Tag: Parker Washington

Jaguars vs. Colts inactives: JaMycal Hasty, Parker Washington out

Five of the six Jaguars players listed as inactive Sunday against the Colts are rookies.

The Jacksonville Jaguars listed six players as inactive ahead of a 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

There were no surprises on the list as rookies Antonio Johnson and Tyler Lacy were already ruled out on the Friday injury report. The rest of the list was also comprised mostly of rookies:

The only veteran who is inactive for the Jaguars in running back JaMycal Hasty, who was replaced in the third spot on the depth chart by free agent signee D’Ernest Johnson.

Jacksonville kept seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster after preseason, but will roll into Sunday with five after sitting down rookies Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks.

For the Colts, the big news on their list of inactives is that running back Zack Moss is officially out of action in Week 1.

Moss, who is recovering from a broken arm, was listed as questionable Friday, but downgraded to doubtful Saturday. With Jonathan Taylor also out of action, the Colts are expected to start third-year running back Deon Jackson.

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Where to draft the top Jaguars players in fantasy football

The Jaguars are as relevant as they’ve ever been in fantasy football. Here’s where to draft Jacksonville’s top players:

Last year, the Jaguars showed flashes of what could become a top offense in the NFL. With their recent offensive success comes high expectations for many Jacksonville players in fantasy football.

With the emergence of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the second year in head coach Doug Pederson’s offense, and the arrival of wide receiver Calvin Ridley, many Jaguars will be considered when fantasy football players are drafting their teams.

This is where fantasy footballers should target the top Jacksonville players in their drafts:

Jaguars turned down ‘several’ teams interested in WR Parker Washington

Trent Baalke says several teams called with offers for rookie WR Parker Washington, but nothing “moved the needle.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars kept seven wide receivers, including rookies Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks, when the team cut its active roster down to 53 players Tuesday.

On Thursday, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke revealed the team could’ve cut that number to six by trading Washington.

“He was never on the trade block, we weren’t actively shopping him … but there were several teams that reached out,” Baalke said in a press conference. “It wasn’t a situation that we felt comfortable with, or didn’t move the needle for us, let’s put it that way.”

Washington, 21, was picked with the No. 185 overall selection in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft. In preseason, the former Penn State receiver caught two passes for 31 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown against the Detroit Lions.

In addition to his receiving skills, the Jaguars also view Washington as a player with return ability. He’s listed as the backup for punt and kick return duties behind Jamal Agnew and he averaged 21 yards per kick return and 9.3 yards per punt return in preseason.

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Where is Dante Cephas on Penn State’s depth chart?

Where will Dante Cephas fit on the Penn State depth chart this fall?

After the departure of [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] to the NFL after last year’s season, Penn State’s wide receiver depth chart was full of inexperienced players. Returners [autotag]Keandre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Harrison Wallace[/autotag] combined for 43 receptions and 662 yards.

The Nittany Lions hit the transfer portal bringing in [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag] from Kent State. In two seasons as a starter, he caught 130 balls for 1,984 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Like Tinsley the year prior, Cephas is expected to step in and make an immediate impact for Penn State this season.

Reports out of training camp suggest he has gotten off to a slow start, causing him to be in the rotation of players competing for the final starting spot. Lambert-Smith and Wallace are two of the expected starters with an opening still available to be earned.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] was asked about where Cephas stands on the depth chart in his recent availability to the media and he reiterated this point saying, “Yeah, he’s in that group that’s battling. We got a competitive group of four to five guys that are battling — he’s apart of that conversation.”

When making the transition from a smaller conference to the Power 5 level, it’s an adjustment adapting to the increased speed and athleticism. It’s harder to get open and compete physically against defensive backs. On top of that, Franklin is a coach who emphasizes the need to compete at practice, something Cephas is learning about.

“It’s not saying that he’s not a big time player, but there’s a difference between getting up one or two days a week, or one or two times a year in a season vs. coming out here every single day with that type of competitiveness that you need to be successful,” Franklin said.

Cephas is going to have plenty of opportunities to work his way into a starting role with Penn State this season. He’s a talented player who should make an impact once he gets used to the different level of competition it takes to play in the Big 10.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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ESPN highlights Dante Cephas as one of the most important transfers

ESPN calls Penn State wide receiver one of the most important transfers in 2023.

The biggest question mark surrounding the Penn State roster heading into the 2023 season is the wide receiver group.

The Nittany Lions lost their two most productive receivers to the NFL when [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] was drafted and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] was picked up by the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent.

Without those two on the roster, the offense has to replace 97 receptions and 1,188 yards with a young, unproven receiver group led by Keandre Lambert-Smith.

One of the players who is expected to step up the most is Kent State transfer Dante Cephas who was a major producer at the MAC level last season. He recorded 82 receptions, 1,240 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games played.

ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly has highlighted Cephas as one of the most important transfers in the College Football Playoff race.

He writes, “Cephas’ upside appears immense if his power-conference learning curve isn’t too steep. In 23 games over the past two seasons, he caught 130 passes at 15.3 yards per catch with nine 100-yard games. He has experience out wide and in the slot, and he could be a solid security blanket for a young QB.”

Penn State did a good job of getting Tinsley ready for Big Ten football when he transferred in from Conference-USA school Western Kentucky, so there shouldn’t be a big worry about Cephas making the same jump.

If he’s able to use his experience and mentor the young receivers, they could develop into a solid unit. If there are still questions about this group throughout the season, it will be an obvious blemish on an otherwise loaded roster.

The Nittany Lions will have to score points if they want to beat Michigan and Ohio State to get into the College Football Playoff. Cephas needs to play a major role to ensure that happens.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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5 takeaways from Jaguars’ first unofficial depth chart

The Jaguars’ first depth chart of the year shows coaches are impressed with rookie Tank Bigsby.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are just a few days from their preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys and released an unofficial depth chart ahead of the matchup.

Some of it has been affected by injuries, though. For example, former starting left guard Ben Bartch off the depth chart entirely while on the PUP list. Tyler Shatley took over starting duties last season following Bartch’s season-ending injury, but Shatley is at the bottom of the chart while recovering from an irregular heartbeat.

Still, there are some decisions from the coaching staff that jump off the page in the first depth chart. Here are five takeaways:

Jaguars 2023 roster review: WR Parker Washington

Jaguars sixth-round pick Parker Washington has a chance to make an impact as a rookie.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is still off on the horizon. Join us in the NFL’s dead zone with a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reconstructed their wide receiving corps last year by adding Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones.

They kept the additions coming by picking Penn State’s Parker Washington near the end of the 2023 NFL draft.

While the trio of veterans will undoubtedly land at the top of the depth chart, there are several young players who will be battling for the final spots on the 53-man roster. As a draft pick, Washington may have the inside track.

Contract (2023): $750,000 base salary, $48,066 prorated signing bonus, $798,066 cap hit.

Acquired: Jaguars picked Washington with the No. 185 pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft.

PFF grades:

  • 76.4 (2022 – Penn State)
  • 78.9 (2021 – Penn State)
  • 66.7 (2020 – Penn State)

Statistics:

  • 46 receptions, 611 yards, two touchdowns (2022)
  • 64 receptions, 820 yards, four touchdowns (2021)
  • 36 receptions, 489 yards, six touchdowns (2020)

Highlight:

Quote: “Parker is a really good player, so we got a steal, for sure. I’m excited to be on a team with Parker just because not only is he a good football player, but we’re also great friends off the field.” – Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange on Washington

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Leonard Taylor (No. 49)
Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50) Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55)
Yasir Abdullah (No. 56) Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64)
Chandler Brewer (No. 67) Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73)
Cam Robinson (No. 74) Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79)
Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80) Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87)
Oliver Martin (No. 88) Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Nick Thurman (No. 97) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus
Jacob Harris

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Where are Penn State’s WRs in College Sports Wire’s best Big Ten receivers list?

Was Penn State snubbed in College Sports Wire ranking of the top Big Ten receivers in 2023?

With under 100 days left before the start of college football season, coaching staffs, media, fans and everyone involved with the sport are starting to project what will happen during the 2023 season.

College Sports Wire has been ranking players at their positions from each conference and recently completed their list for the best Big Ten wide receivers.

Throughout the offseason, one of the biggest question marks surrounding Penn State was about their wide receiver group. After losing [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] to the NFL Draft, questions about the overall talent and depth at the position were pervasive.

Here are the top wide receivers according to College Sports Wire.

  1. Marvin Harrison Jr. – Ohio State (77 rec, 1,263 yds, 14 TDs)
  2. Emeka Egbuka – Ohio State (74 rec, 1,151 yds, 10 TDs)
  3. Isaiah Williams – Illinois (82 rec, 715 yds, 5 TDs)
  4. Chimere Dike – Wisconsin (47 rec, 689 yds, 6 TDs)
  5. Tyrese Chambers – Maryland (51 rec, 544 yds, 4 TDs)
  6. Cornelius Johnson – Michigan (32 rec, 499 yds, 6 TDs)
  7. Chris Autman-Bell – Minnesota (11 rec, 214 yds, 1 TD)
  8. Corey Crooms Jr – Minnesota (57 rec, 814 yds, 5 TDs)
  9. Jeshaun Jones – Maryland (44 rec, 557 yds, 4 TDs)
  10. Billy Kemp IV – Nebraska (16 rec, 116 yds, 0 TDs)
  11. Julian Fleming – Ohio State (34 rec, 533 yds, 6 TDs)
  12. Naseim Brantley – Rutgers (53 rec, 893 yds, 9 TDs)

It should come as no surprise that Penn State doesn’t have any of the top players on the list from College Sports Wire, but they did not have any of their receivers make the list.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith did make it as an honorable mention, but it’s still shocking to not see any Nittany Lions listed as a top 12 player in the conference. Lambert-Smith is expected to take the next step this season and will be helped out by projected starter and Toledo transfer [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag].

Here are both their numbers from last season in comparison to others on the list.

  • Lambert-Smith: 24 rec, 389 yds, 4 TDs
  • Cephas: 48 rec, 744 yds, 3 TDs

When looking at both of their numbers, it’s safe to say both have arguements to be included on the list of best receivers in the Big Ten. Lambert-Smith has put up numbers as a tertiary option that match and exceed some of the players on this list. Cephas has the fourth most yards on this list when looking at last season’s numbers.

The good news is that the Penn State wide receivers can go out and show they deserve to be included at top receivers in the Big Ten this season. At the end of the day, this is a preseason list.

Once the season starts, they can go out prove how good they are in this conference.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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Penn State football 2023 NFL draft player signing tracker

Penn State 2023 NFL Draft rookie contract signing tracker

Although Penn State may not have had a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Nittany Lions did send six players through the draft. Tjat included three players going in the second round with Joey Porter Jr. going to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the first pick of the second round and Brention Strange and Juice Scruggs each getting their names called during the second round.

Now that the draft has come to a close, and undrafted free agents are beginning to be signed, including a number of former Penn State players, all eyes are set on the first NFL contract signings for the newest batch of NFL rookies drafted from Penn State.

We’ll keep tabs on all of the draft pick contracts to be signed this year by Penn State players who have become NFL rookies in 2022, and we will update this information as needed when more information does become available. Contract details used here are obtained through the terrific sports contract resources available from Spotrac.

This list was last updated on May 19, 2023.

Brenton Strange: Jaguars ‘got a steal’ in WR Parker Washington

Brenton Strange is excited the Jaguars reunited him with fellow Penn State alum Parker Washington.

The Jacksonville Jaguars double-dipped from the pool of Penn State players in the 2023 NFL draft, picking tight end Brenton Strange in the second round and wide receiver Parker Washington in the sixth.

Strange says the reunion with Washington is going to mean good things for the Jaguars in more ways than one.

“Parker is a really good player, so we got a steal, for sure,” Strange said at rookie minicamp, via Jaguars.com. “I’m excited to be on a team with Parker just because not only is he a good football player, but we’re also great friends off the field.

“Not only are we gonna hang out off the field and just be friends, but we’re gonna go over the playbook and challenge each other. We’re gonna make each other better off the field.”

Washington finished his three-year career at Penn State with 146 receptions for 1,920 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“Having a young guy like this with the ability to create some plays offensively just gives us another weapon, another target for Trevor [Lawrence] and the quarterbacks to throw to,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said of Washington after the draft. “Excited to get him in here and get him going and seeing what he can do.”

While there won’t be much competition for Strange to earn a roster spot at tight end following the departures of Dan Arnold and Chris Manhertz, Washington may have a tougher time at receiver. The Jaguars have a solid group of veterans in Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Jamal Agnew.

The sixth-round rookie will compete with several players, including Tim Jones, Kevin Austin Jr., and Jaray Jenkins, for the final spot(s) at receiver on the 53-man roster.

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