Tag: patrick morris

Titans signing former Broncos center Patrick Morris

The Titans have now inked a pair of centers on Friday.

The Tennessee Titans have added yet another center to their training camp roster after signing former Denver Broncos offensive lineman, Patrick Morris, which was revealed by his agent.

Morris is the second center the Titans have signed on Friday, as they also reportedly inked former New York Giants center, Spencer Pulley.

The Titans have seen issues at the position early on in training camp.

First, 2020 UDFA and standout reserve, Aaron Brewer, was placed on the NFI (Non-Football Injury) list before training camp.

Since then, the only other center on the roster other than starter Ben Jones, Daniel Munyer, has struggled with snaps in the last few days of practice.

Morris, an undrafted free agent out of TCU, doesn’t have much experience, as he’s appeared in just three games (no starts) the past two seasons.

Regardless, it’s good to see the Titans not sitting around and waiting for things to get better with their backup situation. We’ll see which reserve center emerges from the pack as training camp progresses.

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Predicting Broncos’ offensive line depth chart after adding Demar Dotson

How will adding Demar Dotson impact the Broncos’ offensive line depth chart?

The Denver Broncos are set to make some changes to their offensive line after Ja’Wuan James opted out of the season. Denver signed veteran right tackle Demar Dotson to a one-year deal but he’s not necessarily guaranteed to start, at least not right away.

Here’s our early offensive line depth chart prediction for the Broncos:

Left Tackle Left Guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
Garett Bolles Dalton Risner Lloyd Cushenberry III Graham Glasgow Elijah Wilkinson
Jake Rodgers Netane Muti Patrick Morris Austin Schlottmann Demar Dotson

This is just an early projection and it is subject to change, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Elijah Wilkinson begin the year as a starter given that he has a head start on Dotson and he was named James’ replacement last week.

A dark horse — such as Calvin Anderson — could emerge this summer but four of the team’s five starting jobs seem to be set. Muti is essentially a lock to make the team and Dotson will likely make it at least as a backup.

The remaining backup players will need to be versatile so they can serve as backups for multiple positions. Schlottmann, for example, can play both guard and center. If Dotson does end up starting, Wilkinson can serve as a backup tackle and guard.

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Vic Fangio says Lloyd Cushenberry will compete for starting job

The Broncos aren’t going to hand Lloyd Cushenberry a starting job as a rookie. He’ll have to earn it.

Before the draft, the Broncos were planning to have Patrick Morris and Austin Schlottmann compete for the starting center job this summer.

After selecting LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry in the third round of the draft, Denver still plans to have Morris and Schlottmann compete for the job.

“He [Cushenberry] is going to go in there and compete with Austin and Pat,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on April 24. “Again, he has the license to go in there and compete and win the job if he can.

“We’ll see how he develops, but we do like his ability, his potential and the play he put on tape at LSU. He’ll go in there with those other two guys and compete for the job.”

It’s smart for Denver to have an open competition because that should motivate all three players to perform at a high level this summer.

From the outside looking in, it certainly appears that Cushenberry will be the clear favorite — the job won’t be handed to him, though, and that’s a good thing. Competition should only make the Broncos’ o-line better.

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Projecting Broncos’ OL depth chart before the NFL draft

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ offensive line depth chart going into the NFL draft.

With the NFL draft a little more than one week away, here’s a look at the Broncos’ projected offensive line depth chart as it stands right now:

Left Tackle Left Guard Center Right Guard Right Tackle
Garett Bolles Dalton Risner Patrick Morris Graham Glasgow Ja’Wuan James
Calvin Anderson Tyler Jones Austin Schlottmann Elijah Wilkinson Jake Rodgers
Ka’John Armstrong Nico Falah Quinn Bailey

Many fans will point out that Bolles is a weak link but he has done a good job staying healthy and he still has a year left on his team-friendly contract. Denver will probably draft a tackle but the team could select a mid-round prospect to groom behind Bolles instead of drafting an early-round prospect.

The Broncos also need a longterm answer at center (or a right guard, if Glasgow ends up playing center). It wouldn’t be surprising to see Denver select another center/guard, a player similar to Glasgow.

To recap: the Broncos need help at center and left tackle on the o-line.

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Who will be the Broncos’ center in 2020?

Patrick Morris and Austin Schlottmann appear poised to compete for the Broncos’ center position this offseason.

Broncos new offensive lineman Graham Glasgow played center for the Lions last season but Denver seemingly plans to slot him in at right guard in 2020. So who will replace center Connor McGovern, who left to join the Jets?

Right now, the candidates are Patrick Morris and Austin Schlottmann, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Last season, Morris (25) received a game ball after coming in to replace an injured Dalton Risner against the Lions in Week 16. Though he primarily plays center, Morris performed well as a fill-in guard in a 27-17 win.

“I think both Pat and Jake [Rodgers] came in and did commendable jobs,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said after the game. “Really, Pat’s position of choice or best position is center.

“He’s a guy that can finish a game for you at guard, but he went in there and played well, as did Jake. Really, kudos to those guys.”

Rodgers entered the game to replace an injured Elijah Wilkinson.

Morris was claimed off waivers by Denver after being cut by the Steelers in December. Schlottmann (24) signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Both of them are versatile center/guards. Schlottmann has more experience — four starts compared to Morris’ mere two fill-in appearances.

Unless the team drafts a center in April, it looks like Schlottman and Morris will compete for snapping duties and Glasgow will play as a guard.

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Broncos make 2 roster moves

The Broncos claimed center Patrick Morris off waivers from the Steelers and placed defensive end Derek Wolfe (elbow) on injured reserve.

The Denver Broncos claimed offensive lineman Patrick Morris off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers and placed defensive lineman Derek Wolfe (elbow) on injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday.

Morris (6-3, 300 pounds) is a first-year center from TCU who spent his rookie season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad and dressed for two games this year. Morris earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors three times during his time with the Horned Frogs before signing with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent last year.

Morris will add more depth on the offensive line with guard Ron Leary in concussion protocol. When Leary left last week’s game, Austin Schlottmann filled in for him at guard. Schlottmann is also Denver’s backup center so the team needed to add depth in case Leary does not play in Week 14.

Wolfe (6-5, 285 pounds) totaled 34 tackles and a career-high seven sacks in 12 games this year before suffering a season-ending elbow injury. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

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