Tag: Riley Neal

Getting to Know Browns Camp Quarterbacks John Love and Riley Neal

Getting to know the Cleveland Browns newest quarterbacks: Kyle Love and Riley Neal.

The Cleveland Browns opened their rookie minicamp with a lot of interest in their drafted players. The team also brought in a number of undrafted free agents, tryout players, and non-rookie rostered players.

Two of those were quarterbacks Josh Love and Riley Neal.

Love is a 24-year-old who played college football at San Jose State with his last season there in 2019. For his career in the MWC, Love attempted exactly 1,000 passes completing almost 58% of them for over 7,200 yards.

In his four seasons on the field, Love threw for 43 touchdowns while adding 29 interceptions. Love was not much of a running threat in college.

The Los Angeles Rams had Love in camp last year but he failed to make their roster.

Neal, also 24, played four years at Ball State before playing his fifth, and final, season with Vanderbilt in the SEC. In his five seasons, Neal threw for 8,978 yards while completing 60% of his passes.

Overall, Neal threw 55 touchdowns compared to 30 interceptions in college. He was also more of a rushing threat than Love, compiling 1,410 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns during his five years.

Following his transfer to Vanderbilt, Neal completed his Master’s Degree.

Neal signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL draft but was waived in July of 2020.

With veterans Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum and Kyle Lauletta leading the quarterback room, the Browns needed camp arms to make things go. It is unlikely that either Love or Neal will stick around but both players get another chance to keep their NFL dream alive during the Browns rookie minicamp.

LSU’s best wins vs. Vanderbilt: 2019 season

The LSU Tigers traveled to face Vanderbilt back in 2019, recording their eighth straight win in the series against the Commodores.

The 2020 college football season for the LSU Tigers kicks off in less than two weeks.

But the 2019 season was historic, as the Tigers went totally undefeated en route to their fourth national championship in program history.

The LSU football team has only played the Vanderbilt Commodores a total of 31 times, winning the last eight in the series.

The 2019 edition of this cross-divisional match-up in the SEC was no different. Joe Burrow and the Tigers went into Nashville and dominated the Commodores, 66-38.

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The Tigers’ Heisman Trophy winning signal-caller passed for 398 yards and six touchdowns on 25-of-34 completions. Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries out of the backfield.

Vanderbilt quarterback Riley Neal passed for 206 yards with one touchdown and an interception on 15-of-31 completions.

Commodores running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn ran for 130 yards and two scores on 20 carries as the primary tailback.

LSU led 28-7 after the first quarter, and by then, the game was already out of reach for Vanderbilt. The Commodores scored 10 points in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 38-17 at the half.

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The Commodores offense recorded 374 yards of offense to the Tigers’ 599. Both teams had two turnovers, but LSU outplayed Vanderbilt in first downs by a 26-17 margin.

Last season’s edition of this match-up only added another win for the Tigers to go on an eight-game winning streak. The Commodores are winless against the Tigers since 1990, when Vanderbilt won 24-21 in Nashville.

The Tigers return to Nashville to face the Commodores for the second straight season on October 3 in what will be the 32nd all time meeting between the two teams.

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Broncos’ UDFA contracts could give clues about who will make 53-man roster

Essang Bassey might be a favorite to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster.

When NFL teams make decisions about roster cuts, a player’s performance on the field is the biggest factor to consider.

That doesn’t mean other factors don’t have any influence on decisions, though. A player’s draft status and contract situation can also influence a team’s decision.

For the Broncos, the bonuses for undrafted free agents could give us a clue about which of those players Denver coveted the most. Sometimes teams get into bidding wars for UDFAs and a player’s large bonus certainly doesn’t guarantee a player will make the team, but it can help.

Running back LeVante Bellamy received a $25,000 signing bonus and $35,000 in guaranteed salary, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Could that be a sign that the Broncos plan to trade or cut Royce Freeman and have Bellamy serve as the third-string RB this season? Maybe.

Cornerback Essang Bassey received a $20,000 signing bonus, according to Klis. Even though he didn’t receive the largest bonus, Bassey might be the most likely UDFA to make Denver’s roster. The team needs more depth at cornerback and Bassey could be a sleeper to watch this summer.

Here are the remaining UDFA signing bonuses, according to Klis:

Player Bonus
WR Zimari Manning $12,500
WR Kendall Hilton $10,000 (plus $5,000 guaranteed salary)
QB Riley Neal $8.000
DB Douglas Coleman $5,000
OT Hunter Watts $3,000

The undrafted free agents who don’t make the 53-man roster will be strong candidates to make the Broncos’ practice squad.

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Denver Broncos depth chart prediction: Quarterback

Who will serve as the Broncos’ backup quarterback this season? Will Denver carry a quarterback on the practice squad?

Now that the NFL Draft has wrapped up, we’re going to be taking a position-by-position look at the Broncos’ roster to estimate a way-too-early depth chart prediction. Today, we’re starting the series at quarterback.

QB1: Drew Lock 

This is an obvious prediction. After going 4-1 as a starter last year, Lock earned the trust of Denver’s front office and will go into the 2020 season as the undisputed starter.

QB2: Jeff Driskel

The Broncos signed Driskel in part because he has a similar playing style to Lock. He can move around in the pocket to extend plays and he’s probably more athletic than Lock. If anything happens to Denver’s QB1, they’ll turn to a backup who has eight career starts under his belt.

QB3: Brett Rypien

After starting last season on the Broncos squad, Rypien served as Brandon Allen’s backup for three games before going back down to the practice squad when Lock returned from injury. Rypien’s best bet to stick around with the team will be on the practice squad again.

QB4: Riley Neal

Neal’s college stats aren’t overly impressive (57.8 completion percentage, nine TDs and five INTs at Vanderbilt) and he’ll be considered a big underdog in competition with Rypien for the practice squad QB role.

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Report: Broncos signing undrafted free agent QB Riley Neal

The Broncos are signing undrafted free agent quarterback Riley Neal.

The Denver Broncos are signing undrafted free agent quarterback Riley Neal, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Neal (6-6, 225 pounds) spent four years at Ball State before transferring to Vanderbilt for his senior season. Last fall, he completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,585 yards with nine touchdowns against five interceptions.

In his college career, Neal completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 8,978 yards with 55 touchdowns against 30 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,410 yards and 15 touchdowns while in college.

In a pre-draft interview with Titans Wire’s Crissy Froyd, Neal spoke about his willingness to go anywhere and compete for a roster spot.

“I think I’ve played a decent amount of football, and I have some experience. I’m someone who is going to come in and work every day, fill whatever role they find necessary,” Neal told Titans Wire.

“I’m not too picky, of course I’ll go anywhere that I’m wanted and that’s good for me. I don’t have any specific criteria for that.”

Neal will become Denver’s fourth-string QB, behind Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien. He will have long odds to make the final roster.

We are tracking all of the Broncos’ undrafted free agent signings here.

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Titans QB target Riley Neal prepared to take career to the next level

The Titans have met with a host of prospects ahead of the draft, including Neal.

The Tennessee Titans entered the 2020 NFL Draft with a need to fill at backup quarterback, considering that Logan Woodside is the only player at the position on the roster outside of Ryan Tannehill.

The Titans have met with a host of prospects, including Vanderbilt’s Riley Neal, who is ready to find his NFL landing spot in the coming days.

Prospects like Neal have been greatly impacted by the restrictions put in place due to the novel coronavirus.

“I talked with the Titans and I was supposed to go to their local day, and obviously, that never happened,” he told me on Thursday morning.

Neal has met with several teams, but says that in addition to the Titans, the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams specifically come to mind.

The Titans obviously present the advantage of staying local for Neal, and a supporting cast with running back Derrick Henry within it is appealing.

“They run the ball really well, and on top of that, I’ve already lived in Nashville, going to Vanderbilt,” Neal said. “It’s a great city to be in.”

Playing the SEC for the Commodores as a graduate transfer from Ball State has helped give Neal the tools he needs to prepare for the next level, and the offensive situation he was placed in there served him well.

Over five years of college football, Neal has completed 59.6% of his passes for 8,978 yards with 55 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

“I think we did some stuff at Vanderbilt in terms of protections and changing plays and I was given quarterback freedom to get the offense in a situation that’s ideal for them,” he said. “It kind of gave me a leg up in comparison to some other offenses.”

Neal, who is projected to be chosen in the later rounds or be signed as an undrafted free agent, is ready to put his head down and get to work — regardless of where that may be.

“I think I’ve played a decent amount of football, and I have some experience. I’m someone who is going to come in and work every day, fill whatever role they find necessary,” he said. “I’m not too picky, of course I’ll go anywhere that I’m wanted and that’s good for me. I don’t have any specific criteria for that.”

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