Tag: Phidarian Mathis

Commanders DT Phidarian Mathis looks to turn things around in 2024

2024 will be a make-or-break year for Phidarian Mathis.

Washington defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations since being picked No. 47 overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

As a rookie, Mathis injured his knee on the third play of his NFL career and missed the remainder of the season. In 2023, a calf injury cost him seven games. Through two NFL seasons, Mathis has played a total of 206 defensive snaps.

In his 206 snaps, Mathis has just eight tackles and no sacks.

With a new general manager in town and new coaches to follow, Mathis must produce in 2024 to stick around. He’s no longer viewed as a second-round pick. He understands the urgency and plans on having a strong offseason.

“I just want to come back next year and just have a full year and turn everything around,” Mathis said, per commanders.com. “Mentally, it took a toll on me bad. You’ve got people who have expectations for you. You got family expectations, you’ve got expectations for yourself. It’s kind of overwhelming because you know what you can do, and you keep having setbacks after setbacks; it’s kind of a mental game for me. It kind of took me into a deep depression. I was kind of down all year long just knowing I was supposed to be out there, and I wasn’t able to be out there.”

Mathis plans on coming back as a different player beginning in the spring.

“I just want to improve all around, my game. I want to come back a different person, have a different mindset, a different mentality. I just want to come back a different guy. I know I’m gonna come back a different guy, and I’m gonna put more on tape. I’m going to work so hard until I can’t no more. I know this is an important year for me just to show everybody who I really am.”

Mathis, and fellow third-year defensive tackle John Ridgeway are under contract for two more seasons. Starters Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne also return, although there is speculation Allen could be traded. Regardless of Allen’s status, 2024 is a make-or-break year for Mathis.

Commanders place Cody Barton, Saahdiq Charles on IR

Cody Barton, Saahdiq Charles will miss at least the next four games.

The Washington Commanders will be without two starters for at least the next four weeks.

On Saturday, Washington placed linebacker Cody Barton (ankle) and left guard Saahdiq Charles (calf) on injured reserve. Both players can return this season but will miss a minimum of four games.

The Commanders made some corresponding moves, activating defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis from IR and elevating linebacker Jabril Cox and cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields from the practice squads. Additionally, Washington signed fullback/tight end Alex Armah to the active roster.

Barton had played every snap through Washington’s first six games until he was injured in the first quarter of the Week 7 loss to the Giants. The combination of David Mayo and Khaleke Hudson will step in for Barton. Barton had struggled in his first year with Washington but played his best game in the Week 6 win over Atlanta.

Charles is in the final year of his rookie contract and continues to struggle with injuries. Washington is expected to start either rookie Ricky Stromberg or Chris Paul at left guard. If the Commanders bench center Nick Gates for Tyler Larsen, Gates could also be an option at left guard.

Washington hosts the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8.

Former Alabama DL Phidarian Mathis removed from injured reserve, set to make season debut with Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders removed former Alabama defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis from the injured reserve.

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis will make his season debut on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mathis suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first game of his rookie season in 2022.

Mathis is one of three former Alabama players on the Commanders defensive line. He joins fellow Crimson Tide alumni Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.

The Louisiana native spent four seasons in Tuscaloosa before entering the 2022 NFL Draft. He was drafted in the second round by the Commanders.

Now, he will see the field for the first time in over a year. After being on injured reserve for the first seven games of the season, the Commanders will allow Mathis to see game action. It should be a huge help for an already strong Commanders defensive front.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama players in the NFL and other news surrounding the Alabama football program.

Commanders open 21-day practice window for DT Phidarian Mathis

Mathis has missed 23 out of a possible 24 games early in his NFL career.

The Washington Commanders could soon be adding more defensive tackle depth behind Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and John Ridgeway.

Washington opened its 21-day practice window for second-year defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis on Wednesday, meaning the Commanders have that time to either activate him or place him on season-ending injured reserve.

The 2022 second-round pick played three snaps in the season opener last year before injuring his knee and was lost for the season. Just before the season began this year, Mathis, along with fellow defensive lineman Efe Obada, was placed on short-term IR. Obada returned two weeks ago but hasn’t played a ton.

Washington has used veteran Abdullah Anderson as the third defensive tackle this season behind Allen, Payne and Ridgeway. Ridgeway, a second-year player like Mathis, has impressed.

Mathis has already missed 23 out of a possible 24 games in his young career. He practiced fully on Wednesday, so, much like Obada two weeks ago, Mathis is trending toward being active for Week 8 vs. the Eagles.

Commanders place DE Efe Obada on reserve/injured list

Another defensive lineman lands on IR. Fortunately, the injuries do not appear to be serious.

The Washington Commanders finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. Two days later, Washington placed two of its 11 defensive linemen on the reserve/injured list to begin the season.

On Wednesday, it was second-year defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis with a calf injury. Fortunately, it will be a stint on short-term IR for Mathis, and he’ll be eligible to return for Week 5.

On Thursday, the news came that defensive end Efe Obada would also land on the reserve/injured list. Obada was an underrated member of Washington’s defense last season. He can play defensive end and defensive tackle.

Head coach Ron Rivera said Obada was dealing with a patella issue and that this would also be a short-term IR stint for Obada.

To replace those players on the roster, Washington made the re-signing of center Tyler Larsen official and also brought back veteran defensive tackle Abdullah Anderson. Anderson signed with the Commanders in March and was released during final cuts.

Rivera spoke on the injuries and Washington’s plan moving forward.

“Those two guys gone [Obada and Mathis], we’re going to count on a veteran guy in Abdullah Anderson to step up and help out and then [DT] Benning Potoa’e,” Rivera said. “I hope I said that right. I apologize, Benning. He is a guy that we may have to pop up depending on what happens. We’re going to rely a little bit on the young guys to help round out the rest of that group.”

Potoa’e was released during final cuts and re-signed with Washington’s practice squad.

Former Alabama DL Phidarian Mathis to begin 2023 season on Washington Commanders Injured Reserve

The Washington Commanders placed former Alabama defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis on injured reserve on Wednesday.

The Washington Commanders placed former Alabama defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis on Injured Reserve on Wednesday. Mathis played three snaps during his rookie season before suffering a torn meniscus.

The Louisiana native will be on the short-term list. Meaning, he will be eligible to return for the 2023 season.

Mathis is a part of a Commanders defensive front that also consists of former Alabama defensive lineman Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.

When Mathis returns, he should add depth to the Commanders’ defensive line. The outcome of NFL games are typically determined in the trenches. Mathis’ physicality and presence is something that could prove to be valuable for the Commanders in 2023.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Phidarian Mathis’ professional career as well as other former Alabama players in the NFL.

Commanders place DT Phidarian Mathis on short-term IR

And Tyler Larsen is back.

Shortly after the Washington Commanders finalized their initial 53-man roster yesterday, general manager Martin Mayhew called it “very fluid.”

On separate questions about center Tyler Larsen and fullback/tight end Alex Armah, head coach Ron Rivera and Mayhew hinted at bringing both released players back.

As it turns out, the Commanders had a plan all along. On Wednesday, Washington placed second-year defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis on the short-term reserved/injured list, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season.

In a corresponding move, the Commanders re-signed Larsen. Armah was among the players Washington signed to its practice squad on Wednesday.

It’s another tough break for Mathis, Washington’s second-round pick in 2022. Mathis injured his knee in Week 1 last season after playing only a few snaps and was lost for the season. In the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, Mathis injured his calf on the same play that defensive end Chase Young suffered a stinger.

The Commanders have arguably the NFL’s best defensive tackle duo in Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, backed up by promising second-year DT John Ridgeway. Veterans Efe Obada and James Smith-Williams can also play inside, and the Commanders re-signed Benning Potoa’e to the practice squad.

Larsen is Washington’s third center on the roster, joining Nick Gates and Ricky Stromberg. All three can also play guard. Larsen has started games for Washington the last two seasons.

Rivera offers injury updates for Chase Young, Phidarian Mathis

Overall, good news coming out of the first preseason game.

On one play in Friday’s preseason-opening win over the Cleveland Browns, a pair of Washington Commanders were injured and left the game.

Defensive end Chase Young blew past Cleveland left tackle Jedrick Wills to get his hands on quarterback Deshaun Watson, but Watson slipped away. As Watson heads downfield, you can see second-year defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis in pursuit.

Unfortunately, Mathis suffered some sort of leg injury and left the game. Young also departed the game and was seen on the sideline with head trainer Al Bellamy. After the game, head coach Ron Rivera said Young had “a little bit of a stinger” but didn’t give an update on Mathis.

After Sunday’s practice, Rivera offered an update on both players.

On Young:

“With Chase, he self-reported a stinger during the game, and so through an abundance of caution, we have slowed him down just to be smart more so than anything else,” Rivera said.

“He’s got to get one more final exam so we can get him back out there. Everything has been fine. Again, we’re just being careful because this was a self-reported stinger. I don’t want to say protocol, but we have to follow the rules.”

It sounds like Young will be just fine.

Mathis appears fine, too:

“He had tweaked his calf, and he did come back in, re-entered the game, and take his reps,” Rivera said. “Today, he’s a little sore. He was sore yesterday sore today, and so the training staff wanted to slow him down a little bit. He did a few things, and then we shut him down.”

That’s a relief for Mathis. Only a few plays into the first game of his NFL career last season, Mathis went down with a knee injury and was lost for the year.

The Commanders have depth at both positions, so don’t be surprised if they take it easy with both players during this week’s joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens.

Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 48 days

We are just 48 days away from the start of Alabama’s 2023 football season!

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 48 days, as Middle Tennessee State visits Bryant Denny Stadium on Sept. 2.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will be counting down the days until Nick Saban and his team take the field.

Today, with 48 days remaining, we will take a look at a former standout for the Tide, [autotag]Phidarian Mathis[/autotag].

Mathis was a dominating defensive lineman for Alabama during the 2021 season finishing with 10.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks.

For his career, Mathis accumulated 129 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks.

Crimson Tide long-snapper Kneeland Hibbett currently wears No. 48.

Phidarian Mathis’s Photo Gallery

Commanders, fans give Chase Young another reason to be motivated

What’s your predictions for Chase Young’s sack total in 2023?

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How many sacks will Chase Young accumulate in 2023?

Well, Wednesday night, I discovered former Washington wide receiver Anthony Armstrong had stated he believed the Over/Under for Young’s sack total this 2023 season should be 6.5.

6.5? Wait, 6.5??

How did that happen that folks are actually thinking the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft in his fourth season will only generate 6.5 sacks?

If you are unfamiliar with over/under, the idea is that the folks setting the number, attempt to set the number where they will manufacture the most action (betting money action) where it will come from both sides (over and under).

Young injured his knee during the 2021 season against Tampa Bay. He then remained out the first 15 weeks of 2022 before appearing in the last three games in Weeks 16-18.

The former Ohio State All-American and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2020) pleased players, coaches and fans when he reported for the mandatory OTAs this week (June 6-8). He has been wearing a rather large brace for now, and all hopes are that Young is simply being cautious, not taking any chances as this is only the beginning of June.

It was noted by Mitchell Tischler (NBC Sports Washington) that Young was still wearing a brace, though Phidarian Mathis, injured in 2022, was not wearing a brace.

Young is going into a huge contract year for himself. The former Buckeye has already stated he is motivated. In 2020, he tallied 7.5 sacks, and Young this year knows he has not been offered the fifth-year option. There is plenty of motivation with those two facts alone.

If you had been asked after his 7.5 sacks in 2020, what would you predict as a sack total for Young in 2021? No doubt, the 6.5 prediction reveals that there are some out there whose expectations of Young have certainly declined and are trending downward.

Well, it’s only early June. Let’s at least wait until we see how Young looks in a preseason game before we determine what his sack total will be this season.

6.5? Perhaps when Young learns of that low total being predicted, he will have yet another reason to be highly motivated to prove everyone wrong.