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Arie Kouandjio

Browns Work Out Arie Kouandjio, Cyrus Kouandjio

July 22nd, 2019 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are working out a pair of brothers in free agency. Guard Arie Kouandjio and tackle Cyrus Kouandjio will audition for the team on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 

Cyrus showed some promise with the Bills, but he was waived in 2017 after an odd off-field incident in which he was found partially undressed in a field near the scene of a car accident. The former second-round pick spent some time with the Broncos in 2017 and 2018, but hasn’t had a real opportunity to showcase himself in years.

Arie, meanwhile, appeared in 17 games for the Redskins between 2015 and 2017. Unfortunately, a torn quadriceps muscle wiped out his 2018 season before it even began. Before the injury, Kouandjio was said to be performing well on the practice field and figured to be a staple in the rotation on Washington’s interior line.

Redskins Waive/Injured G Arie Kouandjio

May 22nd, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins have waived/injured guard Arie Kouandjio. To take his place on the roster, they have signed fellow guard Isaiah Williams. 

This was the expected move after it was learned that Kouandjio would miss the entire 2018 season with a torn quadriceps muscle. If Kouandjio goes unclaimed on waivers – which is the likely outcome – he will land on the Redskins’ injured reserve list. From there, the Redskins can either keep him on IR or negotiate a settlement for his release.

Before the injury, Kouandjio was said to be performing well on the practice field and figured to be a staple in the rotation on the interior line. Without him, Shawn Lauvao appears to be a shoe-in to start at left guard with standout Brandon Scherff manning right guard.

The former fourth-round pick out of Alabama appeared in 17 games with Washington over the last three years and started in the final six games of last season.

Williams is no stranger to Washington. He entered the league with the Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and spent the year on their practice squad. Since then, he has spent time with the Chiefs and Colts.

Redskins G Arie Kouandjio To Miss 2018 Season

May 21st, 2018 at 4:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Redskins guard Arie Kouandjio will miss the entire 2018 season, multiple sources tell John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Kouandjio recently went under the knife to repair a torn quadriceps muscle, but he will take longer than expected to recover. 

Doctors tell the Redskins that Kouandjio will be out of action for six-to-eight months. That timeline should allow him to return in full health for 2019, but he won’t be able to partake in football activities for a while.

This marks a disappointing development for the Redskins as they were high on his offseason work up until this setback. Without Kouandjio, the Redskins will likely use the recently re-signing Shawn Lauvao as their starting left guard with Brandon Scherff mirroring him on the right.

The 2015 fourth-round pick out of Alabama has appeared in 17 games with Washington. Injuries decimated the Washington offensive line in 2017, resulting in three of its five Week 1 starters — Trent Williams, Spencer Long and Lauvao — missing at least six games. Kouandjio filled in as a starter in six of his eight games that season.

East Notes: Pats, Eagles, Gregory, Redskins

May 18th, 2018 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh McDaniels said recently his role remains the same, despite Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick helping to convince him to stay and thus spurn the Colts. But the longtime Patriots offensive coordinator’s presence in what’s generally a “notoriously small” draft room was indeed an expansion of McDaniels’ responsibilities, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Although many teams may have written McDaniels off after his controversial flip-flop, he was a perennial fixture in HC carousels leading up to his 11th-hour decision to back out of a Colts deal. But the 42-year-old assistant insists he still wants to be a head coach, and taking part in draft-day proceedings would stand to further bolster those hopes.

Here’s the latest from the Easts:

  • The surgery Brandon Graham underwent will keep him out for the entirety of the Eagles‘ offseason program. Graham is hopeful he will be ready for training camp, per Les Bowen of Philly.com. The 30-year-old defensive end decided to go under the knife to accelerate the healing process from a troublesome high ankle sprain suffered on Christmas night. Graham remains in pursuit of an Eagles extension. His contract expires after the 2018 season.
  • Mychal Kendricks also underwent offseason surgery, per Bowen. The veteran linebacker and perpetual trade-block mainstay had minor ankle surgery. This duo follows Timmy Jernigan and Derek Barnett among Eagles defenders to undergo offseason procedures.
  • Arie Kouandjio will undergo surgery, but his recovery time will be far longer than the Eagles’ spate of defensive players who opted for operations. The Redskins guard suffered an injury which Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is calling a partially torn quadriceps and will soon have surgery (Twitter link). It’s unclear at this point how long Kouandjio will be out, but Rapoport notes the recovery time will likely be several months. A recent report pegged Kouandjio as a possible IR candidate, but after this update categorizes the malady as a partially torn quad, the interior blocker may be able to avoid such a distinction.
  • Randy Gregory will apply for reinstatement soon, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes a Cowboys front office source is optimistic the defensive end will be reinstated this year. Popped for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, the former second-round pick has only played two games since the 2015 season.

East Rumors: Redskins, Jets, Collins, Pats

May 14th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the candidates to work as the Redskins‘ starting left guard may not be able to factor into that competition. Arie Kouandjio is believed to have suffered a torn quadriceps muscle, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports. Kouandjio’s season is now in jeopardy, per Finlay, who notes this injury could sideline him for the rest of 2018. Despite not making the Redskins’ 53-man roster out of camp, Kouandjio started the final six games for Washington at guard after the Redskins signed him off the Ravens’ practice squad. The 2015 Washington fourth-round pick made two starts in 2016 as well. Washington re-signed Shawn Lauvao, and Finlay notes it’s uncertain if Kouandjio suffered this significant malady before or after that agreement occurred. The 30-year-old Lauvao’s been the Redskins’ primary left guard since the 2014 season. The team also drafted Louisville tackle Geron Christian and still has Ty Nsekhe in the backup mix.

Here’s the latest from the East divisions:

  • Cowboys third-year starter Maliek Collins underwent foot surgery on Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. He broke a bone in his foot last week. Dallas’ goal is for its first-unit defensive tackle to be ready by the end of training camp and hopefully be in line to play in Week 1, per Archer. Collins underwent a similar foot operation in January and underwent a foot procedure in the 2016 offseason as well.
  • Lorenzo Mauldin missed all of the 2017 season because of a back injury, and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes there’s an increasing feeling at Jets headquarters the outside linebacker will be a training camp cut. The 2015 third-round pick has made four starts since entering the league. That said, the Jets are thin at edge rusher post-draft. They re-signed David Bass this offseason and added other possible depth pieces in Kevin Pierre-Louis and Brandon Copeland.
  • Sean McVay‘s departure appears to have helped influence the Redskins to protect another young decision-maker. The franchise recently jettisoned longtime scout Scott Campbell, and Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington notes that 34-year-old exec Kyle Smith ran this year’s draft after Campbell held that responsibility in 2017. The Redskins are envisioning Smith playing a big role for the franchise in the coming years, per Tandler. Smith is the son of former Chargers GM A.J. Smith.
  • The Patriots will bring in martial arts expert Joe Kim to help as a pass-rushing consultant, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Kim’s consulted with 10 teams in the past, most recently with the 2016 Browns, but his first NFL job was with Bill Belichick when he was the original Browns’ head coach in 1992.

Redskins Sign Orlando Franklin, Arie Kouandjio

October 28th, 2017 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Orlando Franklin‘s Washington workout will produce a signing, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) the UFA offensive lineman agreed to terms with the Redskins.

Needing more offensive line help due to injuries depleting their group, the Redskins also signed Arie Kouandjio off the Ravens’ practice squad, Schefter reports.

Franklin, 29, has not played this season after the Saints released him in August but auditioned for the Redskins earlier this week. He started for six seasons leading up to this one, however, lining up as a right tackle for three years and a left guard for the previous three.

Center Spencer Long and tackle Ty Nsekhe are out for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. Trent Williams, Morgan Moses and Brandon Scherff are listed as questionable.

The brother of Cyrus Kouandjio, Arie Kouandjio spent two seasons with Washington after the franchise selected the Alabama blocker in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. He started two games at left guard for the 2016 Redskins but could not make this year’s roster. The Ravens signed the older of the two NFL Kouandjios in September and stashed him on their practice squad.

The Chargers cut Franklin after two seasons earlier this year, doing so after signing him to five-year deal in March 2015.

Ravens Sign Two Offensive Linemen

September 19th, 2017 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have added two offensive linemen to the 53-man roster. Center/guard Matt Skura was internally promoted from the practice squad while offensive tackle Dieugot Joseph was signed off of the Bears’ practice squad. They’ll fill the roster spots vacated by guard Marshal Yanda (ankle) and inside linebacker Bam Bradley (ACL) now that they’re on IR and done for the season. Matt Skura (vertical)

Skura started in all four preseason games for the Ravens over the summer. The Duke product first joined the Ravens in May of 2016 but has yet to get his first taste of NFL action. Joseph, meanwhile, is an undrafted rookie out of Florida International.

In related news, the Ravens also re-signed running back Jeremy Langford to practice squad, along with guard Arie Kouandjio and linebacker Nicholas Grigsby. Langford was promoted to Baltimore’s 53-man roster after Danny Woodhead was placed on IR, but he was released late last week to make room for the promotion of tailback Alex Collins. Kouandjio, a former standout at Maryland high school powerhouse DeMatha, was a fourth round pick of the Redskins in 2015. This marks his first employment since missing Washington’s 53-man cut in early September.

Redskins Reach 53-Man Max

September 2nd, 2017 at 5:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins are now at the 53-man roster maximum. Here’s how they trimmed down:

Released:

Waived:

Washington Agrees To Terms With 10, Waives One

May 11th, 2015 at 7:57am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Washington has agreed to terms with nine of 10 picks from its 2015 draft class, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Eight of the nine have signed their contracts, according to ESPN’s John Keim (Twitter link). The only member of the class without a deal is first-rounder Brandon Scherff. Here’s the full list of picks with whom Washington has reached agreements:

  • Preston Smith, linebacker, Mississippi State (second round, 38th overall)
  • Matt Jones, running back, Florida (third round, 95th overall)
  • Jamison Crowder, wide receiver, Duke (fourth round, 105th overall)
  • Arie Kouandjio, offensive lineman, Alabama (fourth round, 112th overall)
  • Martrell Spaight, linebacker, Arkansas (fifth round, 141st overall)
  • Kyshoen Jarrett, safety, Virginia Tech (sixth round, 181st overall)
  • Tevin Mitchel, cornerback, Arkansas (sixth round, 182nd overall)
  • Evan Spencer, wide receiver, Ohio State (sixth round, 187th overall)
  • Austin Reiter, center, South Florida (seventh round, 222nd overall)

Additionally, Washington has re-signed offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe and waived cornerback Courtney Bridget, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter). The team waived Nsekhe last week before deciding to bring him back.

Miller’s Latest: Cooper, Browns, Gurley

April 28th, 2015 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report reported yesterday that while there are NFL teams interested in drafting Dorial Green-Beckham in the first round on Thursday, ownership has squashed those plans. In fact, a source from one team drafting in the top 15 tells Miller that ownership responded with a flat-out “no” when the topic of DGB in the first round was broached.

Miller has many more items in his latest piece at Bleacher Report, so let’s dive in and check out the highlights….

  • Raiders sources tell Miller that coaches in Oakland have “fallen in love” with Amari Cooper. The Alabama wideout, who has also been linked to the Jaguars at No. 3, could be the surprise pick over Leonard Williams if he’s available at No. 4.
  • The Browns like Marcus Mariota a lot, and Miller continues to hear that the team has interest in trading up to land him. Miller also hears that Cleveland has spoken to the Giants – drafting ninth overall – about a possible deal.
  • Browns sources don’t expect safety Tashaun Gipson to be on the roster in 2016. According to Miller, the belief is that he’ll price himself out of Cleveland’s range. Gipson is currently forgoing the Browns’ voluntary workouts, having not yet signed his RFA tender.
  • Todd Gurley‘s knee is looking better than anticipated, with one team source telling Miller the running back could play in Week 1 of the NFL season.
  • The Eagles are being connected to UCF wideout Breshad Perriman, according to several GMs who spoke to Miller.
  • Miller asked four different teams about Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory, and while none of those four clubs expect him to be selected within the top 10, they all believe he’s still a first-round player.
  • Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead has been the popular pick for the 49ers in mock drafts, and Miller hears that Armstead is indeed a Niners target at No. 15 if the club doesn’t trade up or down.
  • Chronic knee problems have resulted in a pair of guards – Florida State’s Tre‘ Jackson and Alabama’s Arie Kouandjio – failing physicals during the pre-draft process, sources tell Miller. Both players’ stocks figure to take a significant hit as a result of injury concerns.