Tag: Ryan Izzo

Colts work out 5 TEs after Andrew Ogletree’s injury

The Colts worked out 5 TEs and a CB on Friday.

Following the unfortunate news that rookie tight end Andrew Ogletree will miss his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, the Indianapolis Colts worked out a quintet of tight ends, along with a cornerback, on Friday.

The Colts are still likely to keep just three tight ends on the roster following Ogletree’s injury, but it’s wise to keep an eye on the options available on the market.

Here are the five tight ends and one cornerback the Colts worked out on Friday, according to the league’s transaction wire:

Panthers sign LB Josh Watson, waive TE Ryan Izzo

The Panthers signed linebacker Josh Watson and waived tight end Ryan Izzo after an eventful day of joint practices with the Patriots.

The Carolina Panthers made a couple of moves at the bottom of their depth chart following their second joint practice with the New England Patriots on Wednesday.

As announced by the team this evening, linebacker Josh Watson—who was in on a visit yesterday—has been signed. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder spent time on Carolina’s practice squad in 2021.

Prior to his month-long stay with the Panthers, Watson floated between multiple NFL teams, including the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. After being released by Carolina on Dec. 16, 2021, he’d appear in a pair of games for the Houston Texans to close out the campaign.

Through four years of college football at Colorado State University, Watson totaled 365 tackles, 25 tackles for a loss, 11 passes defended and 3.5 sacks. He was voted as a Second-team All-Mountain West member as a senior and finished his career tied for fourth in school history with 51 games played.

Watson will fight an uphill battle for a spot on the 53-man roster in a crowded linebacker room. Still, with Shaq Thompson yet to practice since his minor knee surgery and Isaiah Graham-Mobley missing the last few days, Watson will try to capitalize on his opportunity to impress coaches.

To make space for the young linebacker, Carolina waived tight end Ryan Izz—who was signed by the team just last week. Although the team still faces a shortage at his position, Izzo had slim chances of beating out Giovanni Ricci, Colin Thompson, Stephen Sullivan, Jared Scott and Josh Babicz for the third (and perhaps final) tight end spot on the roster.

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Panthers sign two TEs on Thursday

With Ian Thomas and Colin Thompson dealing with injuries, the Panthers inked a pair of tight ends on Thursday.

The Carolina Panthers officially closed up training camp for the summer on Wednesday. But they’re not coming out of Spartanburg, S.C. unscathed.

In addition to the handful of injuries sustained at the cornerback position, the Panthers’ tight end room also grew a bit thin over in Wofford College. Starter Ian Thomas is expected to miss a few weeks with a rib injury while Colin Thompson, who has appeared in 26 games for Carolina over the last two seasons, is currently dealing with a calf injury.

So, they’ve enlisted the help of former Buffalo Bill Nate Becker and former New England Patriot Ryan Izzo.

Becker broke into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions in 2019. After being cut less than two months later, the Miami University (of Ohio) product landed in Buffalo.

The 6-foot-5, 264-pound pass catcher has played in just one regular season game at the pro level—a 2020 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. He registered 30 snaps on offense—with zero targets—and four on special teams.

Izzo was a seventh-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2019. He’s amassed 313 yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions over his three-year career.

To make room for Becker and Izzo, the Panthers waived linebacker Jacob Tuioti-Mariner and cornerback Devin Jones.

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Texans work out TE Ryan Izzo

The Houston Texans worked out a familiar tight end on Day 2 of training camp in Ryan Izzo.

The Houston Texans worked out a familiar face in tight end Ryan Izzo on Saturday, according to a league source.

Izzo, 26, previously spent the 2021 offseason and training camp with the Texans after they traded a seventh-round pick to obtain his rights from the New England Patriots. After releasing Izzo at the end of preseason, the former Patriots 2018 seventh-round pick spent time on the New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennessee Titans’ practice squads. The Titans released Izzo on June 1.

The Texans are evaluating options at tight end as coach Lovie Smith told reporters Saturday after the second training camp practice that Antony Auclair would “be out a little bit.” Auclair left the first day of practice on a cart with a bag of ice on his right knee.

Izzo has 19 catches for 313 yards and a touchdown through 19 career games, 16 of which he has started.

Titans announce Juwan Green signing among two roster moves

The Titans made a pair of roster moves on Wednesday.

The Tennessee Titans made their reported signing of wide receiver Juwan Green official on Wednesday. In order to make room for Green, the Titans waived tight end Ryan Izzo.

A former undrafted free agent signing of the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, Green was brought in for a workout recently that apparently went well. However, his best bet at sticking in Nashville is through the practice squad.

The Albany product spent time on the practice squads of both Atlanta and the Detroit Lions in 2021. More recently, he went through a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles during their 2022 rookie minicamp.

Green, who has never played a regular season snap, played his college ball at Albany, where he finished with 106 receptions for 1,815 yards and 21 touchdowns in 23 games over two seasons.

A former seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2018, Izzo was signed by the Titans in January off the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad.

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Titans signing TE Ryan Izzo off Seahawks’ practice squad

In the wake of the injury to MyCole Pruitt, the Titans are adding another TE to their roster.

After losing MyCole Pruitt to an ankle injury during the 34-3 Week 17 win over the Miami Dolphins, the Tennessee Titans are adding another tight end.

According to his agent, Mike McCartney, the Titans are signing tight end Ryan Izzo to the 53-man roster off the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad.

A former seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2018, Izzo spent three seasons with New England, recording 19 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown over 18 games (16 starts).

He last played in 2020, a season in which he recorded 13 catches for 199 yards in 12 games (all starts).

Last March, Izzo was traded from the Pats to the Houston Texans for a 2022 seventh-round pick, but he failed to make Houston’s 53-man roster out of training camp. He landed on Seattle’s practice squad in late September.

The Titans will hope Izzo can at least somewhat fill the role left by Pruitt, who was an effective pass-catcher and even better run-blocker.

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Seahawks place one player on reserve/COVID-19 list, take another off

Today, the Seattle Seahawks placed defensive end L.J. Collier on their reserve/COVID-19 list.

Three weeks after the initial outbreak, the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the NFL. Today, the Seattle Seahawks placed defensive end L.J. Collier on their reserve/COVID-19 list.

Collier has appeared in eight games this season for Seattle, totaling seven tackles and five quarterback hits. The team reportedly was shopping their former first-round pick around the trade deadline but got no takers.

Also, practice squad tight end Ryan Izzo was activated from the list.

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Seahawks work out two free agent cornerbacks and a tight end

These are the three players who worked out for Seattle on Tuesday.

The Seahawks got a look at a few free agents today, with a clear eye on potentially adding more size to their beleaguered cornerback room.

These are the three players who worked out for Seattle on Tuesday.

CB Josh Shaw: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds

Shaw is the most experienced of the bunch. The Bengals selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He’s appeared in 55 career games, posting one interception and seven passes defensed. Shaw allowed a 113.7 passer rating last season, playing four games each for the Chiefs and Bucs.

CB Simeon Thomas: 6-foot-3, 197 pounds

Thomas was a sixth-round pick by the Browns back in 2018. He has previously spent time on the Seahawks’ practice squad after they claimed him off waivers from Cleveland. He’s played 12 games – all for Washington – totaling eight tackles in limited action.

TE Ryan Izzo: 6-foot-5, 225 pounds

The Patriots picked Izzo in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. He’s caught 19 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown in 18 games. Seattle’s interest could mean Colby Parkinson (foot) will be out for a while longer.

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Giants protect TE Ryan Izzo, two other practice squad players

The New York Giants have protected three practice squad players, including recently signed tight end Ryan Izzo.

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The New York Giants protected three practice squad players on Tuesday, including tight end Ryan Izzo.

The 25-year-old Izzo, who signed with the Giants last week, was a seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL draft. He spent his first three seasons in Foxborough before briefly joining the Houston Texans this offseason (later waived).

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In 18 career games (16 starts), Izzo has hauled in 19 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown. He’s also been known to take a few snaps on special teams.

In addition to Izzo, the Giants also protected tight end Chris Myarick and defensive tackle David Moa.

The fact that the Giants protected two tight ends could indicate they have some serious injury concerns at the position heading into a Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos.

Evan Engram (calf) is likely a game-time decision, while Kyle Rudolph (foot) and Kaden Smith are also a little banged up.

Texans trade for Patriots TE Ryan Izzo, release Darren Fells

The Houston Texans have cut tight end Darren Fells and traded for New England Patriots tight end Ryan Izzo.

The Houston Texans have gotten rid of one of Deshaun Watson’s favorite targets over the past two seasons, and have brought in another one of new general manager Nick Caserio’s former players.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Texans have cut tight end Darren Fells. The release of Fells came moments after the Texans traded for TE Ryan Izzo from the New England Patriots.

“Izzo was a seventh-round pick out of Florida State in 2018, and has been with the Patriots for the last three seasons,” Patriots Wire managing editor Henry McKenna said. “He missed all of his rookie year on injured reserve, but has amassed 19 catches for 313 yards and a touchdown over the last two years. He entered the NFL with a reputation as a blocking tight end, but didn’t live up to those expectations. Izzo was thrust into the top tight end spot last season with 62% of the offensive snaps. He had just 13 catches for 199 yards.

Fells joined the Texans during the 2019 offseason after a short stint with the Cleveland Browns. Fells became an integral part of the Texans’ 10-6 season, where he recorded 341 yards on 34 receptions. With a career-high seven touchdowns, Fells set a Texans’ record for the most red zone receptions by a tight end, and finished the year ranked third in the league at his position.

Fells’ career-season in 2019 awarded him a two-year contract extension worth $7 million. Last season, a crowded tight end group led by Jordon Akins prevented Fells from replicating his success two consecutive years. He ended the 2020 season with 312 reception yards and four touchdowns.

In addition to Akins and now Izzo, the Texans have a tight end core that also features the likes of Pharaoh Brown and Kahale Warring. Prior to his release, Fells was due to make $1.5 million this coming season.

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