Tag: Takkarist McKinley

Former Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley among Saints free agent tryouts

Former Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley was among a crowd of Saints free agent tryouts on Tuesday, along with five cornerbacks and a 6-foot-7 tight end:

The New Orleans Saints hosted seven free agents for a round of tryouts on Tuesday, including five cornerbacks — and former Atlanta Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley, a pass-rushing defensive end. With a third spot soon opening up on the 53-man roster once Payton Turner goes on injured reserve, as is expected, the Saints will have room for some new faces after elevating other players from the practice squad.

All of these players look like practice squad candidates, which isn’t unusual. The Saints churn the bottom of their depth chart often throughout the season looking for the right blend of young pros and experienced veterans. It’s interesting that there are so many defensive backs in the building but there haven’t been any major injuries to explain the interest, so maybe they’re just after improved depth or more help on special teams. Here’s what you need to know about each free agent who tried out Tuesday:

9 best free agent pass rushers after Jadeveon Clowney joined Ravens

The Jaguars showed brief interest in Jadeveon Clowney, but now he’s off the market. Could anyone else catch the team’s eye?

The pass rushing market was already thin Friday morning, but got it a little thinner when Jadeveon Clowney decided to join the Baltimore Ravens.

Clowney, 30, previously visited the Jacksonville Jaguars, but left without a contract. The team’s interest in a free agent pass rusher made sense given the Jaguars finished 26th in the NFL in sacks last season and didn’t make many changes at the position in the offseason.

Given the brief interest in Clowney, it’d make sense if the Jaguars peeked at the rest of the market.

Here are the best edge rushers still available with three weeks left until the regular season begins:

DE Takk McKinley released by Cowboys

From @ToddBrock24f7: The former first-round draft pick was signed back in November and re-signed in March; he never got on the field as a Dallas Cowboy.

The Cowboys’ veterans have departed on a six-week break before training camp in Oxnard, but one of them won’t be making the trip to California after all.

The team released veteran defensive end Takk McKinley on Friday, according to numerous reports.

McKinley, a first-round draft pick of Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, was signed to the Dallas practice squad back in November. He did not get into any games for the remainder of 2022, but the club re-signed him to a one-year deal in March.

The 27-year-old’s release follows the addition this week of free agent end Ben Banogu, formerly with Indianapolis, and the recent selection of Junior Fehoko out of San Jose State in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.

Dallas also has DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Chauncey Golston, Dante Fowler, and second-year rising star Sam Williams already at the position.

The Cowboys roster now stands at 88 players, two shy of the 90-man limit.

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Cowboys re-sign former 1st-round draft pick Takk McKinley

The ex-Falcon was reunited with Dan Quinn in Dallas last season but never made it into a game; he’ll return on a one-year deal. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Takk McKinley played exactly zero snaps for the Cowboys in 2022. But the veteran defensive end proved valuable enough in his two months on the practice squad that the team has re-signed him for 2023.

The team website announced the agreement to a one-year deal on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old was a first-round selection by the Falcons in 2017, when Dan Quinn was the head coach in Atlanta. Waived late in the 2020 season after logging 79 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 17.5 sacks over 49 games, McKinley spent 2021 with Cleveland but suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 14 of that season. He started 2022 as a member of the Rams, but played only sparingly.

The Cowboys inked the former UCLA Bruin to a practice squad role on November 16. He was elevated to the gameday roster once, but never made it onto the field with what remained of the season.

Dallas traditionally loves to collect players who were first-round draft picks. McKinley’s return now gives the current Cowboys roster 11 of them.

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Cowboys sign veteran DE Takk McKinley to practice squad

The former first-round draft pick played three-plus seasons under Dan Quinn in Atlanta, but was a Cowboys target coming out of UCLA in 2017. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Another Dan Quinn alum is coming back for more.

Free agent defensive end Takk McKinley has signed with the Dallas Cowboys and is set to join the practice squad. McKinley was a first-round pick of the Falcons in 2017 under Quinn’s tenure as head coach and saw 25 starts during his four-plus seasons in Atlanta. The UCLA product played in just four games last season with Cleveland.

Under Quinn once more, he’ll look to regain some of the form he showed in his first three seasons. From 2017 to 2019, the California native recorded 48 tackles and 16.5 sacks while playing in 45 games.

McKinley, who turned 27 earlier this month, has endured a handful of injuries in his brief NFL career. A shoulder injury ended his sophomore season prematurely. The following year, after being waived during the season, he failed physicals with both the Bengals and 49ers and never got off the injured reserve list upon joining the Raiders. A torn Achilles tendon spoiled his 2021 comeback campaign with the Browns, and he spent just a matter of days this fall with the practice squads of both the Titans and Rams.

A spot on the Cowboys practice squad means the team did not have to make any moves on the active roster to get McKinley. Now he can be a gameday call-up three times before the Cowboys officially ink him to the 53, making this an extended tryout if need be.

As Patrik Walker of the Cowboys website points out, Dallas had strong interest in McKinley during the first round of the 2017 draft, but got beaten to the punch two picks prior by Quinn and the Falcons. Jerry Jones & Co. selected Taco Charlton instead. (Charlton, coincidentally, also signed a new deal Wednesday, joining the Bears.)

McKinley joins a defensive end group in Dallas that includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Chauncey Golston, Sam Williams, Tarell Basham, Carlos Watkins, and Dante Fowler Jr.

The Cowboys defense currently leads the NFL with 35 sacks.

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Titans sign Christian DiLauro to practice squad, lose Takkarist McKinley to Rams

The Titans made a pair of moves on their practice squad on Wednesday.

The Tennessee Titans made a few moves on their practice squad on Wednesday after having one of their players poached from it.

The Los Angeles Rams have signed outside linebacker Takkarist McKinley off the Titans’ practice squad. McKinley joined Tennessee’s practice squad late last week.

With an open spot, Tennessee inked offensive tackle Christian DiLauro to the practice squad. DiLauro appeared in two games for the Titans last season but failed to make the initial 53-man roster out of training camp in 2022.

The Titans may need more help at the tackle position after left tackle Taylor Lewan suffered what is reportedly feared to be a season-ending injury.

Tennessee is already being ravaged by injuries much like they were in 2021, with nine players currently on the injured reserve list after the Titans placed two more players on it Wednesday.

The Titans also have two players on the PUP list and a lengthy injury report.

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Titans add Takkarist McKinley to practice squad, promote Chris Jackson

The Titans made a pair of roster moves on Friday.

The Tennessee Titans made a pair of roster moves on Friday, one of which included adding a former first-round pick to their practice squad.

The team announced it has signed edge rusher Takkarist McKinley to the practice squad. He will be taking the place of defensive back Chris Jackson, who has been promoted to the 53-man roster.

McKinley was the No. 26 overall pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2017. The 26-year-old showed promise over his first two seasons, notching 13 sacks in 31 games (eight starts).

However, after a lackluster season in 2019, the Falcons declined McKinley’s fifth-year option in 2020, which was his final season in Atlanta. He played just four games that year due to injury.

In 2021, McKinley played in 11 games for the Cleveland Browns, tallying 2.5 sacks, but saw his season end early due to a torn Achilles.

Tennessee has been dealing with a few injuries at the outside linebacker position in 2022. Ola Adeniyi has been limited in practice this week, and Harold Landry is out for the season with a torn ACL.

The Titans also lost 2022 UDFA David Anenih, who was poached off the practice squad by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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7 free agent pass rushers the Eagles could consider after Derek Barnett suffers torn ACL

Seven free agent pass rushers the Philadelphia Eagles could consider after Derek Barnett suffers torn ACL

The Eagles are down a pass rusher after Nick Sirianni confirmed that Derek Barnett suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s win over the Lions.

Barnett, the Eagles’ 2017 first-round pick is out for the season after re-signing with the team on a two-year deal this offseason.

“Derek will be out and he tore his ACL, and obviously that’s a big blow for us,” Nick Sirianni said Monday. “I love the way Derek Barnett comes to work every single day and plays with grittiness and toughness and (plays) nasty. “I am a huge Derek Barnett fan and he’ll be missed, so that sucks. I hate that for him, I hate that for this team. I can’t tell you how much I think of Derek.”

Barnett exited the game midway through the third quarter and he’s among the top edge rushers in the league when it comes to applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

Philadelphia has Tarron Jackson on the roster and could elevate from within, but we’re provided seven free agent options as well.

Browns 2021 NFL Draft: History of the No. 26 pick

Some have been great, some have been rough

In a pleasant turn of events, the Cleveland Browns made it late into the 2020 NFL postseason and are no longer picking in the top half of the NFL Draft. This means the Browns no longer have the luxury of selecting players who have few question marks on their profile and must rely heavily on their scouting and analytics teams.

Additionally, Browns fans need to adjust their expectations on the type of player that comes with picks later in the first round. The Browns will pick at No. 26, much later than usual.

Here is a look back at who went at the 26th spot in the NFL Draft over the last ten years:

2020 – Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers

2019 – Montez Sweat, DE, Washington Football Team

2018 – Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

2017 – Takkarist McKinley, DE, Atlanta Falcons

2016 – Paxton Lynch, QB, Denver Broncos

2015 – Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens

2014 – Marcus Smith, DE, Philadelphia Eagles

2013 – Datone Jones, DE, Green Bay Packers

2012 – Whitney Mercilus, DE, Houston Texans

2011 – Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

The 26th pick over the last 10 years has been a mixed bag. Jordan Love didn’t start a game in 2020 behind Aaron Rodgers. Takk McKinley just signed with the Browns on a one-year, prove-it deal. Paxton Lynch is a free agent and hasn’t played since 2017.

Adjusting expectations will be important for everyone as the Browns move towards being a winning organization.

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Mock draft Monday: 7 full rounds of Browns choices

Mock draft Monday: 7 full rounds of Browns choices

The 2021 Cleveland Browns roster, after several days of free agency, is finally starting to come into focus. The team’s probable draft options are becoming more apparent.

Here is a quick look at their free-agency haul through the first few days of the signing period:

Additions

SS John Johnson

CB Troy Hill

DE Takkarist McKinley

ILB Anthony Walker Jr.

WR Rashard Higgins

K Cody Parkey

OLB Malcolm Smith

DT Malik Jackson

OT Greg Senat

OLB Elijah Lee

WR Jojo Natson

Now for the picks!

My Draft (without trades)

Using PFF’s mock draft simulator, I feel like this draft makes a lot of sense for the Cleveland Browns as Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski continue to mold the roster with impact players.

Breaking down the draft, Kwity Paye immediately enters the Browns starting lineup opposite Myles Garrett. His addition is important for the long-term and in the short-term, the Browns can give him time to develop behind Tak McKinley. Ifeatu Melifonwu brings a different dimension to the secondary with his length and athleticism. While Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams aren’t slouching athletically, neither player has the size to match-up with bigger wide receivers.

Jamin Davis could be considered outside the norm for the Browns, who don’t invest heavily in the linebacker position, but his range and overall athleticism can be used to better cover tight ends in and out of the division. While Davis was a reach, Amari Rodgers can be considered a steal. Rodgers has good explosiveness, great hands, and could be a replacement for Jarvis Jandry after the 2021 season. According to most boards, Milton Williams would be considered a reach, but his most recent athletic testing might change that viewpoint,

Wrapping up the draft, both Chubba Hubbard and JaCoby Stevens offer the Browns improvements to their depth and team athleticism. Hubbard is an Olympic-level sprinter who has an amazing production profile at Oklahoma State. Stevens was a former five-star recruit from high school and will give Joe Woods an athletic ball of clay he can mold. With the final pick, the Browns selected Drew Dalman. While he isn’t a massive athlete, Dalman is technically sound and shows the ability to thrive in an interior zone-blocker.

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