Tag: tryouts

Bennie Fowler, Malachi Dupre among Saints free agent tryouts

The Saints brought in a crowd of free agents including wide receivers Kevin White, Malachi Dupre, Bennie Fowler, and Devin Smith for tryouts:

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The first wave of roster cuts across the NFL is unpleasant at best, but the New Orleans Saints have taken the opportunity to bring in free agents for tryouts to see where they can improve their team. A group of six players worked out for the team on Tuesday, and more are on the way. Here is everything you need to know:

Seahawks sign 4 players to roster ahead of weekend rookie minicamp

The Seattle Seahawks have signed four players to the roster ahead of this weekend’s rookie minicamp from May 14-16.

The Seattle Seahawks announced they have signed four players to the roster ahead of this weekend’s rookie minicamp, which is set to take place from May 14-16.

Seattle signed safety Joshua Moon, safety LaDarius Wiley, defensive tackle Walter Palmore and defensive end Marcus Webb.

None of the four free agents are rookies, but all are allowed to participate in the camp.

This will mark Webb’s second stint in Seattle as he had signed with the Seahawks last spring as an undrafted free agent.

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Cowboys bring in two tight ends, tackle, and QB for tryouts

After injuries to key starters in Sunday’s Week 1 loss, the Cowboys have brought in several new players for a tryout, including a QB.

Evaluating talent is a full-time-all-the-time endeavor in the NFL. Even if the Cowboys hadn’t seen injuries take Blake Jarwin, Leighton Vander Esch, and Cam Erving off the field in Sunday night’s opener, the team would still be expected to at least kick the tires on some new names this week.

Given the season-ending ACL tear to starting tight end Blake Jarwin, it’s not surprising to see a couple more on the club’s tryout list. Taking a look at tackle is always smart for offensive line depth, especially after Dak Prescott was sacked three times in Los Angeles. There are no linebackers trying out, so Dallas seems content to roll with who they’ve got. But they are getting an up close and personal look at a quarterback with a unique claim to fame.

Erik Swoope is likely the most familiar of the bunch. He has been affiliated with four teams after entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2014. The University of Miami tight end played with the Colts for five seasons, catching three touchdowns in 2018. Since then, Swoope’s done a one-day stint with the Saints, a two-month stay in Oakland, and a week in San Francisco.

Cheyenne O’Grady played college ball at Arkansas, catching 85 passes from 2016 to 2019 and scoring 11 touchdowns. The tight end left the Razorbacks team in November of his senior year and went undrafted in April.

Offensive tackle Jared Veldheer was a third-round selection by the Raiders in 2010. After four years in the silver and black, he spent four more seasons with the Cardinals. He started 12 games in 2018 as a Denver Bronco. After signing a one-year deal to play in New England in 2019, Veldheer retired from football a week later, only to change his mind and be claimed by Green Bay late last season.

Quarterback Jalen Morton was an undrafted free agent out of Prairie View A&M. He signed with the Packers, but was released in early August. While Dallas’s stable of passers would appear to be full, Morton may be worth a look-see if only to gauge his notable arm strength.

According to his bio, Morton- who has a degree in mechanical engineering- can throw a football 100 yards.

“The last time I did that was late July before camp,” he told Sports Illustrated‘s Bill Huber over his summer in Green Bay. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m feeling good about the season. I feel good about it. I feel good about it because I know my arm strength. I used to play baseball. I know the type of conditioning to keep in shape and keep doing that. I’ve seen Aaron Rodgers flick the ball and it goes 75. I can only imagine what he would do if he takes a couple of hitches and lets it go.”

The Cowboys merely brought in all four players for tryouts. The dream may last for just one workout or the invite could lead to a spot on the practice squad. And then who knows?

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Seahawks host defensive linemen for tryouts and visits on Tuesday

The Seattle Seahawks hosted a number of defensive linemen for tryouts and visits on Tuesday in the wake of Rasheem Green’s shoulder injury.

The Seattle Seahawks will always continue the search to beef up and strengthen their defensive line. Seattle hosted two players for visits to the facility on Tuesday – former Seahawk defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas and defensive end Breeland Speaks. The Seahawks also had defensive end John Daka in for a tryout.

The visits come on the heels of an injury to one of Seattle’s defensive ends during the Week-1 win over the Falcons. Rasheem Green briefly left the game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and was still bothered by it on Monday.

Christmas was with the Seahawks over the summer but was waived during the initial 53-man roster cuts.

Speaks was originally selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and appeared in all 16 games as a rookie. He spent last season on the injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery. While on the IR, he was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

The Seahawks also hosted defensive back Michael Jacquet and guard Andrew Jones for tryouts.

No other transactions were listed for the Seahawks on Tuesday so if any signings were executed, we’ll have to wait until Pete Carroll addresses the media on Wednesday to find out.

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Chiefs hosted three free agents for tryouts on Saturday

The Kansas City Chiefs are doing their homework on some offensive linemen.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to look for ways to improve their roster, this time looking at a trio of offensive linemen. According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs had three players in for tryouts on Saturday. Among those trying out for Kansas City were veteran OL Patrick Omameh, OT Paul Adams and OT John Leglue.

Omameh, 30, spent the 2019 season with the New Orleans Saints. He appeared in 14 games, starting at left tackle in their Week 11 road win against the Atlanta Falcons during Thanksgiving. He also filled in at left guard on occasion for New Orleans. An undrafted free agent out of Michigan in 2013, Omameh has started a total of 57 games during his career. Most of his experience comes playing guard, but he has the ability to play tackle in a pinch. The Saints released Omameh during their final roster cuts.

Leglue, 24, was also released by New Orleans during 53-man roster cuts. Leglue was originally signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane in 2019. He was released and spent most of the 2019 season on the Saints’ practice squad before he was poached by the Green Bay Packers late in the season. The 6-6 and 301-pound offensive lineman has the versatility to play tackle or guard.

Finally, the Chiefs worked out former University of Missouri OT Paul Adams. He originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2019. He’s since spent time on the practice squad for the Cleveland Browns and he spent this most recent offseason with the Washington Football Team before his release during 53-man roster cuts.

Kansas City also recently had in former Bills OT Brandon Walton in for a visit. It’s clear they’re trying to add some more versatile depth for the offensive line. Specifically, they seem to be looking at players that have the flexibility to play tackle. They currently don’t have anyone on their 16-man practice squad with experience playing tackle. The Chiefs didn’t retain either of the two depth tackles who were with them this offseason in Jackson Barton and Greg Senat.

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Former Saints WRs Emmanuel Butler, Cameron Meredith among Lions tryouts

The Detroit Lions tried out several free agents including former New Orleans Saints wide receivers Emmanuel Butler and Cameron Meredith.

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The New Orleans Saints did not report any free agent visits or tryouts on the daily NFL transactions wire, but two of their former wide receivers auditioned for the Detroit Lions: second-year pro Emmanuel Butler and veteran free agent Cameron Meredith.

Butler spent his 2019 rookie season with the Saints practice squad and looked solid in training camp over the summer, but didn’t make the team. Right now, the Saints have five receivers on the 53-man roster (Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, and rookie Marquez Callaway) plus three more options on their practice squad (Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Austin Carr, and rookie Juwan Johnson).

Meredith was a notable restricted free agent pickup for the Saints a few years, but lingering health issues from a 2017 knee injury limited his availability. After the Saints released him, Cameron spent time with the receiver-needy New England Patriots last year but wasn’t able to get activated from the physically unable to perform list. He’s still trying to make a go of it in the NFL, so it’s possible his body has recovered.

Neither receiver was initially signed by the Lions following their tryout, however (with former Michigan State quarterback Bryan Lewerke throwing to them). More team visits could be ahead for them, but at this stage both former Saints are looking for work. Hopefully they’ll find it soon.

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Bears host free agent LB Alec Ogletree for tryout

The Bears hosted a few inside linebackers for tryouts on Friday, including former Giant Alec Ogletree.

The Chicago Bears brought in a trio of linebackers for a tryout on Friday, including veteran Alec Ogletree. MMQB’s Albert Breer reports the Bears hosted linebackers Ogletree, Devante Bond and Gabe Sewell in an effort to potentially improve their linebacking corps.

Ogletree, drafted in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the-then St. Louis Rams, has enjoyed a solid career as a perennial starter in the NFL. His best season came in 2016 when he totaled 136 tackles and picked off two passes.

After five seasons with the Rams, he was traded to the New York Giants in 2018. That season, he had a career-high five interceptions, including a pick-six against the Bears and quarterback Chase Daniel. Ogletree was released earlier this year.

Bond, meanwhile, spent time in Chicago last season after being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016. He played three games for the Bears in 2019. Finally, Sewell is an undrafted free agent out of Nevada.

Ogletree is clearly the marquee name on this list and would instantly give the Bears much-needed depth at the inside linebacker position behind Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan, as well as another veteran presence. It remains to be seen whether he, Bond or Sewell end up signing a deal.

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Chiefs had three players in for tryouts on Monday, including WR Marcus Kemp

A familiar face was in Kansas City for a tryout on Monday.

The NFL lifted its moratorium on tryouts at team facilities and the Kansas City Chiefs have reported their first three tryouts of 2020, including a familiar face. According to the NFL’s official transaction report, the Chiefs brought WR Marcus Kemp, CB Kemon Hall, and CB Brandon Williams for tryouts on Monday.

The Chiefs are most familiar with Kemp, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Hawaii in 2017. He appeared in 16 games for the Chiefs in 2018, but only recorded one catch for seven yards. Kemp was tracking to make the 53-man roster and have a bigger role in 2019 when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL during the Week 2 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If Kemp is close to being fully recovered from his knee injury, he could certainly help the team as they deal with some soft tissue injuries to a few players at the WR position. He was also a starting gunner in Kansas City, so his return could churn some competition on special teams too.

The team is also dealing with some injuries to the CB group, including a season-ending injury for Alex Brown. They brought in Hall, who was a 2019 undrafted free agent signing out of North Texas by the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished the 2019 season on the practice squad with the Minnesota Vikings. He was cut two weeks ago by the Vikings to make room for players returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hall was known as a playmaker in college, recording five interceptions and 14 passes defended as a senior.

Williams, a 2016 third-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, spent the 2019 season on injured reserve after having surgery for a back injury. The 6-foot 200-pound CB appeared in 45 games for the Cardinals, starting in three games over the course of three seasons. He recorded 38 total tackles and five passes defended. He was primarily utilized on special teams, but he does have some man coverage ability. It’s worth noting he spent two seasons with Tyrann Mathieu in Arizona, so two former teammates could be reunited in Kansas City.

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Saints report multiple free agent tryouts at training camp

The New Orleans Saints tried out a group of five free agents after training camp practice, including four tight ends and WR Jake Lampman.

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The New Orleans Saints reported tryouts with five free agents following Monday’s training camp practice session, per the NFL transactions wire. And two of those names might be familiar to Saints fans.

Most notable is wide receiver Jake Lampman, who first entered the NFL on an undrafted free agent deal with the Saints back in 2016. The Ferris State alum began his rookie year on the practice squad but logged just 89 snaps on special teams before being released. He was quickly snatched up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the 6-foot-0, 205 pound wideout hung around for a few years.

Another former member of the Saints called in for the tryout was tight end A.J. Derby, originally a sixth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he joined the Saints late in the 2019 preseason but wasn’t able to crack the roster. Before that, he was traded several times, taking the field with the Patriots (4 games), Denver Broncos (15 games) and Miami Dolphins (6 games).

The other three tryouts were all new to New Orleans, and all play tight end. The group was rounded out by Ethan Wolf, Donnie Ernsberger, and Ryan O’Malley. They have combined for four regular season game appearances between the three of them.

So why all the interest in tight ends? The Saints have been without Josh Hill for much of training camp due to an unspecific injury, and he’s a valuable co-starter in the Saints offense. With two backups having opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rookie quarterback Tommy Stevens transitioning to the position, the Saints probably wanted to see if they could add someone more experienced to pad out the practice rotation. They haven’t signed anyone yet, but stay tuned.

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Chiefs now permitted to hold tryouts at club facilities

The NFL has lifted its moratorium on tryouts at team facilities. What does that mean for the Chiefs?

The NFL has lifted its moratorium on tryouts, enabling the Kansas City Chiefs to bring free agents to showcase their talents at team facilities. That means the Chiefs could see some movement at the bottom of the roster or with some remaining free agents they’ve been hoping to bring in for tryouts and physicals. This will help the team establish a good call list of players for the 2020 season as well.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the news of the NFL’s decision, sharing the memo on tryouts sent to NFL teams. As the league continues to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the resurgence of tryouts comes with certain stipulations. For instance, free agents must pass two COVID-19 tests before they’re allowed on the field at a team facility for a tryout or in the building for a physical examination.

Some of the additional stipulations for in-person tryouts at club facilities are as follows:

  • Teams aren’t allowed to have any player on the roster participate in the tryout or interact with the tryout player. This seems to mitigate any potential risk of exposing players to the virus. Other players aren’t even allowed to be present at the team facility when the tryout occurs.
  • Teams can only have a total of eight players in for tryouts on a given day.
  • Teams are allowed to have the same player in for a tryout up to four times during the 2020 NFL season. That number can reset for if a given player is signed and then terminated by another club or tests positive for COVID-19 during their initial visit.

At the end of the day, the NFL is doing what they can to keep things normal in terms of providing free agents opportunities to sign with teams and keep rosters across the league competitive. They’re also making sure that they eliminate any risk of contaminating the pseudo-bubbles they’ve created for each of the 32 NFL teams during the course of training camp.

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