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The Colts made some initial roster cuts Sunday.
The Indianapolis Colts made their first roster cuts Sunday ahead of the Tuesday deadline.
With the preseason officially over, the Colts will be working over the next few days to trim the roster down to 53 players.
Here’s a look at the initial roster cuts Sunday, which included seven waived players and two others who were released outright:
Jake Witt has been placed on the season-ending injured reserve list.
Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Jake Witt was placed on the injured reserve list, among other roster moves, the team announced Saturday.
Witt, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, has been dealing with a hip injury. Because he was placed on the injured reserve list before the 53-man roster was finalized, he is forced to miss the entire season.
Before his injury during the first week of training camp, Witt was working as the left tackle on the second-team offense. Witt is the second Colts draft pick to suffer a season-ending injury after safety Daniel Scott tore his ACL during OTAs.
Among the other moves the Colts made Saturday included signing tight ends Nick Eubanks and Michael Jacobson and waiving running back Toriano Clinton.
Great news for Eubanks!
Former Michigan player, Nick Eubanks, signed a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but he will be vying for a chance to make an NFL roster.
Eubanks got picked up by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after he wasn’t selected in the 2021 NFL draft. Eubanks was then released from the Cowboys in August.
The one-year player never saw any game action in the NFL during his first season, but he bounced around from two different practice squads last season. He played on the practice squad with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detriot Lions.
As of now, Eubanks is looking to fight off Thaddeus Moss — the son of the legendary receiver Randy Moss — and Mitch Wilcox for a chance to make the opening day roster for the Bengals.
Eubanks ended his Michigan career with 45 catches, 578 yards, and six touchdowns.
You can see below the official announcement from the Cincinnati Bengals Twitter account.
Welcome to The Jungle!
We've signed free agent TE Nick Eubanks! pic.twitter.com/M9sp4NaMPB
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 5, 2022
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The Detroit Lions sign S Jalen Elliott, add 2 players to the practice squad on a busy Tuesday
The Detroit Lions worked quickly to fill the roster spot created by the release of veteran tight end Darren Fells. Detroit signed safety Jalen Elliott from the team’s practice squad to the active 53-man roster to take Fells’ place.
Elliott is in his second season with the Lions, nearly all of which has been spent on the practice squad. He played 24 snaps on defense as a practice squad elevation in the Week 8 loss to the Eagles.
In addition to signing Elliott off the practice squad, the Lions also added two players back onto the unit. Tight end Nick Eubanks and wide receiver Travis Jonsen signed to the practice squad in Detroit on Tuesday. Eubanks is an undrafted rookie from Michigan who has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Jonsen is in his second NFL season and was last with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Neither has played in a regular season game.
Jahleel Addae and Damarious Randall were among the seven players who worked out for the Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts held a tryout for seven players on Monday, five of which were defensive backs and the other two players being tight ends, per the league’s transaction wire.
With injuries hitting the cornerback and safety rooms, it’s no surprise the Colts are working out defensive backs. They need to find all the depth they can after BoPete Keyes left with a hamstring injury and Xavier Rhodes played through a calf injury he suffered during pregame warmups.
The players that tried out for the Colts include:
It will be interesting to see if any of these players are added to the practice squad as the Colts are currently running with a safety room led by Khari Willis and Andrew Sendejo.
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The Eagles added another tight end to the practice squad on Thursday morning
Roster Moves: Eagles have placed T/G Jack Driscoll, TE Tyree Jackson, and CB Josiah Scott on Reserve/Injured.
Eagles also signed DT Hassan Ridgeway to the active roster and agreed to terms with TE Nick Eubanks, WR KeeSean Johnson, and DT Marvin Wilson to join the practice squad. pic.twitter.com/rdgOAtd4IT
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 2, 2021
The Eagles added another tight end to the practice squad on Thursday, agreeing to terms with Nick Eubanks.
Eubanks, 6-4, 256-pounds, was originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent following the 2021 NFL Draft out of Michigan.
An Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2020 and an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2019, Eubanks caught 10 passes for 117 yards in the shortened 2020 season.
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The Michigan football tight end is getting his opportunity with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent.
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While his Michigan football career never quite showcased his promise, Nick Eubanks always had NFL potential.
The athletic tight end has always shown an acumen for elite pass-catching — something we’ve seen often in the pro ranks. However, he self-admittedly needed to get better at blocking, which is often the job of a tight end at any level.
Eubanks only had one season as the bona fide starter, having languished behind Zach Gentry and Sean McKeon for much of his career. He split time with McKeon in 2019, showcasing his ability to make big catches downfield. Eubanks really came onto the scene early in his redshirt freshman season, when he made a big catch against Florida in the AdvoCare Classic, but injuries held him out for the majority of the season after he showed so much promise.
While he was expected a late-round pick, Eubanks didn’t hear his name called in the 2021 NFL draft. However, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the draft had concluded. He rejoins former teammate Sean McKeon with the franchise — another UFA who made the roster.
A Big 🎯 is signing in Dallas!
Congratulations to Nick Eubanks (@banksera82), headed to the @dallascowboys.
🖊#ProBlue 〽️ | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ugIMZjHToB
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) May 2, 2021
Eubanks appeared in 34 games and had 45 receptions for 578 yards and 6 TDs in his Michigan career.
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Why the outgoing Michigan football tight end feels that junior QB Cade McNamara can help get the offense to the next level.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — As the Michigan offense found itself struggling to do what was long anticipated with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis leading the charge, it gained something of a spark midseason — or what was supposed to be midseason — when Cade McNamara took the reins.
Joe Milton started the season as QB1. While he showed his potential in the first game of the season, the offense sputtered in subsequent appearances. But when McNamara came in, first against Wisconsin and again against Rutgers, suddenly, there was life. And while we didn’t get to see much of McNamara’s overall capability, as the bulk of his showing was in one game — a triple-overtime thriller at Rutgers — the promise was certainly there.
Former Wolverines tight end Nick Eubanks was the recipient of one of McNamara’s touchdowns in Piscataway. As he reflected on what the now-third-year quarterback was able to do once he entered the game, he’s still not surprised that he had a mastery of the offense when called upon.
“Overall, Cade was a good dude,” Eubanks said. “In terms of everything he did, he did to his fullest. Especially with him, at that time, with Joe being up front as quarterback one, he always played the role of being ready instead of getting ready. When he came into the game, it was like he prepared for that moment. When he came in and took four drives, four drives down for a touchdown, we knew that was gonna happen.
“We knew he was gonna develop into that person of knowing what his role is now, in terms of how he competes. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him this season coming up.”
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So, where does the offense go from here?
Eubanks is gone, preparing for the NFL draft, but having worked with McNamara last year and getting rumblings from spring ball this year, he feels like the Wolverines offensive attack is headed in the right direction with the Reno, Nevada, native at the helm — especially considering how well he can utilize the run-pass option, a staple in Gattis’ offense.
“Yeah, for sure, because the RPO worked in our favor (in 2019), being able to run it with Shea and the other dudes,” Eubanks said. “They got better in terms of the way they do things now, especially getting a glimpse of how they’re practicing and do things. I would say the RPO scheme is getting better than it’s ever been. Especially running with Cade now. Cade knows the option of being able to run, too. You could see last season, he had a couple of good runs, especially against Rutgers. I could see how that works in our favor, the offense in general, getting those dudes accustomed to it.”
Of course, this spring, McNamara is battling with true freshman and former five-star signal-caller J.J. McCarthy, widely thought to be the future of the program. He’ll get even more competition in the QB room this fall when Alan Bowman, the former Texas Tech starter who has thrown for 5,260 yards, arrives in Ann Arbor.
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Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez drops his first four-round mock draft for Los Angeles.
The Chargers sit at 2-7 on the season, which has had many fans looking towards the future already, knowing that the team’s playoff chances are nearly nonexistent.
As we approach the end of November, I figure it’s a good time to lay out the direction Los Angeles could go in next year’s draft with the assumption that they will be picking within the top-10.
With that being said, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator to take a crack at predicting what L.A. might do based on positional need and players that fit their scheme.
Let’s dive into the four-round mock draft!
The hope is that the Chargers are in a position to select Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell, but they might have to sneak in the top-3 to have a chance at him. With Sewell off the board, Los Angeles addresses a position which I believe is a bigger need than most anticipate it being.
You can never have too many pass rushers in this league, and with Melvin Ingram set to hit free agency after this season, the Chargers could be looking to add another dominate force to pair with Joey Bosa and Uchenna Nwosu.
This season, Paye has been lights out. He has 25 pressures….in three games.
Paye, the 6-foot-3 and 271 pounder, is an explosive and speedy pass-rusher who wreaks havoc in opposing backfields, both against the pass and run. He needs to add more counters to the bag of tricks, but he has the skillset to be productive for a very long time at the next level.
Kwity Paye was simply unblockable against Minnesota, really impressive start to his 2020 campaign pic.twitter.com/29O4IZwHUy
— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) October 25, 2020
Michigan football is trying to fix things after losing again to Wisconsin. Who are the five players to focus on this week against Rutgers?
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When it rains, it pours, as the Wolverines continue to slide down further in the rut they are in this season.
Last week, Michigan lost 49-11 to No. 10 Wisconsin at home and fall to 1-3 on the year, a thing nobody was expecting to see heading into this week’s game against Rutgers.
Michigan comes into the game this week with the same record as its opponent. Rutgers is 1-3 as it is on a losing streak itself, with its last win coming against Michigan State on opening week. Now, three weeks later, both teams can’t seem to get it done no matter who it goes up against.
Michigan surprisingly lost its rivalry game against Michigan State; it couldn’t handle a red hot Indiana team, and the team couldn’t make Wisconsin look like a team that hadn’t played in three weeks. Rutgers, on the other hand, has had some challenges as well. Rutgers also lost to Indiana, then had to take on the Buckeyes and put up a better fight than in years past, then lost to the former worst team in the Big Ten, the Illinois Fighting Illini.
This game is a doozy for both teams as each team wants to finally get back into the win column after being on the other end for the past three weeks. Michigan needs this win more than Rutgers, as losing to the Scarlet Knights would be the biggest loss under head coach Jim Harbaugh, and it would speak louder than any of the previous losses this year. Rutgers has seemed to be improved despite the record, and getting a win over the Wolverines could change the tide for them. What five players should you focus on when the lights turn on and the two schools battle Saturday night?
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