HEADLINES

Jacob Saylors

Giants Sign RB Jacob Saylors

June 18th, 2024 at 8:44pm CST by Ben Levine

With Saquon Barkley no longer leading the backfield, the Giants face an uncertain RB corps. The team has added another option to the mix, as the team announced that they’ve signed running back Jacob Saylors. In a corresponding move, the team placed wide receiver Chase Cota on injured reserve.

Saylors had 3,851 yards and 33 touchdowns during his time at East Tennessee State. That performance helped earn him preseason and practice-squad jobs with the Bengals and Falcons as an undrafted rookie. After getting cut by Atlanta’s practice squad late last season, Saylors ended up catching on with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. There, he rushed for 461 yards and five touchdowns.

Now, he’ll be looking to make his NFL debut with the Giants, although he faces an uphill battle to make the roster. Devin Singletary is expected to lead the depth chart, with Saylors joining a backup grouping that features the likes of Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin, and rookies Dante Miller and Tyrone Tracy Jr..

Cota has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Oregon in 2023. The wideout has had stints with the Lions, Chiefs, Texans, and Giants. After not receiving a reserve/futures contract with the Texans at the end of the 2023 campaign, he ended up getting that opportunity from the Giants. Unfortunately, Cota suffered an injury that required him to land on IR, although depending on the severity, an injury settlement could allow him to catch on with another squad.

UFL Rumors: Davis, Saylors, Butler

June 16th, 2024 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

As the 2024 UFL season comes to an end this weekend with the championship game between the Birmingham Stallions and San Antonio Brahmas, players in the league are now able to work out with NFL squads and should be able to begin signing NFL contracts starting Tuesday. We’ve already seen a number of names pop up as potential NFL signees to look out for this upcoming week.

One of the earliest names we saw was that of wide receiver Daewood Davis, who Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports is expected to sign with the Panthers pending a physical. Davis played at Oregon for three years in college, failing to crack the starting lineup before transferring to Western Kentucky, where he immediately blew up as a difference maker. His efforts with the Hilltoppers didn’t get him drafted, but Davis signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dolphins. He was waived with an injury designation in final roster cuts last year but found his way to the Memphis Showboats of the UFL.

In 10 games with the Showboats, Davis caught 41 passes (6th in the UFL) for 446 yards (7th) and five touchdowns (tied-2nd). His efforts earned him one of three wide receiver spots on the inaugural All-UFL Team. If everything works out as expected, Davis could join a two-deep that currently includes Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, first-round rookie Xavier Legette, Jonathan Mingo, Terrace Marshall, and Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

Here are a couple other UFL rumors from recent days:

  • Davis isn’t the only receiver the Panthers are looking at out of the UFL. Per Rapoport, Carolina also worked out the league’s leading receiver Hakeem Butler before they went to summer break. Butler is the oldest of the group we’re reporting on tonight and is the only drafted player. Butler was a fourth-round pick for the Cardinals back in 2019 after an incredible junior year at Iowa State that saw him catch 60 balls for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns. A preseason broken hand kept Butler out of his rookie season, and he was waived before his sophomore campaign. The Eagles signed him and tried to convert him to a tight end, but he failed to stick in Philadelphia, as well, getting waived before the 2021 NFL season. Butler spent the next year in the Canadian Football League before signing with the Battlehawks when they were still in the XFL. He spent a short offseason stint with the Steelers this past year before finding his way back to the Battlehawks after failing to make the 53-man roster in Pittsburgh. In his second stint with the team, Butler joined Davis as two of three All-UFL Team receivers, leading the league with 652 receiving yards on 45 catches and five touchdowns.
  • Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports that the Giants are set to host Battlehawks running back Jacob Saylors this Tuesday. Signing as an undrafted free agent with the Bengals last year out of East Tennessee State, Saylors was waived in final roster cuts this past August before spending a bit of time on the Falcons’ practice squad. In nine games with St. Louis, Saylors led the UFL’s running backs with 460 rushing yards (trailing only Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez for the league lead) while tying for second in rushing touchdowns with five. Saylors joined Davis and his St. Louis teammate, Butler, as the only running back on the All-UFL Team. After watching Saquon Barkley depart in free agency, New York may look to add Saylors to a stable that currently includes veteran Devin Singletary and first- and second-year backs Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin, and Tyrone Tracy.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/23

November 20th, 2023 at 7:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Activated from IR: TE Parker Hesse
  • Placed on IR: RB Jacob Saylors

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: QB Drew Plitt
  • Placed on IR: G Jaxson Kirkland

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

With Mark Andrews sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Ravens have added some tight end depth. The team ended up opting for Scotty Washington, who got into one game with the Patriots as a rookie in 2022. The Wake Forest product was one of several tight ends to work out for Baltimore today, with the group also featuring O.J. Howard, Connor Davis, and Chris Myarick (per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston).

While Michael Thomas recovers from a knee injury, the Saints are turning to a familiar face. Marquez Callaway is back with the Saints after bouncing around the NFL in 2023. The wideout wasn’t re-signed by the Saints following the 2022 campaign, and he’s since spent time with the Broncos and Raiders. The former UDFA spent the first three seasons of his career in New Orleans, hauling in 83 catches for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns.

Eric Rowe has found a new home after getting cut by the Panthers practice squad back in September. Rowe earned a pair of Super Bowl rings during his three-year stint in New England, and he followed that up with a three-year stint in Miami. Rowe got into 14 games (six starts) for the Dolphins in 2022, finishing with 56 tackles and two sacks.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/18/23

October 18th, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad updates:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Bengals Reduce Roster To 53, Place T La’el Collins On Reserve/PUP List

August 29th, 2023 at 4:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bengals have worked their way down to the 53-man roster limit. Here are the moves made on Tuesday to finalize their initial squad:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Placed on IR:

Collins will miss at least the first four weeks of the season given his PUP designation. The former Cowboy signed a three-year, $21MM deal in free agency last offseason to operate as Cincinnati’s right tackle starter. His play in his debut season was underwhelming, however, and that role will belong to Jonah Williams this season, unless the latter misses time or Collins usurps him on the depth chart. A knee injury is to blame for Collins’ missed time, per the team.

Both Pesefea and Tell will miss the entire season, as is the case for all players placed on IR before being named to the initial 53-man roster. They will either remain with the organization during the campaign, or be released via an injury settlement which would allow them to find a new opportunity elsewhere.

Jones represents a more experienced cut than most of the other players let go. The former second-rounder has 57 games and 27 starts to his name, and he split his time between the Seahawks and Raiders last season. Moving on from Jones further signals the team’s intention of relying on younger options like Cam Taylor-Britt and rookies DJ Turner and DJ Ivey in the secondary.

Losing Adeniji (unless he clears waivers and is retained via the practice squad, as will no doubt be the case for many of the players listed above) would leave the Bengals thin along the O-line, especially in light of the Collins news. The 2020 sixth-rounder has experience at multiple positions up front, but his level of play has been a contributing factor in the team’s urgency in pursuing free agent blockers in recent years.

Bengals Add 13 UDFAs

May 13th, 2023 at 9:12am CST by Ben Levine

After making eight picks during the draft, the Bengals announced yesterday that they’ve added 13 undrafted free agents:

Jaxson Kirkland is one of the most intriguing UDFAs in the NFL. He considered declaring for both of the previous two drafts, and he was considered a top OT prospect for the 2022 selection show. However, a severe ankle injury forced him to opt out of that draft, and despite being productive during another season at Washington, he ended up going undrafted this year. The lineman’s versatility could make him an interesting piece on Cincinnati’s depth chart.

Despite adding Chase Brown in the draft, the Bengals still added a pair of RBs in free agency. Jacob Saylors starred at ETSU, finishing his 2022 season with 1,355 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Calvin Tyler Jr. also had a productive final two seasons at Utah State, scoring 15 total touchdowns. The Bengals could give a long look at each of these rookies to be the primary backup to Joe Mixon.

If Cincinnati does eventually look to break up their trio of top wideouts, they’d be looking for inexpensive reinforcement elsewhere. The team used a pair of draft picks on wide receivers, but they also added three UDFAs at the position. Mac Hippenhammer was the most productive of the undrafted grouping; he had 1,555 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns over the past two seasons for Miami of Ohio.