Tag: nick scott

Ejiro Evero talks about Panthers’ familiar free-agent signings

Panthers DC Ejiro Evero will be reunited with some familiar faces from his LA and Denver days.

Continuity is key in the NFL—and unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, they haven’t experienced a ton of it in recent years. But some familiar faces will be in the building, even if they weren’t on the team last season.

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who was retained through the transition into new head coach Dave Canales, spoke with reporters on Thursday afternoon. He was asked about a few of the front office’s free-agent signings, particularly the ones he has a history with.

“The first part is that those guys are all very, very good football players,” Evero said. “They’re smart, they’re tough, they’re instinctive, they play hard, they’re great teammates. So from that standpoint, they uplift their team.”

Evero will be reunited with linebacker Josey Jewell, whom he coached as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator in 2022, as well as defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson and safeties Jordan Fuller and Nick Scott—his guys over from the Los Angeles Rams days. They’ll all look to add to the defense that allowed the fourth-fewest total yards in 2023.

And although there will be some familiarity between he and his players, that doesn’t necessarily mean their roles will be the same in Carolina.

“The defense is gonna be a little bit different than how we played it in Denver, how we played it at the LA Rams,” Evero added. “So from that standpoint, it’s gonna be a little bit of an adjustment. But havin’ those guys on our team right now is such a huge step forward for us.”

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Panthers projected defensive depth chart heading into April

The Panthers defense looks quite different than it did compared to this time last offseason.

While the Carolina Panthers could have another move or two up their sleeve, (we’re looking at you, Stephon Gilmore), the major waves of free agency have crashed.

The hectic tides brought a ton of change for the team, especially on defense. Linebackers Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu and Yetur Gross-Matos, cornerback Donte Jackson and safeties Jeremy Chinn and Vonn Bell were amongst the many names that have now washed away.

But those waters also turned up some new and exciting ones.

So, as we head out of March and further towards the 2024 NFL draft, here is our projected defensive depth chart for the Panthers:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th
DE Derrick Brown LaBryan Ray
DT Shy Tuttle Nick Thurman
DE A’Shawn Robinson Raequan Williams
OLB Jadeveon Clowney K’Lavon Chaisson Amaré Barno Luiji Vilain
LB Shaq Thompson Chandler Wooten Claudin Cherelus
LB Josey Jewell Tae Davis
OLB D.J. Wonnum DJ Johnson
CB Jaycee Horn D’Shawn Jamison Lamar Jackson
CB Dane Jackson Dicaprio Bootle
SS Xavier Woods Jammie Robinson Sam Franklin Jr.
FS Jordan Fuller Nick Scott Alex Cook
NCB Troy Hill AJ Parker

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Another former Bengals player joins the Panthers in free agency

Another Bengals player has joined the Panthers.

Yet another former Cincinnati Bengals player has landed with the Carolina Panthers.

One offseason removed from Hayden Hurst and Vonn Bell leaving the Bengals to sign with the Panthers, former safety Nick Scott has done the same.

Scott signed with the Bengals last year, coming over from the Los Angeles Rams as the team searched for help after the losses of Bell and Jessie Bates. But the secondary as a whole struggled and the Bengals cut Scott recently after encouraging play from rookie Jordan Battle.

Now Scott goes to Carolina, where he’ll reunite with Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

To complete the cycle, the Bengals got Bell back via free agency after his release from the Panthers, plus the Bengals picked up a compensatory draft pick due to his one season with the Panthers.

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Rams projected to receive 4 compensatory picks in 2024 NFL draft

The Rams are projected to receive an extra four picks in the 2024 NFL draft for their free-agent losses last offseason

The Los Angeles Rams suffered significant losses in free agency last offseason, watching several starters leave last March. That list of players included Greg Gaines, David Edwards, A’Shawn Robinson, Matt Gay, Taylor Rapp, Nick Scott and David Long Jr. Baker Mayfield also left after a brief stint in Los Angeles, signing a one-year deal with the Bucs where he earned the starting job.

The Rams knew that if they let these players leave in free agency, they’d recoup draft picks for many of them in the form of compensatory picks. The NFL awards extra draft picks to compensate teams for their free-agent losses, and the Rams are projected to earn four extra picks in 2024 for their departures last offseason.

According to Over The Cap, the Rams are expected to receive a fifth-round pick for Mayfield, as well as sixth-rounders for Gay, Robinson and Scott. That puts the Rams at the maximum of four compensatory picks, which is how many they received in each of the last two years, as well.

The compensatory pick formula is complex, but it’s mostly determined by a player’s contract value, as well as any postseason accolades and the number of snaps played. Over The Cap notes that because Mayfield earned incentives for his snaps played, touchdown passes, passing yards and the Bucs’ playoff win, it increased his APY into the range of a fifth-round pick instead of a sixth-rounder.

That’s great news for the Rams, of course, so they can thank Mayfield for that.

The NFL will announce the finalized compensatory picks closer to the draft, but as of now, it looks like the Rams will receive four extra picks in addition to the selections they already have – including a first-rounder at No. 19 overall.

Bengals rookie Jordan Battle impressing, likely earns starting role

Here comes Bengals rookie Jordan Battle.

The Cincinnati Bengals.might have a new starter on defense in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, too.

While Jake Browning replacing the injured Joe Burrow understandably commands the attention, a rookie has started to take over a role on the defensive side of the ball.

Said rookie is third-rounder Jordan Battle, who impressed last week at safety after taking over for veteran Nick Scott.

So said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor this week.

“I thought he made the most of his opportunities. So we’re going to continue to rely on everybody moving forward. But Jordan did a great job. You saw him play a lot of the snaps in this game. That’s going to continue as we go forward,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It’s all about grabbing the opportunity that’s in front of you and I think Jordan’s done a good job of that. He has to continue to be consistent going forward.”

Battle came in for Scott after a mistake from the veteran and never really came back off the field against the Ravens, ultimately recording a game-high 11 tackles.

The Alabama product has been very open in the days since the game when talking about where he could have improved.

“I felt like it was an OK game for me. I had small mental errors on two plays where I could have communicated better,” Battle said. “The more you play, the more settled you get. It felt great to be out there talking to the guys, trying to know what play is coming and what can I do to make a play on this play.”

At this point, it’s hard to see the Bengals going back to Scott, who arrived this offseason via free agency. Not only has Battle looked more impressive, with the team’s playoff hopes fading, letting a rookie get seven games of run as a starter could be key for his development and the long-term outlook of the defense.

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Best photos of Penn State players in the NFL’s Week 4

Check out the best photos of Penn State players in the NFL in Week 4.

Former Penn State wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] came up clutch for the Washington Commanders when he caught a game-ending touchdown on the final play of regulation, forcing overtime on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately for Dotson and the Commanders, the result did not go their way in the overtime.

Meanwhile, in Dallas, Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys dominated Mike Gesicki and the New England Patriots. Parsons appeared to injure his ankle during the game but continued to play in the blowout. Parsons and the Cowboys have a major test next week on Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers. That one should be a good one.

Here are some of the best photos from around the NFL’s Week 4 of former Penn State football players.

Bengals get good injury updates on Joseph Ossai, Nick Scott

Two key Bengals defenders are moving in the right direction.

It’s good news for the Cincinnati Bengals on the injury front for key defenders as the team preps for next Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Before practice on Thursday, head coach Zac Taylor said both safety Nick Scott and defensive end Joseph Ossai were making positive progress.

That proved true not long after, with Scott returning to practice in limited fashion after the concussion during the loss to the Ravens last week. Ossai returned too and got some work in as a full participant, suggesting he might be able to give it a go on Monday against the Rams after missing the first two games of the season.

Both are key ingredients for the defense, with the pass-rush struggling during the first two games and Scott a big part of the revamped secondary that still needs time to get on the same page.

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Bengals safety Nick Scott suffers injury vs. Ravens

Bengals safety Nick Scott suffered an injury during the Week 2 game against the Ravens.

Cincinnati Bengals safety Nick Scott suffered an injury on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and needed the help of trainers to leave the field.

The injury occurred when Scott hit Ravens tight end Mark Andrews over the middle. After remaining down, Scott walked off with trainers and went to the locker room.

Scott had previously left the field and entered the blue medical tent earlier in the game but later returned. While he was out, rookie Jordan Battle received some snaps next to the other starting safety, Dax Hill.

The Bengals brought on Scott as a starter in free agency this offseason to help offset the losses of Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates on the open market.

Update: 

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Penn State in the NFL: Best photos from Week 1

Take a look at this photo gallery of former Penn State players in the NFL from Week 1 of the regular season.

The NFL season finally got underway with a full Week 1 slate of football. Scattered throughout the NFL were 33 Penn State football players on active 53-man rosters as the season officially kicked off, and a number of those players were key players in their season openers.

A number of former Nittany Lions started the season with a new team including wide receiver Allen Robinson and running back Miles Sanders. In all, Penn State has 39 players on NFL rosters if you include practice squad players and players appearing on injured reserve to start the 2023 season.

Here is a look at some of the former Nittany Lions in action during Week 1 of the 2023 NFL regular season.