Tag: Tyler Owens

Commanders’ UDFA named one of the NFL’s most intriguing rookies

There is a lot of intrigue surrounding Tyler Owens.

The Washington Commanders have 11 rookies on the 53-man roster. Washington kept all nine of its 2024 NFL draft choices and two undrafted free agents.

One of those undrafted free agents is safety Tyler Owens. A former five-star prospect, Owens committed to Texas out of high school, where he played three seasons before transferring to Texas Tech for the last two years of his college career.

A phenomenal athlete, Owens wasn’t drafted but was a priority undrafted free agent. Washington signed Owens, and he made the 53-man roster after a terrific training camp and preseason.

CBS Sports recently looked at several rookies who were late-round picks or undrafted free agents who survived final cuts. Owens was named one of the nine most intriguing rookies.

Byron Jones’ 147-inch broad jump — which equates to 12 feet and 3 inches — felt like an untouchable combine record that no one could even approach. That was the case since Jones jumped that astronomically far in 2015 … until Owens went 146 inches in April.

There is excitement surrounding Owens because the Commanders believe his best football is ahead of him. He’s phenomenal athletically, but he also plays fast and aggressive. The coaches believe with these traits, the sky is the limit for Owens. As a rookie, Owens will become one of Washington’s top special teams players. But don’t rule out him eventually making an impact on the defensive side of the ball.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn explains why two undrafted players made 53-man roster

Quinn explains what makes these two UDFAs special.

Adam Peters made it known that the roster he inherited with the Washington Commanders was not good. When asked his thoughts on the roster upon his hiring in January, Peters’ silence spoke volumes.

Perhaps Peters was using his poker face. However, when free agency arrived in March, it was clear what Peters thought of the Commanders’ roster, signing over 20 outside free agents.

On Tuesday, Peters finalized his first 53-man roster. He didn’t keep many draft picks from the prior regime. In fact, only two players remain from Washington’s 2023 draft class, one of which will be playing for his Commanders’ future in 2024.

Peters’ initial 53-man roster included his rookie draft class and two undrafted free agents. Two UDFAs making the roster is proof of Peters and Dan Quinn’s philosophy of competition over everything.

The two undrafted rookies making the roster were safety Tyler Owens and tight end Colson Yankoff.

After Tuesday’s final cuts, Quinn spoke to the media and discussed Owens and Yankoff making the roster.

“I’d say both of them really have the propensity to absolutely go for it,” Quinn said per Ben Standig of The Athletic. “You feel their intensity, you feel their speed when they play, both on special teams and on offense and defense, respectively. At the end of it, when you’re really trying to establish an identity that you’ve heard me use that word before, I think those examples come back up. The speed, the physicality, the effort, the straining, those are things that are Commander-style plays and I thought those two really represented that.”

That’s quite the way to describe the qualities you’re looking for. Peters and Quinn don’t care about draft status. They want players who love football and leave everything on the field, on every snap. Undrafted rookies often bring that type of energy.

In addition to bringing maximum effort, Owens and Yankoff are terrific athletes. Owens has world-class athleticism and excellent size, while Yankoff has played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, kick returner, and now tight end. He should be a fun chess piece for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Most coaches and new regimes need to search for an identity. Quinn and Peters appear to have found that identity, and these two undrafted rookies perfectly symbolize that identity.

Commanders safety Tyler Owens eager to keep proving he belongs

Tyler Owens excited about another opportunity to prove himself.

Sunday’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots is the final job interview of the summer for Washington Commanders undrafted rookie safety Tyler Owens.

The 6-foot-2, 213-pound rookie has been one of the feel-good stories of training camp. Early in camp, those in attendance in Ashburn said to keep an eye on Owens and that he continued to stand out. He was always around the ball.

Then the preseason began, and Owens’ legend has continued to grow. Whether on defense or special teams, Owens keeps showing up.

A priority signing from Texas Tech, Owens was always viewed as a player to watch. Head coach Dan Quinn likes athletic and versatile defensive backs, and Owens has all the potential in the world. But even Quinn is surprised by Owens’ quick transition so far.

“The rookies don’t have a vision for what their special teams is going to look like,” Quinn said Wednesday. “It’s up to us to show them what that vision can be and look like. And I think Tyler’s done a good job of that, and so have some others. But as a rookie, he’s demonstrating that kind of speed and physicality.”

It’s hard to imagine the Commanders waiving Owens. He’s already a coach’s favorite. Heading into Sunday’s game, Owens isn’t planning on changing anything.

“I just keep working, I just keep trying to show them what I made of, that’s all I really know,” Owens said.

Does Owens think he’s done enough to make the team already? He didn’t want to answer that for obvious reasons other than to say, “I hope so.”

Quinn said Owens had done a good job of “emptying the tank,” meaning giving his all on every play.

What does Owens have left in the tank?

“I go hard every play………..every time I get on the field,” Owens said. “There’s always more in the tank.”

With the starters perhaps receiving the day off, could Owens be in the starting lineup against the Patriots?

 

Commanders coach Dan Quinn says two positions are sticking out ahead of cutdown day

Quinn says two positions have been harder to evaluate.

How many spots on the 53-man roster are up for grabs heading into the Washington Commanders’ final preseason game on Sunday vs. New England?

Will the Commanders keep three quarterbacks? Or will they keep 10 offensive linemen? What about six cornerbacks, seven wide receivers, or four tight ends?

General manager Adam Peters faces some difficult decisions before next week’s deadline for final cuts. A few positions will likely come down to Sunday’s game against the Patriots.

What is head coach Dan Quinn thinking about cutdown day?

“This may sound unusual, but we’re really looking for consistency because sometimes when a person can be into this spot or a ball player, they could press to really want to show out, or I wanna make this play, I wanna do something to stand out,” Quinn said Wednesday. “And so being tighter doesn’t allow you to play better. It just can make you a little tighter and more anxious about the play. So we’re really trying to make sure we’re staying into the flow of how we do things, and there may be some higher reps on a special teams portion or lower and higher on offense or defense.”

Quinn was asked if any position groups were standing out above others.

“I thought two of the groups that have really stood out to me, just been consistent and deep are at safety and at tight end, and just the practice habits, the willingness to go for their battles on special teams,” Quinn said. “So those have been two that have stood out to me of consistently high-level effort, guys supporting one another. And so that’s what you want as a coach where there’s really challenging spots and guys really pushing it. And I’d say those are two of the positions that that jump out to me.”

Let’s start with tight end. Three players are roster locks: Zach Ertz, Ben Sinnott and John Bates. Will the Commanders keep a fourth tight end? If so, that’s good news for third-year TE Cole Turner. Turner has had a solid camp but hasn’t flashed in the preseason games.

As for safety, Quan Martin and Jeremy Chinn are locks. Jeremy Reaves is close to a lock, with Percy Butler and Darrick Forrest also in the mix. Butler appears to be Washington’s top backup at free safety, while Forrest, who had a breakout season two years ago, has battled an injury this summer.

Undrafted rookie Tyler Owens is the wild card. Owens has all the physical attributes and has shined throughout training camp and in both preseason games. He’s made the safety battle much more enjoyable. And as much as Quinn has discussed him, it’s difficult to see the Commanders moving on from him next week.

Two undrafted rookies keep showing up for the Commanders

Two undrafted rookies continue to stand out and have an excellent shot of making the 53-man roster.

We are closing in one month since the Washington Commanders opened training camp. The Commanders have played two preseason games and have one remaining before general manager Adam Peters and Dan Quinn trim the roster to 53.

Peters and his staff will have some difficult decisions to make. Will he move on from any of Ron Rivera’s first-round picks? That seems unlikely. How many former Rivera picks will be left? How many offensive linemen will the Commanders keep? What about cornerback?

Also, how many of Washington’s 12 undrafted rookies will Peters keep? The Commanders spent big on UDFAs after the draft, with quarterback Sam Hartman, cornerback Chigozie Anusiem and safety Tyler Owens among the most prominent signings.

Hartman had a good summer before he was injured late in the first preseason game. He seemed always to be ticketed for the practice squad. Anusiem has been solid. However, Owens has been one of Washington’s camp standouts.

In reviewing each preseason game, Owens made our list of studs in both games. While the Commanders have depth at safety, Owens has firmly put himself in the conversation as a player Washington cannot afford to expose to waivers. He’s stood out defensively and on special teams.

He’s not the only undrafted rookie to stick out.

Running back Michael Wiley looks like he could steal the No. 3 running back job away from Chris Rodriguez Jr. Wiley has done a little bit of everything this summer. He’s shined as a runner and receiver out of the backfield. His most important attribute, though, may be his pass protection. Most rookie running backs struggle in pass protection. Wiley embraces it — and thrives.

Quinn has mentioned both young players unprompted multiple times in recent weeks. That doesn’t reveal the team’s plans but gives you a glimpse into what the head coach thinks of their ability.

Here’s Quinn’s comments on Owens and Wiley recently, courtesy of Ben Standig of The Athletic.

The Commanders may be able to sneak Wiley onto the practice squad. It won’t be easy with Owens. His size/speed combination and his upside make Owens a prime target to star on special teams while he continues to develop as a safety.

These two will be players to watch in Sunday’s preseason finale against New England.

Ravens should pass on Tyler Owens, draft a more down to earth defensive back

Former Texas Tech DB and NFL Draft prospect Tyler Owens is certainly no rocket scientist.

Former Texas Tech DB and NFL Draft prospect Tyler Owens is certainly no rocket scientist. Given what he said at the Scouting Combine, one can’t be sure he truly knows what a rocket even does.

“I don’t believe in space,” Owens said in a video posted on Twitter by Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report. “I’m real religious, so I think we’re alone right now. I don’t think there’s other planets and other stuff like that.”

He added that although he doesn’t embrace the idea that the Earth is flat, he does believe that proponents of this conspiracy theory have some valid points.

One has to wonder what he thinks of that NFL Draft talking season cliche “makes plays in space.”

While Owens is not interviewing for a job at NASA, this level of ignorance can’t be ignored. You can look up, right now, from wherever you are and see space. If you have a telescope, you can see other planets. You don’t have to be as intelligent as Neil deGrasse Tyson to realize that Owens’ comments have his NFL Draft stock in freefall.

Again, this is about whether he can ball at the next level. No one is seeking a dissertation on astrophysics from him. However, Owens’ NFL.com prospect profile lists the following under “Weaknesses”:

  • Lack of experience shows up with apparent mental busts.
  • Understanding of zone assignments seems to get murky.

NFL scouts question his ability to grasp coverage schemes and believe he’s prone to mental lapses. His comments on the cosmos don’t help his cause. Which is too bad, because in theory, his draft stock should be shooting for the moon.

His broad jump was the highest in NFL combine history, nearing the world record. He has astronomical speed, as reports indicated he was the fastest player at the East-West Shrine Game.

However, the Baltimore Ravens should pass on drafting this guy. While not the Ravens’ top priority this draft, defensive back is a position of need. However, Baltimore should go for a guy that is much more experienced and better grounded.

See this list. They need a guy who is down to Earth.

6 standouts from DB, TE workouts at 2024 NFL Scouting Combine

Which cornerbacks and tight ends stood out most on Day 2 in Indianapolis?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have made no secret that they want to add to their cornerback room. New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen hinted at the need in his introductory press conference and general manager Trent Baalke was much less subtle when he said it’s “a group we need to address.”

Thus, there are plenty of cornerbacks — like Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, Clemson’s Nate Wiggins, and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell — who could end up being the No. 17 overall pick in April. And all of those players were on display Friday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

The Jaguars seem less inclined to add a tight end to their roster, but that position competed Friday as well. Here are six players who stood out in Day 2 at the combine:

Tyler Owens leaps into Scouting Combine history

Texas Tech safety Tyler Owens leaps into Scouting Combine history with an amazing broad jump

Texas Tech safety Tyler Owens has had himself quite the couple of days at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

On Thursday, Owens created some interesting buzz by proclaiming that he doesn’t believe that space or other planets exist. That didn’t remain the most notable part of Owens’ week for too long.

During Friday’s athletic testing, Owens proved to be quite the prodigious leaper. The 12 foot-2-inch broad jump is the second-lkngest leap in comvjne history. It’s one inch behind Byron Jones’ record.

Unfortunately for Owens, his combine ended shortly thereafter. Owens pulled up quickly in his first 40-yard dash attempt with a groin issue and was ruled out for the rest of the testing.

2024 NFL draft: 5 defensive backs for Chargers to watch at Combine

Here are a few defensive backs for the Los Angeles Chargers to watch at the Combine.

The NFL Scouting Combine is in full gear, which will bring the 2024 draft class fully into focus, as this is the week of athletic testing, evaluations, and interviews for over 300 prospects.

With the combine ready to set the stage before free agency and the draft, we look at players worth monitoring for the Chargers.

Whether it be players who are options at pick No. 5 or later in the draft, we will pick out some at each position who should test well and generate buzz.

Here are a few defensive backs worth keeping an eye on.

NFL prospect admits he ‘doesn’t believe in space’ in combine interview

NFL prospect Tyler Owens admits he ‘doesn’t believe in space’ in combine interview

Combine podium interviews are typically pretty basic for prospects. They field media questions about their college experiences, their favorite players, who they’ve met with here in Indy, and sometimes even the weirdest question they’ve been asked. We have a new clubhouse leader for the weirdest answer to a combine podium question.

Texas Tech safety Tyler Owens had the most memorable answer to a question in a long time. Owens declared that he does t believe space, or other planets, actually exist.

“I don’t believe in space,” Owens said straughtfaced. “I don’t think there’s other planets and stuff like that.”

The follow up question asking where his interesting belief came from is difficult to make out but involves “flat earth” conspiracies.

It was not what anyone was expecting to hear. No word on how the odd amswer is being reveived by the NFL teams in attendance.