Tag: Trent Taylor

49ers defensive coordinator drops hint on how 53-man roster will go

Expect the 49ers to lean toward younger players when making their final roster cuts.

The San Francisco 49ers won’t have to make any final roster cuts until after their preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders.

This year is unique for the 49ers since they have a slew of roster spots that are yet to be spoken for. That’s particularly true on the defensive side of the ball where a couple of starting jobs are among the stack of available roster spots.

Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen on Wednesday in his press conference actually offered some insight into his thinking on the 53-man roster.

New practice squad rules allow teams to keep veterans around on an expanded 15-man unit. Sorensen said the new rules push teams to favor younger players over veterans when it comes to final cuts.

“Oh, it makes a huge difference,” Sorensen said. “It wasn’t too long ago you only had five practice squad players and there were so many limitations on that. The standard elevations now that you can do with players and how many times you can do it, I think it’s smart because back in the day or even in those days not too long ago, you would play through injuries. You wouldn’t report them or you would just play through them. Where now it’s you can be smarter because you can standard elevate guys. You’ve got guys that are in your program that you’re developing, the 16 and six of them are veterans, which I think also extends the careers of these guys that all feel like you could play longer if you just had a chance that you could hang around.”

This is noteworthy at a handful of positions. At linebacker a player like Curtis Robinson may now fall into a bucket where he’s let go at final cuts in hopes of returning him to the practice squad. Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin may have the same fate. The same may go on the other side of the ball for offensive linemen Chris Hubbard and Brandon Parker. Wide receivers Chris Conley and Trent Taylor may fall into that mix as well.

San Francisco may decide to roster some of those veterans, but Sorensen gave some clarity on how the 49ers defense could ultimately shake out at those hotly-contested positions. That philosophy may permeate to the other side of the ball as well.

Don’t be shocked if at final cuts some capable veterans are let go in favor of younger players. The practice squad provides an opening for those vets to return, and the 49ers appear ready to take full advantage of that.

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Veteran WR hard to ignore for 49ers after strong start to training camp

A familiar face could wind up landing a spot in the #49ers WR corps after returning this offseason.

It looked entering training camp like the 49ers receiving corps would be mostly set. Assuming Brandon Aiyuk returns it would be him, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, and then one of a handful of players ranging from Danny Gray to Tay Martin.

One player, a veteran free agent signing this offseason, didn’t appear to be heavily in the mix. After a full week of padless practices and one day of practice in pads, Trent Taylor has forced his way into the conversation.

Taylor, a 2017 fifth-round pick of the 49ers, has spent the last three years in Cincinnati and Chicago working primarily as a punt returner. He had only eight catches on 15 targets in 37 games across those three years.

His specialization as a punt returner made it hard to envision him securing a roster spot in a crowded wide receiver room. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in his post-practice press conference made it sound like there’s a real chance Taylor winds up landing the final WR spot.

“I love having Trent back here,” Shanahan said. “Trent can help out anywhere. Trent’s such a good football player. The moment’s never too big for him. He knows the offense well. He can hop in at all three spots. Competes his ass off in everything he does and he’s very valuable as a returner too. So, especially having a lot of guys in and out, it’s good to have some versatility there with Trent.”

Between Aiyuk’s hold-in and injuries to WRs Tay Martin, Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing, snaps have been easy to come by in the receiving corps. Taylor’s snaps at receiver haven’t come solely because of injury, though. Shanahan said the plan wasn’t to strictly bring in Taylor to return kicks.

“No, you always want a group of receivers in camp,” Shanahan said. “And you know you’re going to get a few in the draft, possibly a free agency after the draft. You have the guys that you already have on the roster and you want to add harder competition. I always love getting some veterans in here who know how to play. Who the game is not too big for, that hopefully can add competition to possibly make your team, or make guys better who have to be very good to beat out some guys like that. And you always like guys like that as possible practice squad players too, because when they have experience and something happens on a Friday or Saturday, the game is never too big for them. You can get them up and they don’t blink.”

For now it looks like the practice squad is the much more likely outcome for Taylor. He’s perfect in that role as a reliable veteran option who can plug a bunch of holes in the 49ers’ receiving corps as needed, while also offering reliability as a punt returner.

This is something worth watching closely throughout camp. The 49ers don’t have a true slot receiver and Taylor showed when he first got to San Francisco some pass-catching chops. That was eight seasons and a couple injuries ago for him, but it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out if he develops any kind of rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy.

It might’ve been easy to overlook Taylor to start camp. Now he’s making sure he’s at least in the mix to make the team.

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Highlights of every new Bears roster addition

The Bears added four new faces to the roster, including Dan Feeney and Trent Taylor. Check out highlights of each player:

The Chicago Bears made several roster moves after setting their initial 53-man roster. They claimed two players off of waivers and added a couple of other players through free agency and trade.

Chicago traded for offensive lineman Dan Feeney, sending a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins. Feeney provides depth along the interior offensive line, where he’s played center and both guard positions.

The Bears claimed defensive end Khalid Kareem and safety Quindell Johnson off waivers, addressing depth concerns at both positions. They also went out and signed Trent Taylor to serve as punt returner.

In corresponding roster moves, Chicago waived defensive end Terrell Lewis and safety A.J. Thomas. They also placed left guard Teven Jenkins and center Doug Kramer on injured reserve.

The Bears have welcomed four new members to the roster. Here are highlights of each of them:

Bears sign QB Nathan Peterman, WR Trent Taylor to active roster

The Bears signed Nathan Peterman and Trent Taylor to the active roster while placing Teven Jenkins and Doug Kramer on IR.

It’s been a busy week for the Chicago Bears, whose roster has already changed a few times since Tuesday’s roster cut deadline. That includes a few roster moves that just became official.

The Bears signed quarterback Nathan Peterman and wide receiver Trent Taylor to the active roster. They also placed left guard Teven Jenkins and center Doug Kramer on injured reserve.

Both Jenkins and Kramer will miss the first four games of the season and are eligible to return in Week 5, when Chicago faces the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football.

Peterman’s signing was something general manager Ryan Poles alluded to during his Wednesday press conference with assistant GM Ian Cunningham. Peterman will serve as a veteran presence in a quarterback room featuring third-year starter Justin Fields and undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent.

Poles stopped short of naming Bagent the backup quarterback, as they sorted out the QB room. And with Peterman now on the active roster, there will be questions about who will serve as Fields’ backup in the Week 1 opener against the Green Bay Packers.

Taylor, who was recently cut from the Bengals, was brought in to serve as the punt returner. Poles clarified as much during his press conference. With Taylor serving as the punt returner, Velus Jones Jr. will be the kickoff returner.

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Grading the Bears’ waiver claims and signings from Wednesday

The Bears added three new players to their roster. Here are our initial grades of the moves.

Like every other NFL front office member, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was a busy man over the last 48 hours. Poles and the Bears worked to finalize the initial active roster on Tuesday, but did more tinkering the next day with a couple of waiver claims and a free agent signing.

On Wednesday, the Bears claimed safety Quindell Johnson from the Los Angeles Rams and Khalid Kareem from the Indianapolis Colts. They also signed recently released punt returner Trent Taylor from the Cincinnati Bengals. In order to make room for the two waiver claims, the Bears waived safety A.J. Thomas and defensive end Terrell Lewis. No corresponding roster move has been made as of this writing for Taylor’s arrival.

The Bears were looking for depth at a couple of defensive positions and had a need for a new punt returner. Poles was able to accomplish that and fortify his team for their upcoming Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

As for the players themselves, did the Bears hit the mark? Or were there other options on the market that would have been better pickups? Here are our initial grades for Wednesday’s acquisitions.

Former Bengals WR Trent Taylor signs with Bears

Trent Taylor finds a spot on an active roster.

Trent Taylor was one of the more notable cuts for the Cincinnati Bengals as the team formulated the final 53-man roster.

Taylor’s release wasn’t a surprise given the presence of rookie wide receivers Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas, but it did feel like Taylor might slip back onto the practice squad as an insurance policy.

But Taylor elected to sign with the Chicago Bears, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, a no-brainer move given that he’s going to be part of an active roster there, as opposed to a practice squad.

The Bengals figure to put other names at the position on the practice squad and as a result of this, might keep an eye on returners on the waiver wire and overall in the coming weeks.

Our live-updated Bengals roster cuts tracker is live.

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Bears sign former Bengals PR Trent Taylor

The Chicago Bears have a new punt returner.

The Chicago Bears have a new punt returner. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears are signing former Cincinnati Bengals return specialist and wide receiver Trent Taylor to their active roster. The Bengals released Taylor on Tuesday after he spent the 2022 season as their primary punt returner.

Taylor was drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and was their primary punt returner his rookie year. He also contributed at wide receiver, catching 43 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

As his career went on, Taylor became more of a dedicated specialist, primarily contributing on punt returns. He joined the Bengals in 2021 and, in 2022, was their primary punt returner. Taylor averaged 10.3 yards per return, the sixth-most in the NFL last year.

Now, Taylor comes to the Bears to give them a boost in that department. Chicago lost veteran Dante Pettis to injured reserve last week and didn’t have a stable punt returner. Now they do with Taylor, who will likely take the spot of someone like Velus Jones Jr. or Equanimeous St. Brown on the roster.

7 players Giants should consider adding following cutdown day

Cutdown day has come and gone across the NFL and the New York Giants should considering claiming or signing these seven available players.

More than 1,100 players were released, cut or waived on Tuesday as teams trimmed their roster to the required 53 men. Now the race is on to claim or sign those who are available, effectively rounding out rosters ahead of the regular season.

The New York Giants put in seven waiver claims a year ago and were awarded multiple players. General manager Joe Schoen certainly isn’t going to sit on his hands this time around, so expect Big Blue to be active.

Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will be on the hunt for anyone they believe will help improve their roster.

With that in mind, here’s a look at seven players the Giants should consider claiming or signing on Wednesday.

7 recently cut players the Bears should consider adding

Whether it’s another backup quarterback or help at punt returner, here are a few players the Bears should consider adding

The Chicago Bears 2023 initial roster was finally set on Tuesday afternoon as general manager Ryan Poles made the necessary cuts to get the team down to 53 players. It likely won’t stay that way for long, however.

Like the Bears, the rest of the NFL trimmed their rosters down, with hundreds of players hitting the waiver wire, able to be claimed and brought onto a new team. Chicago has top priority, though, meaning they will automatically get any player they put a claim on who passes through waivers.

Poles was busy this time last year, as the Bears claimed a total of seven players at various positions. With top priority, will they match or exceed that number? Given some of the cuts and releases that have been made that include fairly high-profile players, they could be busy. Teams have until 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday to submit claims.

Here are a few names the Bears should consider who have either hit the waiver wire or become free agents within the last couple of days.

Trent Taylor crowned king of pingpong in Bengals locker room

Trent Taylor continues his reign of dominance over the tables.

Pingpong has been one of the more consistent non-football topics around the Cincinnati Bengals recently.

Last November, fans got an inside look at the pingpong championship standings in the locker room, where Joe Burrow ranked higher than expected.

And last February, wideout Trent Taylor won an entire table tennis tournament against players from around the league.

Taylor just picked up more winnings at the end of training camp too. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor brought in some professional pingpong players for fun and proclaimed Trent the best on the team.

“I think the players really ate it up. Trent Taylor is certainly the best pingpong player on the team,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I have no reservations saying that out loud after watching him. It was a lot of fun to see those guys play against professionals and I think they really enjoyed the change of pace. We did it after the rookie talent show. We did the rookie talent show, we ate Skyline as a team and then we had the pingpong stuff, so it was a really great night.” …

If nothing else, some fun trivia for Bengals fans.

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