XFL Draft Day 1 Fallout
The XFL’s two-day draft began Tuesday. In addition to certain quarterbacks being assigned to teams, several notable players went off the board in the rebooting league’s selection event.
The league divided its draft into sections. Skill-position players (and other quarterbacks) went in one portion of the draft, with offensive linemen going second and then select defenders in another section. Connor Cook was the first quarterback to go in the non-allocation portion of the draft, being selected by the Houston franchise at No. 2 overall.
Here are some recent NFL skill-position players taken:
- RB Christine Michael (No. 6 overall, St. Louis)
- WR Tommylee Lewis (No. 13, Dallas)
- WR Sammie Coates (No. 18, Houston)
- RB Cameron Artis-Payne (No. 20, Dallas)
- TE Jace Amaro (No. 26, Seattle)
- WR Keenan Reynolds (No. 39, Seattle)
- RB Matt Jones (No. 54, St. Louis)
- RB Lance Dunbar (No. 61, Dallas)
- QB Tyree Jackson (No. 65, Washington)
- RB Andre Williams (No. 66, Houston)
Here are the notable offensive linemen selected in that section of the draft:
- T Isaiah Battle (No. 2, Seattle)
- T Matt McCants (No. 3, St. Louis)
- T Kyle Murphy (No. 8, Washington)
- T Cyrus Kouandjio (No. 11, New York)
Lastly, some front-seven names of note came off in that part of this event:
- LB Ben Heeney (No. 7, New York)
- LB Hau’oli Kikaha (No. 8, Dallas)
- DT Sealver Siliga (No. 9, Dallas)
- LB Terence Garvin (No. 15, St. Louis)
- DL Tenny Palepoi (No. 30, Seattle)
- DE Jacquies Smith (No. 45, Seattle)
- LB Steven Johnson (No. 46, Seattle)
For a full team-by-team breakdown, Sporting News cataloged the first parts of this event.
Browns Work Out Arie Kouandjio, Cyrus Kouandjio
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.
Buccaneers Audition Five Players
The Buccaneers are hosting a group of free agents at their minicamp this week, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Tampa Bay is working out offensive linemen Cyrus Kouandjio and Josh LeRibeus and wide receivers Malachi Dupre, Nehari Crawford, and Jamarius Way.
Of the group, LeRibeus has played in the most total NFL games (50). An 11-game starter at center for the 2015 Redskins, LeRibeus appeared in 19 games (three starts) for the Saints over the past two seasons. LeRibeus, 29, earned positive grades from Pro Football Focus earlier in his career, but that wasn’t the case in 2018. Among the 153 interior linemen who played at least 100 offensive snaps a season ago, LeRibeus ranked dead last in PFF grade.
Kouandjio, 25, has the highest draft pedigree of any player working out for the Bucs, as he was chosen in the second round (44th overall) of the 2014 draft. The Alabama product has had trouble staying healthy throughout his NFL career, and thus has only appeared in 30 games over five years. Kouandjio has spent the past two years bouncing on-and-off the Broncos’ roster, playing only 80 offensive snaps during that time.
Dupre was once considered the best high school wide receiver recruit in the country, and was — at one point — viewed as a potential first-round pick. Heading into the 2017 draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com listed Dupre as a third- or fourth-round selection, but the LSU alum ultimately fell to the Packers in the seventh round. He’s already spent time with five teams in his brief NFL career.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/27/18
Today’s workouts, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Cincinnati Bengals
- LB Sam Eguavoen, DE Avery Ellis, LB Jackson Jeffcoat, LB Jameer Thurman, WR D’haquille Williams
New Orleans Saints
- OL Don Barclay, OT Will Beatty, OT Cyrus Kouandjio, OT William Poehls
New York Jets
- WR Daniel Braverman, DB Tevaughn Campbell, CB Henre’ Toliver
Oakland Raiders
- P Drew Kaser, LS Drew Scott, WR Jaelen Strong, WR Derel Walker
NFL Workout Updates: 12/25/18
Today’s workouts, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Green Bay Packers
- TE: Evan Bayliss
Houston Texans
- LB: Cory James
San Francisco 49ers
- DE: Damontre Moore
Seattle Seahawks
- CB: Quinten Rollins; SS’s: Keith Tandy, Shamarko Thomas
Tennessee Titans
- DEs: Christian LaCouture, Kendall Vickers; DT: Dee Liner
Washington Redskins
- TE: Jace Amaro; Ts: Isaiah Battle, Cyrus Kouandjio, Darius James; DL: Kwaku Boateng (EDM CFL); QBs: Max Browne, Joe Callahan; LBs: Marquis Flowers, Hau’oli Kikaha, Corey Nelson, John Timu; WRs: Carlos Henderson, ArDarius Stewart, Tre McBride, Devin Smith.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/24/18
Today’s workouts, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Cincinnati Bengals:
- K’s Ty Long (BC CFL), Tristan Vizcaino
Detroit Lions:
- LSs Justin Drescher, Taybor Pepper, Zach Triner; TE Erik Swoope; RB Kerwynn Williams
Indianapolis Colts:
- S Harold Jones-Quartey; LB Chris Odom; WR Brian Quick; Julius Warmsley
Kansas City Chiefs:
- LB Josh Keyes, RB Terry Swanson
New York Giants:
- DEs Tobi Antigha (SASK), Jake Ceresna (EDM); QB Bo Levi Mitchell (CALG); WRs Bryant Mitchell (EDM), Jordan Williams-Lambert (SASK); RB Terry Williams
Philadelphia Eagles:
- WRs Carlton Agudosi, Marken Michel (CALG), Devin Smith; DB Mercy Maston (EDM); LBs Alex Singleton (CALG), Jameer Thurman (CALG)
Pittsburgh Steelers:
- QB Max Browne; LB Sam Eguavoen (SASK); DE Avery Ellis (OTT); WR Dominique Rhymes (OTT
Tennessee Titans:
- WRs Kaelin Clay, Kalif Raymond; LB Tyrone Holmes; RB Akeem Hunt; DE Hau’oli Kikaha; LB Anthony Winbush
Washington Redskins:
- QBs Max Browne and Joe Callahan, WRs Tre McBride and Carlos Henderson, TE Jace Amaro, OTs Isaiah Battle and Cyrus Kouandjio, DE Hau’oli Kikaha and LB Corey Nelson
This time of year, a lot of teams are auditioning guys for potential reserve/futures deals to be a part of their 90-man rosters for 2019. It’s also common to see a lot of CFL guys getting looks this time of year, because players participating in the 2018 CFL season aren’t eligible to sign NFL contracts until after the regular season is over.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Justin Zimmer
- Waived: S Keith Tandy
- Placed on IR: LS Josh Harris
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Jalen Tolliver, DE Vontarrius Dora
- Placed on IR: DT Olsen Pierre
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Mike Love, CB Denzel Rice
- Placed on IR: C Russell Bodine
Denver Broncos
- Waived: OT Cyrus Kouandjio
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Kendall Donnerson
- Placed on IR: S Ibraheim Campbell
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers from Jaguars: CB Dee Delaney
- Placed on IR: TE A.J. Derby
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Damontre Moore
- Waived: DL Fadol Brown
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Trey Edwards
- Placed on IR: WR Justin Hunter
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OG Zac Kerin, LB/DE Marcus Smith
- Placed on IR: OG Jonathan Cooper
Broncos To Sign OT Cyrus Kouandjio
The Broncos have agreed to sign offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Kouandjio was with the Broncos last year and started their final game at right tackle, so the team is familiar with what he has to offer. 
Kouandjio worked out alongside several other offensive lineman on Tuesday and looked sharper than the rest of the pack. He’ll bolster the offensive line after the loss of Max Garcia, who is done for the year with a torn ACL.
Denver’s offensive line has been decimated by injury this year and the loss of Garcia was just the latest blow. Before that, guard Ronald Leary went down with a Achilles tear in mid-October and starting center Matt Paradis suffered a fractured fibula in early November.
Kouandjio 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 now has an opportunity to showcase himself ahead of free agency in the spring and restore his stock.
Jets Work Out 5 Tackles
The Jets’ Tuesday workout schedule proved to be quite specific. Only one position was brought through for Jets brass in advance of the team’s Thursday-night game against the Browns.
Five tackles auditioned for Gang Green today, with Field Yates of ESPN.com tweeting Menelik Watson, Will Beatty, Cyrus Kouandjio, Cornelius Lucas and Chaz Green comprised the quintet.
New York already has Ben Ijalana on IR, and Kelvin Beachum entered the week with a foot injury. So did guard James Carpenter. However, both upgraded to full practices by Tuesday.
Watson and Kouandjio both went to camp with the Broncos. Neither former second-round pick made Denver’s 53-man roster, although Watson pocketed some additional money thanks to guarantees in his 2017 free agent contract with the team. He made seven starts with the 2017 Broncos.
Beatty is now 33 and hasn’t been an NFL regular since his run as the Giants’ left tackle ended after the 2014 season. He did play in one game for the Eagles last season and in six for the 2016 Giants, however, and is trying his hand at latching on with a team for another season.
A third-round Cowboys pick in 2015, Green started four games last season but experienced consistent trouble blocking Adrian Clayborn during the then-Falcons defensive end’s six-sack day. A four-year veteran, Lucas started one game for the Rams last season and worked out for the Texans last week.
Broncos Make Roster Moves
The Broncos have trimmed their roster to 53 players by making the following moves:
Waived:
- LB Zaire Anderson
- WR Bryce Bobo
- WR Mark Chapman
- WR River Cracraft
- WR John Diarse
- WR Carlos Henderson
- T Austin Fleer
- RB De’Angelo Henderson
- OLB Jeff Holland
- CB Michael Hunter
- T Leon Johnson
- CB Brendan Langley
- WR Jordan Leslie
- DT Cashaud Lyons
- S Trey Marshall
- WR Isaiah McKenzie
- DE DeQuinton Osborne
- TE Brian Parker
- NT Kyle Peko
- G Jeremiah Poutasi
- OLB Marcus Rush
- OL Austin Schlottmann
- OLB Antonio Simmons
- CB C.J. Smith
- TE Austin Traylor
- WR DeAndrew White
- DE DeShawn Williams
- RB Dave Williams
Waived/injured:
- G J.J. Dielman
- T Andreas Knappe
- S Jordan Moore
- CB Marcus Rios
Released:
Placed on injured reserve:
Placed on PUP: