Tag: Xavier Newman

Jets sign Xavier Newman to active roster, place Zaire Barnes on injured reserve

A few roster moves from the Jets ahead of their Week 15 trip to Miami.

The Jets made a few roster moves Saturday ahead of their Week 15 game against the Miami Dolphins. Offensive lineman Xavier Newman was signed to the active roster while rookie linebacker Zaire Barnes was placed on injured reserve.

Newman is back from injury and the Jets had exhausted his practice-squad elevations for the season — a player can be elevated three times and revert to the practice squad before a team has to sign him to the 53-man roster. Newman will likely start at right guard Sunday in Miami.

Barnes being placed on injured reserve with four weeks left means his rookie season is over. Barnes appeared in three games this season and was inactive for the other ten. Barnes was the Jets’ sixth-round pick back in April and was among five linebackers to make the initial 53-man roster after training camp.

The Jets also elevated two players from the practice squad for Sunday: defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes and linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball. Both are being elevated for the second time this season. Holmes will play in his second straight game while McCrary-Ball was elevated for the Week 11 game in Buffalo.

Xavier Newman talks connection with team and familiarity with coaching

Xavier Newman talks connection with team and familiarity with coaching

New York Jets offensive guard Xavier Newman has showcased terrific versatility throughout his tenure so far. Newman has played both center and guard positions on the fly, offering a banged-up offensive line a solution when they needed it most. Newman arrived in East Rutherford with a sense of familiarity, which allowed the former Baylor standout to hit the ground running despite new surroundings.

Newman recently spoke to Justin Melissa exclusively for Jets Wire. Newman discussed his relationship with a coaching staff that includes his former position coaches Keith Carter and Todd Downing, how veterans like Duane Brown helped him acclimate, and more. Newman also discussed how Aaron Rodgers’ presence continues to have a positive impact on the locker room.

Editor’s note: This interview took place before Newman’s release Saturday.

Jets elevate Xavier Newman, Malik Taylor from practice squad for Week 10

Jets elevate Xavier Newman, Malik Taylor from practice squad for Week 10

The Jets elevated an offensive lineman from the practice squad, but it was not Rodger Saffold. It will be Xavier Newman getting the call-up once again. He and wide receiver Malik Taylor were elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Newman is now a likely candidate to start at right guard with the Jets likely moving Max Mitchell to right tackle. Duane Brown and Billy Turner are both out for Sunday’s game. Brown was not activated from injured reserve this week while Turner is out with a finger injury.

This is the third elevation for Newman, the maximum allowed for a practice-squad player. If the Jets want to bring him up from the practice squad again, they have to sign him to the 53-man roster. Newman saw time at center against the Giants in Week 8 following injuries to Connor McGovern and Wes Schweitzer.

Taylor is being elevated for the second time this season. His first was last week against the Chargers. He caught one pass for seven yards in New York’s 27-6 loss last Monday.

Jets elevate Malik Taylor, Xavier Newman from practice squad

Jets elevate Malik Taylor, Xavier Newman from practice squad

The Jets announced Saturday that they have elevated wide receiver Malik Taylor and offensive lineman Xavier Newman from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

Taylor could be in line to work as the No. 5 wide receiver Sunday if the Jets choose to make Jason Brownlee inactive, as they have for every game this season, as well as Irv Charles, who has become a nice find for special teams for the Jets. Taylor was in the mix to make the roster throughout training camp but was beat out by undrafted rookies Brownlee and Xavier Gipson.

Newman gives the Jets extra depth on the interior. Joe Tippmann (quad) is out Sunday so Wes Schweitzer gets the start. Newman, who signed with the Jets’ practice squad on October 5, appeared in three games this season with the Titans.

Jets sign ex-Titans OL Xavier Newman to practice squad

Former Titans OL Xavier Newman has signed to the Jets’ practice squad.

After being waived by the Tennessee Titans earlier this week, offensive lineman Xavier Newman has found a new home.

According to the league’s transactions wire, Newman signed to the New York Jets’ practice squad on Thursday. He’ll reunite with former Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing and offensive line coach Keith Carter.

Newman was one of the bigger surprises on the Titans’ initial 53-man roster and he got a chance to start in Week 2 at left guard. Unfortunately for the 2022 undrafted free agent, things didn’t go well and he was pulled after a single quarter of action and was replaced by Dillon Radunz.

Along with his experience at guard, Newman is also capable of playing center.

The Baylor product spent his rookie campaign on Tennessee’s practice squad until December, when he was signed to the active roster. He appeared in just one game last season and played four snaps on offense.

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Report: Titans to start Xavier Newman at left guard in Week 2

The Titans will reportedly start Xavier Newman at left guard in Week 2 with Peter Skoronski out.

With rookie left guard Peter Skoronski sidelined for the Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Tennessee Titans will reportedly start Xavier Newman in his place.

According to Justin Melo of Broadway Sports, Newman will get the nod at left guard over other candidates that included Dillon Radunz and Corey Levin.

While Newman is listed as the backup at left guard behind Skoronski on the depth chart, this is still somewhat of a surprise, as I figured the Titans would opt for the more experienced Levin, who has proven to be a solid backup.

That means the Titans have a ton of confidence in Newman, who was one of the bigger surprises to make the roster out of training camp.

The Baylor product and 2022 undrafted free-agent signing will be playing in just his second game and making his first career start. He played four offensive snaps for Tennessee in 2022.

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7 under-the-radar Titans to watch during the preseason

Shaun Calderon lists seven under-the-radar Titans players to watch during the preseason.

Although it’s only the preseason, the Tennessee Titans finally play football this week when they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Aug. 11 at M&T Bank Stadium.

These exhibition games are largely seen as irrelevant to the casual football fan; however, the preseason has several intriguing storylines that go well beyond the scoreboard.

This article is going to identify seven players who aren’t exactly stealing the headlines, but may end up stealing a roster spot when it’s all said and done.

The majority of the players on this list will likely be playing a ton in the coming weeks. Truth be told, a lot of these players are probably competing to stick around via a spot on the practice squad more than anything else.

Nonetheless, there are always those hidden gems every year who sneak their way onto the final 53-man roster.

It should be noted that rookies who were recently selected in the 2022 NFL Draft were excluded from this list since they naturally garner a ton of attention in the preseason.

With all that said, let’s take a look at which under-the-radar players we should be keeping a close eye on in preseason games over the coming weeks.