Tag: Rodger Saffold

New Browns OG Rodger Saffold, Bedford Native, recalls attending infamous Bottlegate game

The newest member of the Browns, Rodger Saffold, told the story of attending the infamous Bottlegate game as a kid.

The Cleveland Browns added a veteran offensive lineman and former Pro Bowler to their practice squad as Rodger Saffold hops on the ride for a playoff run. Saffold, a Bedford native, grew up as a lifelong fan of the Browns.

According to the Associated Press’s Tom Withers, Saffold was even present for one of the more infamous games in Browns’ history: the Bottlegate game.

Throwing it back to 2001, a moment in which the officials rewound and overturned a play even though it was two plays in the past caused the stadium to erupt in frustration toward the crew. This resulted in a sea of beer bottles being tossed onto the field and in the direction of the officials.

Saffold recounts sitting in the stands for the event:

“Obviously, I wasn’t going to throw anything because I was a young guy, but yeah, I was there, man. I lived and died with this team.”

As Saffold even has a chance to play this weekend as his hometown team rests their starters against the Cincinnati Bengals, he’ll be hoping for a much cleaner outcome than that unfateful 2001 afternoon.

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Browns add former Pro Bowl guard Rodger Saffold to the practice squad

The Browns have added a former Pro Bowler to their practice squad.

The Cleveland Browns, as they get set to rest their starters against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, have added former Pro Bowl guard Rodger Saffold to their practice squad.

Saffold, in his 14th season in the NFL, is a two-time Pro Bowler (Tennessee Titans, 2021; Buffalo Bills, 2022). In his career, Saffold has started a total of 176 games for the Titans, Bills and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. He was a second round pick in the 2010 NFL draft out of Indiana University.

Having clinched their spot as the top wild-card team in the AFC, the Browns are expected to give key players a week off after a grueling schedule. They were cursed with a Week 5 bye week this season, leading to a great deal of injuries.

Among those players are guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, who have both routinely found themselves on injury reports throughout the season. Saffold could find his way into the starting lineup this weekend.

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Jets release Rodger Saffold from practice squad

Jets release Rodger Saffold from practice squad

The Jets released offensive lineman Rodger Saffold from the practice squad, per Field Yates of ESPN.

The Jets originally signed Saffold to the practice squad on October 31 as potential depth given the injuries the Jets had been dealing with throughout the season. He was never elevated for a game.

The 35-yard-old Saffold was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate last season with the Bills. 2023 was Saffold’s 13th NFL season. He was selected by the Rams at No. 33 overall in the 2010 draft.

Jets are signing veteran Rodger Saffold to their practice squad

The Jets are adding veteran guard Rodger Saffold to the practice squad with the intent to sign him to their active roster.

The New York Jets didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline, but they did bolster their depth in the interior offensive line. Upon the trade deadline concluding, the Jets added veteran Rodger Saffold to their practice squad.

The Jets intend to add Saffold to their practice squad and promote him to the active roster soon. Injuries have ravaged the offensive line of the Jets this season, so depth and experience were needed as New York hopes to remain in playoff contention.

Saffold last played with the Buffalo Bills in 2022 and made 16 starts en route to his second straight Pro Bowl nod. The 35-year-old guard has spent time with the Los Angeles Rams, the Tennessee Titans, and the Bills since being taken in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Rams.

Following Sunday’s overtime win over the New York Giants, the Jets have now placed four offensive linemen on injured reserve. That includes Connor McGovern, Wes Schweitzer, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, who all made starts in the interior of the offensive line.

Joe Tippmann is also dealing with an injury, so things are dire for the Jets in the interior outside of Laken Tomlinson. While Saffold may not be an elite option anymore, his experience could be valuable for the Jets down the stretch.

PFF: Where the Bills offensive line ranks after Week 1

PFF: Where the #Bills offensive line ranks after Week 1 (via @TejasVemparala):

Buffalo Bills fans expected to see improvement by the Bills offensive line from last year. Despite center Mitch Morse’s Pro Bowl nod along with Dion Dawkins and Rodger Saffold, the unit were ranked 23rd in the 2022 NFL season.

As the preseason ended, the Bills’ season opener was the first chance to see whether the offensive line had indeed progressed from last year. However, following Monday’s overtime loss to the New York Jets, the stats highlight that the Bills offensive line was more of what we have seen – not any worse but not any better.

According to Pro Football Focus, who ranked the performance of all 32 NFL teams’ offensive line units during Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, the Bills ranked No. 23  after Week 1. PFF listed the ranking of each team in order from best to worst performing, and the Bills are sandwiched in between the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals, both of whom lost on Sunday.

Here is the full excerpt from the football analytics outlet:

Projected Week 2 starters:

LT Dion Dawkins
LG Connor McGovern
C Mitch Morse
RG O’Cyrus Torrence
RT Spencer Brown

Rookie right guard O’Cyrus Torrence was solid in his NFL debut, letting up three pressures on 50 dropbacks and earning the highest run-blocking grade on the Bills’ offensive line.
The Bills needed right tackle Spencer Brown to take a step forward in 2023; however, the third-year player gave up five pressures against the Jets, which was tied for the fourth most he has allowed since the start of the 2022 season.

Best player: Dion Dawkins
Dawkins was the only Buffalo offensive lineman not to allow either a sack or a quarterback hit against the Jets.

For each team, Pro Football Focus highlighted players that were determined to be the weakest links. The three for the Bills, Morse, Torrence, and Brown, were highlighted by PFF as the Bills’ weakest links in WEek 1.

It is only one game, but the first impressions of the offensive line seem to be more of what we saw last season. The Bills offensive line unit should have an easier time in Week 2 with a Las Vegas Raiders defense that many predict will not be good.

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The NFL’s best available free agents as training camps begin

As training camps begin, and the preseason is nearly upon us, here are the best free agent players left in the NFL.

Rookies and veterans are reporting to training camps around the NFL, which means that our long national nightmare of life without professional football is nearly over. Yay, but for a lot of veterans in the league, there’s still an element of waiting by the phone to hear from their agents regarding interests from NFL teams.

Not every veteran — even veterans who are still playing at a high level — have homes when training camps start. A lot of the players listed below will find those homes before preseason games begin in early August, and some will have to wait longer. (Yes, there are veterans who would prefer to eschew training camp entirely, and that has something to do with it).

So, as we head into the pre-preseason, here are the best players who, at this point, are still looking for their new NFL destinations.

List of remaining unsigned Bills free agents

List of remaining unsigned #Bills free agents from last year’s team:

The Buffalo Bills and rest of the NFL are well into the offseason. However, the market remains open and several players that were on Buffalo’s roster in 2022 are still available to sign.

Here’s a full list of Bills players that currently remain free agents:

Most notable free agent from each NFL team who remains unsigned in 2023

Most notable free agent from each NFL team who remains unsigned in 2023 (including the #Bills):

We’ve reached the dead portion of the 2023 NFL offseason, where teams are wrapping up their offseason programs with mandatory minicamp before breaking for the summer.

As teams ready their training camp rosters, there are still some notable free agents on the open market who could help shore up positions of need. That includes wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, kicker Robbie Gould and (unofficially) running back Dalvin Cook.

Our NFL Wire editors identified the most notable free agent from each NFL team who remains unsigned (at the time of publication) ahead of training camp:

Top positional needs for Bills as 2023 NFL combine begins

Top positional needs for #Bills as 2023 NFL combine begins:

The first big event of the 2023 NFL offseason is set to get underway.

This upcoming week from Indianapolis, this year’s combine gets started. After the Buffalo Bills’ early departure from the postseason last year, the team certainly has some needs to address.

Here are the top positions to keep in mind for the Bills as the combine unfolds: