Tag: Miles Killebrew

1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC North Edition

Listing one free agent from the Steelers, Ravens, Browns and Bengals who could be a fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers won’t be aggressive when it comes to signing free agents, as they’re currently $35 million over the projected salary cap.

While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Joe Hortiz will make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some.

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

Next up is the AFC North.

T.J. Watt, Miles Killebrew named to the PFWA All-NFL team

The Steelers landed two on the PFWA All-NFL team.

The Pro Football Writers of America put out their All-NFL team for the 2023 season and two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers made the cut. EDGE defender T.J. Watt made it for the fourth time and safety/special teams ace Miles Killebrew was named PFWA All-NFL for the first time.

Watt led the league in sacks in 2023. Watt finished with 19 sacks and is the first player to lead the league in sacks in three separate seasons since sacks have been counted as an official statistic.

Killebrew didn’t play much on defense but his contributions on social teams, in particular blocking kicks, made him elite among his peers.

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Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt named 1st-team All-Pro by the AP

T.J. Watt and Miles Killebrew are both first team All-Pro.

Justice is served. The Associated Press put out their All-Pro team on Friday and Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt was named to the first team. This is after being snubbed by the NFLPA All=Pro team.

Watt led the league in sacks in 2023 with 19. Watt is the first player in NFL history to lead the league in sacks in three separate seasons. The Steelers will be without Watt this weekend against the Buffalo Bills. Watt injured his knee in the regular-season finale but not before he racked up two more sacks.

Steelers safety and special-teams ace Miles Killebrew also make the first team. Killebrew has become a kick and punt blocking star.

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Steelers S Miles Killebrew inks deal to remain in Pittsburgh

Steelers take care of business with special teams standout Miles Killebrew.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken care of their first contractual business of the offseason with safety and special teamer Miles Killebrew.

According to a source of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are bringing Killebrew back on a two-year, $4 million contract.

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1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC North Edition

Listing one free agent from each team in the AFC North that could be a good fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers are set to enter free agency with the most salary cap available since Tom Telesco took over as general manager in 2013.

Even though the franchise has some in-house players that will need to get paid, there’s a great chance that Telesco and company will be aggressive in signing other soon-to-be free agents to bolster its roster.

With that being said, we are going to list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

Next up is the AFC North.

B.J. Hill, Bengals

If the Chargers re-sign Justin Jones, there could be a reunion between him and Hill as the two were previously teammates at North Carolina State. Despite being overshadowed by Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence, and Leonard Williams during his time with the Giants, Hill still consistently produced, both against the run and generating pressure. Now with Cincinnati, his presence in the middle of the defensive line has helped with its road to the Super Bowl. Hill amassed 29 pressures, six sacks, and 25 run stops on the season.

Miles Killebrew, Steelers

This past season, the Chargers’ special teams coverage units primarily consisted of youth, with Nick Niemann, Chris Rumph, Kemon Hall and Amen Ogbongbemiga finishing atop of special teams snap percentage. Expected to be in search of more core players under new special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, Killebrew would fulfill that. In 2021, Killebrew logged two blocked punts and seven total tackles in 334 special teams snaps. Further, along with his special teams services, Killebrew would supply safety depth.

David Njoku, Browns

The Chargers will be in the market for a tight end, with Jared Cook set to be a free agent. After facing some ups and downs since being selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, Njoku has gradually shown his true value. Oozing with athleticism and pass-catching chops, Njoku’s posted the highest receiving grade in 2021 (70.9), marking the best since his rookie season, and his 7.0 yards after the catch per reception and 1.56 yards per route run were both career-high marks, per Pro Football Focus. While he would primarily be brought in to serve as another weapon for Justin Herbert, Njoku has shown improvement as a blocker.

Latavius Murray, Ravens

The Chargers are set with Austin Ekeler as their No. 1 running back for the foreseeable future, but they need a reliable running mate to avoid wear and tear to Ekeler. Murray was added by Baltimore prior to the 2021 season after losing its top three running backs throughout training camp. The move ended up paying dividends, as Murray was a solid contributor, finishing with 501 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and an average of 4.2 yards per carry. Throughout his eight-year career, Murray has been reliable in his role and durable. Further, there is also a connection between Murray and Joe Lombardi, as the two were together with the Saints in 2019 and 2020.

Here’s everything we know about Steelers newest LB/SS Miles Killebrew

A career overview of the Steelers’ first outside free agency signing, hybrid defender Miles Killebrew.

The Pittsburgh Steelers made their first outside free agency move on Saturday and agreed to terms with veteran linebacker/safety Miles Killebrew.

Killebrew, a 2016 third-round pick by the Detroit Lions, came to the Motor City by way of Southern Utah University, where he was a four-year starter at safety. Killebrew reached the triple-digit mark in tackles each of his last two seasons. He also displayed an aptitude for pass coverage with three interceptions, one returned for a score. He also contributed seven pass breakups.

Killebrew’s player bio in the NFL draft prospects tracker stated the following coming out of Southern Utah:

Violent player who looks to punish and intimidate with the force of his strikes, but who won’t compromise his form as a tackler just for the highlight reel hit. Killebrew is average in coverage, but has the size and physicality that makes him stand out in the box.

According to Michael Rothstein of ESPN, Killebrew was drafted as a possible long-term solution at safety. Like Steelers’ Marcus Allen, Killebrew converted from safety to linebacker and bounced between the two positions. He struggled to find a role on defense but was a special teams standout. Killebrew played in 1,630 special teams snaps and just 590 defensive snaps.

At 6’2 and 222 pounds, Killebrew left the Lions with 78 appearances (four starts), two interceptions (one for a touchdown versus Cardinals’ Carson Palmer in 2017), six passes defended, 105 tackles (88 solo), two quarterback hits and a blocked punt. Killebrew only played one defensive snap in 2020 versus 361 snaps on special teams.

Killebrew will purely be a special teams guy in Pittsburgh but projects to continue his path as a defensive utility player. Interestingly enough, Teryl Austin, Pittsburgh’s assistant defensive and secondary coach, was defensive coordinator for Killebrew’s first two seasons in Detroit.

Pittsburgh has yet to disclose details of Killebrew’s contract. Per OverTheCap.com, he earned $2 million in his final season with the Lions —  $1,862,500 in salary and a $137,500 signing bonus.

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Miles Killebrew agrees to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Miles Killebrew agrees to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Another Lions reserve and key special teams player is heading to a new team. Miles Killebrew has agreed to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year contract. The news report was first made by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Killebrew was a fifth-round pick by the Lions out of Southern Utah in 2016, part of then-GM Bob Quinn’s first draft class. An oversized safety, the Lions tried him at both LB and S but he never really found a home on defense. He managed just one defensive snap in 2020 and played less than 100 in his final three.

Where he stood out was on special teams. Killebrew proved a capable blocker on returns and was consistently one of the best Lions on coverage units.

Ranking the Detroit Lions unrestricted free agents heading into the 2021 offseason

Ranking the Detroit Lions unrestricted, restricted, and exclusive rights free agents heading into 2021 offseason.

The Detroit Lions will enter the 2021 offseason with 18 of the 53-players on the active roster unrestricted free agents. They also have one restricted free agent and three exclusive rights free agents.

In this piece, we have separated the players into six ranked tiers based on the level of importance to the team and the role they would fill if they return next season.

Watch: Brayden Coombs’ special teams block two punts against Vikings

Entering Week 8, the Lions hadn’t blocked a punt since 2007. Over the last two games, Brayden Coombs’ special teams unit has blocked three.

Entering Week 8, the Lions hadn’t blocked a punt since 2007. Over the last two games, Brayden Coombs’ special teams unit has blocked three.

Early in the season, the hype surrounding Coombs centered around what he has been able to accomplish with Jack Fox, taking an undrafted free agent who was in a punter competition for a roster spot, and turning him into the best punter in the NFL in average yards per punt, net yards per punt, hang time, among other categories — all categories he still leads.

But, over the last two weeks, when he has called for a punt block, the Lions have been getting to the ball. And the part that really drives home that this isn’t just luck, is the fact that each block has come from a player lining up at a different spot.

In Week 8, Miles Killebrew was the player who got the Lions first block in nearly 13 years, but he was assisted by pressures by Jahlani Tavai and Jamie Collins. Tavai blew his guy off the ball and pushed him back into Killebrew’s lane, essentially occupying the assigned blocker, while Collins threatened the edge and forced the blocker wide

“You never know when it’s going to be you, whether the rush is designed for you specifically or not,” Coombs said to the Lions media after Killebrew’s block. “Like we talk about pressure burst pipes. As we’re creating pressure for the opponent, it might be designed to hit on one side of the formation, but the way that it breaks down, it might be somebody totally unexpected that comes free. So that’s why it’s really important that all 11 guys are out there doing their jobs, got the pedal to the metal.”

This week, Austin Bryant, who activated from the PUP list less than 24 hours before the game, lined up on the edge. When the edge blocker went low to cut block him, Bryant’s length and athleticism allowed him to power through the glancing block attempt, keep his feet, then use his length to get to the ball. Check out the full clip below:

Three possessions later, the Lions set a franchise record when Romeo Okwara got his hand on another punt.

Okwara lines up over the A-gap and his first step is too quick for the long snapper, who immediately grabs Okwara by the waist as he bursts by him. Okwara powers through the holding attempt and uses every bit of his length to deflect the ball. Check out the clip below (the replay gives a better perspective of how Okwara accomplished this):

Two games, three blocked punts, by three different players, all lining up at different spots. As Coombs said, if you get all 11 players to do their jobs then eventually the pipe is going to burst somewhere.

It’s fair to say, Coombs has his guys properly motivated, extremely prepared, and working hard for him on every snap. And it’s paying off.

Watch: Miles Killebrew blocks punt against Colts

Detroit Lions special teams stud Miles Killebrew blocks a punt against Indianapolis Colts.

The last time the Detroit Lions blocked a punt was December of 2007 when tight end Casey Fitzsimmons got one against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nearly 13 years later, safety/linebacker — and special teams stud — Miles Killebrew ended the Lions streak by blocking a punt against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8 of the 2020 season.

Killebrew is lined up one player in from the left edge (Jamie Collins), with Jahlani Tavai to his right. Tavai takes on the blocker in between them, and the Colts’ personal protector is supposed to pick up Killebrew.

But, before the personal protector can get to Killebrew, Tavai blocks his man into him, taking him out of the play and freeing up Killebrew for the attack. Killebrew doesn’t miss his shot, gets the block, and Collins recovers the ball.

Check out the full play here: