Tag: Shaka Toney

Report: Cowboys sign veteran DE, expected to add second after Thursday workout

From @ToddBrock24f7: Al-Quadin Muhammad has 12 sacks and 157 tackles on his NFL resume; Shaka Toney is an ex-teammate of Micah Parsons who played in Washington.

The Cowboys wasted little time bringing in backup after third-year defensive end Sam Williams was lost for the 2024 season with an ACL injury. After a Thursday workout with the team, veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad has been officially signed by Dallas, and another familiar name at the position- Shaka Toney- is expected to be added as well.

Muhammad, 29, was a sixth-round draft pick by the Saints in 2017 out of the University of Miami. He played only sparingly during his rookie season in New Orleans and then landed with the Colts, where he made 64 regular-season game appearances (and three more in the playoffs) from 2018 to 2021.

His most recent action came in 2022, playing in 16 games for the Bears. He returned to the practice squad in Indianapolis last year but did not see the field.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound Muhammad has 12 sacks, 33 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, 157 tackles, and 23 tackles for loss on his NFL résumé.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter first reported the news of Muhammad’s signing by the Cowboys, saying it would be a one-year deal for the New Jersey native.

News that Toney was also expected to be added to the camp roster came shortly thereafter.

Toney was also part of the group of four defensive ends invited for that Thursday workout in Oxnard, along with Carl Lawson and Justin Hollins.

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A seventh-round draft pick by Washington in 2021, Toney had been a college teammate of Micah Parsons at Penn State. He recorded 1.5 sacks and 16 tackles in 26 game appearances over two seasons in D.C., where he played under assistant coach Jeff Zgonina, now with the Cowboys.

Toney was suspended by the league for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season; he was reinstated in April of this year.

“We were actually talking about these guys before Sam’s injury,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Thursday, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, “so we would definitely like to hopefully add one.”

Now they’ve added two.

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Cowboys work out gambler and Parsons ex-teammate, Jets castoff to replace latest ACL victim

Dallas is searching for a speedy edge rusher to help lessen the burden after losing Sam Williams for the season. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Leave no stone unturned. When doing a recent 53-man roster prediction as the Dallas Cowboys move to Week 2 of 2024 training camp, one thing became clear. They don’t really have an in-house replacement for defensive end Sam Williams.

Williams was lost for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL last week, becoming the fifth Cowboys player in the las calendar year to suffer the knee injury. He was going to be an integral figure in the edge rush rotation, as defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer planned to move Micah Parsons around more than he had been the last two seasons. Now the role opposite DeMarcus Lawrence’s run-anchor DE spot is open and on Thursday the Cowboys will  search for help filling it.

Second-round rookie Marshawn Kneeland is Lawrence’s heir apparent and doesn’t possess a similar skillset to Williams and Parsons, and there isn’t another player on the roster who appears ready for a role that substantial. Therefore Will McClay and the front office have gone about trying to find outside help, bringing in four players for workouts. It’s an interesting group of contenders.

The biggest name is Carl Lawson; one of eight edge rushers Cowboys Wire identified as leading candidates to be considered. Lawson was a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 and has spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets. He missed much of the season dealing with a back injury that had him in and out of the lineup through the first half of the season. In 2022 he had seven sacks.

Also part of the workout is Shaka Toney, who was banned from the NFL for the 2023 season due to gambling. The former Penn State Nittany Lion who teamed up with Parsons in college was a seventh-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021. He has 1.5 career sacks in his two years.

Al-Quadin Muhammad (2017 Saints pick, 12 career sacks) and Justin Hollins (2019 Broncos pick, 10.5 career sacks) will also attend the Oxnard, CA workout.

Commanders release DE Shaka Toney

Toney was just reinstated last week.

That didn’t take long. Days after the NFL reinstated defensive end Shaka Toney from an indefinite suspension for gambling, the Washington Commanders released him on Monday.

Toney, a seventh-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft from Penn State, played two seasons for the Commanders, appearing in 26 games, finishing with 16 tackles, including two for loss, three quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Toney faced long odds at making Washington’s roster in 2024. While the Commanders are without their top four edge rushers from a year ago, new general manager Adam Peters rebuilt the position this offseason, adding veterans Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell.

Armstrong and Fowler are close with new head coach Dan Quinn, while Ferrell followed Peters and new defensive line coach Darryl Tapp to Washington from San Francisco. The Commanders also re-signed veteran Efe Obada.

Additionally, Washington returns second-year edge defenders K.J. Henry and Andre Jones Jr., both of whom showed potential at times last season.

With nine picks in this week’s 2024 NFL draft, the Commanders are expected to select an edge rusher at some point. Washington hosted multiple edge defenders on top 30 visits.

NFL reinstates Commanders DE Shaka Toney after suspension

Toney was a seventh-round pick in 2021 and returns to a completely different team.

You can add one more name to the mix at defensive end for the Washington Commanders in 2024. The NFL reinstated five players who were suspended indefinitely last year for violating the gambling policy, and one of those players was Washington edge rusher Shaka Toney.

Things have changed dramatically since the last time Toney was in Ashburn. The 26-year-old was a 2021 seventh-round pick out of Penn State who appeared in 26 games with one start, recording 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks from 2021-22.

Toney was suspended on April 21 last year. Since then, Washington has added a new draft class, a new owner, a new GM, a new coaching staff, and over 30 new teammates.

The defensive end room is completely changed, and Efe Obada is the only familiar face from Toney’s previous time in Washington. Gone are Chase Young, Montez Sweat, James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill. In are K.J. Henry, Andre Jones Jr., Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell.

Toney faces long odds making the roster, with the Commanders also likely to add a pass rusher in next week’s NFL draft.

Every NFL draft pick coached by James Franklin

Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.

Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.

Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.

And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

Former Nittany Lion Shaka Toney suspended for 2023 NFL season

Former Penn State football player suspended by NFL for gambling.

The NFL announced suspensions for several players on Friday, among them was former Nittany Lion [autotag]Shaka Toney[/autotag]. It was reported by NFL Media that a total of five players would be suspended for gambling with three of them being suspended for the entire 2023 season.

[autotag]Shaka Toney[/autotag] is currently rostered by the Washington Commander and is entering his third season with the team. Toney was drafted in the 7th round in 2021 out of Penn State and has struggled to get playing time in Washington’s defense despite the injuries allowing him to earn a rotational spot on the defensive line.

Toney very well could see this be the end of his time in Washington. He is eligible to participate in all offseason activities and the preseason, but will miss the entire 2023 season. Toney, as well as the other players that find themselves suspended indefinitely, will be eligible to apply for reinstatement at the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season. This also marks the second year the NFL is having to issue gambling-related suspensions after suspending Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley.

In four seasons as a Nittany Lion, Toney played in a total of 40 games and racked up an impressive 28.5 TFL and 20 sacks with an impressive 111 tackles on a defensive line that had major success with the like of [autotag]Jayson Oweh[/autotag] and [autotag]Yetur Gross-Matos[/autotag] in the rotation.

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Former Badgers WR suspended by NFL and released by Lions

Former Badger and current NFL wide receiver Quintez Cephus was suspended for the entirety of the 2023 season Friday.

Former Badger and current NFL wide receiver Quintez Cephus was suspended for the entirety of the 2023 season Friday. Cephus was caught gambling on NFL contests and as a result was suspended by the league for a minimum of one season.

Cephus was one out of five NFL players that was suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy with teammate C.J. Moore also receiving a full-season suspension for gambling on NFL action. Additionally, Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill were given six-game suspensions for betting on non-NFL action. Finally, Shaka Toney of the Commanders was also suspended for a full season.

Cephus was subsequently cut by the Lions and he will have to apply for reinstatement following the 2023 campaign if he wants to continue his NFL career. Over three seasons with Detroit, the former Badger has compiled 37 catches for 568 yards and four touchdowns in 22 games.

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NFL’s desire for gambling revenue presents an impossible “responsibility” schism

The NFL wants as much gambling revenue as possible, and it’s willing to sacrifice its players for the right perception of purity.

On April 19, the National Football League released a statement confirming its involvement with the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising. The Coalition was touted as “a voluntary association of sports leagues and media entities committed to doing their part to help ensure a responsible approach to sports betting advertising.”.

Consisting of the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, NBCUniversal, and FOX, the Coalition “has committed to implement and maintain consumer protection policies consistent with the following six principles:”

  • Sports Betting Should be Marketed Only to Adults of Legal Betting Age
  • Sports Betting Advertising Should Not Promote Irresponsible or Excessive Gambling or Degrade the Consumer Experience
  • Sports Betting Advertisements Should Not Be Misleading
  • Sports Betting Advertisements Should Be In Good Taste
  • Publishers Should Have Appropriate Internal Reviews of Sports Betting Advertising
  • Publishers Should Review Consumer Complaints Pertaining to Sports Betting Advertising

Two days later, the NFL had another press release to put out. It involved the suspension of five players for various violations of the league’s gambling policy.

Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore of the Detroit Lions, and Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders, are suspended indefinitely through at least the conclusion of the 2023 season for betting on NFL games in the 2022 season. These players may petition for reinstatement at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams of the Lions are suspended for the team’s first six regular season games of the 2023 season. These players are eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason activities, including preseason games. The suspensions will take effect at the final roster cutdown.

The gambling policy, which is annually reviewed with all NFL personnel, including players, prohibits anyone in the NFL from engaging in any form of gambling in any club or league facility or venue, including the practice facility.

A league review uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way.

“As a result of an NFL investigation, it came to our attention that a few of our players had violated the league’s gambling policy,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said in a statement. “These players exhibited decision making that is not consistent with our organizational values and violates league rules. We have made the decision to part ways with Quintez and C.J. immediately. We are disappointed by the decision making demonstrated by Stanley and Jameson and will work with both players to ensure they understand the severity of these violations and have clarity on the league rules moving forward.”

Williams’ representatives released his own statement, detailing the specifics of the violation.

According to a report by ESPN.com’s Eric Woodyard, several members of the Lions’ staff were dismissed in March for violations of league gambling policy.

Add their names to the list started by former Falcons and current Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley, who was given a year-long suspension in March, 2022, and you have quite the assembly of suspended players and fired staffers at a time when the NFL is moving at an accelerated rate to benefit as much as possible from the burgeoning sports betting market — especially through advertising revenue.

In August 2021, the league announced agreements with FOX Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, and WynnBET to become Approved Sportsbook Operators for the 2021 NFL season. These agreements make all four operators eligible to purchase NFL in-game commercial units and other select NFL media inventory. This after announcing agreements with sportsbook partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel that April.

“We are pleased to announce this select group as Approved Sportsbook Operators,” said Nana-Yaw Asamoah, Vice President of Business Development for the NFL. “Along with our three Official Sports Betting Partners, this group of operators will help the League to engage fans in responsible and innovative ways this season as the sports betting landscape continues to evolve.”

Put simply, the NFL is trying to generate as much money as possible from these partnerships, with the obvious understanding that they can’t put a stink on the league from an integrity perspective.

When Pete Rozelle suspended Paul Hornung in 1963 for violations of the gambling policy, it was a very different world. Any hint of gambling brought an ardent and attendant fear that professional football would be overrun by those looking to compromise the purity of competition, Packers head coach Vince Lombardi told Hornung to “stay at the foot of the cross.” Hornung was not asked to do so at a time when the NFL had removed the cross, and replaced it with a sports book.

So, it is easy to assume that the NFL’s sudden and startling enforcement of these issues is a counter to the inevitable questions that come with these partnerships. The inverse example might be Major League Baseball, which was a cesspool of fixed plays and games in the late 1800s and early 1900s. When the Black Sox were banned for life after fixing the 1919 World Series, new Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis exacted such a harsh punishment because he wanted there to be no question about the game’s aboveboard status.

It didn’t quite go that way (ask Pete Rose about it), but the perception beat reality for a long time.

Similarly, the NFL is looking to balance a heavy involvement with gambling while putting forth a perception of purity. And if it has to sacrifice its own people, no matter how large or small the infraction, it appears to be perfectly comfortable in doing just that.

Commanders’ Shaka Toney suspended at least 1 year for gambling violation

Shaka Toney was one of Washington’s seventh-round picks in 2021.

The NFL announced suspensions for several NFL players Friday for gambling violations. Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney was among those suspended.

Toney, 25, is entering his third season out of Penn State. He was one of three players suspended indefinitely — at least one year — for betting on games during the 2022 NFL season.

Toney can apply for reinstatement after the 2023 season.

A seventh-round pick in 2021, Toney has played in 26 career games for Washington, recording 16 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Toney was a reserve defensive end but contributed on special teams.

Toney’s suspension likely doesn’t change anything regarding Washington’s draft plans. He wasn’t guaranteed to make the 2023 roster, and with multiple defensive ends slated for free agency after next season, the Commanders are expected to target at least one pass rusher in next week’s 2023 NFL draft.

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NFL suspends five players for violating league’s gambling policy

The NFL suspended four Detroit Lions players and one from the Washington Commanders and we’re looking at how that’ll impact the Eagles and the NFL Draft

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that the NFL is suspending five players, including four from the Detroit Lions, for violating the league’s gambling policy.

Lions wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill each have six-game bans, per Rapoport, while wideout Quintez Cephus and defensive back C.J. Moore are suspended indefinitely.

Washington Commanders pass rusher Shaka Toney also is suspended indefinitely.

Detroit reacted swiftly, releasing Cephus and Moore while acknowledging the suspensions for Williams and Berryhill.

With the draft less than one week away, we’re looking at how it’ll impact the NFL draft and the Eagles.