Tag: Shaun Beyer

Former Iowa Hawkeyes making noise in the XFL

Former Iowa Hawkeyes Jack Koerner, Jack Heflin, and Shaun Beyer are making noise in the XFL. Here is an update on the trio.

The XFL is underway and two weeks into their season. The league is serving as a bit of a proving ground for players looking to make a splash and latch onto an NFL team heading into the 2023 season. Many of these players have spent time in the NFL and are using this opportunity to make their way back.

Dargan Southard of the Des Moines Register rounded up the players that are former Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones that are playing in the league. The Hawkeyes have three former members playing right now.

The XFL is heading into Week 3 of a 10-week season followed by a playoff including the four best teams at the end of the regular season. The season runs through May 13 when the championship occurs. There are eight teams split into two divisions.

The XFL North consists of the D.C. Defenders, St. Louis Battlehawks, Seattle Sea Dragons, and Vegas Vipers. The XFL South is made up of the Houston Roughnecks, Arlington Renegades, San Antonio Brahmas, and Orlando Guardians.

Here is an update on the trio of former Iowa Hawkeyes currently playing in the XFL.

8 former Vikings getting another shot in the XFL

The XFL returns on Saturday and there are multiple former Vikings that will be suiting up

One of the best parts of football in the 21st century is that it doesn’t end with the Super Bowl. The National Football League has done a such a great job making football a year-round thing that we now have two spring leagues.

The first one is the relaunch of the XFL which has their kickoff game on Saturday between the Las Vegas Vipers and Arlington Renegades — it’ll be broadcast nationally on ABC, beginning at 2 p.m. CT.

For Minnesota Vikings fans, they will have eight different Vikings that are playing in the XFL across five different teams. Here is the full list:

Packers signing TE Shaun Beyer to practice squad

The Packers are adding TE Shaun Beyer to the practice squad. He spent training camp with the Vikings.

The Green Bay Packers are signing tight end Shaun Beyer to the team’s 16-player practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of PFN.

Beyer (6-5, 248) spent training camp with the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers’ Week 1 opponent.

Beyer went undrafted out of Iowa in 2021. He spent last season on the practice squad of the Denver Broncos.

At Iowa, Beyer caught 18 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown over 35 games.

Over preseasons spent with the Broncos and Vikings over the last two summers, Beyer caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown.

The Packers kept four tight ends – Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis – on the 53-man roster, and Beyer is expected to be the only tight end on the practice squad.

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Vikings roster move roundup

Catch up on all the Vikings roster moves

With the Vikings having to trim down their roster twice over the last 10 days, there has been a lot of movement.

Not only have they trimmed the roster, they made a massive trade to improve the backup quarterback position on Monday.

While they have already made a lot of moves, there is still quite a bit that needs to be done. Along with that, there are likely players that they will claim on waivers once the initial 53-man roster is finalized at 4 pm eastern time next Tuesday, Aug. 30th.

Vikings waive former Denver Broncos TE

The former Bronco lasted just a month in Minnesota

Part two of roster cuts came on Tuesday as the Minnesota Vikings needed to trim the roster down to 80 players by the 4 pm eastern deadline.

The Vikings began those moves on Tuesday by waiving former fifth-round draft pick Harrison Hand and they continued those by releasing former Denver Broncos TE Shaun Beyer per The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.

Beyer was signed just under a month ago after spending time with the Broncos. The former Iowa Hawkeye didn’t have much of an opportunity in college having to sit behind both TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant who each went in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Beyer was hoping to be insurance for the Vikings in their tight end room but he found himself buried on the depth chart. Now, he will have an opportunity to find a new home before final cut-down day.

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Report: Vikings using open roster spot to sign tight end Shaun Beyer

Former Denver Broncos tight end Shaun Beyer is signing with the Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings didn’t make the splash Ndamukong Suh signing on Monday, but they are signing second-year tight end Shaun Beyer to fill the last vacant spot on the 90-man roster, per the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson.

It’s an interesting signing considering the legitimate need at the tight end position. The team was believed to be entertaining calls from former Viking Kyle Rudolph before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Beyer joins a group of tight ends with blocking as their primary expertise, aside from their No. 1 option, Irv Smith Jr. The former Iowa standout follows a talented line of Hawkeyes tight ends that have recently included T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant.

As expected, there was a lot of waiting for Beyer to finally get his opportunity in college, but throughout his tenure, he only hauled in 18 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown. So this likely isn’t the insurance option Vikings fans were hoping to see as a backup for Smith.

If anything, Beyer is a supreme athlete with experience playing multiple sports. The hope here is that head coach Kevin O’Connell can get more out of him at the NFL level at some point.

As for Suh, the door isn’t completely closed on the Vikings landing the star defensive tackle. But like they did when they waived quarterback Nate Stanley, they’d have to move another player on the roster to create an open spot for him on the team.

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Broncos cut 4 players to make room on roster for UDFAs signings

ICYMI: Broncos waived OLB Andre Mintze, CB Cortez Davis, OT Drew Himmelman and TE Shaun Beyer. Denver’s now at the 90-man offseason roster limit.

The Denver Broncos cut four players last week to make room on the 90-man offseason roster for their 13 undrafted free agents, the team announced.

The cuts started on Thursday with outside linebacker Andre Mintze, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt last year. Denver has a crowded OLB room and Mintze apparently ranked near the bottom of the depth chart.

After that, the Broncos waived guard Zack Johnson, offensive tackle Drew Himmelman and tight end Shaun Beyer ahead of the start of their rookie minicamp last Friday. Following those moves, Denver’s roster now stands at the 90-man offseason limit.

Story update: Johnson was re-signed on Monday. To make room for Johnson, cornerback Cortez Davis was waived.

The Broncos also recently announced that they re-signed veteran tight end Eric Saubert to a one-year contract. Saubert (6-5, 253 pounds) played in all 17 games with Denver last year (four starts), serving primarily as a blocker (he caught eight passes for 47 yards). Saubert was also a key special teams player for the Broncos in 2021.

Following Saubert’s return, Denver has a somewhat crowded tight end room. Saubert joins Albert Okwuegbunam, Eric Tomlinson, third-round pick Greg Dulcich, Dylan Parham and Rodney Williams at the position.

The Broncos will begin trimming the roster from 90 players down to 53 in August, with a finalized 53-man roster announced in early September.

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