Tag: Michael Schofield

Former Panthers on this year’s Conference Championship teams

11 former Panthers are now members of this year’s Conference Championship teams.

Sunday’s Conference Championship Round will have a few familiar faces.

Here are the 11 former Carolina Panthers who are currently members of the 2023 season’s final four teams:

Lions waive freshly activated FB Jason Cabinda in a series of roster moves

Cabinda was activated from I.R. and then waived in a span of 24 hours

It’s been a weird 24 hours with the Detroit Lions on the NFL’s transaction wire. After making some moves on Thursday, primarily activating FB Jason Caibnda from the injured reserve, GM Brad Holmes and the Lions were busy on Friday.

Cabinda was waived on Friday in a surprising maneuver. Waiving Cabinda means he will not be eligible to rejoin the team in time for Saturday night’s game in Dallas.

Taking Cabinda’s spot on the 53-man roster is kicker Michael Badgley. That move was expected, with Badgley facing the final practice squad elevation for 2023 after being elevated the last two weeks. Detroit still has one other opening on the 53-man roster.

Also, the Lions shuffled the practice squad. The team released DL Chris Smith and brought back OL Michael Schofield to the practice squad.

Waiving Cabinda could be a move designed to protect other players at the bottom of the roster whom the Lions wish to keep. It’s unlikely any other team will claim Cabinda for a couple of reasons. First, few teams utilize a straight fullback like Cabinda; most already have their FB or use a hybrid TE or extra OL in the role, if needed. Secondly, Cabinda is coming off an injury and has bene sight unseen for any team that might be interested.

Lions add CB Craig James to the practice squad

James is in his fifth NFL season and was last with the New York Jets

The practice squad deck got shuffled once again for the Detroit Lions. On Thursday, the Lions signed cornerback Craig James to the practice squad and released offensive lineman Michael Schofield to make room for James.

James, 27, had been on and off the New York Jets’ practice squad several times over the last two NFL seasons. He played in two games for New York in 2023, seeing action on 32 defensive snaps. The 5-foot-10 James is primarily a slot corner and does have over 300 special teams reps across five NFL seasons.

He’s also played for the Vikings and Eagles since joining Minnesota as an undrafted rookie from Southern Illinois in the 2018 season. James is not any relation to the former NFL running back of the same name.

Schofield had been on the Lions practice squad since mid-November. The 33-year-old did not get elevated for any games.

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Grading the Bears 2022 free agency class

Ryan Poles made many low-risk moves for the Bears last year in free agency. Here’s how we graded his signings.

The 2023 free agency period is almost here and the Chicago Bears are sure to be active with what should be an exciting offseason. With the most available cap space in the NFL, the Bears should be able to pay top dollar to the free agent of their choice. It’s a big difference from where the team was last offseason during Ryan Poles’ first year as general manager.

Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus took a more conservative approach to free agency, focusing on quantity with one and two-year deals as they had to manage millions of dollars in dead cap. None of their 2022 signings broke the bank, ensuring they had plenty of flexibility this offseason after they had a chance to evaluate the team.

Now that nearly a full year has passed since last free agency began, we graded each significant free agent signing the Bears made in 2022.

Women’s History Month Spotlight: three-time Olympic medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield

President of the PWHPA, Olympic champion Kendall Coyne Schofield won the 2023 PWHPA Humanitarian Award.

This Women’s History Month, I will be spotlighting women athletes and their achievements in college, after college, and beyond. Athletes are humans first and while I want to highlight their athletic ability and achievements, I also want to point a spotlight on what they are doing off their field of play.

There is no doubt Kendall Coyne Schofield, left wing for the United States Women’s Ice Hockey Team, is athletically talented. She has won two silvers and one gold at the Olympics and is a 6-time IIHF Women’s World Champion among numerous other on-ice accolades. In 2019, she became the first woman to compete in the NHL Skills Competition as a Fastest Skater competitor. She recorded a time of 14.346 and while she didn’t win, she didn’t come in last either.

The winner of the competition, Connor McDavid with a time of 13.378, said of Coyne Schofield, “When she took off I was like, ‘Wow!’ I thought she might have won, the way she was moving. She was a really good skater and it’s an amazing thing for the game when they can see her participate like that in an event like this.”

Her off-ice accomplishments stand-out as well. Coyne Schofield attended Northeastern University where she played ice hockey and graduated with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both summa cum laude.

In 2020, she parlayed her education and love of sport, and joined the ownership group of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). That is not the only elite women’s sports entity in which she is involved. Her background in hockey led her to be the President and a board member of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) where she helps further the PWHPA’s work to create a sustainable and viable professional women’s hockey league. She also competes in the PWHPA’s Dream Gap Tour on Team Adidas.

Recently, she penned a book, As Fast As Her, about her life and accomplishments which came out in 2022.

This month she announced on Instagram that she and her husband, Chicago Bears offensive guard Michael Schofield, are expecting their first child this summer.

And to cap it all off, she won the PWHPA’s Humanitarian Award for her work on and off the ice. Not only is she elite as an athlete, she continues to use her platform to change the game for other women in sport. We salute you Kendall and thank you for your tireless efforts both in and out of sport.

Bears 2023 free agency preview: Should Chicago bring back Michael Schofield?

Michael Schofield served as a key reserve along the interior of the Bears’ offensive line in 2022.

NFL free agency will be here before we know it, and the Chicago Bears have plenty of players set to hit the market. From key starters to valuable reserves, general manager Ryan Poles will have important decisions to make about who to bring back.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going through each individual player and breaking down their 2022 performance and whether or not they fit in the Bears’ long-term plans.

Next up is Michael Schofield, who served as a key reserve along the interior of the offensive line for the Bears in 2022.

Bears 2022 OL review: Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones bright spots among struggling unit

Our next Bears position review of 2022 looks at the offensive line, which featured some standouts on a struggling unit.

The Chicago Bears wrapped the 2022 season with a 3-14 record, which culminated in a 10-game losing streak. But there’s still reasons to be optimistic about the future, including a boatload of salary cap space, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and the emergence of quarterback Justin Fields.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position through the 2022 Bears and grading every player. Next up is the offensive line, which had its share of struggles in pass protection and will likely be overhauled this offseason.

Bears place Teven Jenkins, Michael Schofield, Josh Blackwell on IR

The Bears made several roster moves ahead of Sunday’s season finale against the Vikings, which included Teven Jenkins landing on IR.

The Chicago Bears made several roster moves ahead of Sunday’s finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

Chicago placed offensive linemen Teven Jenkins and Michael Schofield, along with rookie cornerback Josh Blackwell, on injured reserve Wednesday.

Jenkins exited last Sunday’s game against the Lions after aggravating a neck injury he suffered against the Eagles a couple of weeks prior. Jenkins, a former second-round pick, has been the Bears’ best offensive lineman this season.

After Jenkins went down against the Lions, Schofield replaced him at right guard. Schofield, an eight-year veteran, then suffered a knee injury in the second quarter. Jenkins has served as a key reserve at guard this season.

Blackwell started this season as an undrafted rookie free agent. He was claimed by the Bears, but he didn’t see the field on defense until injuries in the secondary elevated him from special teams contributor to starting cornerback.

In corresponding roster moves, the Bears have signed linebackers DeMarquis Gates and Terrell Lewis and defensive end Jalyn Holmes from the practice squad to the active roster.

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Michael Schofield, Larry Borom mentioned as Bears’ potential replacements at guard

If Teven Jenkins and Cody Whitehair can’t suit up, Michael Schofield and Larry Borom could get the starting nods at for Bears at RG and LG.

The Chicago Bears have been ravaged by injuries, including on the offensive line where it looks like they’ll be down their best linemen in right guard Teven Jenkins and left guard Cody Whitehair.

Jenkins (neck) and Whitehair (knee) were both ruled doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, which leaves two gaping holes on an already-questionable offensive line.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus revealed that Michael Schofield and Larry Borom are possible replacements if Jenkins and Whitehair can’t go on Saturday. Eberflus said Schofield would fill in for Jenkins at right guard. He also mentioned that they’ve been working Borom inside and they’ve liked how he’s looked in practice.

There was encouraging news out of practice this week as Borom, who’s missed the last couple of games with a knee injury, and Riley Reiff (illness) were cleared to play against the Bills.

After all, the Bears offensive line has had its struggles in pass protection all season. They’ve allowed 48 sacks this season, and quarterback Justin Fields has been under duress all season.

This Chicago offensive line will be tested with what would be an eighth different starting offensive line combination against a good Bills defense.

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Matt Eberflus explains why Bears RG Teven Jenkins didn’t play vs. Falcons

Bears RG Teven Jenkins was active for Sunday’s game to the Falcons. So why wasn’t he on the field? Matt Eberflus explained.

The Bears offensive line turned in another brutal showing against the Falcons, where they allowed four sacks on quarterback Justin Fields.

But one of the biggest questions throughout the game was why Teven Jenkins wasn’t playing at right guard.

Jenkins missed last week’s game against the Lions with a hip injury, but he appeared on track to return against Atlanta. Heck, the fact that he was active seemed to indicate he’d be good to go.

But it was backup Michael Schofield lined up at right guard, and it certainly wasn’t his finest hour. Schofield allowed two sacks and committed two penalties, standing out in the worst way.

Jenkins has been the Bears’ best offensive lineman this season, and they’ve missed him immensely in the last two games. So, if Jenkins was active and in uniform, why wasn’t he on the field?

“Teven, before the game, said, ‘Hey, I’m able. I’m still a little bit hurt, but I’m able to be there as a backup, if needed, in an emergency,’” coach Matt Eberflus said after the game, via NBC Sports Chicago. “So that’s where he was today.”

Assuming Fields is healthy and ready to go (he suffered a left shoulder injury in the loss), it’s clear Chicago needs Jenkins back on the field. He can’t do it all, but he certainly helps shore up the right side of that line.

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