Tag: Wendell Smallwood

Washington makes multiple roster moves ahead of Week 16 game vs. Cowboys

Washington made several roster moves ahead of Sunday night’s game vs. Cowboys.

The Washington Football Team will be shorthanded again for Sunday night’s game at Dallas. In preparation for the rematch against the Cowboys, the WFT made a flurry of moves ahead of Sunday’s game.

Washington currently has six players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including two extremely important starts in Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff and top linebacker Cole Holcomb. While Scherff and Holcomb could be activated ahead of Sunday night’s game, Washington is preparing for life without the two starters.

On Saturday, Washington activated running back Wendell Smallwood from the reserve/COVID-19 list, giving Washington four running backs for Sunday’s game. According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, starter Antonio Gibson traveled with the team. Gibson is listed as questionable for the game.

The WFT activated kicker Joey Slye from injured reserve. That leaves Washington with two kickers on the 53-man roster. Washington likes both Slye and Brian Johnson.

Washington elevated Smallwood and veteran cornerback D.J. Hayden from the practice squad. In addition, Washington promoted safety Jeremy Reaves and linebacker De’Jon Harris as COVID-19 replacements. Reaves was active and played almost the entire game last week.

 

Wendell Smallwood could see action on Sunday if J.D. McKissic is unable to play

Wendell Smallwood signed with Washington’s practice squad last month. Could he be on the active roster Sunday?

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Wendell Smallwood signed with the Washington Football Team’s practice squad on Nov. 2. With Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic and Jaret Patterson on the active roster, Washington signed Smallwood to provide an insurance policy if one of the WFT’s top three backs missed time with injury.

Well, that time could be in Week 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

J.D. McKissic missed practice Wednesday with a concussion, meaning he is now in the NFL’s concussion protocol. While that doesn’t mean he’ll be out Sunday, Washington must be prepared.

That leads to Smallwood.

This is Smallwood’s second tenure with Washington. He played 15 games for the WFT in 2019, when he carried the ball 22 times and finished with nine receptions.

If McKissic is unable to go Sunday, Washington would likely activate Smallwood to the active roster. While he’s obviously not as dynamic as McKissic, he is a capable receiver who could fill in for a week.

Gibson has been banged up this season but has seen an increase in carries the last few weeks and responded with his three best performances of the season.

If McKissic doesn’t play, Patterson will likely relieve Gibson. Smallwood is insurance.

Head coach Ron Rivera is confident in Smallwood.

“I like who he is,” Rivera said of Smallwood. “He is a guy who is kind of a tweener, in terms of he looks like a good-sized back that can come in and do some things, but then on the other side, he shows the nimbleness in terms of route running and catching the ball, so if we have to use him I have a lot of confidence in him. He was here when I first got here, so I got to know him a little bit before he left.”

Rivera also confirmed running backs coach Randy Jordan believed in Smallwood.

“Randy Jordan has a tremendous amount of confidence in him, and because of that, if we have to play him, I am not concerned,” Rivera said. 

Jags add RB Wendell Smallwood to their practice squad

The Jags are reportedly going to be losing RB Devine Ozigbo (from their practice squad) to the Saints, and it appears they’ve found a player to replace him.

With running back Devine Ozigbo set to join the New Orleans Saints off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad, the team will be filling his role with another rusher. That player will be Wendell Smallwood, who previously played with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year.

Smallwood, 27, was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent three years with them, but was waived during their final roster cuts from training camp in 2019. The Washington Football team then picked him up and he spent the 2019 season with them (played in 15 games). Lastly, he signed with the Steelers in July of last season, spending a majority of the season on their practice squad.

Smallwood will enter his tenure with the Jags with 12 starts (all with Philly) to his name, but has played in 53 total games. He also has 233 career carries for 931 yards and five touchdowns, then as a receiver, he’s garnered 56 catches for 452 yards and two touchdowns.

Steelers vs. Ravens: RB Wendell Smallwood called up from practice squad

With James Conner on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Steelers called up veteran Wendell Smallwood for reinforcement versus Ravens.

With Steelers running back James Conner on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, Wendell Smallwood was called up from the practice squad today. He’ll join the rotation of Benny Snell, Jr. and Anthony McFarland, Jr.

In five seasons, this will be Smallwood’s 52nd career game and first with the Steelers. He came to Pittsburgh as a member of the practice squad in September.

Smallwood’s best season came in 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles when rushed for 364 yards and three touchdowns. He also logged 230 receiving yards and two more scores.

It’s hard to predict how often Smallwood will be used versus the Ravens, given his inexperience with the Black & Gold, but his sure hands as a receiver could come into play.

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Steelers practice squad 2020: Pittsburgh protects 4 practice squad players for Week 6

A new concept for the 2020 season is the “protected” practice squad. Here are the four players the Steelers chose to protect.

The Steelers must like what they have going as far as practice squad protections. There are no changes from Week 5 to 6 for protected players. Pittsburgh has tabbed wide receiver Deon Cain, linebacker Jayrone Elliott, defensive end Henry Mondeaux and running back Wendell Smallwood. These four are not eligible to sign with another team until after Sunday’s game.

Practice squad “protection” is a new concept for the 2020 season. It’s a concession for the potential personnel shortages that could occur if the virus strikes the locker room.

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Teams can designate protected players each Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m., except for clubs that played on the previous Monday night; their designations go into effect prior to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The Steelers continue their 2020 season Sunday, Oct. 18 versus the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field.

Steelers add RB Wendell Smallwood to practice squad

The Steelers still have one spot left on the practice squad.

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On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced another addition to the practice squad. The team’s PR Twitter account announced the team was signing running back Wendell Smallwood at the 15th member of the team’s practice squad.

Smallwood enters his fifth NFL season out of the University of West Virginia. Smallwoods best season came in 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles when he earned six starts. Smallwood rushed for 364 yards and also had 230 receiving yards.

Pittsburgh opted to keep Smallwood over Kerrith Whyte which came as something of a surprise.

The Steelers still have one more spot left on their practice squad to fill. Reportedly this spot is earmarked for wide receiver Ryan Switzer to return to the team.

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Reportedly, ‘Duck’ season is not over, at least not for the practice squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers have two of 16 practice squad spots up for grabs.

The Steelers signed 14 players to their practice squad on Sunday, leaving two spots open. The number of players allowed on the practice squad increased from 10 to 12 with the new collective bargaining agreement, and from 12 to 16 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Steelers are expected to bring back reserve quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges and running back Wendell Smallwood.

Hodges had appeared to secure the No. 3 quarterback slot when he initially made Saturday’s 53-man roster. However, when former Steelers quarterback was cut from the Jaguars Saturday and cleared waivers on Sunday, Pittsburgh responded by waiving Hodges and claiming Dobbs.

Dobbs was traded to the Jaguars a week before the 2019 season in favor of Hodges. The Steelers received a fifth-round 2020 draft pick in exchange for the quarterback.

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Pittsburgh Steelers sign RB Wendell Smallwood

The Steelers added running back depth with the signing of running back Wendell Smallwood on Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers added some depth on Tuesday with the signing of running back Wendell Smallwood.

Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Smallwood was inked to a one-year contract.

Smallwood last played for the Washington Football Team in 2019 and recorded 81 yards on 22 carries (3.7-yard average) and nine receptions for 64 yards. In three seasons with the Eagles, he logged 850 rushing yards and 388 receiving with a total of seven touchdowns.

Given that the Steelers already have a crowded running back room, the move gave me some pause, wondering if one of the current running backs has plans to opt-out of the season.

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Former Eagles RB Wendell Smallwood signs deal with the Steelers

Wendell Smallwood signs deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers

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Another former Eagles player has landed a job, this time it’s Wendell Smallwood, who agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Last season Smallwood appeared in 15 games for the Washington Football Team after being released by the Eagles. On the season, Smallwood had 22 carries for 81 yards, while also catching nine passes for 64 yards.

Likely a camp body or special teams standout, Smallwood joins an already crowded Steelers backfield that features James Conner, Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels, Trey Edmunds, and rookie Anthony McFarland Jr out of Maryland.

Should Eagles fans temper their expectations over the 2020 NFL Draft class?

Philadelphia Eagles fans should temper their expectations for the Eagles’ 2020 NFL Draft. History has shown Day 3 picks are question marks.

The 2020 NFL Draft is officially over and the Philadelphia Eagles have drafted 10 new players. They also traded for former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, so they added 11 new players over the 3-day event.

The Eagles selected former TCU wide receiver, Jalen Reagor, with the 21st overall pick. Reagor may never be a true No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but he will certainly be a weapon for the Eagles. It will be interesting to see Reagor’s career progress and watch the No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Justin Jefferson’s career progress as well.

Regardless, the addition of Reagor will help quarterback Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense.   Reagor also is able to return punts and kicks as well, so he is versatility will pay off for the Eagles no matter what.

Day 1 of the draft may not have been a home run, but the Eagles did not strikeout.

Day 2? Well, the Eagles got hit by a pitch, if we keep the baseball talk going. They selected former Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall pick. Many people thought the Eagles could add another impact player with their second-round pick, but taking Hurts instead was a huge gamble. Hurts is a solid quarterback, but the pick has sparked up controversy regarding Wentz and his backup.

The Eagles then drafted former Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor in the 3rd round. Taylor is a freak athlete. He ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but he is extremely raw and more of a project than a starter at this moment.

After what could be deemed a disappointing Day 2, the Eagles and their General Manager Howie Roseman went to work on Day 3. They added 7 players total throughout the final three rounds, and here they are:

Round 4, Pick 127: K’Von Wallace, Safety, Clemson
Round 4, Pick 145: Jack Driscoll, OL, Auburn
Round 5, Pick 168: John Hightower, WR, Boise State
Round 6, Pick 196: Shaun Bradley, LB, Temple
Round 6, Pick 200: Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss
Round 6, Pick 210: Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn
Round 7, Pick 233: Casey Toohill, EDGE, Stanford

A couple quick notes from this list:

–K’Von Wallace was a pick universally loved. He was a team captain at Clemson and can play multiple positions. We had him mocked to the Eagles a couple of times this offseason and he should hopefully be a perfect fit for the Eagles secondary.

-Adding depth to the offensive line is always good and hopefully one of the players can emerge with the potential to start if needed.

-Speed! It was clear the Eagles needed speed this offseason and Roseman delivered that. John Hightower and Quez Watkins are burners for sure, so they will give the Eagles receiver group a bump in that category.

Day 3 was a much better day than Day 2, but the only problem with that is these Day 3 picks may excite fans, but they are far from a sure thing for the Eagles. Since Roseman took over again for the 2016 NFL Draft, here is a list of his Day 3 picks and their impact on the Eagles throughout their careers:

The chart is color-coded, with green being good and red obviously being bad. As you can see, there is a lot more red than green. 2016 was probably the best year for the Eagles’ Day 3 picks, as Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jalen Mills played significant roles in their Super Bowl victory. Wendell Smallwood deserves some love too, as he put up solid numbers as an Eagle.

2017 featured Nathan Gerry, who isn’t great, but he has had good value for a 5th round pick. 2018 was the second-best year since Roseman took back over. Avonte Maddox is a solid piece on defense, but he needs to stay healthy. Josh Sweat isn’t an elite pass rusher, but he has made plays when called upon.

2019 was a complete flop. Yes, we do not know if Shareef Miller will help or not, but they traded for Genard Avery last year, so that doesn’t bode well for Miller. And I think we can all agree that Clayton Thorson was a horrendous pick.

Out of these 17 Day 3 picks since 2016, six of them could be chalked up as solid Day 3 picks. However, only 4 of them made any sort of real impact in their rookie season. Smallwood started 3 games and had 367 total yards and a score in 2016. Big V started 6 games in 2016. Mills played in all 16 games and had 62 tackles in 2016. Maddox started 9 games and had 35 tackles and 2 interceptions. None of these contributions is ‘needle-moving’ either in their rookie season, but they did play a part of the team in their rookie season.

It is also worth noting that every Day 3 receiver (Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson) the Eagles have drafted since 2016 has been horrible. Gibson has 3 career receptions and Hollins was cut this year after being one of the worst receivers in the NFL. Two receivers are a small sample size, but it should not be overlooked.

What does this all mean? Well, it means that as nice as it was that Roseman had a solid Day 3 on paper, you can’t put too much weight into thinking that Day 3 players will be able to contribute in their rookie season or become impact starters for the Eagles.

So, while many will say Roseman saved the draft by having a great Day 3 after a solid Day 1 and a terrible Day 2, the facts show you that you should temper your expectations for the Philadelphia Eagles 2020 NFL Draft class.