Oday Aboushi

NFL Workout Updates: 10/22/18

Here’s a rundown of today’s NFL workouts. Each workout comes from Howard Balzer’s (on Twitter), unless noted otherwise:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Workout Updates: 10/16/18

Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. Links to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise noted.

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

NFL Workout Updates: 10/2/18

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • T Andrew Nelson (link)

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Raiders Announce Roster Cuts

Trading Khalil Mack wasn’t the Raiders’ only order of business Saturday. They’ve also moved their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:

Waived:

Released:

Waived/injured:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on PUP list:

Raiders Sign OL Oday Aboushi

The Raiders have added some depth to their offensive line. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed offensive lineman Oday Aboushi.

The 2013 fifth-round pick has managed to put together a solid five-year career, starting 26 of his 34 games (including 10 starts in 15 games for the Jets in 2014). The six-foot-five, 315-pound offensive guard spent last season with the Seahawks, where he started each of his eight games. He ultimately graded out as the No. 60 guard among 76 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Aboushi bottom-five marks as a run blocker.

After ending last season on the injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder, Aboushi wasn’t able to garner a whole lot of interest this offseason. We heard back in May that the 49ers had hosted the veteran for a workout, but it’s otherwise been quiet for the 27-year-old.

With the Raiders, Aboushi will be reunited with offensive line coach Tom Cable, who had the same role with the Seahawks last season. While it’s unlikely that Aboushi will beat out Kelechi Osemele or Gabe Jackson for a starting gig, he could compete with Jon FelicianoDenver KirklandJames Stone, and Ian Silberman for backup reps.

West Notes: 49ers, Hawks, Raiders, Chiefs

Before signing Mike Person earlier today, the 49ers also worked out veteran offensive linemen Oday Aboushi, Josh LeRibeus, and Brian Schwenke, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). San Francisco was clearly on the lookout for an experienced lineman capable of playing multiple spots along the interior, and Person won the job. Each of Aboushi, LeRibeus, and Schwenke boast at least one season of regular starting work, but none have generated any known interest to this point in the offseason. If the 49ers are in need of more center/guard as the year progresses, however, it’s fair to assume they’ll circle back to these same candidates.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll have both denied that Seattle is entering a full-scale rebuild, and the club’s meeting with veteran wideout Brandon Marshall only verifies that stance, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. While the Seahawks have shed a mass of talent this offseason by releasing or trading stalwarts such as Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril, the club doesn’t intend to sacrifice its intention to compete. Marshall, of course, hasn’t been productive since 2015, but he’d add a physical element to a wide receiving depth chart that includes Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and Jaron Brown.
  • Linebacker Derrick Johnson rebuffed offers from two-to-three other clubs in order to sign with the Raiders, as Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Johnson, 35, reiterated that the opportunity to play for head coach Jon Gruden played a large role in his decision to join Oakland’s squad, where he is expected to play middle linebacker in a 4-3 scheme for the first time in his career. The Raiders have made multiple additions to the second level of their defense, adding Tahir Whitehead, Emmanuel Lamur, and Kyle Wilber in addition to Johnson. As such, it’s becoming clear that fellow linebacker NaVorro Bowman is unlikely to return to the Bay Area.
  • Byron Maxwell‘s new deal with the Seahawks has a base value of $2MM, reports Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The veteran cornerback, who is now in his second stint with Seattle, will collect a $950K base salary, a $500K signing bonus, a $100K roster bonus paid if he makes the Seahawks’ 53-man roster, and up to $450K in per-game roster bonuses. Maxwell looks like the clear favorite to start at outside corner opposite Shaquill Griffin, but he’ll be pushed by Justin Coleman and free agent addition Dontae Johnson.
  • The Chiefs announced that they’ve promoted Mike Borgonzi to director of football operations. As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com points out (Twitter link), Borgonzi will now take over the position manned by Chris Ballard before he became the Colts’ general manager, meaning the former should now be viewed as a future GM candidate. Kansas City also promoted Ryan Poles to assistant director of player personnel and named Ryne Nutt director of college scouting.

Seahawks To Place OL Oday Aboushi On IR

The Seahawks will place guard Oday Aboushi on injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder, head coach Pete Carroll told 97.3 KIRO Radio.Oday Aboushi (Vertical)

Aboushi joined Seattle on a one-year contract this spring after spending the first three seasons of his career with the Jets and Texans. With the Seahawks, Aboushi started all eight games in which he appeared, grading out as the No. 60 guard among 76 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Aboushi bottom-five marks as a run blocker.

With Aboushi sidelined, Seattle is likely to turn to second-round rookie Ethan Pocic to fill in at right guard. Pocic played every snap at right guard in the Seahawks’ Week 12 victory over the Eagles, and has played more than half the club’s offensive snaps this season. Overall, of course, Seattle’s offensive line has struggled: the unit ranks 17th in adjusted sack rate and 30th in adjusted line yards, according to Football Outsiders.

The Seahawks promoted interior offensive lineman Joey Hunt from their practice squad earlier in the week to serve as depth, but general manager John Schneider & Co. are getting tight on cap space. As noted Tuesday, Seattle still hasn’t placed safety Kam Chancellor on injured reserve because it simply doesn’t have the cap room to pay another player for the rest of the year. Hunt, for what’s it worth, should count for $109K for the remainder of the year, a figure that will make a dent in the Seahawks’ $279K worth of space.

NFC Notes: Griffin, Stafford, Forbath, 49ers

The Seahawks defense continues to take hits on the injury front as the team has now learned that starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers with a concussion, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune (Twitter link). Bell adds that lineman Oday Aboushi will miss the matchup with a shoulder injury as well, so Seattle will once again have to expose backups to expansive playing time.

It would seem that cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane will get the starts on the outside, with either rookie Ethan Pocic or third-year lineman Mark Glowinski filling in for Aboushi at right guard.

Seattle’s roster looks a whole lot different without the likes of Griffin, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor in the starting lineup, which has contributed greatly to the Seahawks up-and-down sort of season. The team still has an outstanding defensive line and is right in the thick of the playoff race, but is currently facing a lot of adversity as it continues to lose quality players as the season wears on.

  • In what was a tremendous show of resiliency on Thanksgiving, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford actually finished the game after he suffered what looked to be a serious leg injury. However, even though the talented QB was able to return, you can clearly see that he is not 100% in a video posted to Instagram by Davie Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, depicting Stafford hobbling away after his postgame press conference. It remains to be seen whether Stafford can continue to play in the weeks to come, but we should learn more about the overall severity of the injury next week.
  • Vikings kicker Kai Forbath apparently cut his foot on the nullified block field goal, but should not miss any time moving forward, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Forbath had been one of the best kickers in the league up until the last few weeks when he missed two field goals against the Rams and suffered the aforementioned blocked kick yesterday.
  • The 49ers are as expected not in playoff contention this year, but still await some key decisions on potential free agents at season’s end. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, looked at six impending free agents who could be on the way out after the 2017 season is over. Branch noted running back Carlos Hyde, safety Eric Reid, center Daniel Kilgore, defensive end Aaron Lynch, defensive lineman Tank Carradine and cornerback Dontae Johnson as all guys that seemed primed to test the open market. There are a variety of factors that go into these decisions, but it’s interesting to see how the team may approach these players in the final six weeks of the season given their impending free agency.

West Notes: Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs, Hawks

The Broncos want to bring in a third quarterback, but that player is likely to be either a young veteran or a draft pick, head coach Vance Joseph tells Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter links). Denver is apparently content to allow Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch battle it out for the starting QB job, meaning any new addition would be a third-stringer. Tony Romo, meanwhile, is looking like less of an option, as the Broncos are reportedly backing off their pursuit of the Cowboys signal-caller.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • After losing defensive tackle Stacy McGee in free agency, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie admits his team may bring in another piece up front, as Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Currently, Oakland boasts Khalil Mack, Jihad Ward, Dan Williams, Mario Edwards, restricted free agent Denico Autry, and others along the defensive line. Johnathan Hankins, Jared Odrick, and Vance Walker rank as PFR’s best remaining interior defenders.
  • The Chiefs‘ decision to decline their option on backup quarterback Nick Foles was purely cap-related, head coach Andy Reid tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Foles’ 2017 option was worth $6.75MM, an untenable figure for the Chiefs given that even now they only have $3MM in cap space. While Foles has since signed a two-year, $11MM with the Eagles, Kansas City currently has Tyler Bray behind starting quarterback Alex Smith.
  • Although Seahawks corner Pierre Desir had an opportunity to sign with the Lions last season, he opted to stick on Seattle’s practice squad and has since been re-signed on a futures deal, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (all Twitter links). Seahawks general manager John Schneider pointed to Desir, Neiko Thorpe, and Tampa Bay import Bradley McDougald as key depth pieces that can fill out the secondary.
  • Free agent signee Oday Aboushi will begin his Seahawks tenure at right guard, which means Seattle is set to try 2016 first-round pick Germain Ifedii at right tackle, tweets Condotta. Ifedi played tackle at Texas A&M, but shifted to right guard during his rookie campaign. The results were near disastrous, as Ifedi graded as the single worst guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

Seahawks Sign Oday Aboushi

A Seahawks-themed Friday continues: The team has signed free agent guard Oday Aboushi to a one-year contract, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Oday Aboushi

The 25-year-old has started in 18 of 26 appearances since the Jets used a fifth-round pick on him in 2013. He was with Gang Green through the 2014 campaign before ending up in Houston, which claimed him off waivers from the Jets in September 2015. Aboushi served a one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy that year. He appeared in just four games last year and made three starts.

Aboushi, whom PFR’s Zach Links ranked as the seventh-best interior lineman on the market before Friday’s deal, follows Luke Joeckel as the second O-lineman the Seahawks have picked up in this year’s free agent class. The team also visited with tackles Ryan Clady and, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, Matt McCants on Friday. Aboushi figures to serve as depth behind starting guards Germain Ifedi and Mark Glowinski.

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Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.