Tag: Ugo Amadi

Khalen Saunders visits White House with his former Chiefs teammates

Khalen Saunders missed Saints practice on Tuesday to visit the White House with his former Chiefs teammates. Let’s hope he returns with the Saints next year:

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While his New Orleans Saints teammates were enjoying a productive day of practice back home, Khalen Saunders was catching up with old friends and glad handing dignitaries at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He and many of his former Kansas City Chiefs teammates accepted an invitation to visit the White House as reigning Super Bowl champions, where they were recognized for their achievements by President Joe Biden.

Saunders shared photos and anecdotes from the visit on his social media profiles, including an impressive selfie taken in front of a portrait of former President John Tyler (Saunders noted that, “To be completely honest I had no idea who that is,”) and a shot of his old teammate Frank Clark dozing in a viewing gallery facing the Washington Monument.

It’s unclear if Ugo Amadi also was in attendance; the Saints safety ended the 2022 season on the Chiefs practice squad and won a championship ring just like everyone else on their team, and he enjoyed himself at a celebratory parade in Kansas City after the Super Bowl. Like Saunders, he also wasn’t in attendance for Saints practice this week, so maybe he made the trip to Washington, D.C., as well. Let’s hope they’re both returning with the Saints this time next year as back-to-back Super Bowl champs.

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Meet the Team: Who is Saints safety Ugo Amadi, and what’s expected of him in 2023?

Meet the Team: Who is New Orleans Saints safety Ugo Amadi, and what are realistic expectations for him in 2023? The former Seahawks nickel has seen it all:

Who is New Orleans Saints safety Ugo Amadi, and what are realistic expectations for him in 2023? The unheralded free agent pickup surprised a lot of fans by picking the coveted No. 0 jersey after signing with the Saints, and now he’s in the middle of an offseason competition for a spot on the roster. But will he hold onto that sought-after jersey and make it through roster cuts later this summer?

We’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, let’s get to know him a little better:

Saints safety Ugo Amadi will be the first player to wear No. 0 jersey

Report: New Orleans Saints safety Ugo Amadi will be the first player to wear coveted No. 0 jersey in decades

Here’s a cool scoop: WDSU’s Fletcher Mackel reports that New Orleans Saints safety Ugo Amadi has chosen the newly-approved No. 0 jersey, having signed with the team as a free agent earlier this offseason. It’s been a good year for Amadi, who got his hands on that coveted new number just months after he helped the Kansas City Chiefs win a Super Bowl championship while coming off their practice squad.

The NFL recently made the number available for defensive backs, linebackers, quarterbacks, punters, kickers, running backs, fullbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers.

That’s probably going to disappoint some of his rookie teammates who wore the number in college, like Vanderbilt linebacker Anfernee Orji, but veterans often get priority. If Orji (or anyone else) wants to take the number for his own he’ll need to prove he’s more deserving of a roster spot in training camp this summer. Amadi wore Nos. 14 and 7 in college while using Nos. 28, 32, 38, and 39 (which he was previously listed in on the Saints’ roster) in the NFL, so this is a new development for him.

But he isn’t the first player to wear No. 0 in team history. Back before the NFL more tightly regulated jersey number designations and made it unavailable, defensive back Obert Logan used No. 0 in the Saints’ inaugural 1967 season; in 1970, wide receiver Ken “Double Zero” Burrough wore No. 00, which is no longer available.

We’ll see if Amadi hangs onto this number or if it ends up in other hands by September. He’s one of several defensive backs the Saints have brought in to push second-year pro Smoke Monday for a roster spot, along with Lonnie Johnson Jr., Isaac Yiadom, Johnathan Abram, as well as rookie draft pick Jordan Howden (Minnesota) and undrafted free agent pickup Anthony Johnson (Virginia).

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Saints sign former Seahawks safety, Chiefs Super Bowl champion Ugo Amadi

The Saints signed former Seahawks safety Ugo Amadi, who has been busy celebrating the new Super Bowl ring he won while on the Chiefs practice squad:

Ugo Amadi just became one of the rare players to win a Super Bowl and join a new team just three weeks later. The veteran safety was on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad when they took down the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, but the Chiefs chose to not retain him on a reserve/future deal, making him a free agent. Now the NFL transactions wire reports that he has signed with the New Orleans Saints.

So, hey: good for him. Amadi started his career with the Seattle Seahawks as fourth-round pick out of Oregon back in 2019, and he stayed in the Pacific Northwest for three years until Seattle traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles — who promptly traded him to the Tennessee Titans, where he was let go midseason. The Chiefs picked him up and the rest is history.

What’s important is that he’s now a Saint. Amadi has played a lot of snaps on special teams through his various stops in the NFL and his best chance at winning a roster spot in New Orleans is by carving out a role in the kicking game. He also started most of the 2020 and 2021 seasons for Seattle in the slot, and that gives him an opportunity as the Saints continue to look for the C.J. Gardner-Johnson replacement they lacked last year.

The list of Saints safeties now under contract for 2023 includes Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, Smoke Monday, and Amadi. Backups P.J. Williams, Justin Evans, and Daniel Sorensen are all unrestricted free agents.

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3 ex-Titans have a chance for a Super Bowl ring

There are three former Titans vying for their first Super Bowl ring.

When the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, there will be three former Tennessee Titans players with a chance to win a ring.

On the Eagles, former Titans punter Brett Kern and wide receiver A.J. Brown will each have a shot at their first. On the Chiefs, defensive back Ugo Amadi, who is also a Tennessee native, is the other ex-Titan in the Big Game. He’s currently on Kansas City’s practice squad, though, so he may not play.

While Titans fans are very much divided on their desire to see Brown win a title after everything that transpired following the trade, there is pretty much 100 percent support for Kern to win one.

Earlier this week, Brown said he had “no hard feelings” towards the Titans or their fans despite his ugly exit from Nashville.

“I think early on as a man I could say I was speaking from a place of feelings, and I had to learn it’s a business,” Brown said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “But I have no hard feelings for nobody in Tennessee, the fans, none of that. Tennessee gave me my first shot, so there’s definitely respect… I still have love for Tennessee.”

Super Bowl LVII will kick off from Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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Pair of Ducks to help prepare teams for Super Bowl LVII

Two Oregon Ducks alumni, Ugo Amadi and Devon Allen, are on practice squads for the Chiefs and Eagles as they prepare for Super Bowl LVII.

Super Bowl LVII is set to take place in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, Feb. 12 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Two of the league’s best offenses are led by superstar quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes.

For Oregon fans, however, this matchup isn’t likely to offer an opportunity to see any former Ducks in action.

San Francisco getting eliminated prevented former Oregon stars Arik Armstead and Deommodore Lenoir from reaching the Super Bowl. Neither Kansas City nor Philadelphia have any Oregon alumni on the active roster.

However, both have a former Oregon player on their practice squads. Defensive back Ugo Amadi is on Kansas City’s practice squad, and wide receiver/sprinter Devon Allen is on Philadelphia’s.

Amadi began the year with Tennessee but caught on with Kansas City. He appeared in one game with the Chiefs (Week 10) and spent the rest of the season on the practice squad.

He has played 50 career NFL games and has 131 tackles, 13 passes defended, six tackles for loss and an interception, so he’s absolutely an option for the Chiefs should an injury befall them prior to the big game.

Allen is much less likely to get the call for the Eagles. It would be his first NFL action after spending the entire season on the practice squad without reaching the active roster.

Oregon fans will have to wait and see if more former standouts — perhaps Justin Herbert in Los Angeles or Armstead and Lenoir in San Francisco — can make the Super Bowl in 2024. At least a pair of Ducks will get the very cool experience of practicing and preparing for a game in February.

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Chiefs elevate one practice squad player for Week 10 vs. Jaguars

The #Chiefs have officially elevated one player from the practice squad for Week 10 vs. the #Jaguars.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made one practice squad elevation ahead of their Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to the NFL’s personnel notice, the Chiefs have used a standard elevation on practice squad DB Ugo Amadi. This move comes just a week after Amadi joined the team. The former fourth-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks was traded twice this season, from the Seahawks to the Eagles and then days later from the Eagles to the Titans. His tenure in Tennessee didn’t last long, appearing in just two games before he was released.

Amadi is a versatile defensive back with the ability to play safety, outside corner, and nickel corner. He has over 1,300 defensive snaps during his four-year NFL career and 580 special teams snaps. His elevation to the 53-man roster this week is notable with L’Jarius Sneed limited in practice on Thursday and Mecole Hardman ruled out. Amadi can slide into the nickel corner spot if there were an injury to Sneed. He also returned 14 punts for 223 yards and one touchdown as a senior at the University of Oregon, but he hasn’t played that role since. Expect the majority of his work to come on special teams in Week 10.

This was the lone roster move from Kansas City on Saturday. That’s a good sign for Jerick McKinnon’s potential availability after he was limited in practice with a hamstring injury and listed as questionable on Friday. The Chiefs could have elevated RB Wayne Gallman, who has a similar skill set to McKinnon, but they chose not to.

It also means the team did not activate OT Lucas Niang to the 53-man roster yet. They’ll have one more week to decide on whether they’ll activate him or place him on season-ending injured reserve.

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Chiefs release WR Dazz Newsome, sign DB Ugo Amadi to practice squad

The #Chiefs have released a receiver from the practice squad and signed a defensive back in his place.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a pair of moves on the practice squad on Thursday.

According to the NFL’s daily personnel notice, the team terminated the contract of practice squad WR Dazz Newsome. They replaced Newsome on the practice squad with former Seahawks, Eagles and Titans DB Ugo Amadi. It was a short stay in Kansas City for Newsome, who was just formally signed to the practice squad earlier this week.

As for Amadi, the former fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Oregon by Seattle in 2019 has seen a tumultuous 2022 NFL season. Amadi was traded from the Seahawks to Philadelphia in August and just ten days later the Eagles send him to Tennessee.

He appeared in just two games for the Titans, playing well in the slot cornerback role before he suffered an ankle injury. He was relegated to the bench after his recovery, eventually leading to his release.

All-in-all, Amadi has appeared in 49 career NFL games, making 12 career starts. During that span, he’s recorded 130 total tackles, six tackles for loss, one interception, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 13 passes defended. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 201 pounds, Amadi is a player with the versatility to play both the safety position and the nickel spot. His skill set is not unlike that of former Chiefs DB Tyrann Mathieu.

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Titans waive DB Ugo Amadi among three moves

The Titans made three roster moves on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans announced on Monday they have parted ways with defensive back Ugo Amadi, while also making a pair of moves on the practice squad.

Tennessee waived Amadi without a corresponding move, which means they have one open spot on the active roster. The hope is this is a sign that Elijah Molden, who has yet to play in a game this season, is returning from injury soon.

Along with the Amadi move, the Titans swapped out players on the practice squad, signing tight end Anthony Auclair and waiving defensive back Steven Parker.

Auclair is now one of two tight ends on the practice squad. Thomas Odukoya, who doesn’t count against the limit because he’s part of the International Player Pathway program, is the other.

While these weren’t exactly the pre-deadline moves Titans fans are hoping for, the team still has until 3 p.m. CDT on Tuesday to get something done.

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Geno Smith tops list of 10 highest-graded Seahawks players for the 2022 preseason

Here are their 10 highest-graded players according to Pro Football Focus.

The Seattle Seahawks almost ended their August schedule on a high note, but threw away a second-half lead in Dallas last night. Seattle’s 27-26 loss to the Cowboys was their third of the month, bringing a merciful end to an 0-3 preseason.

Now that the exhibitions are over and Geno Smith has been named the starting QB, let’s take a minute to review the team’s top performers. Here are their 10 highest-graded players according to Pro Football Focus.