Tag: Rashaan Melvin

Panthers Preseason: Winners and losers in the 2021 finale vs. Steelers

Panthers CB Jaycee Horn wasn’t kidding about the seatbelt stuff, was he?

Finding last week’s winners amongst the Carolina Panthers after a listless 20-3 loss wasn’t exactly the most apt exercise to partake in. But fast-forward just six days later and, oh, how the turn tables.

Carolina bounced back from their downer of a performance against the Baltimore Ravens and smashed the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday night, 34-9. Albeit a smashing of their backups, it was a smashing nonetheless.

So let’s try to sort out the winners and losers, if we can find any of those, from the Panthers’ 2021 preseason finale.

Winner: Joe Brady

We could put quarterback Sam Darnold here, but he’s already won the starting job. So there’s nothing for him to win at the moment.

Instead, we’ll go with Brady. The second-year offensive coordinator recently waxed poetic about the chemistry between himself and Darnold, saying he “has something” in his new vessel. Well, it looks like he did on Friday night, as Darnold’s sizzling arm strength and developing decision-making made for a nice fit in Brady’s play-calling.

Winner: Jaycee Horn

The 2021 eighth overall pick is, so far, as advertised. He was one of the standout performers in another exciting outing from the defense, clicking in that seatbelt on receivers that came his way.

Loser: Panthers secondary as a whole

Even though the team has made significant strides in improving their personnel at cornerback, they still aren’t very deep there. Rashaan Melvin went down with a groin injury in this one and did not return.

If Melvin isn’t back for Week 1, that’ll add to the list that already includes a suspended A.J. Bouye and a lost-for-the-seaosn Troy Pride Jr.

Winner: Ryan Santoso

Santoso did all he could to kick his competition off the spot. He successfully booted through each of his five kicks, including field goals of 52 and 27 yards.

His job still isn’t assured, however, as the Panthers can regain the seventh-round pick they sent to the New York Giants for Santoso if they don’t play him in more than two games.

Loser: Joey Slye

The aforementioned competition, Slye, is probably on the outs now. He missed his lone field goal attempt, a 49-yard try, right after Santoso’s 52-yarder.

He’s struggled through most of the summer and hasn’t been able to break out of his funk despite the constant support from the team.

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Panthers injury update: CB Rashaan Melvin ruled out vs. Steelers

Panthers CB Rashaan Melvin (groin injury) will not return to Friday night’s preseason finale.

Almost all was well for the Carolina Panthers defense on Friday night. Almost.

The unit looked great, shutting down the Pittsburgh Steelers backups as they should’ve and building up more chemistry headed into the regular season. But an injury to cornerback Rashaan Melvin could put a bit of a damper on the mood.

Melvin exited the game Friday night after sustaining a groin injury. The team announced that he will not return.

The seventh-year veteran is going to be counted on as some important depth amongst the cornerback group. He’s even more important considering the two-game suspension to be served by fellow cover man A.J. Bouye to start the schedule.

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Analysis: Panthers add experience at CB, youth at RB with Thursday moves

So far, two moves have been reported.

After last night’s flurry of defensive free agent signings, the Panthers have been relatively quiet today. So far, two moves have been reported.

Veteran cornerback Rashaan Melvin is signing a one-year deal. Melvin is 31 years old and has been kicking around the league since 2013. For an undrafted free agent from a small college (Northern Illinois) that’s nothing to sneeze at. Melvin has suited up for several teams, most recently with the Lions in 2019.

Melvin is far from the top cornerback on the market – at the moment Richard Sherman and Troy Hill are still available. Signing him doesn’t necessarily mean the Panthers won’t acquire another one, as team reporter Darin Gantt suggested after the news broke.

Melvin started 12 of 13 games with Detroit in 2019 and 40 of 64 in his pro career. There’s no guarantee he’ll start opposite Donte Jackson in 2021, though.

If nothing else, Melvin offers plus size and length (6-foot-2, 194 pounds) in addition to that experience for a very young cornerback room that saw Jackson as a sort of a senior statesman last year.

Our best guess is that Melvin will wind up being the No. 3 corner in the rotation, ensuring that Troy Pride Jr. isn’t thrust into a role he isn’t quite ready for. The Panthers will either need to sign another veteran or invest an early-round pick in this spot for us to feel satisfied.

The other news of the day is in the backfield: Darius Clark is also signing a one-year deal. He’s a local product who played college ball at Newberry. Clark was a standout at the recent HUB football camp.

Signing Clark (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) likely indicates Carolina won’t be re-signing Mike Davis, who became a free agent yesterday.

It’s tough to tell where they see Clark on the depth chart at this point in time other than it being lower than Christian McCaffrey. Trenton Cannon, Reggie Bonnafon and Rodney Smith are all still under contract, so Clark might have to push one of them out to earn a roster spot.

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Panthers signing CB Rashaan Melvin to 1-year deal

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the team is signing veteran Rashaan Melvin to a one-year deal.

The Carolina Panthers finally got themselves a cornerback.

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the team is signing veteran Rashaan Melvin to a one-year deal.

Melvin (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) played college ball at Northern Illinois and then went undrafted. He has spent time with a lot of different teams in the NFL, including the Ravens, Colts, Lions, Dolphins, Patriots and Raiders.

In 2019 Melvin played for Detroit, totaling 59 solo tackles and 11 pass breakups. He had some issues in coverage, though – allowing four touchdowns and a 104.1 passer rating as the nearest defender. Melvin only missed one tackle all season though (1.4%).

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Rashaan Melvin among several ex-Lions opting out for 2020

Melvin is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars after spending 2019 as a Lions starter

Rashaan Melvin is confirmed to be one of the 66 NFL players who will sit out the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns. The cornerback is one of two Jacksonville Jaguars who elected to opt out.

Melvin spent the 2019 season as a starting CB for the Detroit Lions, with varying degrees of success. He is one of several former Lions players who chose to opt out, per the agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA.

Other former Lions players who chose to opt out:

  • Larry Warford, free agent
  • Rolan Milligan, S, Colts
  • Leo Koloamatangi, OL, Jets
  • Jeremiah Valoaga, EDGE, Raiders
  • Cole Wick, TE, Saints

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4 takeaways from Jags’ roster after opt out deadline

The Jags didn’t have a lot of opt outs, however, the few that they had impacted the team’s experience.

The NFL’s deadline for players to opt out officially passed at 4 p.m. EST, which now means it’s time for teams to turn their attention towards the 2020 regular season. Like most teams, the Jags were impacted to a degree, losing three veterans in linebacker and defensive end Lerentee McCray, defensive tackle Al Woods, and cornerback Rashaan Melvin for the season.

At the same time, the Jags could’ve sustained a bigger blow from their group of opt outs, as teams like the New England Patriots almost hit 10 players. All of that said, there are still some takeaways that are worth mentioning when looking at the Jags’ current roster, and here are the four that stood out the most:

Barring any changes, the Jags potentially lost their 2 oldest defensive starters

With Woods and Melvin opting out, the Jags team as a whole got a little younger. Woods was the Jags’ oldest player at 33 years-of-age, while Melvin was tied as the second oldest at 30 years-of-age with D.J. Hayden and Mike Glennon.

Barring any major moves to get replacements, the Jags could enter the season with a very young starting defense with Abry Jones (29) being the oldest player (if he beats out DaVon Hamilton). The next oldest player would be Rodney Gunter, who turned 28 in January.

DaVon Hamilton has a better chance to start now with Woods out

As mentioned above, with Woods out of the picture Hamilton and Jones are probably going to be competing to start at defensive tackle. With Jones having 47 career starts and being the team’s longest-tenured veteran, and Hamilton currently on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, Jones looks to have the advantage.

However, when Hamilton returns, he shouldn’t be counted out. While at Ohio State, the 6-foot-4, 327-pounder showed off an ability to be stout against the run and penetrate offenses.

Tre Herndon has a clear path to pick up where he left off in 2019

It initially looked as though Melvin could enter a competition to start against Tre Herndon, who started in all but two games last season. The reason for that was A.J. Bouye dealing with injuries and, of course, the Jags shipping Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams.

In the beginning, it was a little bit of an adjustment for the second-year player, but as the season went on he got better and ultimately finished 2019 with 55 tackles and three picks. Now, with Melvin opting out, the path to becoming a starter again is clearer for Herndon, unless an undrafted rookie like Luq Barcoo comes out of the woods.

The Jags’ undrafted CBs have an increased chance to make the roster

Continuing on Barcoo, it now feels like he has a good chance to make the team although it’s more likely as the fifth cornerback. He was a highly-sought-after undrafted free-agent with a draftable grade and the competition for him seemingly was stiff because the Jags gave him a record deal.

While Barcoo has a good chance to make the final 53-man roster, there will be some competitors he’ll have to fight off in fellow undrafted rookies Amari Henderson and Kobe Williams.

Henderson is a talented corner who is battle-tested coming from the Atlantic Coast Conference where he faced elite receiver prospects like Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross.

Meanwhile, Williams totaled some impressive coverage grades while at Arizona State. In fact, according to the Sun Devil’s official site, he was ranked 30th in terms of his overall cornerback grade in 2019 and had the 27th-highest grade in coverage (82.3).

 

Jags CB Rashaan Melvin opts out with deadline approaching

With the opt out deadline set for Thursday, 4 p.m. EST, the Jacksonville Jaguars were informed of another opt out. Veteran cornerback Rashaan Melvin will be sitting out the 2020 season due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. #Jaguars CB …

With the opt out deadline set for Thursday, 4 p.m. EST, the Jacksonville Jaguars were informed of another opt out. Veteran cornerback Rashaan Melvin will be sitting out the 2020 season due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Melvin, 30, was expected to compete for a starting cornerback spot by many due to having 40 career starts. However, his decision will now give Tre Herndon an easy path to be the Jags’ No. 2 cornerback alongside first-round pick C.J. Henderson.

Melvin had been a journeyman heading into 2020, making notable stops with the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, and Indianapolis Colts amongst notables. Had he decided to play in 2020, this season would’ve been his eighth and he would’ve entered his Jags tenure with 243 career tackles, three picks, and 41 pass breakups.

Although the group is young and inexperienced, the Jags had good numbers at the cornerback position and Melvin’s decision will also increase the chances for undrafted rookies Kobe Williams, Amari Henderson, or Luq Barcoo to get a roster spot.

Melvin is now the third player to opt out for the Jags. He joins veteran linebacker and defensive end Lerentee McCray and nose tackle Al Woods with his decision.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

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Jaguars make it official with CB Rashaan Melvin, DE Cassius Marsh

The Jaguars have officially signed CB Rashaan Melvin and DE Cassius Marsh, both of whom could receive a lot of play time for the roster.

The Jacksonville Jaguars went into free agency with needs at a variety of positions. They lost both starting corners from their 2017 AFC Championship run in the span of just a few months, as well as 2019’s Walter Payton Man of the Year, Calais Campbell. In addition to losing such elite defensive talent, the also entered 2020 needing to add help on offense for quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

They did just that once the open market period started. Two of the players they added in the process, cornerback Rashaan Melvin and defensive end Cassius Marsh, made their signings official Monday, per multiple sources.

While neither likely will turn into Pro-Bowl players for Jacksonville, they do fill some gaping holes on the defense. Melvin will come in and compete for a job on the outside at cornerback. The position is pretty wide open so Melvin, who has started in 40 games, looks to have a fair shot at the job.

Marsh, on the other hand, will likely be used as a rotational pass-rusher and a depth piece for Todd Wash and his defense. Marsh (6-foot-4, 254 pounds) has a total of 14 sacks in his career, accumulating eight in the past two seasons. He’ll also enter 2020 with eight career starts and 159 tackles. Based off his time with the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers in 2018-19, he shouldn’t have any issues fitting into the defensive rotation led by Josh Allen.

NFL free agency: CB Rashaan Melvin agrees to terms with Jags

The Jags have added their second cornerback of the free agency period.

The Jacksonville Jaguars continued to add to their secondary Tuesday.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the team agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Rashaan Melvin formerly of the Detroit Lions. The deal is reportedly for a one-year contract worth $2.25 million.

Melvin, 30, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in the 2013 NFL Draft. He originally signed with the Tampa Bay Bucs and has bounced around the league since, however, his three most recent stops were with the Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Lions.

Melvin will enter 2020 with a career total of 40 starts (of 64 games), 244 tackles, and four picks. In 2019, he registered 12 of his starts and accumulated 68 tackles, and 11 pass breakups which all factored into a total Pro Football Focus grade of 55.4.

With various starts to his name, he will come in and compete with Darqueze Dennard and Tre Herndon for a chance to start on the perimeter of the Jags’ defense. He’ll join defensive tackle Al Woods and defensive end Cassius Marsh as the Jags’ newest additions this week.

Lions Week 13 inactives: Damon Harrison OUT, Tracy Walker and Da’Shawn Hand ACTIVE

Detroit Lions Week 13 inactives include Damon Harrison being ruled out, while Tracy Walker and Da’Shawn Hand are active.

The Detroit Lions (3-7-1) have announced their inactives ahead of their Week 13 matchup with the Chicago Bears (5-6) on Thanksgiving day at Ford Field.

Let’s take a closer look at the seven inactives for each team:

Lions Week 13 inactives

QB Matthew Stafford (back, hip)
IOL Beau Benzschawel
OG Oday Aboushi
NT Damon Harrison (knee)
CB Rashaan Melvin (ribs)
CB Michael Jackson
RET. Jamal Agnew (ankle)

Stafford, Melvin, and Agnew were ruled out on Wednesday and will be replaced in the starting lineup by Jeff Driskel at quarterback, Amani Oruwariye at outside corner, Ty Johnson on kick returns and Danny Amendola on punt returns.

Marvin Hall (foot) was also originally ruled out on Wednesday but was later placed on injured reserve with a foot injury in order to make room for Chris Lacy on the active roster.

Harrison is the surprise inactive today. After dealing with a groin issue for over a month now, a knee and calf injury popped up this week, with the knee being listed as the problem on Friday. On a short week, he was apparently not able to heal up enough.

Benzschawel, Aboushi, and Jackson are back on the inactives list after being on the active roster last week due to injuries.

Bears Week 13 inactives

WR Taylor Gabriel (concussion)
TE Ben Braunecker (concussion)
TE Adam Shaheen (foot)
RT Bobby Massie (ankle)
DL Abdullah Anderson
LB Danny Trevathan (elbow)
S Sherrick McManis (groin)

Gabriel, Braunecker, Shaheen, Massie, and Trevathan were slated for starting roles and will nee dot be replaced.