Oday Aboushi

Gregory, Aboushi Successfully Appeal Suspensions; Discipline Reduced To Fines

DECEMBER 27, 9:04pm: Appeals officers Derrick Brooks and James Thrash, both of whom were appointed jointly by the NFL and NFLPA, have reportedly assessed the appeal and reduced the discipline to both Gregory and Aboushi, according to NFL senior vice president of football & international communications Michael Signora. Both one-game suspensions have been reduced to fines of $50,000 for Gregory and $12,000 for Aboushi.

DECEMBER 27, 8:57am: Gregory is appealing the suspension, as noted (on Twitter) by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 30-year-old issued a statement which reads in part, “I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for my actions yesterday. The game was full of emotion and disappointment, and was not a reflection of my character. My goal is to finish out the season strong, play with pride and be part of the solution and not the problem going forward.”

DECEMBER 26: Sunday marked a new rock bottom for the Broncos in terms of on-field performance, but their loss to the Rams also saw an altercation take place after the game between Denver edge rusher Randy Gregory and Los Angeles offensive lineman Oday Aboushi (video link). It has resulted in discipline from the league.

The NFL announced on Monday that both players have been issued a one-game suspension for their actions, which included each one punching the other. Gregory openly admitted as much during his brief postgame remarks made after Denver’s blowout loss – a result which has led to head coach Nathaniel Hackett being fired with two games remaining in his first season in the role.

In a letter sent to both players, NFL VP of football operations Jon Runyan wrote, “As you were walking toward a group of teammates, coaches, and media, you both stopped and swung at each other’s head and/or neck. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional.”

Gregory played just 11 defensive snaps in the game, but drew a pair of flags for unsportsmanlike conduct, including one for a roughing the passer penalty. That could leave him in danger of further fines, in addition to the $57K in salary which he will lose assuming the ban is upheld.

Both players have the option to appeal their suspension, but each of their respective teams have long been out of playoff contention. With two weeks left in what has been a lost campaign for the Broncos and Rams, their absence or return will ultimately have little impact on the final contests of the 2022 season. Gregory is under contract through 2026 after he signed a $70MM deal this offseason, while Aboushi is a pending free agent who is playing on the veteran salary benefit this year.

Rams Place CB Troy Hill On IR, Promote G Oday Aboushi

The Rams will not have their primary slot cornerback available for a while. Troy Hill sustained a groin injury during the team’s Week 2 win over the Falcons; the veteran defender is now on IR.

Hill and Week 2’s right guard option — Tremayne Anchrum — are now on the four-week injury list. Veteran guard Oday Aboushi, who joined the Rams’ practice squad last week, is now on the defending champions’ 53-man roster.

Reacquired via trade on Day 3 of the draft, Hill re-emerged in his old gig in Los Angeles to start the season. Hill, 31, played 95% of the Rams’ defensive snaps in Week 1 but left their Week 2 game early. Cobie Durant replaced Hill, but Sean McVay said a hamstring injury could keep him out against the Cardinals as well. Robert Rochell and sixth-round rookie Derion Kendrick represent the team’s top other options here, should Durant not be able to go.

Anchrum became the latest Rams offensive lineman to go down; McVay confirmed the third-year blocker is out for the season. Anchrum, a 2020 seventh-round pick, suffered a fractured fibula Sunday. The Rams had Anchrum, third-round rookie Logan Bruss and veteran Coleman Shelton competing for the right guard job this summer. None of the three are available for that gig presently. Bruss (ACL, MCL tears) is out for the season; Shelton slid to center to replace Brian Allen, who suffered an injury in Week 1. Allen is not on IR, however. His return would shift Shelton back to right guard.

Second-year UDFA Alaric Jackson stepped in at right guard against the Falcons, but Aboushi is far more experienced. A starter for six teams during a nine-year career, Aboushi has 47 career first-string appearances. The 31-year-old blocker could join an ultra-exclusive club by starting for a seventh team. Considering the Rams’ situation, that may happen soon. Aboushi started five games for the Chargers last season, opening the year as their top right guard. An ACL tear ended that run. It will be interesting to see if the Rams move the veteran into their starting lineup this week, assuming Allen is not ready to return.

Raiders Work Out Kelechi Osemele, Oday Aboushi, Billy Price

SEPTEMBER 14: The Raiders signed Price to their practice squad Wednesday. This comes as Aboushi landed on the Rams’ taxi squad. A former No. 21 overall pick, Price lost his Bengals starting center gig in his second NFL slate (2019). But the 27-year-old blocker is coming off a full season of starter work with the Giants.

SEPTEMBER 13: Kelechi Osemele did not play in the NFL in 2021, but retirement is not yet in the cards. Two teams have now worked out the former All-Pro guard over the past several days.

The Raiders brought in their former interior starter for an audition, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Osemele, whom the Raiders traded to the Jets during the 2019 offseason, has not played since a Chiefs-Raiders game in October 2020. In addition to Osemele, the Raiders brought in O-linemen Oday Aboushi, Billy Price and cornerback Vernon Hargreaves for early-season workouts.

[RELATED: Raiders Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman]

Osemele, 33, suffered tendon tears in both knees. A similar injury development halted longtime Texans right tackle Derek Newton years ago. Newton went down in October 2016, missed all of 2017 and played in just one more game (in 2018) before hanging up his cleats. Newton was also younger than Osemele was at the time of those tendon tears. But both the Bears and Raiders have kicked the tires on Osemele, whose two career Pro Bowl nods came during his time with the Raiders.

A big-ticket Raiders free agent signing in 2016, Osemele earned Pro Bowl invites in 2016 and ’17. The ex-Ravens second-rounder started three seasons for the Raiders, but months after the team parted ways with ex-GM Reggie McKenzie, its Jon Gruden-led power structure traded Osemele to the Jets. A shoulder injury hijacked the veteran guard’s Jets season (2019) as well, and a memorable dispute with the team ensued on his way out. Osemele played in five Chiefs games, working as a starter for the eventual AFC champions early in the 2020 campaign.

Aboushi is also attempting to come back after an injury; an October ACL tear ended his Chargers run. By lining up as a Bolts starter last year, Aboushi became a rare player who has been a starter for six teams (Jets, Texans, Seahawks, Cardinals, Lions, Chargers). The 31-year-old blocker started five games with the Bolts, who have since moved on via their first-round Zion Johnson pick.

A 2018 first-round Bengals selection, Price spent last season with the Giants. Traded straight up for then-Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill before last season, Price returned to a full-time starter role after being benched in Cincinnati. The Ohio State product started 15 games for a battered Giants offensive line. Hargreaves, a 2016 Buccaneers first-round pick, played in 12 games for the Bengals and Texans last season.

Despite fielding a below-average offensive line last season, the Raiders did not make any big additions to that unit. In Week 1, they used a few different combinations up front. Josh McDaniels‘ team kept left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard John Simpson and center Andre James on the field throughout but made in-game changes on the right side. The Silver and Black started Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle and third-round rookie Dylan Parham at right guard.

Rams Sign G Oday Aboushi

After losing another interior offensive line starter in their opener, the Rams brought in a veteran reinforcement. Well-traveled veteran Oday Aboushi agreed to terms with the Rams on a practice squad deal Wednesday.

This move comes a day after Aboushi was in Las Vegas for a Raiders workout. Aboushi spent last season with the Chargers, starting five games before an ACL tear ended his first Bolts season early. For the time being, the 10th-year veteran will stay in Los Angeles.

The Rams are set to be without Brian Allen for a bit; the recently re-signed center suffered a knee injury that required surgery. That news came weeks after third-round rookie Logan Bruss, the Rams’ top 2022 draftee, went down with ACL and MCL tears. The defending Super Bowl champions are expected to move Coleman Shelton from guard to center and start Tremayne Anchrum at right guard. Shelton won the right guard gig in training camp. Anchrum, a 2020 seventh-round pick, competed with Shelton and Bruss for that spot in August but has never started an NFL game.

Aboushi, 31, brings 47 games’ worth of starter experience. Used as both a backup and a starter during his nomadic career, Aboushi is one of a handful of players to have been a starter for six teams. The former Jets draftee has spent time as a first-stringer for the Jets, Texans, Seahawks, Cardinals, Lions and Chargers.

He signed a one-year, $1.6MM deal with the Chargers last year and was a Week 1 right guard starter. The Chargers moved on following Aboushi’s knee injury, drafting Zion Johnson in Round 1. Considering the Rams’ interior O-line inexperience at the moment, it would not surprise if the Virginia alum added a seventh team to that list.

Additionally, the Rams promoted offensive lineman Jeremiah Kolone from their practice squad. Kolone, 27, was with the team during training camp but has yet to play in an NFL game.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/12/21

Keeping tabs on today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

  • Promoted: OLB/DL Sam Kamara

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Chargers Sign OL Oday Aboushi

Oday Aboushi will make his way to a sixth team. The veteran offensive lineman signed with the Chargers on Saturday, the team has since announced. It’s a one-year, $1.75MM deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Primarily a guard, Aboushi has been used as a starter and a backup throughout his career. This includes eight starts with the Lions last season. In between being drafted by the Jets and his two-year Lions stay, Aboushi also played for the Texans, Seahawks and Cardinals.

While Aboushi has never started more than 10 games in a season, he did open all eight of the games he played last season as a first-string Lion. Pro Football Focus gave the ex-Virginia Cavalier a top-30 grade among guards for his work. Overall, Aboushi has started 42 games in eight seasons. The 2021 season will be Aboushi’s age-30 campaign.

Aboushi represents the latest in a string of Bolts offensive line investments. He will follow All-Pro center Corey Linsley in going from the NFC North to Los Angeles, and ex-Steelers starter Matt Feiler committed to join the Bolts as well.

The Chargers are retooling up front. Mike Pouncey‘s retirement preceded the release of Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner and the free agency defection (to the Jets) of fellow guard starter Dan Feeney. The Bolts should still be expected to address their O-line in the draft and may continue to do so in free agency, but Aboushi — despite this low-end contract — may have a path to Los Angeles’ starting lineup.

NFC Contract Details: Zuerlein, Poe, Shell, Vikings

We’ve got a bunch of contract details to pass along, all out of the NFC:

Lions Re-Sign OL Oday Aboushi

The Lions have re-signed offensive lineman Oday Aboushi per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. It’s a one-year deal for the 2013 fifth-rounder.

Assuming he makes the the team, 2020 will offer Aboushi a rare opportunity for geographical stability. In his seven years in the league, he has had stints with the Jets, Texans, Seahawks, Raiders, Cardinals, and Lions.

The UVA product will also have a real chance at starting for Detroit this year after appearing in just seven games (two starts) in 2019. The Lions let right guard Graham Glasgow depart in free agency, and left guard Joe Dahl is coming off a season-ending back injury. 2019 UDFA Beau Benzschawel and swing tackle Tyrell Crosby could also compete for a starting guard gig.

Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions — who generally do not value the guard position — showed interest in free agents like Greg Van Roten before circling back to Aboushi. The 6-5, 315-pounder is not a world beater by any means, but he has started 34 games in his career and doesn’t turn 30 until June.

OL Oday Aboushi To Sign With Lions

Oday Aboushi is set to join his sixth NFL organization. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the offensive lineman is set to sign with the Lions. It will be a one-year deal worth $2MM.

After being selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, the six-foot-five lineman has bounced around the league. In six years, Aboushi has had stints with the Jets, Texans, Seahawks, Raiders, and Cardinals.

After being released by Oakland following the preseason, Aboushi caught on with Arizona for the 2018 campaign. He proceeded to appear in eight games for the Cardinals, including six starts. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 41st among 77 eligible offensive guards.

Aboushi will be joining a depth chart that already includes four guards in Frank RagnowKenny WigginsTyrell Crosby, and Joe Dahl.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/18

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans