Tag: XFL

Vikings sign kicker John Parker Romo as Will Reichard heads to IR

After announcing on Tuesday that kicker Will Reichard would head to IR, the team announced the signing of kicker John Parker Romo.

The Minnesota Vikings ended their two-game losing streak on Sunday Night Football last week against the Indianapolis Colts, but the win didn’t come without a cost — particularly to the Vikings’ special teams unit.

During the game, the Vikings lost most of their kicking group, as both long snapper Andrew DePaola and kicker Will Reichard suffered significant injuries. The team announced on Tuesday that both players would be headed to injured reserve.

DePaola suffered a hand injury while Reichard strained his right quad during the game. With Reichard heading to injured reserve and the team not having another kicker on the roster, it was inevitable that Minnesota would sign someone. Tuesday afternoon, we learned that someone is John Parker Romo.

Romo’s interesting and winding-kicking journey dates back to his collegiate days. He started his college career with the Central Arkansas Bears, serving as their kickoff specialist and only attempting one field goal on the season, a miss.

After one year at Central Arkansas, Romo transferred to Tulsa. Per NCAA rules (which have since changed), Romo sat out the 2017 season and joined the Tulsa football team as a walk-on for 2018. Romo would once again serve primarily as a kickoff specialist, attempting only five field goals and making just two of them.

After his sophomore season at Tulsa, Romo once again transferred, this time to Virginia Tech, where he spent three seasons. Romo finally became a full-time kicker for the Hokies in his final season, 2021, where he went 34-for-34 on extra point attempts and 18-for-22 on field goals.

Romo was undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft and signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. He spent the 2022 season on the Saints’ practice squad, never seeing a regular-season game.

In the spring of 2023, Romo would find himself in the XFL with the San Antonio Brahmas, where he would play in all 10 of their games and make 17 of his 19 field goal attempts. That stint in the XFL earned Romo a tryout with the Detroit Lions. After the tryout, Romo signed with Detroit but was released before the season started.

From there, Romo would land on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad for September before being waived in early October. Now, Romo has landed in Minnesota, where he will finally make his regular-season debut in the league.

It’s been a long road for the journeyman kicker, but he now finds himself on a team that, at least for now, seems destined to make a playoff run. How long Romo will remain the Vikings’ kicker remains to be seen, as we still don’t know the full extent of the Reichard injury, but if Romo can capitalize on his chance, it will make for one heck of a story.

Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion Cody Latimer retires from football

Cody Latimer, who won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos in 2015, has retired from pro football.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer is hanging up his cleats.

“Thank you football!!!” Latimer wrote on his Instagram page on Monday. “This game has taken me places i would’ve never imagined… Onto the next chapter!! 💪🏾💪🏾”

Latimer, 32, was picked by the Broncos in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft out of Indiana. He spent the first four years of his career in Denver, hauling in 35 receptions for 445 yards and three touchdowns in 45 games.

Latimer played 24 snaps on special teams and two snaps on offense in the team’s 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

After his contract with the Broncos expired, Latimer spent two years with the New York Giants. He later had a brief stint with the Washington Commanders before three years out of football.

Latimer returned to the gridiron with the XFL’s Orlando Guardians in 2023 and transitioned to tight end. After making the All-XFL team in 2023, Latimer joined the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas in 2024. He totaled 36 receptions for 391 yards and one touchdown this spring before being placed on injured reserve.

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Congrats to Latimer on his nine-year career in professional football.

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NFL’s new kickoff format will make regular-season debut tonight

The NFL’s new kickoff rule will make its regular-season debut tonight. “I think it’s going to be exciting,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

The NFL has adopted a new XFL-style kickoff format for the 2024 season. The new rule was applied in preseason, but it will make its regular-season debut when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens in a nationally televised season-opening game on Thursday night.

Here’s an explainer of the new rule and what it will look like in practice.

Nobody is more excited for the change than Denver Broncos assistant head coach Mike Westhoff, a special teams guru.

“I think he used to use the analogy — there was a time where you had 18 or 19 plays that mattered in the kicking game, and then gradually that moved down to about 11 or 12,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said in June. “I think we’re going to be back [up to 18 or 19]. So look, if you coach a certain phase of the game, you want to coach plays that can affect the game; you don’t want to coach less. He had ‘X’ amount of time away. This week he reported. He sits in the front kitchen seat there waiting to talk. When I walked in, he had 15 ideas on this new kickoff.

“I think it’s going to be pretty important, and I think it’s going to be significant, especially in the first five weeks of this season. You’ll eventually see things move in a direction of success. In our league, there are no secrets. Anything that takes place on a game tape, takes place not only in our league, but it goes around the country now. It goes to colleges because you can purchase the All-22 [film]. So I do think it’s going to be pretty significant. For someone who’s wanting to be a part and have impact, yes. I don’t have to hear him say, ‘There’s only 11 plays anymore in the kicking game.’ Now it’s like, ‘You have plenty of plays now.’”

The new rule should, in theory, lead to more returns, which is good news for Denver wide receiver Marvin Mims, who made the Pro Bowl as a returner in his rookie season.

“[J]ust knowing our coaching staff and how they drew things up last year and what they were starting with today, I think it’s going to be a good play for us,” Mims said in July. “I think that’s going to be one of our hidden gems this year is the kickoff rule.”

Mims averaged 26.5 yards per kickoff return last year, a number he’ll aim to improve on in his second season.

“I think it’s going to be exciting,” Payton said. “It’s certainly new.”

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Saints working out 2023 XFL receiving leader Jahcour Pearson

The New Orleans Saints are working out 2023 XFL receiving yards and receptions leader Jahcour Pearson

The New Orleans Saints have struggled with the wide receiver position for a few years now, especially with the injuries sustained to Michael Thomas in recent memory and now with his departure. They have made the choice to look at a potential option at the position Monday, as they work out Jahcour Pearson of the XFL per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Pearson was an exceptional talent through his time in the XFL (now UFL), leading the league in 2023 in receptions (60), receiving yards (670) and receptions for first downs (32), as well as earning a spot on the All-XFL team. He also has previously worked out for NFL teams, trying out for the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks. After the XFL and USFL merger, his contract was terminated with the now folded Seattle Sea Dragons, as he would receive a contract with the St. Louis Battlehawks after being picked second overall in phase two of the UFL dispersal draft.

He would go on to play four games in the UFL in 2024, grabbing 21 receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown as well as 6 punt returns for 65 yards. He has proven to be a quality talent at the other levels of football, including a breakout 2019 season at Western Kentucky where he had 76 receptions for 804 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Additionally, he had a good pro day back in 2022, with a 4.42 second 40-yard dash, 10-foot-1 broad jump, and 7.19 second 3-cone drill among other solid results.

We will see if Pearson ends up taking a roster spot by making the team post-workout, or if he may end up as a practice squad member to start off and works his way up through the depth chart.

Report: Chargers signing LB Frank Ginda

The Chargers are adding to the linebacker room.

The Chargers are signing linebacker Frank Ginda, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

Ginda spent the past three seasons in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers. He was named the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. That year, he had 115 tackles, three interceptions, two sacks, two forced fumbles, six passes defended and six tackles for loss.

Ginda, an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State, signed with the Cardinals as a rookie in 2018 but was waived before training camp. The Dolphins then signed him. He totaled 12 tackles and two for loss during the preseason. He was on Miami’s practice squad.

In 2019, Ginda spent the preseason with the Saints. In 2023, he was with the Falcons and spent some time on their practice squad.

During his career, Ginda also made stops in the AAF and XFL, where he played with the San Diego Fleet and New York Guardians.

Chargers preseason: 1 player to watch at each position on offense vs. Rams

There are some roster bubble players on the offensive side of the ball trying to make their case.

The Chargers are getting closer to having to trim their roster to 53 players ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Raiders.

With a handful of starting jobs already locked up, the next two preseason games, including this weekend’s contest against the Rams, will be all about guys on the roster bubble vying for their spots.

That said, here is one offensive player to watch at each position ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

QB: Luis Perez

While Justin Herbert has been sidelined with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot, the offense has struggled during training camp. A lot of it has to do with quarterback play. Easton Stick, who was re-signed to serve as Herbert’s backup, has not done himself any favors with his performances.

Perez, on the other hand, was signed just a week ago, and he has flashed enough to the point where he could push Stick for the job if he keeps stacking good days. The former XFL star led all quarterbacks in passing last weekend with 61 yards.

RB: Kimani Vidal

Heading into training camp, everyone thought it was a near guarantee that Vidal would be a part of the rotation. But now, Vidal finds himself on the roster bubble. In the preseason opener, he suited up for warmups but did not dress for the game. He had been nursing an injury the week leading up to the contest, which likely led to him not playing.

Vidal is a talented back with great vision, contact balance, burst and upside in the passing game. But he must display that in live-game action to try to beat out Isaiah Spiller, who currently has the leg up due to his special teams skills.

WR: Ladd McConkey

Like Vidal, McConkey did not play against the Seahawks, as he had also been dealing with an injury. However, McConkey has been a full participant in practices this week, which points to him making his preseason debut against Seattle.

I don’t know how much he will play, but I’m looking forward to seeing what he showed in college at Georgia and over the past couple of months, with his elite route running, good speed and the ability to create with the football in his hands.

TE: Donald Parham

Parham was seen as the third tight end coming into the summer, but now he finds himself on the roster bubble. The reason is that he hasn’t participated much this summer due to an injury, which has been a concern with Parham.

After missing several practices, Parham had a great day on Tuesday, showing the impact he can make in the passing game. He will not only have to stay healthy and continue to be a reliable target but also show improvement as a blocker.

OL: Foster Sarell

There’s been a battle for the swing tackle spot between Sarell and Alex Leatherwood. And as it stands, Sarell has the leg up. Leatherwood is coming off a poor performance, as he allowed six quarterback pressures. Meanwhile, Sarell had a solid showing and exemplified position flexibility by playing some guard. I’m watching for how he performs along the interior again.

“That’s what he’s aiming for,” Greg Roman said on Sarell playing guard against the Seahawks. “He has a big opportunity. Position flexibility up front is huge. The more he can show that, the better. He’s taken that on in an excited fashion.”

Luis Perez living out dream playing for Chargers

Luis Perez is a San Diego native.

For anyone, it’s a dream to play for the team you’re a fan of growing up.

Quarterback Luis Perez, the San Diego native, is experiencing that feeling after signing with the Chargers a week ago.

“It’s awesome. I grew up a Charger fan my whole life so being able to be here and wear the Chargers uniform, it’s a great feeling,” Perez said. “Not only for myself, but for my family.”

Perez was brought in just days before Los Angeles’ preseason opener against the Seahawks and had to get familiar with the playbook quickly.

“Yeah, just enhanced times ten because I only had two practices and then played,” Perez said. “The coaches did a great job helping me, staying after and giving me stuff that I was comfortable with. They didn’t go out and give me stuff right before or stuff I wasn’t comfortable with.”

Perez threw for 61 yards, the most in the game. His highlight throw was a 36-yarder to rookie wide receiver Jaylen Johnson.

After coming in on short notice before his performance in the preseason game, the coaches praised Perez.

“He’s in here late every day trying to pick it up,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “Ended up going out there and doing a pretty good job. He’s got a lot to learn, a lot to catch up on. He’s sprinting to do it and really feels the sense of urgency. Been really impressed by that.”

Head coach Jim Harbaugh: “For a guy who’s been here [since Tuesday], pretty outstanding. Now we want more. But he’s attacking it. He’s here early, staying late. Doing everything in his power.”

Despite being on the roster for only a little over a week, Perez has garnered the coaches’ attention, and if he continues to play well, he could make a push for the backup spot.

Broncos believe they will benefit from the NFL’s new kickoff rule

The Broncos believe they can take advantage of the NFL’s new XFL-style kickoff. Here’s why.

The Denver Broncos had one of the worst special teams units in the NFL when they hired Sean Payton in 2023, and he quickly addressed it.

Payton overhauled the club’s special teams personnel and brought in Ben Kotwica as the team’s new special teams coordinator. He also hired Mike Westhoff, an experienced special teams coach, as his assistant head coach.

Following those changes, Denver’s special teams units ranked seventh in 2023, a huge improvement from the team’s No. 25 ranking in 2022. Payton believes his staff gives the Broncos an advantage on special teams, and the NFL’s new kickoff rule set to debut in 2024 excites him.

“This one [was a rule change we were] trying to push it through,” Payton said last week. “We think it benefits us. Trust me, we’re in favor of it. We like it because we think we return kicks and cover kicks just as well as anyone. We think we coach it well.”

Under the new format, kickoff coverage players and blockers from the returning team will line up five yards apart, with two returners behind them. That will lead to fewer high-speed collisions, potentially reducing the number of injuries on kickoffs this season.

With less space between the coverage and return units, Payton said teams could use bigger-bodied players to block for returns this season. The new setup will also feature two returners instead of the traditional lone returner.

“[I]t’s a completely different play [than the old format],” Payton said in May. “The two deep backs are going to have to have good ball skills, a little bit of a shortstop, third baseman [skillset], if you will because we’re not just going to get these easy to catch high kicks anymore. We’re going to get these shots in the gaps, if you will. If it gets through our group and into the end zone, we’re on the 20-yard line. If it goes out of bounds, obviously we’re on the 40, or if it’s short. So I think it creates a unique skill set for the returners.”

Kicking teams will have a 20-yard “landing zone” to target this fall. A kick that lands between the end zone and the 20-yard line must be returned. A kick into the end zone can be downed for a touchback brought up to the 30-yard line (a kick that rolls into the end zone can be downed for a touchback brought up to the 20-yard line). If a kick does not reach the 20-yard line, the returning team will get the ball at the 40-yard line.

It’s a bit complicated that there are three different starting points based on the result of a dead kick, which is something Payton wants to see changed in the future.

“I don’t like three different starting spots,” Payton said last week. “In other words, I understand the 20-[yard line] — I like it. I get the old rule when it went out of bounds, but if it’s in the box, great. If it’s outside the box, put it in the same spot whether it’s [out over] the sideline, end zone or short.

“Because I think right now it will take a lot of fans a long time to figure out the three different spots. ‘Wait a minute, it went out of bounds, it’s on the 40-[yard line], but it went too deep or short, it’s on the 30-[yard line]?’ So reduce the variables there. Just make it a box foul.”

The different starting points aside, Payton is excited about the XFL-style kickoff in general. Kotwica is, too.

“It’s been a great process,” Kotwica said in June. “As a coach, you always want to be challenged. This is definitely a challenge on multiple levels. Not only tactically, but schematically and with personnel. It’s something that we’ve been working on, and it’s something that’s going to definitely change the game. I support it.

“It meets the demands, which increases the number of returns — that’s the intent — while reducing those long run, high-speed collisions to protect our players. It’ll be interesting. I would tell you, it’s a movement-to-contact, to use a military term. Things are going to change. It’s going to be dynamic. We’re working to be ahead of those changes and get the best results.”

The new rules should lead to more kickoffs, which should be good news for the Broncos, who have one of the NFL’s best returners in Marvin Mims.

“It’s more exciting,” Mims said this spring. “The whole purpose of them changing the rule was to get more production out of the kickoff. Kick returns are supposed to be a good play. Last year there were a lot of touchbacks [and] this year is supposed to be an actual play. It’s new to everybody, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Denver’s eager to pull out all the stops, but the most interesting kickoff strategies won’t be revealed during preseason.

“There will be some things we do in preseason that we’re — every team in this league will hold on some of the things that they want to do for Week 1,” Payton said. “I was talking to [former NFL official] Walt Anderson, he came in today. I said to him, ‘Walt, you’re not going to see in the preseason what you think. You just aren’t.’ Maybe in a joint practice you will, a closed practice or with each other.”

The Broncos will kick off preseason against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but the most interesting wrinkles won’t be unveiled until the regular season begins in September. Payton believes more touchdowns are on the way as a result of the rule change.

“I don’t know what the average touchdown — it’s been a while — but you might get a couple a year,” Payton said. “You’re going to get double-digit touchdown returns. You’re going to see a lot more plays, and I think that was the intention of the rule.”

Denver scored one touchdown on a kickoff return last year and Mims averaged 26.5 yards per return. Those numbers should go up in 2024.

“It can be an edge for us, and I expect it to be,” Payton said.

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Birmingham Stallions make a bad bet on Saints rookie in UFL college draft

The UFL’s Birmingham Stallions picked Saints rookie tight end Dallin Holker in the spring league’s college draft. What does it mean?

This is a little unusual — a New Orleans Saints player who is actively under contract with the black and gold heard his name called in the UFL college draft. Rookie tight end Dallin Holker, who played college football at Colorado State, was the Birmingham Stallions’ fifth pick in the spring league draft. So what does that mean?

For now, nothing. Holker has already reported for training camp with the rest of the Saints’ rookies and is preparing to hit the practice field at UC Irvine next week. And he has a great opportunity to make their 53-man roster in September and be active on game days.

With Juwan Johnson sidelined after foot surgery, the only players in front of him are Foster Moreau, Michael Jacobson and Tommy Hudson. The Saints also brought in Jesper Horsted after Johnson’s procedure, and Taysom Hill is also moonlighting at tight end and fullback, among other positions.

The Stallions are betting that Holker won’t make the team, and that the spring league presents a better opportunity than he’d fine on an NFL practice squad. But the Saints have made a sizable investment in him, and it sure looks like Holker is in their plans.

Holker received more guarantees in his rookie contract ($235,000) than two  Saints draft picks, sixth-round defensive tackle Khristian Boyd ($178,828) and seventh-round offensive lineman Josiah Ezirim ($98,416). That suggests the Saints plan on him at least signing with their practice squad if he doesn’t  make the 53-man roster.

So the Stallions own his rights if he becomes available. It’s not a bad fallback plan. We’ve seen other players excel at the USFL and in the XFL before their merger into the UFL and return to New Orleans like practice squad defensive linemen Niko Lalos and Jack Heflin. But Holker will likely only play for Birmingham if he doesn’t sign a reserve/future contract with a team in January, and that will only happen if he doesn’t remain with the Saints on their practice squad. If he’s on the roster (as is very likely) it’s out of the question entirely.

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Report: Vikings sign former UFL defensive star Jalen Redmond

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly signed former UFL/XFL defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, as reported by KPRC2’s reporter Aaron Wilson.

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly dipped into the spring football league ranks to beef up their defensive line by signing former XFL and UFL defensive tackle Jalen Redmond. The signing, reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, TX, will reportedly be made official sometime Tuesday.

Redmond starred as a disruptive defensive lineman at the University of Oklahoma before going undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers, but injuries cut his attempts to make the roster short, and the team waived him in early August of that year.

In December 2023, Redmond signed with the Arlington Renegades of the then-XFL, now the UFL. Redmond once again struggled with injuries during the UFL season, but when he was healthy, he was highly productive for the Renegades. In just four games of the UFL season, Redmond stood out as one of the top defenders in the league, notching 18 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.

Now Redmond will reportedly walk into a Vikings defensive tackle room that could use depth. Last year’s fifth-round pick, Jaquelin Roy, stood out at times last season and likely played well enough to earn the starting role. Behind him, however, are a lot of question marks.

The Vikings signed former Chargers and Raiders defensive lineman Jerry Tillery in the off-season to provide some depth behind Roy. They also signed undrafted free agent Tyler Manoa. Redmond will likely compete with Manoa to stay on the roster and may find himself in the rotation at the position—if he can stay healthy and perform.