Tag: Nate Hairston

Vikings CB Nate Hairston no longer on active/non-football injury list

Nate Hairston has been cleared to practice.

Minnesota Vikings veteran cornerback Nate Hairston has officially been cleared to return to practice.

Last Tuesday, the team made the announcement that they were moving him to the active/non-football injury list. That designation caused him to miss the entire first week of training camp.

On Monday, however, the team announced Hairston was coming off the injury list.

His presence on the field should add to an already competitive cornerback situation. The best opportunity he likely has of sticking on the roster will be through his special teams contributions. An ability to be versatile and contribute at other areas on the field is usually the golden ticket to success when coaches start whittling rosters down.

It also helps that Hairston has experience playing under Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who spent two years with him at the Denver Broncos.

We’ll see if experience is a factor for Hairston, who has some catching up to do when making his training camp debut.

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Vikings move CB Nate Hairston to active/non-football injury list

Vikings make an injury list move heading into training camp.

Veteran cornerback Nate Hairston is starting his training camp on the active/non-football injury list.

The Minnesota Vikings announced the news on Tuesday.

There wasn’t any additional follow-up to the announcement, but the Vikings can expect to start the festivities on Wednesday without Hairston, who was one of the team’s offseason signings.

The cornerback position is already getting crowded with players like Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans all vying for starting jobs.

Hairston has some experience playing on the backend of an Ed Donatell-coached defense during his time with the Denver Broncos over the last two seasons. However, it’s much more likely the team is considering utilizing him more on special teams, where he contributed 63 percent of the snaps last year.

But for now, it’s all about him getting healthy and back onto the football field.

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Vikings 2022 NFL draft preview: Where does Minnesota stand at CB?

The Vikings should be aggressive at cornerback

There’s no need in beating around the bush when it comes to this year’s 2022 NFL draft preview. We’re getting right to the main event, and for the Minnesota Vikings, it all starts with the cornerback position.

It’s no surprise that everyone from mock draft experts to couch analysts still have the team taking a corner with the No. 12 overall pick.

The secondary was burnt toast on a weekly basis last season, and yet, instead of throwing the toast away entirely, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has opted to just scrape off some of the charred crust and put it right back on the plate.

There’s still work to do in the draft, and fans are hopeful the first-year GM adds another playmaker to the defensive backfield sooner rather than later.

Vikings sign Nate Hairston, re-sign Tye Smith in slew of roster moves

The Vikings sign cornerback and keep one of their own

The Minnesota Vikings are picking back up where they left off last week with an active free agency day. Along with signing a potential starting offensive lineman in Jesse Davis, the team has also inked cornerback Nate Hairston and Tye Smith to deals as well.

They confirmed all three moves through their social media account.

Hairston is expected to be more of a depth option for the team with Cameron Dantzler and Chandon Sullivan potentially making the primary contributions. There’s still a chance for the team to bring veteran free agent Patrick Peterson back into the fold, along with using the No. 12 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to select one of the top cornerbacks coming out of college.

Hairston only started in one game for the Denver Broncos in 2021 and came away with four pass deflections on the year. He has bounced around to four different teams since entering the NFL in 2017, including the Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens.

Smith, on the other hand, appeared in five games for the Vikings last season and came away with six tackles.

Like Hairston, he’s been a bit of a nomadic veteran with his stops also including the Tennessee Titans, Washington Football Team and Seattle Seahawks.

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Vikings hosting two free agent visits on Monday

The free agency party is just getting started for the Vikings

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After making a minor splash in the second week of free agency with the Za’Darius Smith and Chandon Sullivan signings, the Minnesota Vikings are back on the grind with two scheduled free agent visits.

Per KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, the team is hosting cornerback Nate Hairston and offensive guard Jesse Davis for a visit on Monday.

Davis is the player to especially keep an eye on, as he has the potential to take over the problematic right guard spot for the Vikings.

Oli Udoh was the worst-graded player, according to Pro Football Focus, on the team along the offensive front last season, and there’s no certainty Wyatt Davis will ever win a starting job at that position, if he really was a “Rick Spielman special.”

Jesse Davis is a versatile lineman with plenty of starting experience at both the offensive tackle and guard positions. He has started in 72 of a possible 80 games for the Miami Dolphins.

Meanwhile, Hairston could potentially add depth and experience to the defensive backfield. He started in one game last season for the Denver Broncos and finished with four pass deflections and nine tackles.

Bringing him into the fold wouldn’t be an impact signing like Sullivan has the potential to be, but the Vikings clearly need depth in their secondary.

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5 free agent DBs that could follow Ed Donatell from Denver to Seattle

Nepotism never goes out of style and coaches always like to bring in players who know their system.

The Seahawks are expected to hire Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. While he won’t be serving as the new defensive coordinator in Seattle, Donatell will have a “senior role” on Pete Carroll’s staff.

Much of Donatell’s previous experience in the NFL has come as a defensive backs/secondary coach. As it happens, Denver has several defensive backs who are about to become free agents. Nepotism never goes out of style and coaches always like to bring in players who already know their system. So, let’s take a look at five potential former Broncos DBs that the Seahawks could sign in March.

Broncos made 6 roster moves Tuesday

Broncos placed CB Ronald Darby and WR Jerry Jeudy on injured reserve and called up two players from the practice squad.

Following a 27-13 win over the New York Giants in Week 1, the Denver Broncos will have a revised 53-man roster and 16-player practice squad for a showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.

Denver made six roster moves on Tuesday. Here’s a quick recap of the team’s transactions.

How Marlon Humphrey’s COVID-19 diagnosis impacts Ravens’ secondary

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for COVID-19 which hurts an already thin depth chart at the position.

The one consistent strength of the Baltimore Ravens this season has been their secondary, as it should. Stacked with Pro Bowl talent across the board, Baltimore’s pass defense has been one of the best in the league this season. But it took yet another hit, this time a massive one, on Monday when cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for COVID-19.

It’s unclear exactly how long Humphrey will be out on the COVID-19/Reserve list. But with the NFL’s protocols helping define timelines, it’s likely Humphrey will miss a minimum of Week 9, with the potential to miss even more time depending on circumstances.

Losing Humphrey at all is a big problem for the Ravens. Humphrey was coming off a Pro Bowl campaign in 2019 and had actually stepped his game up even further in 2020, cementing himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL right now. As Baltimore has found out in trying to replace right guard Marshal Yanda, restoring that type of production immediately is wishful thinking at best. But the Ravens face an even bigger challenge when looking at how thin they are on the depth chart.

Baltimore entered this season with just five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster and almost instantly regretted that decision. Cornerbacks Tavon Young and Anthony Averett joined Iman Marshall on injured reserve in the first half of this season, causing the Ravens to dip into their practice squad to just have enough warm bodies to play each week. They entered Week 8 with just four cornerbacks on the 53-man roster after signing Khalil Dorsey in early October. They called up Terrell Bonds from the practice squad as a gameday elevation Sunday for the second and final time he’s eligible for it.

With Humphrey now out, Baltimore is not only down their top cornerback but whatever depth they might have had previously. The Ravens have a grand total of just three cornerbacks on the 53-man roster at this moment, meaning they really need to add another two for at least this week.

The most likely scenario is signing Bonds to the 53-man roster and elevating veteran cornerback Nate Hairston from the practice squad in Week 9. Marcus Peters would retain his role with Jimmy Smith joining him as the other starting outside cornerback. But with the NFL trade deadline up tomorrow, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta could be pushed to add another option that way as well.

Baltimore was already hurting at cornerback prior to Humphrey’s diagnosis, even if the coaching staff was able to create a patchwork group to play well each week. With Humphrey out, it might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back for DeCosta, forcing him to remedy the issue with a low-cost trade the bring in another capable and experienced cornerback for the remainder of the year. Unfortunately, with little cap space and a dwindling number of picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, that’s easier said than done.

Right now, the defense is Baltimore’s strongest asset but they already needed help at cornerback prior to this moment. With Humphrey out, the Ravens could either make some drastic moves to shore up a struggling depth chart or try and limp through a week or two. Either way, it’s not an ideal situation and will require the rest of the team to pick up the slack until Humphrey can return.

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Ravens make trio of roster moves after Week 5, including signing UDFA C Trystan Colon-Castillo

The Baltimore Ravens made a trio of moves after Week 5, putting Otaro Alaka on IR and signing Trystan Colon-Castillo to the 53-man roster

The Baltimore Ravens moved to 4-1 on the season, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 on Sunday. But the coaching staff and front office didn’t have much time to celebrate the win before having to get back to work.

According to the transaction report for Monday, the Ravens were busy. In addition to putting linebacker Otaro Alaka on injured reserve with a knee injury, Baltimore brought up center Trystan Colon-Castillo from the practice squad and signed defensive back Nate Hairston to fill his spot.

The trio of moves was somewhat expected. Alaka suffered what was feared to be a season-ending knee injury against the Bengals. As well, coach John Harbaugh noted Colon-Castillo had been garnering some attention on the practice squad, forcing the team to bring him up to the 53-man roster to keep him from getting poached.

Colon-Castillo was one of the Ravens’ undrafted free agents this offseason. Though Baltimore chose to not keep a single UDFA when creating their initial 53-man roster — breaking a 16-year record — the Ravens clearly feel the former Missouri center is someone they want to continue to develop for the future. With an offensive line that has had some subpar play this season following right guard Marshal Yanda’s retirement, keeping linemen they value is a pretty easy decision.

Hairston joins Baltimore’s practice squad with the veteran exception tag. A former fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, Hairston is in his fourth season in the NFL and on his third team. While it’s easy to think Hairston is simply an insurance policy for the Ravens, he brings quite a bit of experience at cornerback, an area Baltimore has been a little thin at this season.

Hairston has played in 40 games throughout his four-year career, starting 17. He’s notched two interceptions, nine passes defensed, two sacks, 95 combined tackles, and a safety.

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Jets make 6 roster moves before Thursday’s game vs. Broncos

The Jets made a handful of roster moves ahead of Thursday’s game against the Broncos.

The Jets made a handful of roster moves ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Denver Broncos.

New York announced it has activated wide receiver Jeff Smith off of injured reserve, signed defensive back Javelin Guidry from the practice squad and promoted wide receiver Lawrence Cager and defensive back Lamar Jackson to the active roster. The Jets also released quarterback Mike White and cornerback Nate Hairston.

Smith was getting first-team reps in training camp before going down with a shoulder injury. With Smith and Jamison Crowder back, Sam Darnold will have some better options to throw to on Thursday.

As for Guidry, the Jets really liked how he performed in training camp and signed him to their practice squad. He had the second-fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine behind WR Henry Ruggs.

Cager played against the Colts last week and had two catches for 35 yards in his NFL debut. Thursday will be Jackson’s NFL debut if he gets in on the action. With Hairston being released and two cornerbacks being added to the roster, it looks like the Jets will make some changes to their struggling secondary.

The release of White means Joe Flacco will be Darnold’s backup on Thursday. Flacco missed the first three games, as he was coming back from offseason neck surgery.