Tag: Ryan Succop

The players who became the NFL draft’s Mr. Irrelevant

The players who became the NFL draft’s Mr. Irrelevant

NFL Draft: What players became Mr. Irrelevant?

Mr. Irrelevant is a tribute to the player chosen last in the NFL Draft.

The last pick in the NFL Draft is honored as Mr. Irrelevant. He is feted in Southern California as if he were the first pick. Thanks to Mrirrelevant.org we can back at the players and what became of them.

1976: Kelvin Kirk, Steelers

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Kelvin Kirk was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 17th round of the 1976 NFL Draft, making him the first Mr. Irrelevant. He wound up playing seven seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Rough Riders. Kirk worked as an artist for the Ottawa Citizen before his sudden death by heart attack while playing a pick–up game of basketball in 2003.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12, Page 13, Page 14, Page 15, Page 16, Page 17, Page 18, Page 19, Page 20, Page 21, Page 22, Page 23, Page 24, Page 25, Page 26, Page 27, Page 28, Page 29, Page 30, Page 31, Page 32, Page 33, Page 34, Page 35, Page 36, Page 37, Page 38, Page 39, Page 40, Page 41, Page 42, Page 43, Page 44, Page 45, Page 46, Page 47

3 potential landing spots for ex-Titans kicker Ryan Succop

Here’s a look at three places the kicker could get a fresh start.

It wasn’t pretty for the Tennessee Titans at placekicker last year.

While it wasn’t surprising that the team went through some struggles at the position with Ryan Succop starting the season out on Injured Reserve, it was a little shocking when the starter came back midway through the 2019 season and made just one of his six field goal tries.

He found himself sidelined again in December after he was placed on IR for a second time.

The Titans decided to part ways with Succop on Friday, leaving him looking for his next landing spot.

Here’s a look at three places the kicker could get a fresh start.

1. New York Jets.

Even coach Adam Gase was laughing about how horrendous the Jets’ kicking situation was last year, bringing in player after player as the team tried to find one who could stick and get the job done.

After the Jets let Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers go in free agency, they tried the legs of players like Kaare Vedvik, with Sam Ficken becoming the team’s fourth kicker signed in a month’s time back in September.

Ficken is still there, but hasn’t proven himself as the long-term answer. Succop could be his competition for the starting job.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

4 recently released players the Jets could target in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at four previously released players the Jets could target in free agency.

As the old adage goes, one man’s trash can wind up being another man’s treasure.

The Jets benefitted from scouring the scrapheap last offseason. After the Falcons made the questionable decision to release Brian Poole, New York pounced. Poole wound up being Gang Green’s best cornerback in 2019, giving credence to the thought that going after other team’s cut players can pay off.

There are some enticing players now available for the taking on the open market after their former team decided to go in a different direction. Who are these players? Let’s take a look at four players that have been cut recently that can help the Jets next season.

Dion Lewis

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

This one should be a no brainer for Joe Douglas and his staff. The Jets need a backup running back that can compliment Le’Veon Bell. What better player to target than one of the best pass-catching tailbacks in all of football?

Lewis fell by the wayside with the Titans last season as Derrick Henry came out of nowhere to lead the NFL in rushing. Lewis’ production in both the run game and passing game dipped significantly, but that should not scare New York or any other team away.

When given the opportunity to make plays, Lewis can be a difference-maker. He might not be the kind of player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark on the ground or catch over 100 passes, but he will produce when his number his called. That is exactly what the Jets need out of their No. 2 tailback.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Grades for each of Tennessee Titans’ 4 recent cuts

What grades does Jon Robinson get for the cuts he’s made so far?

The Tennessee Titans made the decision to cut four players in the last few days in tight end Delanie Walker, kicker Ryan Succop, outside linebacker Cameron Wake and running back Dion Lewis.

With those moves, the Titans now have about $18 million extra to spend this offseason, on top of the roughly $50 million the team started out with. It’s possible more cuts are made in the coming days, but those were undoubtedly some of the bigger ones the Titans had to make decisions on.

So, how well did general manager Jon Robinson do with those moves? Let’s take a look by slapping a grade on each, with “A” being the best and “F” being the worst.

Cutting Dion Lewis: A

Money saved: $4 million

This was by far the easiest decision the Titans had to make.

Lewis simply wasn’t cutting it as the team’s No. 2 back behind Derrick Henry, as evidenced by his 3.5 yards per carry and 6.7 yards per reception over the course of two years with the team.

Now, the Titans can take that money and spend it in free agency, while also adding a younger, cheaper and hopefully more productive back through the 2020 NFL Draft.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Titans’ Brett Kern reacts to Delanie Walker, Ryan Succop getting cut

Brett Kern reacted to the news of Delanie Walker and Ryan Succop being released.

Two of the longest-tenured Tennessee Titans players got cut on Friday, as both tight end Delanie Walker and kicker Ryan Succop were released by the team.

The moves to cut Succop and Walker will save Tennessee about $8.4 million, but there’s no doubt some pain involved in letting go of two longtime Titans who contributed a lot to this franchise during their respective tenures.

Titans punter Brett Kern, who has been with the team for 11 years and played with both Succop and Walker throughout their entire time with the franchise, was bummed about the news.

Via Twitter, the Titans thanked both Succop and Walker for their service.

The Titans have now made four big cuts from their roster ahead of free agency when you include Dion Lewis and Cameron Wake. In total, the Titans will have close to $18 million extra to work with this offseason.

We’ll see what the Titans plan to do with the extra money in the coming days, as the legal tampering period (March 16) and official start of free agency (March 18) rapidly approach.

Ryan Succop releases statement after being cut by Titans

Ryan Succop released a statement after being cut by the Titans.

Former Tennessee Titans kicker Ryan Succop released a statement on social media after he was cut by the team on Friday.

Succop spent six years with the franchise and was one of the more consistent kickers in the NFL during his time in Nashville. But the longtime Titans kicker had some serious issues in 2019.

First, Succop was unexpectedly placed on Injured Reserve to start the season after he didn’t feel like his knee was ready after undergoing arthroscopic surgery during the offseason.

In his place, the Titans signed Cairo Santos, who was an utter disaster for Tennessee after he missed five field goals in five games, including four in one game against the Buffalo Bills.

Cody Parkey was then signed after Santos was released, and while he was effective and made all three of his field goal attempts, he was cut upon Succop’s return in Week 9.

But Succop still wasn’t himself, as he missed five of his six field goal attempts and one extra point, leading to him being placed back on IR, ending his season.

Because of the struggles of Santos and Succop, the Titans finished with the worst field goal percentage in the NFL.

Once Succop was done for the season, the Titans signed former Cleveland Browns kicker Greg Joseph, but he only managed to attempt one field goal, which he made.

Tennessee will now go into 2020 with Joseph seemingly the favorite to be the team’s starter, however chances are general manager Jon Robinson will look for another kicker to give him competition in camp.

[lawrence-related id=27834,27819,27754]

Should 49ers target any of NFL’s new free agents?

Delanie Walker and Xavier Rhodes highlight new NFL free agents 49ers may keep an eye on.

The NFL’s free agent pool got a few intriguing new names Friday after the Titans, Vikings and Lions announced the release of several veterans.

With limited cap space to work with, finding veterans cast aside by their former teams on below-market-value deals will be essential for the 49ers as they try to reconstruct a Super Bowl contender for 2020.

Tennessee released former 49ers tight end Delanie Walker, along with kicker Ryan Succop. Minnesota let go of cornerback Xavier Rhodes and defensive lineman Linval Joseph, while the Lions released offensive tackle Rick Wagner.

While the 49ers have higher priorities than adding veteran free agents, we went through each of the players made available Friday to judge whether they’re a realistic target for San Francisco:

TE Delanie Walker

Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

A Walker-49ers reunion would be intriguing even though Walker turns 36 in August played only eight games across the last two seasons. A long-term deal probably isn’t feasible, but the do-everything tight end could fit nicely in a reserve role in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Walker is capable of lining up all over the field and offers a better pass-catching threat than San Francisco currently has behind George Kittle. Ross Dwelley also takes some of the onus off Walker to be on the field for more than a handful of snaps per game. The 49ers don’t necessarily need a tight end, but Walker on a short deal as another dynamic playmaker could benefit the offense while they find a longer-term option behind Kittle.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Report: Tennessee Titans to release Ryan Succop

The Titans have reportedly released Ryan Succop.

Hardly any team had quite the problem the Tennessee Titans had at placekicker last year.

And as the team has begun releasing players this offseason, veteran Ryan Succop is among the latest the Titans will reportedly part ways with.

The 33-year-old made just one of his six field goal tries after coming off Injured Reserve halfway through the 2019 season, and found himself sidelined again in December after he was placed on IR for a second time.

His 2020 salary was set to be $4.1 million, and the dead cap hit is $2.1 million, so this saves the Titans $2 million.

The move isn’t exactly unexpected, as the Titans signed former Cleveland Browns kicker Greg Joseph, who was used in the postseason, to a three-year deal.

There’s a chance the Titans bring in another kicker to compete with him in camp, though, as he only attempted one field goal in his short time in Tennessee.

With the moves to cut Succop, Cameron Wake and Dion Lewis, the Titans have now opened up roughly $11.5 million extra to use this offseason.

Tennessee Titans’ Mike Vrabel talks Cody Parkey, 2019 FG struggles

Mike Vrabel stated the obvious: the Titans’ kicking game “went through some turbulent waters” in 2019.

The Tennessee Titans have some small tweaks to make this offseason as they look to make another run for the Super Bowl.

One of those that’s often overlooked is the issue at placekicker — which wasn’t hard to miss last season.

Titans kickers made just 44.4% of their attempts in 2019, the lowest mark in the NFL by a large margin.

One of many names the Titans brought in to try to solve their issues at the position was none other than former Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey, who was infamous for his “double doink” kick.

[lawrence-related id=27386]

Vrabel wasn’t concerned about his past, though, and didn’t even ask the kicker about what happened on the play.

Vrabel also admitted the obvious: the Titans’ kicking game “went through some turbulent waters” in 2019.

“Just tried to evaluate what his confidence level was and he did a nice job for us,” Vrabel told Pardon My Take. “You know, we did, we went through some turbulent waters with the kicking game, and it’s something we’ll have to certainly improve on.”

Parkey was cut by the team in early November after Ryan Succop was activated from Injured Reserve.

[lawrence-related id=27321]

Succop’s highly-anticipated return didn’t go as planned, and he had to be replaced later on in the season after he went 1-of-6 on field goal attempts and was placed on IR for a second time.

The Titans went through several players at the position, with Greg Joseph being the latest addition.

Joseph made his lone field goal attempt for the team, but he’s far from cemented a place for himself on the roster, and it will interesting to see what the Titans do at the position moving forward.

[lawrence-related id=27373]