Tag: Richard LeCounte

Bucs elevate safety Richard LeCounte ahead of 49ers game

The Bucs are shoring up some safety depth for their game against San Francisco after Ryan Neal’s injury.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are adding some safety depth to the active roster before their Week 11 matchup.

The Bucs are headed to San Francisco (well, Santa Clara) to play the San Francisco 49ers, and they’ll be without safety Ryan Neal after he suffered a thumb injury against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10. As a result, the team announced Saturday that it’s elevating safety Richard LeCounte from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday.

LeCounte doesn’t have a lot of starting experience, starting just one game in his career, but he has played in nine games with the Cleveland Browns and has netted three combined tackles. It’s unlikely he’ll see the field too much Sunday, as safety Dee Delaney should take over most duties for Neal.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign former Georgia Bulldog defensive back

The Buccaneers waived former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship to make room on the roster for another former Bulldog

Former Georgia Bulldogs star safety Richard LeCounte has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. LeCounte’s signing comes shortly after the Los Angeles Rams waived him following preseason Week 1.

It did not take LeCounte long to find a new NFL home. He will compete with safeties Kaevon Merriweather, Nolan Turner, Kedrick Whitehead, Christian Izien and Avery Young to be a backup safety for Tampa Bay. Antoine Winfield Jr. and Ryan Neal are expected to start at safety for the Buccaneers.

LeCounte had played in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns selected LeCounte with a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. LeCounte played in 10 games and recorded three tackles during his time with Cleveland from 2021-2022.

The former Georgia standout was a playmaker in college. LeCounte finished his college career with 176 total tackles, eight interceptions and four forced fumbles.

LeCounte tallied four tackles in the Rams’ preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Buccaneers waived former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship to make room on the roster for LeCounte.

The official Tampa Bay Buccaneers website announced LeCounte’s signing via social media:

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Los Angeles Rams waive former Georgia Bulldog safety

The Los Angeles Rams have waived a former Georgia defensive back after Week 1 of the preseason

The Los Angeles Rams have waived former Georgia Bulldogs star safety Richard LeCounte. The Rams signed LeCounte to a reserves and futures contract in December, and they are moving on from the former Georgia defender.

LeCounte had previously played in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland selected LeCounte with a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. LeCounte appeared in 10 games and recorded three tackles during his time with the Browns from 2021-2022.

The former University of Georgia standout was a playmaker in college. LeCounte finished his UGA career with 176 total tackles, eight interceptions and four forced fumbles.

LeCounte recorded four tackles in the Rams’ preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Now, he will look for a new NFL home ahead of the 2023 season.

Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reported the Rams’ decision.

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Rams sign DT Khalil Davis, DB Richard LeCounte to practice squad

The Rams added two players to their practice squad Wednesday, both on defense

The Rams added a couple of new faces on Wednesday ahead of their upcoming game against the Packers. The team announced it has signed defensive tackle Khalil Davis and defensive back Richard LeCounte to the practice squad.

Davis came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick with the Buccaneers in 2020 and has played just three total games since. He hasn’t appeared in a game yet this season, spending time on Tampa Bay’s practice squad. He also had a stint with the Steelers and Colts last year.

LeCounte was a fifth-round pick by the Browns in 2021 and has played 10 games since. He was waived by the Browns in October and re-signed to the practice squad, but was then released a couple of weeks later.

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Browns waive former Georgia Bulldog safety

The Cleveland Browns have waived former UGA safety Richard LeCounte. Will he sign with Cleveland’s practice squad?

The Cleveland Browns have waived former Georgia Bulldogs star safety Richard LeCounte. Cleveland selected LeCounte with a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

LeCounte appeared in nine games for the Browns in 2021 and recorded three total tackles. The former University of Georgia standout was a playmaker in college. LeCounte finished his UGA career with 176 total tackles, eight interceptions, and four forced fumbles.

There’s a chance that Cleveland signs LeCounte to its practice squad after waiving the former Georgia Bulldog. The Browns waived LeCounte in order to make room for guard Drew Forbes, who was previously with the Detroit Lions.

Richard LeCounte had 10 pass deflections during his career with the Georgia Bulldogs from 2017-2020. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Richard LeCounte has played in one game during the 2022 NFL season. LeCounte played special teams snaps against the Atlanta Falcons in the Browns’ loss to Atlanta.

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Quavo: Georgia’s Richard LeCounte is ‘steal of the draft’

Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte is looking like one of the better picks in the 2021 NFL draft.

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The Cleveland Browns selected Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte with the 169th pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Now, LeCounte is already looking like a great pick for Cleveland.

Richard LeCounte’s impressive NFL preseason performances earner him a shoutout from famed musician and rapper Quavo.

Quavo proclaims, via Twitter, that Richard LeCounte is the steal of the 2021 NFL draft:

Quavo, who is the vocalist for the hip hop trio Migos, is a little bit biased toward the Georgia Bulldogs. Quavo was born in Athens, Georgia, has attended several Georgia football games over the years including a few big games that Richard LeCounte played in. He’s certainly one of the more famous celebrity fans of UGA.

So far, Richard LeCounte looks sharp in the NFL. He recorded an interception and deflected pass for the Cleveland Browns in his NFL preseason debut and then intercepted another pass in his second preseason game.

Cleveland Browns safety Richard LeCounte III after picking off New York Giants quarterback Brian Lewerke in the end zone to end their NFL preseason football game. Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal

LeCounte was a ballhawk at Georgia and it looks like he will continue to be one in the NFL. LeCounte fell in the 2021 NFL draft due to concerns about his health after he suffered serious injuries in an traffic accident. When LeCounte is healthy, he has a knack for making the big play.

If Richard LeCounte can stay healthy throughout his NFL career, then he may end up as one of the best picks of the 2021 NFL draft.

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Kyle Lauletta, Richard LeCounte headline PFF’s top-graded Browns from the preseason win over Jacksonville

Kyle Lauletta and Richard LeCounte headline the top-graded Browns by Pro Football Focus from the preseason win over Jacksonville

With most of the prominent Cleveland Browns sitting out the preseason opener in Jacksonville, it makes sense that some unheralded players stepped up. A quick look at the game grades from Pro Football Focus reveals quite a few names at the top who might not be instantly recognizable for many Browns fans.

The five highest-graded players on offense are a great example. In order, with a minimum of 10 snaps required, here are the top five offensive performers from the Browns win over the Jaguars on Saturday:

  • QB Kyle Lauletta
  • WR Davion Davis
  • OT Greg Senat
  • OG Michael Dunn
  • WR Ryan Switzer

All are longshots to make the final 53-man roster. In fact, Switzer is already out (on I.R.) after cutdowns made on Monday.

It’s a different story on defense. The 2021 Browns draft class shined, as did a couple of corners battling for roster spots. Here are the top five from that side of the ball:

  • S Richard LeCounte
  • CB A.J. Green
  • LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
  • LB Sione Takitaki
  • CB Brian Allen

The next chance for the Browns players on the roster bubble to prove themselves comes Sunday at home against the New York Giants.

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Former Georgia DB Richard LeCounte intercepts pass for Cleveland Browns

Former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte intercepts, deflects pass for Cleveland Browns

Former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte recorded an interception and deflected pass for the Cleveland Browns in his NFL preseason debut. LeCounte looks healthy and fast.

LeCounte was a ballhawk at Georgia and looks like he may continue that trend in the NFL. LeCounte fell in the 2021 NFL draft due to concerns about his health, but when LeCounte is healthy, he has a knack for making the big play.

LeCounte showed off his range at safety when he deflected a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars. LeCounte nearly intercepted Gardner Minshew on the play:

Additionally, LeCounte intercepted a pass to end the first half. He is fun to watch when he gets the football in his hands:

If LeCounte keeps making plays like this, it will be hard for him not to see significant playing time for the Browns. Cleveland may have gotten one of the steals of the 2021 NFL draft.

LeCounte fell to the fifth round of the draft due to a motorcycle accident he was involved in during his time at Georgia. LeCounte missed most of Georgia’s bowl game and did not test well ahead of the draft.

Based on the tape, there were not close to 168 players better than Richard LeCounte in the 2021 NFL draft. LeCounte will use falling in the draft as motivation.

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Browns sign 3 members of the 2021 draft class

Browns sign 3 members of the 2021 draft class: LB Tony Fields, S Richard LeCounte and RB Demetric Felton

The first three players from the Cleveland Browns draft class of 2021 have signed with the team. All are Day 3 picks from the final session of the draft in Cleveland.

Linebacker Tony Fields, safety Richard LeCounte III and running back/return specialist Demetric Felton all inked their rookie contracts at team headquarters in Berea on Thursday. They were the team’s final three choices in 2021, with Fields and LeCounte coming in the fifth round and Felton arriving with the Browns’ seventh-round pick.

The Browns hold their rookie minicamp starting on Friday, and the trio is all expected to be in attendance. The rest of the rookies could also sign prior to the start of the rookie minicamp.

Twitter reacts: Browns pick UGA DB Richard LeCounte

The Cleveland Browns selected former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte in the fifth round and Twitter reacted

The Cleveland Browns selected former Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte in the fifth round with the 169th pick. LeCounte is one of the most productive defensive backs in Georgia football history.

Richard LeCounte is a playmaker on defense. The Browns are getting a big-hitter who causes a lot of turnovers. In fact, LeCounte forced a dozen turnovers over his final three seasons at the University of Georgia.

LeCounte was involved in a motorcycle accident that kept him out for the latter part of 2020 season and caused him to fall in the 2021 NFL draft. Now, the former five-star recruit out of Liberty County High School will look to continue his recovery and prepare for the 2021 NFL season.

The Cleveland Browns are getting a steal in LeCounte. Browns fans have a lot to look forward to for the upcoming season.

Here’s how social media reacted as the Cleveland Browns drafted Richard LeCounte:

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