Tag: Pro Ducks

Report: De’Anthony Thomas ‘no longer expected’ to join B.C. Lions after failing to attend rookie camp

It doesn’t look like De’Anthony Thomas will be joining the B.C. Lions any longer. The Oregon legend was a no-show at rookie camp on Thursday.

A few months ago, it appeared that we were getting ready for a De’Anthony Thomas renaissance, this time in the Canadian Football League, as the former Oregon Ducks legend was signing a contract to play for the B.C. Lions.

However, that doesn’t appear the be the case anymore after Thomas failed to show up at rookie camp with the team on Thursday afternoon. There is not yet a reason for why Thomas didn’t show up, but according to Farhan Lalji, a reporter for TSN, Thomas is not expected to be with the team any longer. We will wait to hear anything further on the situation.

Thomas was recently enjoying the limelight in Eugene where he was an honorary coach with the Ducks at their annual spring game. Thomas was also expected to participate in the Oregon Pro Day earlier this spring alongside former Duck Devon Allen, but he was reportedly unable to join due to his CFL contract with the Lions.

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A look at which Oregon stars are on rosters as WNBA season tips off

Four former Oregon Ducks will begin the season on WNBA rosters, although only three will suit up in game action this season.

The WNBA season tips off on Friday evening, as the Chicago Sky look to defend their surprise championship run from last season.

The WNBA has more eyes on it than ever before, in part because of the rising interest in women’s college basketball – which has fans clamoring to see how their favorite players perform at the next level.

Unfortunately limited roster spaces, the lack of minor league developmental league, and a small number of teams has created a situation where a large chunk of players drafted don’t end up sticking onto a roster once the season begins.

This has created many very loud calls for expansion by fans, players, former players, media analysts, and coaches as the league looks to capitalize on the growing interest.

For the Oregon Ducks, while the number could (should) be higher, they are going to be represented by four different athletes during the WNBA season – although only three are going to suit up this year.

Here is a look at those four athletes, what team they play for, and what their role might look like during the 2022 campaign:

Every Oregon Ducks player to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft

Kayvon Thibodeaux is the latest in a long list of former Oregon Ducks to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Here’s a look at them all.

Kayvon Thibodeaux is just the latest in a long line of former Oregon Ducks to get selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

On Thursday night, Thibodeaux was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 5 overall pick, where he will play alongside established greats Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams in the Big Apple.

Related: Projected salary for New York Giants draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux

This is the third-straight year where Oregon has had a player taken in the first round, and the 8th in the past decade. So who are the other Pro Ducks who are in the first-round club along with Thibodeaux? Let’s take a look…

Nyara Sabally says goodbye to Oregon and declares for WNBA draft

Nyara Sabally declares for the WNBA draft after a stellar career in Eugene playing for the Ducks.

Nyara Sabally came to Oregon in the hopes of playing with her sister Satou and win a national championship.

Although neither came to fruition due to several knee injuries, Nyara was able to carve out her own little piece of Duck history for her very own.

The younger Sabally overcame those injuries and played the last two seasons with the Ducks where she averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. She also an all-conference player in both seasons and made the Pac-12 all-tournament team in 2022.

In her first season, Sabally averaged 13 points and 7.3 rebounds a game where the Ducks advanced all the way to the Sweet 16.

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Penei Sewell to be featured prominently on HBO’s Hard Knocks

HBO’s Hard Knocks is heading to Detroit to cover the Lions. That should give a great look at Penei Sewell in action.

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One of the most exciting times of the sports year for hardcore football fans is every August when NFL training camp rolls around and HBO’s Hard Knocks gets released. It marks the start of football season, and as we see players crack pads and learn the stories of new guys in the league, we know that the glorious weekends that are filled with wall-to-wall coverage of football and constant checking of fantasy scores are not far off.

This year, Oregon Duck fans will get a little boost in that month of August as well, with it being announced that the Detroit Lions are going to be featured as this year’s team.

As every Oregon fan knows, it was the Lions who drafted former Ducks’ legend Penei Sewell early in the first round last season, making him one of the young premiere tackles in the game.

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It will also be interesting to see what high-profile rookie the Lions have to show off, since they have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft this season. There’s an outside chance that they could take someone like Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, but it seems like his stock has fallen well below that point unfortunately.

Regardless, it will be fun to tune into HBO on Sunday nights and get a glimpse at a Pro Duck doing his thing at the next level. From now until then, we will be looking forward to August.

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Houston Texans bring back former Ducks Royce Freeman and Pharaoh Brown

Both Royce Freeman and Pharaoh Brown will be staying with the Houston Texans for the 2022 season.

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Two of Oregon’s Pro Ducks got some good news this past week as free agency in the NFL got underway.

Running back Royce Freeman and tight end Pharaoh Brown signed new contracts to stay with the Houston Texans for the upcoming season.

On Friday, the Texans announced they resigned Freeman after signing him off waivers during the 2021 season.  They also extended an offer to Brown to keep him on the roster.

Freeman reportedly signed a one-year, $1.187 million deal to stay with the franchise. He played in seven games during the 2021 season for the Texans and ran for 92 yards on 35 carries, while also catching seven passes for 62 yards.

Brown, who was signed to Houston’s practice squad in 2020, will reportedly make up to $4 million in his contract with the Texans. He was elevated to the active roster in 2020 and went on to start 21 games with 37 receptions for 361 yards and two touchdowns.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Marcus Mariota unveils new jersey number as QB of the Atlanta Falcons

Marcus Mariota will no longer be No. 8. With the Atlanta Falcons, the Oregon legend is making a change.

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Throughout his entire football career, with the Oregon Ducks, Tennessee Titans, and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, we have known quarterback Marcus Mariota as No. 8.

In Eugene, he even made a new facemask popular, with the front bars shaped to look like the number 808, which was his area code in Hawaii. Picture Mariota in a jersey with any number other than 8 is weird to think about, and hard to imagine.

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With his new team, the Atlanta Falcons, though, Mariota is making a change. On Friday, when he signed his new two-year deal, the Oregon Ducks’ leged also announced that he will be wearing a new number this coming season.

Jersey number 1 for QB1.

It may take some time to get used to seeing Mariota in a different number, but as long as we see him starting games for the Falcons and finding some relative success, I’m sure it will quickly become the new normal.

Now that we know his number, and can start to visualize him in the red and black, it’s time for the Falcons to go out and put a solid team around him. That starts next month with the NFL draft. 

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. 

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Could the Seahawks pursue Marcus Mariota after trading Russell Wilson?

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota is a free agent, and the Seattle Seahawks could be suitors after dealing superstar Russell Wilson.

Two significant NFL storylines involving elite quarterbacks reached their resolution on Tuesday morning. First, it was Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who announced he is returning to Green Bay on what could be a record-breaking contract – although terms of the deal have yet to be finalized.

That news was followed swiftly by a massive, franchise-altering trade between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, which sent Russell Wilson to Denver for a package that included five draft picks, as well as quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

These were perhaps the two biggest offseason stories in the NFL this year, and they create a seismic shift in the quarterback landscape ahead of the 2022 season.

For fans of the Oregon Ducks and their alumni, these moves will very likely impact the market for Marcus Mariota, recently named by ESPN as the most underrated free-agent quarterback on the market.

Mariota is no longer an option in Green Bay or Denver, but he could be a free agent option for the Seahawks now that Wilson is out of the picture.

Seattle likely isn’t looking to Lock as the Week 1 starter – at least not without some serious competition in training camp – and Mariota obviously has ties to the west coast and fits the mold of the type of quarterback coach Pete Carroll likes.

Seattle does have the ninth overall pick in this upcoming draft, but the class is a historically weak crop of quarterbacks and it makes sense for the team to look elsewhere for their signal-caller this offseason.

The Rodgers signing complicates the quarterback market as well, with the Packers potentially looking to move on from backup Jordan Love now that Rodgers is back in the mix.

Love is a potential option for any other teams looking for a quarterback this offseason, joining 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as options on the trading block.

Mariota is perhaps the most notable free agent option, but he is not the only one: former Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will garner some attention as well, although Mariota is (arguably) the more appealing veteran on the market.

Plenty of teams should consider signing Mariota and giving him a chance to compete for a starting job this summer, with Seattle moving up to the top of the list now that they are officially moving on from the Russell Wilson era.

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CJ Verdell’s leg injury against Stanford far worse than previous known

CJ Verdell went into detail about how serious his leg injury was this last season, which is far worse than we previously imagined.

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When Oregon Ducks running back CJ Verdell left the Stanford game with an apparent leg injury, it was assumed it was bad.

Now we know exactly how bad it really was.

In his NFL Combine interview session, Verdell revealed that his leg was messed up in more ways than one.

Verdell sustained a fractured left fibula and a dislocated ankle. He had surgery on that following Monday and according to the former Oregon running back, the doctors have cleared him to fully participate in the combine workouts and hopefully improve his draft stock.

Before the injury, Verdell could have been a borderline first-round NFL draft pick and most likely a second-rounder. With a good combine, Verdell can definitely restore his stock.

At Oregon, Verdell finished his career with 2,940 yards and 30 touchdowns (26 rushing, four receiving).

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Could Marcus Mariota be the answer for San Francisco 49ers’ QB quandary in 2022?

Could Marcus Mariota’s next destination be in San Francisco with the 49ers? If Trey Lance isn’t ready in 2022, it might make sense.

Over the past couple of years, when you think about Oregon Ducks in the NFL, it’s Justin Herbert who immediately comes to mind.

However, one of Oregon’s most beloved sons in the professional football league is still struggling to find a home, and he could be on the move this offseason with his contract expiring. Marcus Mariota has been the backup QB for the Las Vegas Raiders in recent years after leading the Tennessee Titans to the playoffs in 2017 and 2019. He’s widely thought of as one of the best backups in the NFL, and someone who deserves another chance to be a starting QB.

He may get that opportunity this next year.

As the quarterback carousel churns in the NFL over the next couple of months, we will certainly see some guys pick up and move to new cities to fill holes. One of the teams who could be looking for a veteran guy to come in and help shore up the offense is the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted rookie Trey Lance a year ago but made a deep run with Jimmy Garoppolo this past year.

The general feeling is that Garoppolo might not be sticking around in San Francisco, so Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers may be in the market for another veteran player to offer some stability should Lance need another year to adjust to the NFL before being named the starter.

Enter Mariota?

In this scenario, Mariota would be playing the role of Alex Smith 2.0, finding a new team with which to play for while they groom his eventual successor. It’s unfortunate that the former Heisman-winning QB’s career has come to this, but it would give him a chance to play and potentially prove that he deserves a spot as one of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

As the offseason really gets going, we will undoubtedly hear a lot more news on the 49ers’ QB front, and it won’t be surprising to see Mariota’s name get involved. If he does end up in the Bay area, it could be exactly what his career needs to get back on track.

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