The Practice Squad And Further Transactions

[ashley]

Mike Reiss ‏@MikeReiss 41m41 minutes ago
WR Chris Harper, waived by the Patriots on Tuesday, has cleared waivers and is now a free agent. Ideal candidate to return to practice squad

 

[mgteich]

https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/644252786461290496

Texans trade wide receiver Keshawn Martin to New England he was active didn't play in season opener

Martin (WR) is player 54. I presume that we'll cut one of the 27 defensive players.

 

[Ross12]

Mike Reiss ‏@MikeReiss 41m41 minutes ago
WR Chris Harper, waived by the Patriots on Tuesday, has cleared waivers and is now a free agent. Ideal candidate to return to practice squad

Come on guys get him on the PS..... DO IT!!!

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Mike Petraglia ‏@Trags 41s42 seconds ago
Practice squad wide receiver Nathan Palmer not spotted either but a new unnamed defensive lineman No. 65 replaces him

Phil Perry ‏@PhilAPerry 3m3 minutes ago
Practice squad receiver Nathan Palmer not here. There is a new defensive lineman out there. He's wearing No. 65.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyed 11m11 minutes ago
OL Ryan Wendell and practice squad WR Nathan Palmer are missing from Patriots practice. Dominique Easley is back. Also new DL wearing No. 65

 

[mgteich]

We needed a DL on the Practice Squad with Thornton off the 53, and Staten cut from the PS earlier.

Mike Petraglia ‏@Trags 41s42 seconds ago
Practice squad wide receiver Nathan Palmer not spotted either but a new unnamed defensive lineman No. 65 replaces him

Phil Perry ‏@PhilAPerry 3m3 minutes ago
Practice squad receiver Nathan Palmer not here. There is a new defensive lineman out there. He's wearing No. 65.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Nathan Napalm Palmer ‏@RealNaPalm 17h17 hours ago
Not a Pat anymore lol as of today


Palmer was cut from the practice squad.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Mark Daniels‏@MarkDanielsPJ
Jimmy Staten has signed with the Patriots practice squad, per source. He was the player out there wearing No. 65.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Aaron WilsonVerified account‏@AaronWilson_NFL
Dustin Vaughan worked out for the Titans on Tuesday and the Patriots today, per a league source

 

[captain stone]

There should always be a QB on the PS, especially if there are only 2 on the 53, so if Vaughan is the best available with PS eligibility then Bill should sign him.

 

[supafly]

There should always be a QB on the PS, especially if there are only 2 on the 53, so if Vaughan is the best available with PS eligibility then Bill should sign him.

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm probably one of only a few idiots out there that watched Dallas' preseason games (forced due to the wife), but I remember pointing out how well he was doing at times. As a matter of fact, I actually wondered if he may push Brandon Weeden for the backup role.

Much like a rookie QB, there were also times where he looked like crap and he is quite raw, but yes--as you mentioned, if we're going to have someone on the PS, I'd be completely fine with having this kid. That's assuming, of course, that Bill Belichick sees something in him.

The main concern I'd have would be whether or not we need more of a running/scrambling/moving QB on the practice squad, considering that we may be seeing those more this year with guys like Tyrod Taylor, Geno Smith, or even Tony Romo. If that's the case, a guy like Dustin Vaughn may not be a good candidate, as he looked more like a pure downfield pocket passer to me.

 

[captain stone]

Whoops - responded to you just now about Vaughan in the Bryce Brown thread, though I see your point about maybe having more of a scrambler on the PS instead of one that is more of a pocket passer, for scout team purposes.

 

[shmessy]

Doug Kyed @DougKyed
The Patriots signed DT Khyri Thornton and G Chris Barker to their practice squad. Released DT Jimmy Staten and CB Dax Swanson.

 

[captain stone]

I like replacing Staten with Thornton, but am sad to see Swanson go. I would've dropped Santa Clausell instead of our only CB on the PS.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyed 25m25 minutes ago
A source tells me the Patriots worked out DT Kenrick Ellis.

Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyed 25m25 minutes ago
The Patriots also worked out DT Toby Johnson and NT Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, per source.

 

[mgteich]

Belichick certainly has been paying attention to the 5th DT spot, now a Practice Squad spot (alternating between Staten and Thornton).

Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyed 25m25 minutes ago
A source tells me the Patriots worked out DT Kenrick Ellis.

Doug Kyed ‏@DougKyed 25m25 minutes ago
The Patriots also worked out DT Toby Johnson and NT Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, per source.

 

[ashley]

Doug Kyed @DougKyed
The Patriots signed DT Khyri Thornton and G Chris Barker to their practice squad. Released DT Jimmy Staten and CB Dax Swanson.

Surprised at the Swanson move, I was hoping there was a chance that he could be promoted.

 

[HawaiianPatsfan]

I for one, was really high on Kenrick Ellis as a free agent this offseason. I thought he would be a great low budget replacement for Wilfork, or even a cheaper option for Branch. Last season he was highlighted by Pro Football Focus under their "Secret Superstars" Series. This is what they had to say....

SECRET SUPERSTARS 2014: JETS
Though the Jets have a stacked defensive line, it is one of their backup linemen who garnered recognition as New York's Secret Superstar.

NATHAN JAHNKE | 1 YEAR AGO

a

One thing that has been a consistent for the Jets under Rex Ryan is a defensive line that can stop the run. In his first year he had Shaun Ellis, Calvin Pace, Marques Douglas, Sione Pouha, Mike Devito, and Kris Jenkins all with a positive grade against the run.

As the years have gone on most of those players have left the team. This has left the Jets investing heavily in the position including several recent first-round draft picks. Among the Jets’ starting linemen, two of them made our Top 100 and another just missed the cut. While a lot of the reason the line is so good is due to those three starters, another reason for it is their depth. With starters like that, it’s easy to miss just how dominant Kenrick Ellis was at stopping the run.

Jets Line Makeover

In 2010 the Jets had Shaun Ellis, Mike Devito, and Sione Pouha as their starters while Vernon Gholston and Trevor Pryce were the backups. That was the last time Gholston and Price saw NFL snaps, and the Jets decided it was time to move on from Ellis. This left the Jets with just two defensive linemen who had significant playing time.

In the 2011 draft they added Muhammad Wilkerson in the first round and Kenrick Ellis in the third round. A pair of 2008 undrafted free agents passed Ellis on the depth chart which led to Ellis only playing 69 snaps as a rookie. He made an impact in his very first game as a pro in Week 6 of the 2011 season having had two tackles for a loss, one for short gain, and one pressure all in 18 snaps. Over the other three games he played in, he had three more stops in the run game. His Run Stop Percentage of 13.6 was third-best for all 3-4 defensive ends with 20 or more snaps against the run.

Second Year Setback

In 2012, Ellis was able to pass the 2008 undrafted free agents on the depth chart, but also saw the Jets take Quinton Coples in the first round of the draft. In Week 1, Ellis played in 30 snaps which was a career high for him. Over the first three games of the season he already accumulated five tackles for short gains or better.

The following two weeks were a low point for Ellis’ career. The 49ers’ offensive tackles who had the two highest run block ratings for tackles that year did a strong job of blocking Ellis inside when their runs went out. The following week Texans center Chris Myers had his best game of his season blocking Ellis. To just make his day worse, Ellis suffered a medial collateral ligament injury which took Ellis out of the lineup for the middle of the season. He made his return in Week 11 with just three snaps. While he had five more stops over the rest of the season, he never returned to the playing time or impact he had to begin the season.

Third Year Breakout

The Jets’ defensive line continued to make changes for the better in 2013. Coples moved to outside linebacker and Devito left for the Chiefs. To replace them the Jets added Sheldon Richardson in the first round of the draft. 2012 undrafted rookie Damon Harrison passed Ellis on the depth chart. Harrison went on to have a Run Defense rating of +37.6 which was significantly higher than any other defensive or nose tackle.

This led to Ellis only playing in 210 snaps all season. Despite never playing more than 16 snaps against the run in a game all season, he definitely made the most of his opportunity. In his first game despite playing just 18 snaps, he had three highly-graded plays thanks to beating his block to make run stops. There was not a single game where he had a negative rating in run defense all season.

He ended up making 17 run stops on 114 run snaps on the season, which gave him a Run Stop Percentage of 14.9%. Over the last six years, John Henderson in 2010 was the only defensive or nose tackle with at least 100 snaps against the run and a better Run Stop Percentage. He was also 1.7% better than the second-best defensive tackle in Run Stop Percentage; teammate Damon Harrison. While his strength was in stopping the run, he also had seven hurries on 85 pass rushes.

Though stopping the run is his strength, he did record seven pressures on 90 pass rushes which is decent for a nose tackle. They even tested him out at fullback late in their Week 17 game on a play that consisted of three defensive linemen in the backfield.

Future Unknown

The Jets were a rare team who saw just five defensive linemen see any snaps with the defense all season. For once the Jets didn’t invest in their defensive line in the draft, and with all five defensive linemen returning the Jets hope to have a similar performance to last year. With the great starters, it will be difficult for Ellis to earn much more playing time despite his great play on a smaller sample size. His role with the team seems set for this year, and he should again be able to make the most of the opportunities he’ll be given.

His contract is up after the 2014 season. It will be very difficult for the Jets to keep their starting three linemen together, and even harder if they want to try to keep Ellis. Regardless of if his future is with the Jets or if he will have a big payday elsewhere, Ellis should have a bright future ahead of him.

Even though its hard to give a player credit based on a highlight video, it's not hard to see that the guy has potential to have a impact with the teams defensive formations and packagers.



Another thing that is overlooked with Ellis is His measurable. Very athletic for a guy who is 6'5 and 346b's.
I think he would be a nice addition. I really hope they at least give him a look on the practice squad.

 

[RayClay]

NT Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, per source.

Great name for a nose tackle. Ish ma Kitchen son.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]