HEADLINES

Daniel Sorensen

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/23

October 14th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions heading into the Week 6 weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Dean took the starting role the Eagles had in store for him in Week 1, but a foot injury interrupted his second NFL campaign. The 22-year-old was poised to return ahead of Sunday’s game by returning to practice earlier this week, though, and a first-team role is expected to await him upon suiting up. Dean taking on a heavy workload will relegate Nicholas Morrow (who was promoted from the practice squad) to backup duty despite the latter’s strong performances so far.

Seattle has seen fellow corners Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen enjoy considerable success, but the team’s secondary will be shorthanded without Bryant. The latter will miss at least the next four weeks as a result of the IR move as he recovers from a toe injury. The 2022 fourth-rounder, who has seen his defensive snap share jump from 65% to 77% this year, has not played since Week 2.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/23

October 7th, 2023 at 6:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the day’s minor transactions heading into Week 5:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Elevated: WR Xavier Malone

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/23

September 27th, 2023 at 6:54pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: WR Chris Blair

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Gaskin was released from the Vikings’ active roster yesterday, a likely result of the addition of former Rams rusher Cam Akers. It looks like he’ll remain in Minnesota, though, for the time being as a member of the team’s 16-man practice squad.

Sorensen, the nine-year veteran formerly of Kansas City, is back for a second year in New Orleans. Last year, Sorensen appeared in all 17 games for the Saints, making two starts. He recorded two interceptions, three passes defensed, and 17 tackles, including eight stops on special teams.

Saints Cut Roster Down To 53

August 30th, 2022 at 6:59pm CST by Ely Allen

New Orleans got a head start on the deadline for roster cuts this weekend with several moves, but the team found its way to the 53-man limit today. Here are the moves the Saints made today to get there:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/injured:

Placed on reserve/suspended by commissioner:

The big story of the day for New Orleans was the trade this morning that sent defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to Philadelphia. The defensive back had pushed for an extension, staging a hold-in effort early in camp, but ultimately found himself on his way to Pennsylvania, paving the way for the Saints to hold onto six safeties. Safety Daniel Sorensen is on the roster for his special teams contributions, but Justin Evans will really be given a chance to contribute at safety in the absence of Gardner-Johnson.

Despite seeing fellow defensive tackle Huggins head to injured reserve, rookie sixth-round pick Jackson was unable to hold onto a roster spot, being the only member of the Saints’ rookie draft class who failed to do so. The offseason addition of Kentavius Street was likely the determining factor that left Jackson off the 53-man roster.

The team did see an undrafted free agent make the final roster as offensive lineman Lewis Kidd worked his way out of Montana State to make the Saints’ initial 53. He’ll serve as a depth piece on an offensive line with quite a few injury questions.

A position group that definitely looks improved on paper is the receiving corps who gets back Michael Thomas and added first-round pick Chris Olave and veteran Jarvis Landry in the offseason. These new targets will combine with the tight ends group, that includes swiss-army man Taysom Hill, as weapons for quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton.

Besides all the above, the team will look fairly similar in composition to last year’s. The running backs, special teams, defensive ends, and cornerbacks will look largely the same as the team heads into the 2022 NFL season. Where things could end up looking different is on the practice squad. After clearing waivers, many of the players above will have the opportunity to rejoin the Saints’ 16-man squad.

Saints, S Daniel Sorensen Agree To Deal

March 25th, 2022 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints are adding some safety depth, luring Daniel Sorensen away from Kansas City. The career-long Chief agreed to terms with the Saints on Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. The Saints have announced Sorensen’s one-year agreement.

Sorensen, 32, spent eight seasons with the Chiefs, working as a starter and frequently used utility player during Andy Reid‘s Missouri run. The Saints will add the former UDFA to a safety stable that includes Malcolm Jenkins and the recently signed Marcus Maye.

New Orleans lost Marcus Williams in free agency; Maye will be ticketed to replace him alongside Jenkins. Sorensen makes sense as a depth player and special-teamer, having made key contributions with the Chiefs and carved out a long career despite his anonymous NFL entrance. He has also drawn frequent scrutiny for his coverage work.

The BYU product notched eight interceptions from 2019-21, being a 21-game starter in that span. One of those went back for a game-sealing touchdown against the Broncos last season. Sorensen produced a pick-six in 2020 as well. But he allowed a whopping 132.7 passer rating when targeted in 2021, being a key part of the Chiefs’ early-season defensive struggles.

The Chiefs signed Justin Reid early in free agency, signaling their three-year Tyrann Mathieu partnership was likely over. They still have Juan Thornhill tied to his rookie contract as well. The Saints were connected to Mathieu, a Louisiana native, in free agency but their Maye agreement likely closed that door.

Chiefs To Start Juan Thornhill Over Daniel Sorensen

October 17th, 2021 at 8:05am CST by Rory Parks

The Chiefs are making a change at the safety position. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, Kansas City is relegating Daniel Sorensen, who has started every game since Week 6 of last year (save for a meaningless Week 17 contest) to a reserve role.

Juan Thornhill will get the start alongside strong safety Tyrann Mathieu in Sorensen’s stead. Thornhill, a 2019 second-rounder, started every game of his rookie campaign, intercepting three passes and generally playing like a high-level defender. However, he suffered a torn ACL in the last game of the 2019 season, and though he played in all 16 contests last year (eight starts), he still struggled with his knee pain and could not replicate his earlier level of performance.

Sorensen, re-signed to a one-year, $2.4MM contract this offseason, has struggled mightily in 2021. He has been repeatedly beaten in coverage, is yielding a 153.8 passer rating when targeted by opposing QBs, and has also missed nine tackles. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, which weren’t particularly high on him in 2020 either, view him as the third-worst safety in the league among players with over 100 snaps.

The Chiefs have gotten off to a 2-3 start, and their porous defense has been the primary reason for that. KC currently ranks as the second-worst defense in terms of yards allowed, and while the Sorensen-Thornhill swap won’t be a cure-all, it is certainly a logical move to make.

Thornhill has played in just 142 snaps this year (compared to Sorensen’s 325), but he has been decidedly more effective in his limited action. Per PFF, the Virginia product ranks as a top-30 safety, which includes an above-average coverage mark. A return to his 2019 form could position him well for a possible extension in 2022.

Chiefs Re-Sign Daniel Sorensen

March 29th, 2021 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have re-signed safety Daniel Sorensen, per a club announcement. The two sides were said to be closing in on a one-year deal last week. On Monday morning, they made it all official. 

[RELATED: Chiefs Sign Reed]

Sorensen, one of the longest-tenured members of the team, was a key piece of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl runs. Since joining the team as an undrafted free agent back in 2014, the BYU product has appeared in 94 games with 32 starts. All in all, he has ten interceptions, 25 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and 3.5 sacks to his credit.

Sorensen spent four years as a reserve before cracking the starting lineup in 2017. This past year, he saw time in 15 games with eleven starts, racking up 91 tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions (including one pick six). And, for the second straight year, the 31-year-old played on 100% of the snaps in the Super Bowl.

In other Chiefs news, Andy Reid & Co. inked ex-Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed over the weekend.

Chiefs Finalizing Deal With Daniel Sorensen

March 22nd, 2021 at 4:45pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It looks like the Chiefs are going to be bringing back a key piece of their Super Bowl runs. Kansas City is “closing in on” finalizing a deal to re-sign safety Daniel Sorensen, a source told Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).

Teope reports that it’ll be a one-year deal. Sorensen is one of the longest-tenured members of the team, having been with the Chiefs since they signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2014. The BYU product became a nice diamond in the rough find for Andy Reid, and after a few years as a reserve he became a starter in 2017. He just wrapped up a four-year, $16MM deal that he signed that year.

This past season he played in 15 games and started 11, racking up 91 tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions. He returned one of those for a touchdown. He played 100 percent of the defensive snaps in each of the past two Super Bowls. Sorensen turned 31 a few weeks ago.

The Chiefs have mostly focused on remaking their offensive line this season, but it appears their attention is shifting toward the defense now. They’re set to host defensive end Melvin Ingram, and will also have cornerback K’Waun Williams in for a visit on Tuesday.

Chiefs Activate S Daniel Sorensen

November 6th, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs activated safety Daniel Sorensen from injured reserve, the team announced. To make room on the roster, the Chiefs waived linebacker Nate Orchard. 

The Chiefs have been waiting on safety help and Sorensen’s return should go a long way towards fortifying the secondary. Of course, the bigger upgrade will come when/if Eric Berry is able to make his return. There’s no definitive word yet, but the Chiefs are hopeful that Berry will be able to suit up for the final stretch of the season.

Sorensen started 14 games for the Chiefs last year, but was knocked off course this year by a tibial plateau fracture and MCL damage. Before that, the Chiefs were looking to Sorensen, a contributor on the past four Kansas City defenses and Berry’s replacement throughout last season, to take over as a starter for Ron Parker. A few weeks after the full scope of Sorensen’s injury was disclosed, Parker was brought back, but the Chiefs could still use the extra ammo in the secondary.

Upon his return, Sorensen could help Parker and Jordan Lucas at safety and also pitch in at linebacker in the wake of Terrance Smith‘s season-ending injury. With 56 games under his belt and experience at both spots, he could contribute in a variety of packages starting on Sunday against the Cardinals.

Chiefs Designate Daniel Sorensen For Return

October 24th, 2018 at 3:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs are about to get some long-awaited help at safety. Daniel Sorensen returned to the practice field on Wednesday, paving the way for him to play in a couple of weeks. 

Sorensen started 14 games for the Chiefs last season, but was knocked off course this year by a tibial plateau fracture and MCL damage. Before that, the Chiefs were looking to Sorensen, a contributor on the past four Kansas City defenses and Berry’s replacement throughout last season, to take over as a starter for Ron Parker. A few weeks after the full scope of Sorensen’s injury was disclosed, Parker was brought back, but the Chiefs could still use the extra ammo in the secondary.

Upon his return, Sorensen could help Parker and Jordan Lucas at safety and also pitch in at linebacker in the wake of Terrance Smith‘s injury. With 56 games under his belt and experience at both spots, he could contribute in a variety of packages.

If he’s healthy enough, Sorensen’s first game back could come against the Browns on Nov. 4.

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