Tag: undrafted

Seahawks waive UDFA DE Eli Mencer to make room for Paul Richardson

The Seattle Seahawks waived undrafted free agent defensive end Eli Mencer to make space on the roster for wide receiver Paul Richardson.

The Seattle Seahawks recently signed wide receiver Paul Richardson to a one-year deal and waived undrafted rookie defensive end Eli Mencer to make room on the 80-man roster.

Seattle drafted Richardson in 2014, but he suffered numerous injuries throughout his first two seasons before showing flashes in 2016 and breaking out in 2017. The team let him walk in free agency and he signed a five-year, $40 million contract with Washington, where he spent two years before being released.

Mencer was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Albany. He set the program record for sacks as a senior with 14.5 in 14 games, led the FCS with five forced fumbles and led the Great Danes with 24 tackles for loss.

The Seahawks waived Mencer at little to no cost due to his status as a UDFA. They had to cut someone to make space for Richardson, and Mencer turned out to be the collateral damage. Since he was not claimed via waivers, he has now reverted to the injured reserve.

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4 underdogs that could make the Patriots’ 53-man roster

Taking a look at 4 possible underdogs currently on the Patriots roster who have a shot at making the final 53-man roster.

The 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone and now we are just over three months away from the opening week for the 2020 season.

There are currently 89 players on the Patriots roster, but by September 5 the team will have to shape it down to 53 – effectively trimming 36 players. With many talented players already on the team, head coach Bill Belichick has a tall task ahead to narrow it down. The man in the hood certainly isn’t new to this process and in the past he’s even said its one of the more difficult aspects of the season.

Here are four underdogs currently on the roster that have a chance at cracking the 53-man roster:

WR Will Hastings

Hastings is an undrafted rookie out of Auburn where he caught passes from quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The pair hooked up for 26 completions, 525 yards and four touchdowns during the 2017 season. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver tore his ACL the following year and missed the entirety of the season.

On top of his already established chemistry with Stidham, another advantage Hastings has towards possibly making the team is his versatility, something Belichick deeply admires in a player. Hastings walked onto Auburn initially as a kicker, specializing in onside kicks.

Unfortunately for Hastings, those two factors still might not be enough, as there are 14 total receivers on the current roster. However, with the only clear locks being Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Mohammed Sanu and Matthew Slater, that narrows the field to 10. Historically, the team usually has six to seven players at the wide receiver position.

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A.J. Bouye aims to mentor Broncos’ undrafted defensive backs

“I always want to work with the undrafted guys extra because those guys are sponges,” A.J. Bouye said.

Broncos cornerback A.J. Bouye entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of UCF with the Texans in 2013. He has earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods since then and will serve as Denver’s No. 1 cornerback this season.

As an undrafted player himself, Bouye will appreciate working with rookie defensive backs Essang Bassey and Douglas Coleman III, who signed with the Broncos after going undrafted in April.

“Essang, he’s from Columbus [Ga.],” Bouye said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on May 14. “He’s actually in Georgia. I’m actually going to hit him up to see if he wants to come get some work in with me. I don’t really know much about him. Before the coaches gave me Douglas’ number, my dad actually called me and told me that he knows somebody who’s close to him and gave me his number to reach out to him and stay close to him.

“I’ve always had that mindset. That’s one thing I really like about OTAs and camp, usually the drafted guys, they’re still learning and trying to fit in with everything like that, but I always want to work with the undrafted guys extra because those guys are sponges. They always want to learn anything because they’re open to playing special teams, open to everything. I just feel like I can relate more to those guys because they’re always learning.”

When Bouye was a young defensive back, he learned under Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph in Houston and he hasn’t forgotten their help. “I want to be able to do the same thing now,” Bouye said.

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2020 Saints roster locks, long-shots, and those on the roster bubble

The New Orleans Saints have assembled a talented 90-man roster for the 2020 season, but which players are locks, long shots, and on the edge

The New Orleans Saints are at capacity with their 90-man roster, set to carry a talented group of players through the summer and into training camp. But just 53 of them will be retained for the season’s opening kickoff, with a dozen players hoping to clear waivers and return on the practice squad (per new CBA rules, two practice squad players each week may be promoted to the active roster on game days. It’s more confusing than it needs to be).

But which Saints players are in best position to make the team? Which of them are out on the fringe, on the roster bubble? And who faces the longest odds of making the cut? Here’s a position-by-position preview, starting with the quarterbacks:

Quarterbacks

Locks:

  • Drew Brees
  • Taysom Hill
  • Jameis Winston

On the bubble:

  • Tommy Stevens

The top three passers are locked in, with Hill and Winston setting themselves up to compete for the starting job once Brees has spun his last football in New Orleans. It’s as impressive a depth chart you’ll find around the NFL, regardless of position. How many teams can say their third-stringer is a Heisman Trophy winner?

Stevens is a curiosity. If he can do an admirable job filling in for Hill as a runner and receiver (and maybe on special teams), he might stick around on the 53-man roster. He might pass through waivers and land on the practice squad, but it doesn’t feel like the Saints traded back into the draft just to give up on him after a few weeks in training camp.

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NFL Draft: Tony Jones, Jr. Goes Undrafted, Signs with Saints

Jones finished his Notre Dame career with 1481 rushing yards (28th in school history) and 12 scores.  He added another 273 yards receiving, 51 of which came on the play that sealed a 12-0 regular season in 2018.  Why not watch that again?

I didn’t think it was a longshot but I did think it’d be a bit of an upset if Notre Dame running back Tony Jones, Jr. was selected in this years NFL Draft.  Jones unfortunately did not hear his name called in the seven rounds this weekend but did find a new home, signing as an un-drafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints.

Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily had the news Saturday afternoon.

Jones finished his Notre Dame career with 1481 rushing yards (28th in school history) and 12 scores.  He added another 273 yards receiving, 51 of which came on the play that sealed a 12-0 regular season in 2018.  Why not watch that again?

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0EX041dKQw&w=560&h=315]

That Boykin block will always be one of my favorite moments in watching Notre Dame football.  Jones also finished his Fighting Irish campaign with a bang, setting a Camping World Bowl record for longest run in the history of the game.

All the best to Jones with a Saints team that is about to enter a very interesting time for the franchise.

2020 Redskins undrafted free agents tracker: all reports of post-draft signings

The Redskins have completed their draft, but that doesn’t mean they are finished adding players to their roster.

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While the bigger names came off the board during the 2020 NFL Draft, don’t be surprised if the Washington Redskins take some chances on lesser-known guys who didn’t get drafted over the weekend. While many of the NFL’s best players come from the draft, a handful of difference-makers have been found still waiting in the past, waiting to sign with whoever will take them. For instance, the Redskins signed Steven Sims Jr. after the draft in 2019, and he now stands as one of their best receivers.

So who have the Redskins added as UDFAs? Follow along as we track the most up-to-date additions below:

Undrafted Free Agent Signings:

TE Thaddeus Moss — LSU

QB Steven Montez — Colorado

WR Isaiah Wright — Temple

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Redskins sign LSU TE Thaddeus Moss as Undrafted Free Agent

The Redskins added a legitimate tight end in Thaddeus Moss as an undrafted free agent.

After LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss surprisingly was left still standing after the final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft was made, the Washington Redskins signed him as an undrafted free agent.

Moss, who is the well-known son of former NFL legend Randy Moss, was a great player for the LSU Tigers, and he had a nice coming out party in 2019 playing alongside QB Joe Burrow as they went on to win the National Championship.

Moss will now come to Washington where he will compete for a roster spot, battling it out with Richard Rodgers and Logan Thomas. This is a great pickup for the Redskins, who strangely didn’t draft a TE during the three days, despite it being one of their biggest areas of need.

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Tracking every Saints undrafted free agent report, with instant analysis

The New Orleans Saints moved quickly to add undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL Draft, plugging roster holes and getting better.

Our tracker for the newest crop of New Orleans Saints undrafted free agents is live. Reports will be flying fast and furious now that the 2020 NFL Draft is in rearview, so keep in mind that these are all preliminary deals and nothing is official until the team says so.

With that said: here’s the list of college free agents who have earned a shot with the Saints during training camp later this summer.

  • WR Marquez Callaway, Tennessee. Callaway has a ways to go as a receiver, having caught just 92 passes in 42 games, but his abilities on punt returns should help his odds. He averaged 13.6 yards per return and scored three touchdowns for the Vols. Per Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio.
  • OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon. Throckmorton might project best to a backup role at guard and center due to strength and length issues, but he’s started 45 games at tackle (40 of them on the right side). Per Katherine Terrell of The Athletic. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported that Throckmorton will receive a fully-guaranteed base salary of $110,000 and a $12,500 signing bonus.
  • OL Jordan Steckler, Northern Illinois. Steckler has played games at both tackle and guard, and offers nice depth for training camp. Per his agent Brett Tessler of Tessler Sports.
  • DT Malcolm Roach, Texas. Roach needs to be coached up quite a bit, but his natural athleticism is nice — not many athletes can measure in at 6-foot-2, 297 pounds and then time the 40 yard dash in 4.84 seconds. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
  • OT Darrin Paulo, Utah. Paulo is a huge prospect at 6-foot-5 with 34 7/8-inch arms, and quick feet for a bigger blocker. But the downside to that height is a struggle to get low, and he needs work. Per the Utah football program’s Twitter account.
  • RB Tony Jones Jr., Notre Dame. Jones didn’t start until 2019, but he averaged more than 6 yards per rushing attempt on 144 carries and caught 27 passes last season. Per Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Driskell.

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5 unanswered questions we have following Redskins 2020 NFL Draft

The Redskins answered a lot of questions about their roster needs during the draft, but we are still left wondering about a couple of things.

The Washington Redskins have now put the 2020 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, and they will be forging ahead into an unpredictable offseason in the NFL, likely comfortable with who they have on the roster.

We’ve yet to see what undrafted free-agents the Redskins will look to sign over the coming days, but for the most part, we have a good feeling for who the Redskins will be heading into the 2020 season with.

So while a number of positional needs were filled, and several questions were asked, what do we still want to know about where the Redskins will go from here? Let’s take a look at some popular questions that might pop up over the coming days.

What’s the plan at tight end?

Probably one of the biggest head-scratchers during the entire draft for Washington was their choice to pass on addressing the TE hole on the roster. In almost all of our mock drafts, we had the Redskins grabbing one of the top TEs of the board, be it Cole Kmet or Adam Trautman or Albert Okwuegbunam, usually somewhere in the 3rd-to-5th round. As Day 3 of the draft went by, we kept waiting and waiting for Washington to pull the trigger, and it seemed obvious that they would take Washington’s Hunter Bryant, who was miraculously still on the board. with one of their final picks of the draft. They never did.

It’s apparent that Rivera doesn’t think that a TE drafted in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft will have a chance to start, and he wanted guys who could make a difference going forward, and be better than what they have on their roster. Speaking of which, the Redskins are also reportedly very high on both Richard Rodgers and Logan Thomas, the two tight ends they signed in free agency. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Washington roll into the 2020 season standing pat at the TE position, unless they were to sign some undrafted free agents. Speaking of which…

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