Tag: tryouts

Saints host several free agent running backs on Tuesday

The Saints hosted several free agent running backs on Tuesday after parting ways with practice squad runner Jake Funk, in light of an injury to Mark Ingram II:

We can’t say the the New Orleans Saints aren’t looking for help. The team hosted several free agent running backs for a group tryout on Tuesday after parting ways with practice squad runner Jake Funk, and in light of an injury to Mark Ingram II — Jordan Howard was called up from the practice squad to back up Alvin Kamara and Dwayne Washington in Monday night’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but they could use more depth at the position. At least they’re trying after choosing to stand pat at the trade deadline last week.

Former Saints WR Kawaan Baker signs with the Packers after serving 6-game suspension

Former Saints WR Kawaan Baker signed with the Packers practice squad after serving his 6-game suspension:

A couple of former New Orleans Saints wide receivers found new teams this week. Kawaan Baker finished serving his 6-game suspension for an offseason PEDs policy violation and ended up signing with the Green Bay Packers practice squad following a group tryout.

Baker, 24, was selected by the Saints in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft out of South Alabama but struggled to find snaps in the rotation despite a wave of injuries hitting the position in each of his two years in black and gold. Now he’s wearing No. 82 in Green Bay.

If there’s anything positive to take away here, it may be that the Saints feel optimistic about Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry getting off of the injury report soon. With Chris Olave back in the lineup, Baker would have been hard-pressed to get into games ahead of Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood, Rashid Shaheed, and practice squad receivers Kevin White and Kirk Merritt. Green Bay’s receiving corps is banged-up and talent-poor, so there are better opportunities for him up north.

And the Seattle Seahawks picked up former Saints wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. after a group tryout. A former Washington State Cougar, Winston spent most of the last year on New Orleans’ practice squad but was waived late in the summer during roster cuts. He’s on the Seattle practice squad closer to home after pursuing a couple of different opportunities as a free agent.

Quite a few former Saints players tried out for other teams this week. Here’s the full list, per the daily NFL transactions wire:

  • WR Kawaan Baker (Green Bay Packers-signed)

  • WR Easop Winston Jr. (Seattle Seahawks-signed)

  • WR Dai’Jean Dixon (Seattle Seahawks)

  • CB DaMarcus Fields (Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers)

  • CB Tre Swilling (San Francisco 49ers)

  • CB Ken Crawley (Tennessee Titans)

  • RB Abram Smith (Miami Dolphins)

  • OL Sage Doxtater (Arizona Cardinals)

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Packers work out 5 players, including 3 wide receivers

The Packers worked out five players on Tuesday. They signed one (Innis Gaines). Three of the others were wide receivers.

The Green Bay Packers reported workouts for five players on Tuesday, including three wide receivers.

Of the five, one signed: Safety Innis Gaines returned to Green Bay on the practice squad.

The other four players to work out for the team on Tuesday: receiver Jeff Cotton (Idaho), receiver Ty Fryfogle (Indiana), quarterback Steven Montez (Colorado) and receiver Charleston Rambo (Miami).

Cotton (6-2, 206) went undrafted in 2020. The 25-year-old has spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and (most recently) Arizona Cardinals. He played in one game for the Jaguars to end last season.

Fryfogle, a rookie, was a reported workout player on Monday. More on him here.

Montez (6-5, 236) went undrafted in 2020 after starting for three seasons at Colorado, where he tossed 63 touchdown passes and 33 interceptions. He’s spent time on the practice squads of the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions over the last three seasons.

Rambo (6-1, 185) went undrafted in 2022. A three-year starter at Oklahoma and Miami, he spent time with the Carolina Panthers through training camp but was waived at final cuts. During his final season at Miami, he caught 79 passes for 1,172 yards and seven scores.

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Seahawks host 2 offensive linemen for tryouts, 1 for a visit

The Seattle Seahawks hosted tackle Myron Cunningham and guard Jordan Meredith for tryouts and guard  Sebastian Gutierrez on a visit.

The Seattle Seahawks have a new NFL Offensive Player of the Week to protect in quarterback Geno Smith. To ensure depth on the offensive line, Seattle hosted two linemen for tryouts on Tuesday and one for a visit.

According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Seahawks worked out tackle Myron Cunningham and guard Jordan Meredith. Seattle also hosted guard  Sebastian Gutierrez on a visit.

The Seahawks return to practice on Wednesday after an off day, so we’ll keep you posted on any new faces to take the field.

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Packers workout 6 players, including RBs Ryquell Armstead and Ty’Son Williams

The Packers worked out six players on Tuesday, including four running backs. Among them: Ryquell Armstead and Ty’Son Williams.

With an open practice squad spot to fill, the Green Bay Packers worked out six players on Tuesday, according to league’s daily transaction report.

The list included four running backs. The Packers signed running back Patrick Taylor from the practice squad last week, creating the opening.

Expect the Packers to sign one of the six tryout players from this list: running back Ryquell Armstead, defensive back Corey Ballentine, running back Max Borghi, receiver Ra’Shaun Henry, running back Nate McCrary, tight end Jared Scott and running back Ty’Son Williams.

Armstead, a fifth-round pick of the Jaguars in 2019, spent around two months on the Packers’ practice squad in 2021. He has 188 rushing yards, 160 receiving yards and two total touchdowns over 18 regular-season games, all with the Jaguars.

Ballentine, a sixth-round pick of the Giants in 2019, has 46 tackles, two pass breakups and 855 kick return yards over 32 games with the Giants, Lions and Jets.

Borghi, an undrafted free agent out of Washington State, has spent time with the Colts, Broncos and Steelers in 2022. He scored 41 career touchdowns and produced almost 3,500 total yards for the Cougars.

Henry, an undrafted free agent out of Virginia, spent time with the Panthers earlier this season. He was cut from the team’s practice squad in September. He caught seven touchdown passes between the 2020 and 2021 seasons at Virginia.

McCrary, an undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State, has spent most of his career with the Ravens. He rushed two times for -1 yards in his only regular season game with the team last year.

Scott, an undrafted free agent out of Idaho State, spent time with the Panthers this year. He caught four touchdown passes during the 2021 season.

Williams, an undrafted free agent out of BYU, played in 13 games for the Ravens as a rookie in 2021, rushing 35 times for 185 yards and a touchdown while catching nine passes. He was cut by the Colts in August.

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Broncos hosted 6 players for tryouts last week

The Broncos brought in three defensive backs and three offensive linemen for tryouts last week.

The Denver Broncos brought in six players for tryouts on Friday — three defensive backs and three offensive linemen — according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

In the secondary, Denver tried out Darren Evans (Louisiana State), Delonte Hood (Peru State) and Jordan Miller (Washington). Evans and Hood are rookies. Miller has spent time with four NFL teams, most recently competing in training camp with the Buffalo Bills this summer. 

On the offensive line, the Broncos brought in tackle Jean Delance (Florida) and guards Parker Ferguson (Air Force) and Sadarius Hutcherson (South Carolina). Hutcherson spent last season on injured reserve with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then failed to make their 53-man roster this summer. 

At the time of this writing, none of the six players who tried out have been signed. Denver likely views them as potential candidates to add if there are any injuries in the secondary or on the offensive line later in the season.

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Jaguars hosted two players for visits on Thursday

Defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh and receiver Seth Williams worked out for the #Jaguars on Thursday.

As their final roster is taking shape, the Jacksonville Jaguars are still making every effort to acquire any talent that might help them win games in 2022. The cuts they made this week to take the roster from 80 to 53 players were brutal, but they’ve kept their eyes out for more talent from across the league that might have the potential to make an impact in their system.

Among the players Jacksonville has hosted for tryouts this week were defensive end R.J. McIntosh and receiver Seth Williams. Neither has been signed to a contract, though with the Jaguars’ seeming to move players around more by the day, it isn’t out of the question that they might get an opportunity in Duval County if the team decides they want some fresh blood in the mix.

McIntosh was a fifth-round pick by the New York Giants back in 2018 but hasn’t seen any action in the NFL since 2019. He recorded two sacks in his sophomore campaign with a total of 13 tackles but was unable to secure a long-term position in New York before being released the following offseason.

On the other hand, Williams was a sixth-round selection by the Denver Broncos last season and found moderate success in their offense that was quarterbacked by Drew Lock. He was only targeted one time in his rookie year, but made the most of the opportunity, taking the reception for a 34-yard gain.

Jacksonville is desperate to improve on failed 2020 and 2021 campaigns and will assess every option in anticipation of a turnaround season this year. These tryouts may just be blips on the team’s radar, and may not amount to signings, but as the Jaguars seek out the top available talent, they may find a diamond in the rough to help them find success in 2022.

DT Malcolm Roach sent to Saints injured reserve list

Malcolm Roach has been sent to injured reserve, where he must miss the first four games. With just three DT’s on the roster, New Orleans is already working out free agents:

Here’s an update to one New Orleans Saints injury situation. Defensive tackle Malcolm Roach has been designated to the injured reserve list, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, where he’ll have to sit out the first four games of the season before he’ll be eligible to return. The NFL adjusted its injured reserve rules again for the 2022 season, which now allow up to eight players to return after being sent to the reserve list — setting a cap on the unlimited returns teams were able to use over the last two years while working around COVID-19 absences.

And as Underhill added, Roach is expected to suit up for the Saints as soon as possible (in what would be their Week 5 home game with the Seattle Seahawks). He just needs a few weeks to heal up after exiting their final preseason game with what appeared to be a lower leg injury, but details have been sparse. In any rate, look for New Orleans to audition some veteran free agents; the defensive tackles on their roster right now include David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, and Kentavius Street. Another backup, Albert Huggins was lost to a season-ending injury late in the preseason finale.

So while fans may be hoping for a high-profile free agent pickup like the curiously still-unsigned Ndamukong Suh, New Orleans has been looking at more budget-friendly options. Underhill reports that the team worked out veteran free agents Vernon Butler and Keke Kingsley following the injuries to Roach and Huggins. So who are they?

Butler, 28, played college football at Louisiana Tech and was a first-round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers back in 2016. He suited up in six games against the Saints before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 2020, but was inactive for their rematch on Thanksgiving Day last season. The Las Vegas Raiders signed Butler earlier this year but released him a few weeks ago.

Keke, 25, starred at Texas A&M and was drafted in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers in 2019 (both of his first two career sacks came against Drew Brees and the Saints early in the 2020 season). He was waived during the 2021 playoffs and initially landed with the Houston Texans, who let him go after the 2022 draft. He was waived again recently after spending the offseason with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Saints could sign either of them or continue to try out free agent options. Stay tuned for movement on this front.

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Seahawks host 6 for tryouts and 1 visit in Seattle on Thursday

The Seattle Seahawks were busy on Thursday’s off day, hosting six players for tryouts and one on an official visit at the VMAC in Renton.

The Seattle Seahawks were busy on Thursday’s off day, hosting six players for tryouts and one on an official visit at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.

Per the NFL’s official transaction list, the following players had tryouts:

Running back Reggie Corbin, Illinois
Linebacker Joel Deblanko, Cincinnati
Defensive back Jameson Houston, Baylor
Quarterback Morgan James, Florida International
Wide receiver Cinque Sweeting, Slippery Rock
Linebacker Javin White, Nevada – Las Vegas

Wide receiver Tre Turner out of Virginia Tech was also in town for a visit.

Practice resumes on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and is open to the general public.

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Seahawks hosted 4 players for tryouts at VMAC on Tuesday

The Seattle Seahawks hosted four more players for tryouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center Tuesday on the first day of training camp.

Seattle Seahawks rookies and veterans reported to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Tuesday for physicals ahead of the start of training camp. In addition, the Seahawks also hosted four more players for tryouts.

Per the official NFL Transaction Wire via Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, Seattle worked out the following four hopefuls:

Guard Keenan Forbes, Florida A&M
Defensive end Adam Rodriguez, Weber State
Defensive tackle Keonte Schad, Oregon State
Guard Eric Wilson, Penn State

We’ll keep you posted on any new roster transactions and signings as they are announced.

Below is a recap of Tuesday’s personnel moves.

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