Tag: Troy Pride

22 former Panthers on this year’s Divisional Round rosters

Here are 22 names from this weekend’s Divisional Round action that Panthers fans may recognize

While the Carolina Panthers are busy trying to find a new power duo, quite a few of their former players are right in the middle of playoff action.

Here are 22 ex-Panthers who are gearing up for this year’s Divisional Round games:

Lions hold tryouts for two players, sign S Brady Breeze to the practice squad

Breeze played in four games for Detroit in 2021

Brady Breeze is back in Detroit. The veteran safety signed with the Lions practice squad on Tuesday.

Breeze played for the Lions in 2021, appearing in four games after being scooped up from Tennessee. The 25-year-old played extensively on special teams but only saw 14 snaps on defense. He was with the Lions during the summer but was waived with injury status in training camp and took an injury settlement. Breeze has been bouncing around on the tryout circuit before signing with the Lions, and that includes an audition with Detroit last week.

The Lions kept the tryout door open on Tuesday as well. Per the NFL’s transaction report, Detroit held a tryout for WR Rico Gafford and CB Troy Pride. Neither was signed immediately.

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NFL roster news: former Notre Dame defensive back waived by Panthers

Hopefully he finds a landing spot soon

Former Notre Dame cornerback [autotag]Troy Pride, Jr.[/autotag] was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft but he was officially waived from the club on Monday with an injury designation.

Pride missed the 2021 season after tearing his ACL in a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.  In 2020 he recorded 42 tackles and was credited with a pair of pass defenses while playing in 14 games played.

Pride played at Notre Dame from 2016-2019, being a regular starter in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.  He recorded 88 tackles in his time at Notre Dame while intercepting four passes for the Fighting Irish.

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Former Notre Dame defender out for year in NFL

Tough break for an up and comer from Notre Dame

Former Notre Dame cornerback Troy Pride, Jr. had been getting ready for his second NFL season with the Carolina Panthers but that came to an unfortunate premature end over the weekend after he suffered a knee injury that will cost him the 2021 season.

The injury happened as Pride and the Panthers took on the Colts in Indianapolis.

Pride played in 14 games in 2020, recording 41 tackles and defending a pair of passes for the Panthers.

Related:

Every Notre Dame players Madden ’22 rating

Panthers rookie watch: Jeremy Chinn does it all in Week 8

Panthers rookie watch: Jeremy Chinn does it all in Week 8 vs. Falcons.

The Panthers lost to the Falcons last night at home, 25-17. While it was a frustrating loss in many ways, there were once again some hopeful signs from the rookie class of 2020.

Here’s how they did in Week 8.

DT Derrick Brown 

Brown didn’t light up the stat sheet against the Falcons. That’s generally not what defensive tackles, do though. Brown is still doing a good job eating space and setting up his teammates to make stops. This sack for Efe Obada is a solid example.

Brown was flagged for a holding penalty at one point but it was an atrocious call and not his fault.

DB/LB/RB Jeremy Chinn

It’s starting to look like this kid really can do it all. Last night, Chinn showed he can make a difference on special teams, as well. He gained 28 rushing yards on this fake punt, which Chinn apparently called on an audible.

Chinn also led the team with 10 combined tackles and is starting to make an impact as a pass rusher, as well – totaling four pressures on Matt Ryan. He’s an exceptional talent who is going to have a special career.

CB Troy Pride Jr.

While the future for Chinn looks exceedingly bright, it’s the opposite for Pride. He got extended playing time with Rasul Douglas out again and Donte Jackson having to leave early due to his toe injury. Pride can’t even seem to keep his own feet under him at this point.

If they’re going to compete for a wild card spot, the Panthers need to bring in more help at this position.

S Sam Franklin

Franklin also saw a big snap count for the second week in a row. There were times when he looked lost on the field, but Franklin did tally four tackles and came through with a clutch PBU on Julio Jones to prevent a touchdown.

CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver III

A lot of rookies saw action in the second half, including the team’s seventh-round draft pick. Thomas-Oliver played his first defensive snaps of the season. Having him cover Julio one-on-one isn’t ideal, but he made a couple of nice plays and one tackle on third down.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos remains on the injured reserve list with a high ankle sprain. He will be eligible to return to the active roster soon but will likely be out a while longer.

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Panthers rookie watch: Week 5 a bump in the road for 2020 draft class

Success is never a straight line.

Success is never a straight line. Especially for young NFL players who are still learning the game, there are going to be curves and bumps in the road as they develop. That was certainly the case for the Panthers’ rookie class of 2020 on Sunday in Atlanta.

Here’s a review of how the kids did this week.

DT Derrick Brown

For the second time this season, Brown committed multiple penalties. He was flagged twice for encroachment against the Falcons. Clearly this is something he will need to work on. Brown is still flashing plenty of power, though and affecting the game even if it doesn’t show up in the box score.

Brown also scooped up a fumble at one point, so it wasn’t all bad.

DE Yetur Gross-Matos

Gross-Matos saw his playing time limited by an ankle injury this week and only played 17 defensive snaps (26% of the team’s total). After the game, coach Matt Rhule did not offer any updates on his condition.

LB Jeremy Chinn

Chinn was the exception to the rule for the rookie class struggling on Sunday. He posted nine total tackles (six solo) and came through with a big pass breakup late in the game. Chinn played almost every defensive snap (98%) and now ranks sixth in the entire league in tackles this season.

CB Troy Pride Jr.

With Donte Jackson leaving early due to his lingering toe injury, Pride got a ton of playing time at outside corner. He played a career high 97% of the snaps. As opposed to Chinn, his performance was less encouraging. While he did post six tackles, Pride continues to have issues in coverage. He’s allowed a 119.2 passer rating when targeted and Pro Football Focus currently has him graded at 39.6 overall.

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Panthers position battles: Who starts at cornerback opposite Donte Jackson?

Now, Matt Rhule is telling reporters there is an open competition for the position.

It has been years since the Panthers have had a respectable and consistent defensive backfield. This year is no different, as the team’s longest tenured cornerback is Donte Jackson, the third-year DB coming off a less-than-impressive sophomore campaign. While Carolina needs Jackson to have a bounce-back season to give the secondary any hope, there are bigger concerns about who takes his old spot at CB2. Now, Matt Rhule is telling reporters there is an open competition for the position.

With less than two weeks until Carolina’s home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, let’s take a look at some of the top candidates for the job.

Eli Apple

Eli Apple
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Apple (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) has had a mixed bag of a football career. While he has shown flashes of potential, those moments have been offset by inconsistency that’s placed him on his third team in just five seasons.

His career got off to a rocky start with the New York Giants, as a heated exchange with a coach led to a suspension by the team at the end of his rookie season for conduct detrimental to the team. Soon after, former teammate Landon Collins went on a radio talk show, saying Apple was “a cancer” for the Giants.

Apple began to turn things around midway through 2018 when he was traded to the New Orleans Saints. The former first-round draft pick was an immediate starter with his new team, totaling 52 tackles, nine passes defended and two interceptions in 10 starts. His 2019 season was less successful, as he allowed a 100.9 passer rating. Apple is now looking for another fresh start with Carolina.

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Panthers GM Marty Hurney says veteran cornerback is the priority

Cornerback remains a major problem, even after the team picked Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr. in the fourth round of the draft and Stantley Thomas-Oliver in the seventh. 

The Panthers roster is mostly set for the 2020 season. There are still a few spots that need to be addressed, though.

Cornerback remains a major problem, even after the team picked Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr. in the fourth round of the draft and Stantley Thomas-Oliver in the seventh.

On WFNZ today, general manager Marty Hurney admitted that bringing in a veteran cornerback is the priority right now as far as adding to the roster. He also mentioned defensive tackle and the offensive line, per the Charlotte Observer.

Problem is, there’s not many options at this point in the offseason. The Panthers would be in better position now if they had signed a corner in the first phase of free agency or drafted another one early on – perhaps after trading down in the first round.

Anyway, the list of names at cornerback is short. Logan Ryan is in a tier to himself but the team doesn’t have enough cap room to sign him. After Ryan, there’s a handful of busts and B-listers like Eli Apple, Darqueze Dennard, Mackensie Alexander and Trumaine Johnson.

The best choice may be somebody else.

Ross Cockrell played relatively well last season and earned 11 starts. He finished the year with two interceptions and eight pass breakups and was solid enough in coverage. Cockrell is probably never going to make the Pro Bowl, but it makes more sense to bring him back than signing these others.

Unless the Panthers find a way to clear enough room for Logan Ryan, Cockrell should get the opportunity.

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Troy Pride, Jr. Impresses His New Coaches Wife

Troy Pride, Jr. made quite the first impression on his new head coach…and his new head coaches wife. See what Panthers HC Matt Rhule said

Troy Pride, Jr. was a fantastic corner at Notre Dame the last couple of seasons.  He may not have finished with huge interception numbers but he wasn’t a guy that was really ever picked on by opposing quarterbacks, either.

Pride was drafted by new head coach of the Carolina Panthers, Matt Rhule over the weekend in the draft’s fourth round.  Pride had a video meeting with Rhule recently that left with Rhule not being the only person impressed in his household.

Pride is a big believer in himself, and after getting drafted shared the following:

“I’m a competitive peach…my will to win is higher than a lot of individuals. My competitive edge is always going to keep me with any athlete that I play against and any system I play in.”

Good luck to Pride in Carolina, a team that looks to be trying to revamp/load up on defense.

For more on Pride and the Panthers along with all Notre Dame players who were recently drafted, check out our podcast that breaks down all six draft picks and the other six undrafted free agents:

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Notre Dame Sets Record for Most All-Time Draft Picks…Sort Of?

Notre Dame’s six NFL draft picks over the weekend gave them the most of any school ever. Well, depending who you ask anyway. USC?

With Cole Kmet, Chase Claypool, Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, Troy Pride, Jr. and Alohi Gilman getting drafted over the weekend Notre Dame now has as many NFL Draft picks as any school in college football history.

Depending on who you listen to, anyway.

Notre Dame made that claim early Saturday evening on Twitter and also in their press release that recapped the annual draft.  The first two sentences from that release:

With six players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Notre Dame Football has totaled 511 draft picks over the tenure of the program. No other college football program has totaled more than the Irish.

A quick look to DraftHistory.com finds that Notre Dame does in fact have 511 draft picks all-time but that USC actually has 512.

Don’t count USC in that way of thinking however as USC is also proud of their 511 all-time selections that they claim on their official athletics website.  At the time of Michael Pittman’s selection in round two their release said the following:

Pittman is USC’s 511th all-time NFL draftee, the most of any school. He is the 16th Trojan wide receiver drafted since 2000, including the 10th in the top two rounds.

Both schools claim 511 while the website prided on all things NFL Draft claims a different number for USC.  I’d go and count myself but I’d rather not.  Way too many numbers for a Sunday afternoon if you ask me.

My favorite part of all of it though is that there is no mention of the other on either Notre Dame or USC’s websites or releases.  Instead it’s just “as many as any other school” or something of the sort.  We not be getting any live games anytime soon but I’m here for the *redacted, replaced with* spitting match between these two rivals.

Honest question, though: does USC get to claim Reggie Bush if they don’t acknowledge he ever stepped foot on their campus in any other capacity?