t just a financial decision. It’s about recouping an asset for a player who may not make the team. Los Angeles should feel comfortable with Young, Reeder, Howard and Jones at linebacker to start the season.

Kiser started nine games last season and made 77 tackles with three passes defensed and one QB hit. He won NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 2 thanks to his 16 tackles, one pass breakup and forced fumble, but he was just too inconsistent when on the field.

He didn’t play much this preseason, getting just 31 snaps on defense, but he had the highest defensive grade of any Rams player at 88.2, according to Pro Football Focus. So perhaps that will help his value on the trade market.

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