Tag: trysten hill

10 potential DT additions Cowboys could look to if Jonathan Hankins misses time

Jonathan Hankins’s ankle injury must start the wheels turning in the Cowboys front office for potential replacements. @ArmyChiefW3 discusses the top possibilities.

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a potentially serious blow to their defensive group when they lost lineman Jonathan Hankins to an ankle injury in their 33-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Diagnosed as a high ankle sprain, there is hope it wasn’t the type of injury that would sit the starting nose tackle for the duration of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs.

Hankins was seen walking out of the locker room unassisted and without a limp, which is a ton of positive news after he was carted off the sideline with his shoe off during the third quarter.

That scare should activate the the team’s search for additional help at the position, even if Hankins avoids missing significant time.  Does the team leave the majority of the dirty work to rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith, whom the Cowboys selected with their first-round pick? While Smith is seen as a vital piece to the defensive future, there are still nuances he must learn before he can be trusted with a larger role.

Dallas did sign mammoth defensive tackle Carl Davis to the practice squad in the middle of November and he could be elevated to help the team. If he’s not ideal, there are multiple free agent options available should the team opt to look elsewhere.

10 highest-graded players for Patriots defense vs Bills, per PFF

Here are the top-10 highest-graded Patriots defensive players in Sunday’s win over the Bills

The New England Patriots defense might be banged up, but it isn’t broken.

They proved that to be the case in Sunday’s shocking upset victory over the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots’ defensive unit went toe-to-toe with quarterback Josh Allen and held one of the league’s more explosive offenses in check.

Even without key playmakers, such as linebacker Josh Uche and defensive end Keion White, the team still generated enough pressure on Allen to make him uncomfortable throughout the game.

On the backend of the defense, the cornerbacks didn’t trip over themselves when tasked with the responsibility of keeping All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs from breaking the game wide open.

The J.C. Jackson trade is looking like a masterstroke move by coach Bill Belichick, while the returns of both Jonathan Jones and Jack Jones has made the unit formidable again.

Things won’t get any easier down the stretch, and we’ll see if the team can keep the momentum going. Here’s the top-10 Patriots defenders from Week 7, per Pro Football Focus grades:

Texans work out DTs Taylor Stallworth, Trysten Hill

The Houston Texans worked out defensive tackles Taylor Stallworth and Trysten Hill.

The Houston Texans continue to evaluate beyond the organization for the possibility to improve the team’s depth.

According to a league source, the Texans worked out defensive tackles Taylor Stallworth and Trysten Hill Thursday.

Stallworth was on the Texans’ roster last season, and played one game while recording four combined tackles and a tackle for loss. The Texans placed Stallworth on injured reserve following his lone game in Week 15. Houston later placed Stallworth on injured reserve in May during offseason workouts with an injury settlement and release at the end of the month. Since then, Stallworth has been with the Carolina Panthers, who released him on Sept. 11.

Hill, 25, is a former Dallas Cowboys 2019 second-rounder, and was last with the Cleveland Browns practice squad and was released on Sept. 26.

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Browns add Devin Asiasi among 4 practice squad roster moves

The Browns make a handful of practice squad moves…

The Cleveland Browns enter Week 4 with the chance to see their record soar to the heights of 3-1 if they can take down the Baltimore Ravens. The success they have seen, however, will not stop them from continuing to churn the bottom of their roster and the practice squad every week. To that point, the Browns had six players in for a workout at the end of last week, including former third round tight end Devin Asiasi.

And now, as we sit five days from their game against the Ravens, the Browns have made two signings to their practice squad, resulting in two players getting the axe from their reserve unit as well. We saw this all of last year as well, as the Browns frequently tinkered with their practice squad as the season ticked along.

Here are the four moves the Browns made to their practice squad as a monstrous Ravens week gets underway in Cleveland.

Add QB Kellen Mond, DT Trysten Hill to the list of those cut

Two more bite the dust

Getting closer to the initial 53-man roster, the Cleveland Browns have cut down two more players. This time, it is quarterback Kellen Mond and defensive tackle Trysten Hill who have gotten the axe from the team. Mond, of course, was brought back onto the roster after the trade of Joshua Dobbs for the sole purpose of taking snaps in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hill, a former second round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, flashed this preseason but was sidelined most of training camp with a hand injury. Given his explosiveness and tools, Hill is a player who could land on the practice squad.

For Mond, however, expect the Browns to explore other practice squad quarterbacks. This is not to say that Mond could not land on the practice squad, but we have reached a point where we know who he is as a player. There are better quarterbacks out there.

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Deep dive into the defensive tackle room before cutdowns

Determining who may stay and who may go in the Browns Defensive tackle room.

Before the cutdown day arrives for the Cleveland Browns, I wanted to take a quick look at the defensive tackle room, focusing specifically on the number of snaps the unit will see and how this could affect the building of the defensive tackle room led by free agent signing Dalvin Tomlinson. 

The signing of Shelby Harris a fortnight ago filled a large hole for the Browns. The Browns were able to acquire a veteran presence who can be counted on for 500 snaps over the season. This addition can let the Browns be more flexible when filling out the rest of the defensive tackle room. As of late, the Browns have rostered 5 defensive tackles during the season. 

The defensive tackles have averaged 2146 snaps over the last three seasons according to Pro Football Reference. The number of snaps has trended down every year, as the Browns prioritize playing three or four defensive ends in obvious passing situations. The Browns will likely use these “NASCAR” packages this season. Za’Darius Smith, the new Browns’ starting defensive end, is one of the most productive pass rushers when lined up over a guard or center. If the Browns remain reliant on defensive ends instead of defensive tackles, then the room should see a snap count under 2100 snaps. This could lead to the Browns only carrying four defensive tackles into the season. 

Andrew Berry rostered four defensive tackles in his first year. The 2020 defensive tackle room consisted of Sheldon Richardson, Larry Ogunjobi, Jordan Elliott, and Vincent Taylor. The group played 2,261 snaps, a team-high over the past three years. That was clearly too high of a workload for the group as the Browns have reduced the total amount of snaps while adding players to alleviate fatigue. Andrew Berry could roster only four defensive tackles again if the snap count and workload can be managed appropriately. This is how I see the defensive tackle room shaking out under that assumption. I included the amount of snaps played by each defensive tackle over the last three seasons.

Shelby Harris, Trysten Hill set for preseason debut; 36 not suiting up vs. Eagles

The Browns are getting two debuts in Shelby Harris and Trysten Hill, but here are the 36 who are not dressing.

The Cleveland Browns are set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles for their third preseason matchup. And they are getting a couple of players onto the field for the first time in defensive tackles Shelby Harris and Trysten Hill. However, as quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is set to start, the Browns will be resting 36 players of their 90-man roster.

Here are the 36 players who will not suit up in this third preseason game for the Browns as they continue to get ready for the Cincinnati Bengals when Week 1 rolls around.

One takeaway from each position thus far through training camp

The Browns are through the first two weeks of training camp. What is one takeaway we can gather from each position group?

We have reached the midway point of training camp for the Cleveland Browns as they have played through preseason games against both the Washington Commanders and the New York Jets. We have seen a glimpse of Deshaun Watson and the first-team offense, but for the most part, the rookies and end-of-the-roster players have had the opportunity to make their impact on the field.

Through these first three weeks of training camp, what is one takeaway per position group that can be pulled as the Browns look to get back into the playoffs after a two-year hiatus?

4 takeaways from Browns’ first depth chart of the 2023 season

What conclusions can we draw from the release of the initial depth chart?

The Cleveland Browns get set to take on the New York Jets on Thursday Night as they participate in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game. And on the heels of their preseason opener, the Browns have released their initial depth chart.

While it is unofficial and predominantly standard, there are a few key items that cause an eyebrow to raise from this depth chart. Here we discuss four things that stood out as the Browns are through one week of training camp and get set to take on the Jets.

3 positional battles to watch as we wait for training camp

The first team is all but filled out, but what position battles are worth monitoring?

We are still about a month out from the Cleveland Browns returning to Berea for training camp. And for the most part, it should be a rather uninteresting one in terms of positional battles at key positions in 2023 after general manager Andrew Berry remained aggressive this offseason to add talent at needed spots on the depth chart.

However, there are a few depth positions that could provide a bit of intrigue when camp arrives to keep an eye on. Here are three battles worth monitoring when the Browns get back in the building later next month.