Tag: Zachary Thomas

Rams place Duke Shelley on IR, make 2 other roster moves

The Rams made 3 roster moves coming out of Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, with Duke Shelley landing on injured reserve

Coming out of Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams made a trio of roster moves. In addition to placing cornerback Duke Shelley on injured reserve, the Rams signed Shaun Jolly to the active roster and signed Zachary Thomas to the practice squad.

Thomas was waived recently by the Rams but Los Angeles will keep him around on the practice squad where he can develop. He filled in for Alaric Jackson against the Bengals earlier this season but struggled mightily at left tackle.

With Shelley set to miss four games due to a hamstring injury suffered in Sunday’s win, the Rams brought up Jolly from the practice squad. He’s a slot cornerback who can step in if needed, given the Rams’ lack of depth at that spot behind Cobie Durant.

Rams activate Kyren Williams, Jason Taylor II from injured reserve

The Rams have officially activated Kyren Williams and Jason Taylor II from injured reserve for Week 12 vs. Cardinals.

The Los Angeles Rams are set to face the Arizona Cardinals for the second time this season in Week 12, and they’ll have a couple of players getting healthy. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals, the Rams have activated Kyren Williams and Jason Taylor II from injured reserve.

In a corresponding move, the Rams also waived offensive tackle Zachary Thomas. Thomas has been active in two games this season for the Rams.

The return of Williams is a welcomed sight for the Rams as they struggled to generate consistent yards on the ground during his four-game absence. Williams rushed for a career-best 158 yards and a score in the last game he was active in, which was in Week 6 versus the Cardinals.

The second-year back sustained a sprained ankle in the first meeting against the Cardinals, landing him on injured reserve. Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman split the backfield workload during his stint on injured reserve.

After selecting him in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft, Taylor was active in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. The rookie defensive back would suffer a groin injury that would sideline him until this week.

With Quentin Lake ruled out for Sunday’s divisional matchup, Taylor could provide depth at safety behind John Johnson III, Jordan Fuller, and Russ Yeast, along with contributing on special teams. At the same time, the offense receives a massive boost with the return of Williams.

Studs and duds from Rams’ 19-16 loss to Bengals

Here are our studs and duds from the Rams’ disappointing 19-16 loss to the Bengals in Week 3.

The Los Angeles Rams fell short in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, losing the game 19-16. The Rams have now lost two games in a row after a double-digit win on the road against the Seattle Seahawks to begin the season.

In the loss to the Bengals on Monday night, the Rams made plenty of costly mistakes and converted only one of their 11 third downs. It was a forgettable game all around for Los Angeles and the team will need to regroup ahead of a road matchup against a surprising 2-1 Indianapolis Colts squad in Week 4.

With the Rams suffering another defeat, here are our studs and duds from Monday’s matchup with the Bengals.

Bye week grades for the Bears 2022 rookie draft class

Bye week grades for the Bears 2022 rookie draft class

The Chicago Bears won’t be taking the field this weekend due to their bye week, but it presents a good opportunity to evaluate their 11 draft picks they selected earlier this spring.

Some players have stood out in big ways, while others have disappointed despite getting numerous opportunities. And then there’s the other group that has seen just a few snaps here and there, waiting for their opportunity to make an impact.

After 13 games, here are our grades for the 2022 Bears draft class.

Rams sign OT Zachary Thomas to active roster

The Rams signed rookie OT Zachary Thomas to the active roster

The Rams are adding to their injury-ravaged offensive line for Week 11. The team announced on Friday that offensive tackle Zachary Thomas has been signed to the active roster.

Thomas was a sixth-round pick by the Bears this year, going 186th overall out of San Diego State. He was waived by the Bears in August and then signed to the practice squad.

Thomas went to Carlsbad High School, so he’s from California, making this a homecoming for the young offensive tackle. At 6-foot-5, 308 pounds, Thomas has the size to play either tackle or guard.

It’s unclear which position the Rams project him at, but they currently list him as a tackle. He gives them some much-needed depth up front.

Bears sign Zachary Thomas to practice squad, release Micah Dew-Treadway

The Bears announced some changes to their practice squad releasing DT Micah Dew-Treadway and adding OL Zachary Thomas.

The Chicago Bears have made some changes to their 16-player practice squad.

Chicago has released rookie defensive lineman Micah Dew-Treadway from the practice squad and signed rookie offensive lineman Zachary Thomas to the practice squad in his place.

Thomas was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft, and he’ll get a chance to keep developing on the practice squad. He’s the only draft class member who’s not currently on the active roster.

The Bears practice squad now stands as follows: tight end Chase Allen, defensive tackle Trevon Coley, receiver Isaiah Coulter, offensive lineman Kellen Diesch, offensive lineman Dieter Eiselen, running back Darrynton Evans, linebacker DeMarquis Gates, cornerback Thomas Graham Jr., safety Davontae Harris, defensive end Sam Kamara, quarterback Nathan Peterman, offensive line Lachavious Simmons, safety A.J. Thomas, linebacker Joe Thomas, offensive lineman Zachary Thomas and receiver Nsimba Webster.

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Bears cut CB Duke Shelley, OL Zachary Thomas

The Bears are releasing CB Duke Shelley and waiving rookie OL Zachary Thomas as they work to get their roster back down to 53.

It’s been a busy day for the Chicago Bears as they rework their initial 53-man roster after being awarded a league-high six players off of waivers.

After waiving former seventh-round nose tackle Khyiris Tonga, the Bears have also parted ways with cornerback Duke Shelley and rookie offensive lineman Zachary Thomas, according to Aaron Wilson.

Tonga was waived to make way for new nose tackle Arman Watts, who was a surprise cut by the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday. After claiming former first-round offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, Thomas was an expected cut at offensive line. The Bears also claimed cornerback Josh Blackwell, which explains Shelley’s release.

The Bears still have three moves to make in order to get their roster down to 53 players. One of those is expected to be placing wide receiver N’Keal Harry on injured reserve, where he would have to miss the first four games of the regular season.

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10 Players to watch in Bears’ final preseason game vs. Browns

Here are 10 players we’re keeping an eye on when the Bears take the field this preseason one last time before the regular season begins.

The preseason is about to come to a close for the Chicago Bears, but before they finalize their rosters for the regular season, they have a date with the Cleveland Browns. The Bears take on the Browns this Saturday evening in their preseason finale, beginning at 6:00 p.m. CT. With one last preseason game, the starters get a chance for a tune up, the bubble players have one last opportunity to earn a roster spot, and the team can go for an undefeated record before the real games begin.

With the starters likely playing well into the second quarter, according to head coach Matt Eberflus, it seems every healthy player will take the field at some point on Saturday night. That gives fans plenty to watch for throughout the game. Here are 10 players we’re keeping an eye on when the Bears take the field one last time before the regular season begins.

Rookies have been stealing the show at Bears training camp

The Bears have one week of training camp in the books, and it’s been the rookies who have made strong impressions.

The Bears have wrapped their first week of training camp, and it’s been the rookies who have been making strong impressions through the first four practices.

Chicago’s top rookies cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker were among the standouts, where they’re establishing themselves as turnover machines. Both Gordon and Brisker have come away with interceptions of quarterback Justin Fields, where their impressive skillsets are on display.

“Ball hawks; that’s what they are, that’s why we brought them here,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “A person doesn’t change from college. If they have ball skills in college, they still have it. We enhance them by being fanatical and us practicing the way we practice and the drills we do that we’ve done forever and the new ones that we’re incorporating now. We’ll enhance that skill. But it’s got to be a want-to.”

Both Gordon and Brisker, who are expected to start immediately as rookies, could be a problem for opposing offenses. Brisker will be the starting strong safety opposite Eddie Jackson while Gordon has been getting looks both outside and at nickel cornerback.

Then there’s wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., whose blazing speed and playmaking ability has been obvious. On Saturday, Jones was one of the few positives for the offense. He hauled in two deep balls from Fields, including an over-the-shoulder catch from Fields going against Gordon. He’s getting looks at multiple positions at receiver, with the goal being to get him as many opportunities as they can.

“They’re moving me from Z, F, X,” Jones said. “They want me to know everything, so it’s been really fun getting to work with my QBs and stuff like that. But they know my abilities. They know the reason why they drafted me. I am really good with the ball in my hands. Wherever they need me to be, I’m just going to be there and execute.”

The Bears haven’t been afraid to give all of their rookies some valuable reps, and that was especially true along the offensive line last week. All four rookie offensive linemen were starting at one point during Friday’s practice — due to Lucas Patrick’s injury and Cody Whitehair’s veteran rest day.

But from everything we’ve seen dating back to the spring, Chicago feels comfortable putting these rookies in this position. Braxton Jones is competing for a starting tackle job, Zachary Thomas has been a solid No. 2 behind Whitehair, Doug Kramer has been seeing plenty of reps at center with Patrick sidelined and Ja’Tyre Carter has recently seen an uptick in reps at right guard.

While the Bears might not have any rookies starting on the offensive line, they’re certainly getting their opportunities early in camp.

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Bears O-Line Watch: Breaking down Day 3 of training camp

We’re breaking down the Bears offensive line after the third practice of training camp.

The Chicago Bears have kicked off training camp, and there are plenty of storylines we’re monitoring this summer. One of the biggest is the offensive line — specifically, what will the starting combination look like? And how quickly are they going to figure that out?

Head coach Matt Eberflus reiterated that all starting combinations are open heading into training camp. Although it certainly appears that things are becoming clearer following the additions of veterans Riley Reiff and Michael Schofield.

“We have to keep an open mind into the best combination, the best five, and the best three guys after that,” Eberflus said. “So it’s important that we keep an open mind.”

There were some interesting developments during Friday’s practice, which at one time featured four rookies starting during team drills.

Here’s a look at how the offensive line shook out during the second practice of training camp on Thursday, focusing on left tackle, right guard, right tackle and center.