Tag: NFL Roster

Steelers rookie DB done for the year

Ryan Watts suffered a stinger in the Steelers final preseason game.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected former Texas defensive back Ryan Watts in the 2024 NFL draft, we felt like the Steelers got a bargain. As training camp and the preseason went on, we cooled on Watts a bit but still felt like he had a shot to make the final 53-man roster.

Unfortunately, Watts suffered what head coach Mike Tomlin originally called a stinger in the team’s final preseason game but turned out to be much more than that. After seeing the team’s initial 53-man roster and Watt was absent, beat writer Gerry Dulac posted that the injury was significantly worse and Watts would miss the entire 2024 season.

The Steelers kept four safeties on the roster. Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott as the starters. Damontae Kazee and Miles Killebrew will serve as the only reserves on the roster.

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2 free agents the Steelers could sign to replace NT Breiden Fehoko

The Steelers need a replacement for Breiden Fehoko was placed on IR.

Last week the Pittsburgh Steelers placed nose tackle Breiden Fehoko on IR, sending his season before it began. This leaves the Steelers one man short on the nose tackle depth chart behind Keeanu Benton and Montravius Adams.

As it stands, the Steelers might not even choose to commit to adding another player outside of perhaps a camp body for depth. The Steelers love to utilize defensive linemen who can move around the front playing inside and outside.

But should the Steelers feel the need to have a third nose tackle on the 53-man roster, here are two available free agents to consider.

First up is Bryan Mone. Mone is 28 years old and was a rotational player for the Seattle Seahawks for his first five NFL seasons. Mone has eight career starts, all over the last two seasons and at 6-foot-3 and 345 pounds is a tough player to get off a block.

Another option that fits the mold of a Steelers lineman a bit more is Daviyon Nixon. Nixon is only 25 years old but has spent time with three different teams. Nixon wasn’t on an NFL roster in 2023 but the upside is there for a former fifth-round pick.

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49ers roster ranks 2nd in PFF updated rankings

The #49ers have the 2nd-best roster in the NFL according to @PFF’s updated rankings:

The 49ers’ roster is loaded. It’s part of the reason they’re able to maintain their status as Super Bowl contenders despite so much tumult at the quarterback position. It’s also a significant reason they were able to overcome missing on the Trey Lance pick and still go to two NFC championship games. Pro Football Focus ranked San Francisco’s roster as the second-best in the NFL heading into the season.

PFF lists the 49ers’ biggest strength as their playmakers on both sides of the ball. The biggest weakness is the interior defensive line. This is all, of course, contingent on defensive end Nick Bosa returning ahead of the regular season opener against the Steelers.

Still, it’s hard to argue with the PFF ranking, which puts the 49ers behind the Eagles and ahead of the Bengals (No. 3), Chiefs (No. 4) and Cowboys (No. 5).

It’s not out of the question that the 49ers wind up sitting atop such a list by the end of the year. PFF called right tackle Colton McKivitz the club’s biggest X-factor for the season with kicker Jake Moody tabbed as a rookie to watch. If both of them avert disastrous first seasons as starters in the NFL, Brock Purdy continues operating the offense at a high level, and the Javon Hargrave pays off the way the 49ers are hoping it does, there may not be many arguments against San Francisco having built the NFL’s best roster.

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Projecting Chargers’ Week 1 defensive depth chart

Here’s who we expect to start on defense for the Chargers entering the 2022 season.

The Chargers have until September 11th to get their Week 1 depth chart sorted out before their matchup with the Raiders.

Here’s my projection for the defensive side:

Starter Backup Third-string Reserve
Defensive tackle Austin Johnson Breiden Fehoko
Nose tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day Otito Ogbonnia
Defensive end Morgan Fox Jerry Tillery
Edge defender Joey Bosa Chris Rumph II
Inside linebacker Kyle Van Noy Troy Reeder Nick Niemann
Inside linebacker Drue Tranquill Kenneth Murray Amen Ogbongbemiga
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack
Cornerback Michael Davis Deane Leonard
Safety Derwin James Alohi Gilman
Safety Nasir Adderley JT Woods
Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. Kemon Hall
Nickel Bryce Callahan Ja’Sir Taylor

Joseph-Day and Johnson are the starters on the interior and can play a variety of alignments. Both can line up as a nose tackle over the center or line up further from the ball, where the hope is to improve a porous run defense from a season ago.

Fehoko and Ogbonnia are also seen as players who can help in that department as rotational pieces.

Fox and Tillery will serve as interior pass rushers.

The Chargers only kept three edge defenders, but Bosa and Mack will be playing north of 85% of defensive snaps. But the team has some versatile players to make it work. Van Noy can rush off the edge at a high level, as he’s done in his career. Fox can also kick outside.

Van Noy and Tranquill will begin the season as the starters at inside linebacker. How Murray is eased back in after having ankle surgery will be something to look for. Reeder, Niemann and Ogbongbemiga will be special teams coverage players.

J.C. Jackson is the No. 1 corner, but he is not on the depth chart because I anticipate him not being ready for the season opener after undergoing ankle surgery. Davis and Samuel will start on the outside, with Callahan manning the slot. I have the team calling up Hall from the practice squad.

Woods is still a ways from being field-ready due to his lackluster tackling. Therefore, Gilman will be the second safety next to Adderley when James moves around in the slot, in the box at money.

Atlanta Falcons awarded two players off of waivers

The Atlanta Falcons were awarded two players — OT Chuma Edoga and DL Matt Dickerson — off the waiver wire on Wednesday.

The Atlanta Falcons put in two waiver claims following the NFL’s Tuesday roster cut deadline and according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team was awarded both players.

Defensive lineman Matt Dickerson and offensive tackle Chuma Edoga will each be joining the team.

It was also reported Wednesday afternoon that the Falcons intend to sign RB Caleb Huntley to their 16-man practice squad. Check back soon to see which other players Atlanta adds to the practice squad.

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Former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger projected to make Colts’ 53-man roster

The Colts have some tough decisions to make ahead of the third cut date on August 31.

There’s one preseason game left for many rookies and depth players to show that they belong on an NFL roster. Continue reading “Former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger projected to make Colts’ 53-man roster”

Longhorns in the NFL: Roster tracker as team’s cut down to 53

Several former Texas players were on the bubble in terms of surviving the final round of roster cuts throughout the NFL.

On Sept. 5, NFL teams were forced to make cuts in order to trim their roster down to 53 players. Continue reading “Longhorns in the NFL: Roster tracker as team’s cut down to 53”

Falcons sign QB Kyle Lauletta

The Falcons signed quarterback Kyle Lauletta on Wednesday morning and the former sixth-round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft should compete for the team’s No. 3 QB spot.

The Falcons signed quarterback Kyle Lauletta on Wednesday morning and the former sixth-round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft should compete for the team’s No. 3 QB spot.

The Falcons brought in two other quarterbacks — Jake Rudock and Kyle Sloter — over the weekend as potential camp arms but apparently Lauletta was the most impressive.

Despite playing his college ball at Richmond, there was some buzz around Lauletta coming into the 2018 draft. He doesn’t have the biggest arm, but has the intangibles NFL coaches love. Check out this excerpt from a pre-draft article by For The Win’s Steven Ruiz.

“The ‘experts’ will bring up the arm strength stuff, but I haven’t heard that from NFL teams,” Lauletta told For The Win. “The one thing I’ve consistently heard is ‘You don’t have high-end arm strength, but you have enough arm strength to make it because you throw the ball accurately and with anticipation.’”

After failing to catch on with the Giants, Lauletta, 25, spent the 2019 season on the Eagles practice squad.

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