Tag: snap count

Browns snap counts from Week 3: All hands on deck at cornerback

Five CBs played at least 22 snaps in the win over Washington

A quick look at the Cleveland Browns snaps counts from the Week 3 win over the Washington Football team shows a secondary in injury-related disarray and a stable, dominating offensive line.

The teams each ran 62 actual plays on offense, though the snap counts are elevated by kneel-downs that inflate the Washington total to 65 and Cleveland’s to 63.

Thanks to injuries, both before and during the game, six different cornerbacks took the field. That includes undrafted rookie A.J. Green, who made his NFL debut by playing exactly one snap on defense. The other five who played all logged at least 22 snaps.

The breakdown at CB:

  • Terrance Mitchell – 65
  • Kevin Johnson – 38 in his Browns debut
  • Tavierre Thomas – 30
  • Denzel Ward – 29
  • M.J. Stewart – 22
  • Green – 1

The RB workload continues to be fairly straightforward. Nick Chubb played 34 snaps while Kareem Hunt saw the field for 29. They did not play a single snap on the field together. FB Andy Janovich, who caught his first pass as a Brown on Sunday, played 17 reps.

Rookie tight end Harrison Bryant was on the field for 40 snaps, with Austin Hooper playing 54 of the 63. That speaks to the volume of two-TE sets in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. Bryant caught his first career TD in the game. Bryant logged more snaps as the No. 2 TE than third wideout KhaDarel Hodge (35) played. No. 3 TE Stephen Carlson also out-repped No. 4 WR JoJo Natson, six to four.

Cleveland’s starting offensive line played all 63 snaps together, joined by Baker Mayfield at QB as the only offensive players to log every rep. On defense, safeties Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo played all 65, as did Mitchell at CB,

Snap counts: Browns defense got a workout in Week 2

Cincinnati ran 92 offensive plays to 58 for the Browns

The defensive players for the Cleveland Browns have earned a Friday off. They were on the field for an incredible amount of snaps on Thursday night in Cleveland’s 35-30 win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.

The invaders from the southwest corner of Ohio ran an incredible 92 offensive snaps in the game. Two Browns defenders, safety Andrew Sendejo and LB B.J. Goodson, were on the field for all 92 of them.

Four other Browns defenders played at least 90% of the reps:

  • CB Denzel Ward, 91
  • CB Terrance Mitchell, 91
  • S Karl Joseph, 86
  • DE Myles Garrett, 84

With the depth challenged already at DE with Olivier Vernon inactive, Adrian Clayborn was on the field for just 18 snaps before he left with an injury of his own. Porter Gustin took over and played 63, while newcomer Joe Jackson saw 31 reps, including his goal-line fumble recovery.

Malcolm Smith played 56 snaps compared to Sione Takitaki’s 41 at linebacker around Goodson. Takitaki did not play well early in the game, and it appears Browns DC Joe Woods opted for Smith’s experience. Tae Davis was on the field for just one snap.

On offense, Cleveland efficiently gained over 420 yards on just 58 snaps. The entire starting offensive line, which included Chris Hubbard at right tackle in place of injured Jack Conklin, played all 58 together. Baker Mayfield also took every snap at QB.

Browns stock report: Who rose up and who fell down in Cleveland’s Week 2 win over the Bengals

Austin Hooper was on the field for every rep but one. No other Browns offensive player topped the 39 snaps from WR Odell Beckham. Jarvis Landry and KhaDarel Hodge were almost even, with Landry on the field for 35 and Hodge for 33.

Nick Chubb played 36 reps at RB while Kareem Hunt played 20. FB Andy Janovich played 22 as the lead blocker.

Harrison Bryant played just over half the game, 30 snaps, as the No. 2 TE with David Njoku on IR. No. 3 TE Stephen Carlson played just four, the same amount as backup tackle Kendall Lamm repped as an extra blocker.

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Snap counts: Shared RB duties in the Browns’ Week 1 loss to the Ravens

Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt had almost an even split of reps

Everyone has wondered about how new head coach Kevin Stefanski will divide up the workload between talented RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. It was a driving topic for fantasy football analysts all summer. Based on Week 1, it’s going to be close to an even split.

Hunt was on the field for 36 of the Browns’ 73 total offensive snaps. Chubb played one less, charting for 35 reps. Hunt did wind up getting more touches: 13 carries, 4 targets to Chubb’s 10 carries and one passing target.

Fullback Andy Janovich played just nine snaps, less than was generally expected. Third-string RB D’Ernest Johnson was on the field for four offensive snaps.

Five offensive players took every rep: four of the five starting offensive linemen and QB Baker Mayfield. That includes center JC Tretter, who was questionable for the game with a knee.

Left tackle Jedrick Wills left with a leg injury after 57 snaps, which was still more than any other Browns offensive player played. Tight end Austin Hooper was next up with 56, followed by WRs Odell Beckham Jr. (55), Jarvis Landry (52) and KhaDarel Hodge (40). No. 4 wideout Rashard Higgins saw 16 reps.

Four defensive players were on the field for all 59 snaps. All play in the secondary: safeties Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph and CBs Denzel Ward and Terrance Mitchell.

No. 3 CB Tavierre Thomas played 28, just under half the snaps. No other corners played on defense, a situation that bears watching. The third safety, Ronnie Harrison, played just two reps after joining the team during the week.

Rookie DT Jordan Elliott was on the field for nearly half the game, 26 total snaps on defense. Five defensive linemen played more than 50 percent of the 59 snaps, including reserve DE Adrian Clayborn (32). It shows the heavy emphasis on the D-line rotation under new coordinator Joe Woods.

Browns lost more snaps with departed players than all but 5 other teams

Browns lost more snaps with departed players than all but 5 other teams based on research from Over The Cap

Major personnel turnover is a seeming rite of passage every offseason in Cleveland. And while this year’s core group returns more intact than many other years, the Browns are still near the top of the NFL in terms of snaps lost from one year to the next.

Based on research and tracking from Over The Cap, only five other teams lost more total snaps from players no longer on the roster than the Browns did. Cleveland returns 71 percent of total snaps on offense and defense from the 2019 season. The league average is 75.5 percent.

The defense is harder hit, as would be expected for a team that said goodbye to linebacker Joe Schobert and several defensive backs (Damarius Randall, T.J. Carrie, Morgan Burnett, Juston Burris, Eric Murray, Jermaine Whitehead) who played significant roles at some point in the season. All played at least 350 snaps. Schobert led the Browns with 1,059 snaps from scrimmage, more than 100 more than any other defender.

Cleveland did mitigate some of the churning loss by importing veterans to fill the roles. Players like Karl Joseph, Andrew Sendejo, Adrian Clayborn and Andrew Billings can step right into lost snap roles on defense, while right tackle Jack Conklin and tight end Austin Hooper more than compensate for the lost reps at their positions on offense, primarily from Greg Robinson and Demetrius Harris.

The teams that lost more? From the top down: Carolina, Dallas, Seattle, New England and Detroit.

Tre Flowers to earn significant performance-based pay raise in 2020

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Flowers earned a $533,784 dollar raise for his performance and playing time last season.

The NFL’s current CBA allows players — primarily late-round picks — to earn performance-based pay raises if they played a lot of snaps during the previous regular season.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero released the list of the 25 players who earned the largest chunk of that money, which is a combination of performance-based pay and the veteran pool, and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tre Flowers came in at No. 11.

Flowers earned $340,118 in performance-based pay and another $193,666 from the veteran pool, giving him a nice raise of $533,784, sandwiched between Bengals tackle Justin Murray and Jaguars corner Tre Herndon on the list.

To get these numbers, the NFL takes a player’s regular-season playtime (total plays on offense, defense and special teams) and divides by his adjusted regular-season compensation (full season salary, prorated portion of signing bonus, earned incentives). Each player’s index is then compared to those of the other players on his team to determine the amount of his pay.

Those raises do not count against the team’s salary cap.

Flowers started 15 games for the Seahawks in 2019, racking up 82 combined tackles, eight passes defended, three interceptions and two sacks.

The 24-year-old played on 1,073 total snaps, seventh on the team, which was a big part of his bonus structure.

That number may be tough to reach again in 2020, however, with the Seahawks expected to look hard for more help at the cornerback position next season.

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Report: Cameron Jordan played final 5 games of 2019 with serious muscle injury

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan told NFL.com’s Michael Silver that he finished the year with an injury that required surgery

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Playing professional football can be hazardous for your health, and it’s a common sentiment around the league that by the end of the year, everyone is dealing with one injury or another. The capacity for pain tolerance is a big factor in deciding one’s chances of success in the NFL, and New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan knows that as well as anyone. It’s why he admitted to NFL.com’s Michael Silver that he finished the 2019 season with a core muscle injury that required surgery two days after Super Bowl LIV.

Jordan told Silver that he tore an adductor muscle off the bone in last year’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but gutted out the pain to play 248 snaps in the final five weeks. While Jordan did get opportunities to rest in blowout victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, he still played 83.9% or more of defensive snaps in three of those last five contests — and then went on to join his teammates in the Pro Bowl. In total, just three Saints defenders saw more action in 2019 than Jordan (who was in on 876 plays): linebacker Demario Davis (984 snaps), free safety Marcus Williams (949), and cornerback Eli Apple (932).

Jordan’s been an iron man for the Saints ever since he won the starting job, back in 2012. He’s logged 7,626 defensive snaps during that time and never missed a game, with last year’s total being a career-low. While Silver’s report adds that Jordan expects to be fully recovered from offseason surgery by the time Saints training camp begins, it illustrates an important point — the team must take steps to keep him better-rested during the long NFL season, which is poised to only stretch longer with CBA negotiations surrounding a 17th regular season game. Jordan is one of the Saints’ best players, and it’s vital that he be in top form during the year’s biggest games. Maybe the Saints should look into rotating him in and out of the lineup a little more efficiently.

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WR, TE, QB, FB, RB? Just how many positions did Taysom Hill play in 2019?

The New Orleans Saints played Taysom Hill just about everywhere during the 2019 season, but more than half his snaps were on special teams.

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What’s the next chapter in Taysom Hill’s story? The do-it-all playmaker has a reputation as a Swiss Army knife, seeming to succeed everywhere the New Orleans Saints put him in just about any role. But where exactly did he line up in 2019?

It can be hard to distinguish that. Hill takes reps from all over the Saints offense, lining up out wide as a receiver on one play before trotting over to lead-block as a fullback. He’s auditioned at tight end and thrived as a slot receiver, also playing sparingly as a quarterback. And that doesn’t even get into his many responsibilities on special teams.

Thankfully, the team at Pro Football Focus is here to help. They charted every snap Hill played in 2019, and recorded each position he lined up — totaling 572 snaps in 17 games, including the playoffs. However, just 264 of those plays came on offense; 54% of Hill’s action was spent on special teams, running with the punt and kicking units.

Here’s an illustration of Hill’s usage in a pie chart we put together using PFF data:

So there’s an answer: considered all of his assignments, it’s safe to say that Hill played 10 different positions during the 2019 season. But while more than half of Hill’s contributions came on special teams, what we’re really curious about is his usage on offense. So here’s a second chart that’s filtered down the positions played on offense, and combined his snaps at receiver (72 in the slot, 44 out wide):

That paints a better portrait of what kind of talent he is, and where Hill’s career may go next. He may insist on being designated a quarterback — and Saints coach Sean Payton might be determined to tell anyone who’ll listen that it’s the case — but actions speak louder than words. And so far, the Saints have shown a greater willingness to play Hill at other positions, and it’s tough to argue with the results. He caught 21 of 24 targets for 259 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns last season, also logging 31 carries for 206 rushing yards and another score. Great things happen when Hill gets the football as a receiver or runner, and the Saints should continue to prioritize that.

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2019 Saints season: Reviewing safety J.T. Gray

Our 2019 New Orleans Saints season review continues with special teams ace J.T. Gray, a backup safety who has chipped in impressive efforts.

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We continue our 2019 New Orleans Saints season review with special teams ace J.T. Gray. A safety out of Mississippi State, Gray went undrafted in 2018, and initially made the roster outright before landing on the Saints practice squad. His proficiency in coverage on special teams sold the Saints coaching staff on his skills, and allowed him to stick around in 2019.

While Gray may not be a household name at this point in his career, he played well enough to be recognized with second-team All-Pro honors this season. Gray was one of two Saints special teamers to make the cut All-Pros, along with fellow undrafted teammate Deonte Harris, who garnered first-team All-Pro recognition.

Level of Play in 2019

Gray had a phenomenal season on special teams, and perhaps his most memorable play was his blocked punt in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears. Gray’s high level of play was characterized by making sound football decisions, especially when asked to try and block punts or kicks. This allowed the Saints special teams unit to be one of the best in recent memory.

Gray should be credited for helping creating opportunities in the return game as well. Gray’s ability to block well on the outside during returns played an integral part in allowing Harris to become the league’s most feared return specialist. It was for these reasons that Gray found his way on the All-Pro list.

What to expect in 2020

Gray will be an exclusive rights free agent this offseason. After making just above league minimum in 2019, New Orleans will likely lock him up for 2020 and beyond. Gray has helped reshape the special teams landscape in New Orleans, and should continue to progress knowing he has a spot on the roster going forward.

Gray’s role in the defense could expand come the 2020 season. The defensive back played in three games this season on defense, but never played more than 15% of the snap counts in those appearances. On special teams, his 284 snaps played ranked fifth for the Saints, and nearly tied the total set by Taysom Hill (286). He is clearly a specialist in the kicking game, but he does provide depth to the Saints secondary. With an offseason to prepare, he could end of up competing for a backup role in 2020.

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Lions week 12 snap counts: Oruwariye steps up in Melvin’s absence

The Detroit Lions had 11 rookies active on game day, and for the most part, they all played significant or scheme-specific roles on Sunday.

When examining the Detroit Lions (3-7-1) snap counts from Week 12, a few key things stood out. Of the 46 players active for the Lions in Washington, 11 of them were rookies, including Isaac Nauta, Austin Bryant, Beau Benzschawel, and Michael Jackson, all making their NFL debuts.

That and more takeaways from this week’s snap counts below:

Jeff Driskel continues snap streak

Jeff Driskel — 75, 100-percent

Despite Driskel’s playing style leading to him getting hit with frequency, he still manages to stay on the field for every snap.

Lions use 7 of 8 active offensive linemen

LT Taylor Decker — 75, 100-percent
LG Joe Dahl — 74, 99-percent
C Graham Glasgow — 75, 100-percent
RG Kenny Wiggins — 68, 91-percent
RT Tyrell Crosby — 75, 100-percent
OG Oday Aboushi — 8, 11-percent
OT Tyrell Crosby — 5, 7-percent
OL Beau Benzschawel — 0, 0-percent

The Lions have nine offensive linemen on their active roster. With Frank Ragnow out due to a concussion, that left them with eight healthy — all of which were active on Sunday. Typically the Lions only deploy seven offensive linemen on game days and that held true again yesterday, with Benzschawel still waiting to see his first NFL snaps.

Scarbrough leads the backfield again

Bo Scarbrough — 38, 51-percent
Ty Johnson — 27, 36-percent
J.D. McKissic — 11, 15-percent

Scarbrough was once again one of the bright spots in the Lions offense and the Lions leaned on him for the second week in a row. Behind him, Johnson and McKissic flipped roles from last week, with the game plan calling for more of a ground presence.

WR snaps have been consistent

Kenny Golladay — 68, 91-percent
Marvin Jones Jr. — 67, 89-percent
Danny Amendola — 46, 61-percent
Marvin Hall — 10, 13-percent

This snap count distribution has been fairly close to what the Lions have deployed since Driskel took over at quarterback. The only difference being Hall’s snap counts declined a bit after he left the game early with a lower leg injury.

Hockenson see lowest snap counts of the season

T.J. Hockenson — 33, 44-percent
Jesse James — 32, 43-percent
Logan Thomas — 28, 37-percent
Isaac Nauta — 10, 13-percent

Most young quarterbacks rely on tight ends as safety valves, but that has not been the case with Driskel. That may not be the primary reason the tight ends snaps counts dropped this week, — Hockenson was added to the injury report late Saturday — but it was likely a factor.

Nauta, who was just promoted to the active roster on Saturday, saw several snaps out of the backfield filling in for injured fullback Nick Bawden.

Interior DL snaps

A’Shawn Robinson — 43, 72-percent
Damon Harrison — 38, 63-percent
John Atkins — 25, 42-percent
Mike Daniels — 9, 15-percent

These snaps counts are very similar to what we saw from this group last week, which begs the question — why isn’t Daniels seeing the field more?

EDGE players see a big bump in snaps

Romeo Okwara — 56, 93-percent
Devon Kennard — 55, 92-percent
Austin Bryant — 16, 27-percent

Last season, Okwara routinely had multiple games where he received over 90-percent of snaps, but his numbers declined with the addition of Trey Flowers. With Flowers missing this week with a concussion, Okwara was back over 90-percent once again.

Bryant began the game only seeing the field on third downs but saw his snaps increase in obvious passing situations.

Linebackers dip in snaps

Jarrad Davis — 51, 85-percent
Christian Jones — 30, 50-percent
Jahlani Tavai — 29, 48-percent
Miles Killebrew — 16, 27-percent

All three primarily off-the-ball linebackers saw a slight dip in snaps. This is only the fourth game this season where Davis saw less than 90-percent of snaps, Tavai saw his snaps drop after a month in the 60th percentile, while Jones saw his lowest snap counts of the season.

Like Bryant in the last section, Killebrew saw the field on third downs and obvious passing situations as the game wore on.

Oruwariye steps up in Melvin’s absence

Darius Slay — 60, 100-percent
Justin Coleman — 60, 100-percent
Amani Oruwariye — 45, 75-percent

Last week, Oruwariye took over for Mike Ford in the fourth cornerback spot, and this week with Rashaan Melvin unable to play due to injury, Oruwariye was once again promoted into a more prominent role.

Oruwariye flashed the skill level he showed off in training camp and secured his first career interception:

Safety use was clear and defined

Tavon Wilson — 60, 100-percent
Will Harris — 60, 100-percent
C.J. Moore — 7, 12-percent

With no Tracy Walker, the Lions leaned heavily on Wilson and Harris, only turning to Moore when they went into three safety sets.

Special teams

Miles Killebrew — 26
Dee Virgin — 26
Mike Ford — 23
Steve Longa — 21
Jalen Reeves-Maybin — 21
Isaac Nauta — 21
C.J. Moore — 20
Ty Johnson — 17
Logan Thomas — 15
Jesse James — 11
Amani Oruwariye — 11
Will Harris — 10
Christian Jones — 9
J.D. McKissic — 6
Jarrad Davis — 5
Tavon  Wilson — 4
Justin Coleman — 4
Marvin Hall — 3
Danny Amendola — 3
Michael Jackson — 2

With no Jamal Agnew available, the Lions turned to Ty Johnson on kick returns and Marvin Hall on punt returns, but when Hall went down, the team needed veteran Danny Amendola to field the final three punts.

Michael Jackson saw his first-ever NFL snaps yesterday, getting two looks on special teams.

Lions week 11 snap counts: Bo Scarbrough leads the way in the backfield

Detroit Lions Week 11 snap counts observations include Bo Scarbrough leading the way in the backfield and Amani Oruwariye getting first NFL snaps on defense.

When examining the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) snap counts from Week 11, a few key things stood out, including Bo Scarbrough leading the way in the backfield, tight end shifts, Amani Oruwariye getting first NFL snaps on defense and the reduction if three safety sets.

That and more takeaways from this week’s snap counts below:

Jeff Driskel stays strong

Jeff Driskel — 65, 100-percent

Driskel took a few hard shots in this game but was able to overcome them to play every snap.

Lions interior OL leans on four players

LT Taylor Decker — 65, 100-percent
LG Joe Dahl — 62, 95-percent
C Frank Ragnow — 56, 86-percent
RG Graham Glasgow — 62, 95-percent
RT Tyrell Crosby — 65, 100-percent
OG Kenny Wiggins — 20, 31-percent

Crosby replaced Wagner in the starting lineup and he, along with fellow offensive tackle Decker, was able to play every snap.

On the interior, it was a much different story. The rotation at guard continued, and like in previous weeks, it took an injury for it to stop — this time to Frank Ragnow, who is currently being evaluated for a concussion.

After Ragnow left the game, Glasgow shifted to center and Wiggins was promoted to right guard. Wiggins also took five snaps as a sixth offensive lineman.

Scarbrough leads the backfield

Bo Scarbrough — 32, 49-percent
Ty Johnson — 19, 29-percent
J.D. McKissic — 15, 23-percent
Nick Bawden — 2, 3-percent

Not only did Scarbrough start but he led the way in snaps out of the backfield. McKissic was the second option but was briefly sidelined in the second half. Johnson saw over a quarter of snaps, but you wouldn’t know it by the box score as he only received three touches. Bawden left the game early with a knee injury.

More of the same from the WRs

Kenny Golladay — 60, 92-percent
Marvin Jones Jr. — 57, 88-percent
Danny Amendola –36, 55-percent
Marvin Hall — 14, 22-percent

More of the same from the receiver group, these numbers match a recent trend as of late.

Hockenson’s snaps rise as James’ fall

T.J. Hockenson — 48, 74-percent
Logan Thomas — 22, 34-percent
Jesse James — 15, 23-percent

Hockenson broke the 70-percent mark for the first time since the first two weeks of the season. James’ decline continues and he saw his lowest snap count of the season. This is the fifth week in a row where James has seen 36-percent or fewer snaps.

Interior DL snaps increase with focus on the run

A’Shawn Robinson — 55, 74-percent
Damon Harrison — 49, 66-percent
John Atkins — 36, 49-percent
Mike Daniels — 29, 39-percent

With the team focused on stopping the run, the Lions went with a heavy rotation of interior defensive lineman. Both Robinson and Harrison saw their highest snaps count percentages of the season, while Atkins and Daniels saw their second-most.

EDGE rushers see higher snaps with Okwara out

Devon Kennard — 60, 81-percent
Trey Flowers — 55, 74-percent

Flowers was well on his way to leading the way in this group before he was forced to leave the game with a potential concussion. Both players had solid games.

Davis’ snap counts rebound, production stays high

Jarrad Davis — 67, 91-percent
Christian Jones — 53, 72-percent
Jahlani Tavai — 46, 62-percent
Jalen Reeves-Maybin — 5, 7-percent

Davis put together back-to-back impressive games, especially against the run. Reeves-Maybin saw the field on defense for the first time in a month, taking a coverage role in NASCAR sets during obvious passing situations.

Oruwariye sees first NFL snaps on defense

Darius Slay — 73, 99-percent
Rashaan Melvin — 72, 97-percent
Justin Coleman — 51, 69-percent
Amani Oruwariye — 9, 12-percent
Mike Ford — 5, 7-percent

Ford has steadily been entrenched as the Lions fourth cornerback all season but appeared to be replaced by the rookie Oruwariye in the second half. Oruwariye looked sharp in limited snaps and his performance could be enough to earn him more snaps moving forward.

3 safety sets leave with Walker

Tavon Wilson — 67, 91-percent
Will Harris — 59, 80-percent
Tracy Walker — 23, 31-percent

After three weeks of being unable to play due to injury, Walker was a surprise return to action on Sunday. Unfortunately, that surprise return was short-lived as Walker was forced from the game with a knee injury.

Harris started the game in a third safety role with Walker’s return, but after his exit, Harris was forced back in the starting lineup. Depending on Walker’s status moving forward, Harris may be starting for the foreseeable future.

Special teams

Miles Killebrew — 28
Dee Virgin — 27
Steve Longa — 23
Jalen Reeves-Maybin — 23
Logan Thomas — 23
C.J. Moore — 22
Mike Ford — 19
Christian Jones — 13
Jamal Agnew — 12
Jesse James — 11
Jahlani Tavai — 11
Nick Bawden — 11
Will Harris — 8
Amani Oruwariye — 8
Tavon  Wilson — 8
Marvin Hall — 7
Jarrad Davis — 6
Justin Coleman — 5