Tag: Michael Ojemudia

Cardinals sign CB Michael Ojemudia

Ojemudia had a very nice rookie season in 2020 but injuries have limited him since then.

The Arizona Cardinals have added a cornerback to their offseason roster. They announced Tuesday they signed former third-round pick Michael Ojemudia to a futures deal for 2024.

Ojemudia is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback who spent last season on the practice squad of the Los Angeles Rams.

He was a 2020 third-round pick of the Denver Broncos out of Iowa.

In his rookie season, he played in 16 games, starting 11, and finished the season with 62 tackles, six pass breakups and four forced fumbles. He was the first rookie in NFL history to record multiple games with two or more forced fumbles and just the third rookie in the last 20 years to force at least four fumbles in a single season.

Injuries limited him to only six games over the next two seasons and then he was with the Rams on their practice squad last year.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Former Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley among Saints free agent tryouts

Former Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley was among a crowd of Saints free agent tryouts on Tuesday, along with five cornerbacks and a 6-foot-7 tight end:

The New Orleans Saints hosted seven free agents for a round of tryouts on Tuesday, including five cornerbacks — and former Atlanta Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley, a pass-rushing defensive end. With a third spot soon opening up on the 53-man roster once Payton Turner goes on injured reserve, as is expected, the Saints will have room for some new faces after elevating other players from the practice squad.

All of these players look like practice squad candidates, which isn’t unusual. The Saints churn the bottom of their depth chart often throughout the season looking for the right blend of young pros and experienced veterans. It’s interesting that there are so many defensive backs in the building but there haven’t been any major injuries to explain the interest, so maybe they’re just after improved depth or more help on special teams. Here’s what you need to know about each free agent who tried out Tuesday:

7 best Bears players who aren’t going to make the 53-man roster

With final roster cuts upon us, here are the best players who probably won’t make the Bears’ initial 53-man roster.

Preseason is in the rearview mirror, and the NFL regular season is less than two weeks away. The small amount of time between is a period of speculation, predictions, and building anticipation for a long 17-game year.

Before we reach that point however, every NFL roster has to be trimmed down to 53 players before the season starts. That means the Chicago Bears have many hard decisions to make in the next 24 hours, as Tuesday is the deadline for roster cuts.

Both the young, talented, but unproven, players and the hardened veterans of the team are not invulnerable to cut day, and players across the spectrum will be bidding Chicago farewell.

With that being said, let’s discuss the seven best Bears players who will be cut on Tuesday.

Note: This list includes players who have already been released.

Bears vs. Bills: Everything we know about Chicago’s 24-21 loss

The Bears dropped their preseason finale to the Buffalo Bills. Here’s everything we know about the loss.

The 2023 preseason is officially in the books for the Chicago Bears following their 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Bears were down from the start after the Bills, with quarterback Josh Allen, took their opening possession 72 yards on 12 plays to get a touchdown. Chicago never led in the game, but did cut the deficit a few times.

The Bears got touchdowns from backup quarterbacks Tyson Bagent and P.J. Walker while Cairo Santos converted all three field goal attempts. Bills backup quarterback Kyle Allen, however, kept the Bears at bay as he led three scoring drives of his own. But the Bears wouldn’t go away easy.

Walker’s touchdown to Robert Burns late in the fourth quarter and a two-point conversion got the Bears within three, but it wasn’t enough as the Bills chewed up clock to ice the game. The Bears finished the preseason 1-2, their first losing preseason since 2019.

Here is everything we know about Chicago’s preseason loss.

Chicago Bears 2023 training camp preview: Cornerback

Next up in our Bears training camp preview is cornerback, a position group they added more depth to this offseason.

Chicago Bears training camp is just around the corner, so it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’re unveiling our Bears 2023 training camp position previews, breaking down every player by position and examining the group’s biggest question.

Up next are the cornerbacks. Chicago’s passing defense ranked last in the NFL in net yards per attempt which explains why the team has drafted three cornerbacks in the last two drafts.

After suffering injuries to cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor last year, the Bears have added more depth and could possibly be getting ready for a future without Johnson.

Here’s a closer look at the Bears’ cornerbacks heading into training camp:

Bears claim CB Michael Ojemudia, waive DL Taco Charlton

Bears claim former Denver Broncos CB Michael Ojemudia, waive DL Taco Charlton.

The Chicago Bears made a move to bolster their secondary for the final few games, claiming cornerback Michael Ojemudia off waivers from the Denver Broncos and waiving defensive end Taco Charlton on Wednesday afternoon.

Ojemudia was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Iowa by the Broncos. He played in all 16 games his rookie year, starting 11 of them, and forced four fumbles. He played sparingly in 2021 and 2022, though, in part due to injuries. Over the course of those two seasons, Ojemudia appeared in just five games total. He was placed on waivers on Tuesday. He joins a Bears secondary that has been decimated with injuries to players such as Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor.

To make room for Ojemudia, the Bears waived Charlton, who had joined the team halfway through the season after spending the first half on the New Orleans Saints practice squad. The former first-round pick out of Michigan appeared in five games for the Bears, notching just three total tackles.

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Broncos cut former 3rd-round pick Michael Ojemudia

Michael Ojemudia has been waived by the Broncos, according to 9News.

The Denver Broncos continue cleaning house.

In addition to firing three coaches on Monday, the Denver Broncos have also started parting ways with players. Denver waived cornerback Michael Ojemudia on Tuesday, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Denver also signed defensive back Delonte Hood and tight end Dalton Keene to the practice squad and released running back Devine Ozigbo from the practice squad, the team announced.

Ojemudia (6-1, 200 pounds) was selected by former Broncos general manager John Elway in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Iowa. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, earning 11 starts.

Ojemudia totaled 62 tackles, six pass breakups and four forced fumbles in his first season. His career then went downhill.

Ojemudia was limited by injuries in 2021 and he played in just two games last year, earning one start. He totaled 11 tackles and broke up two passes in those contests.

Ojemudia was sidelined by injuries again for much of the 2022 season. He appeared in just three games this year, playing primarily on special teams.

Still only 25 years old, “OJ” will likely get an opportunity to continue his career with another team, health permitting.

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Broncos activate 3 from IR, elevate 2 from practice squad for ‘MNF’

The Broncos activated DB Justin Simmons, CB Michael Ojemudia and TE Greg Dulcich from IR ahead of MNF.

The Denver Broncos are getting some reinforcements ahead of their Monday Night Football showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Broncos have activated safety Justin Simmons (quad), cornerback Greg Dulcich (hamstring) and cornerback Michael Ojemudia (elbow) from injured reserve to the 53-man roster, the team announced Monday.

Denver had three open spots on the active roster before those activations so no corresponding roster moves were needed to make room for the trio of players.

Additionally, the Broncos elevated safety Anthony Harris and long snapper Mitchell Fraboni from the practice squad to the game-day roster for Week 6. Harris will help fill in for injured safety Caden Sterns on special teams. Fraboni will be filling in for injured long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer.

Players on the practice squad can be elevated to the game-day roster up to three times during the season without having to clear waivers to revert back to the practice squad after the game. This week marks a second elevation for Harris and the first elevation for Fraboni.

Monday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN (how to watch).

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Broncos hope to have 3 players return from IR this week

The Broncos hope to have DB Justin Simmons, TE Greg Dulcich and CB Michael Ojemudia back in action this week.

Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons (quad), tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring) and cornerback Michael Ojemudia (elbow) are eligible to return from injured reserve this week, and the team is hoping all three will be activated before Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“That’s what we’re looking for,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said Thursday. “We’re going to try to get them out here practicing and see where they’re at.

“Right now, we have that timeframe that you’re allowed to keep them in practice and get them acclimated after they’ve been out for quite a while. We’ll get them practicing, we’ll see where they’re at, and play that by ear. We’re hoping.”

Denver will practice again on Friday and Saturday before traveling to L.A. for Monday’s game against the Chargers. The team probably won’t make any IR decisions until after Saturday’s practice.

“We would definitely like them to be fully ready, but we’ll just have to try to evaluate that throughout practice,” Hackett said of the possibility of Dulcich and Ojemudia making their 2022 debuts in Week 6.

The Broncos currently have three open spots on the 53-man roster, so there’s room for Simmons, Dulcich and Ojemudia — if they’re ready.

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3 injured Broncos designated to return from injured reserve

Broncos have three open spots on the 53-man roster: Justin Simmons, Greg Dulcich and Michael Ojemudia are all eligible to return this week.

There’s some good news on the injury front for the Denver Broncos this week.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons (quad), tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring) and cornerback Michael Ojemudia (elbow) all returned to practice on Tuesday, starting their 21-day windows to return to the active roster.

Simmons, Dulcich and Ojemudia returning to practice officially marked them as “designated to return” from injured reserve. If the players are not activated to the 53-man roster within three weeks, they will spend the entire season on IR, but it appears that they are all on track to return — soon.

“They have gone through that four-week time period through the IR rules, and we’re looking for them to get out there,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said Tuesday.

NFL teams are allowed to bring back up to eight players from IR each season. Simmons, Dulcich and Ojemudia would be the first three returning plays for Denver this year. The Broncos currently have three open spots on the roster, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see all three players officially return to the active roster later this week.

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