Brett Rypien

Vikings Sign QB Brett Rypien, Waive QB Jaren Hall

August 29th, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Adam La Rose

Brett Rypien has not needed to wait long to find a new gig. The veteran quarterback signed with the Vikings on Thursday, per a team announcement.

In a corresponding move, 2023 fifth-rounder Jaren Hall has been waived. Minnesota’s depth chart is still set at the top with Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens. In the wake of rookie J.J. McCarthy‘s season-ending season-ending meniscus surgery, though, the team looked into options for the third quarterback role. Matt Corral was briefly with the team, but he was among the Vikings’ initial roster cuts.

That move had Hall positioned to remain on the 53-man roster, but instead he will now hit the waiver wire. The BYU product made three appearances and two starts during his rookie season after Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear. Minnesota allowed Cousins to depart in free agency, adding Darnold on a one-year deal and moving up in the first round of the draft to select McCarthy. The Vikings have moved quickly in adding Rypien as a Hall replacement for the QB3 role.

Rypien was joined by Austin Reed in attempting land a spot with the Bears in 2024. Both passers wound up being cut, although the latter has since been signed to the practice squad. Rypien immediately became a free agent upon being released, a move which left him on the move yet again in his career. The 28-year-old made three starts during a span between 2020 and ’22 with the Broncos, but he has bounced around since that point. He has landed deals with the Rams, Seahawks and Jets in addition to the Bears pact in signed in March. Now, Rypien will look to carve out a role with his next NFC North team.

For Hall, meanwhile, the waiver process will allow teams to put in a claim if they are interested in adding him to their active rosters. Failing that, he will become a free agent eligible to re-sign with the Vikings or join a new team via a practice squad agreement. Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said (via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune) the team does indeed hope to keep the 26-year-old in place via the taxi squad. That move will be possible by the end of the week if no claim is put in.

Bears To Release QB Brett Rypien

August 27th, 2024 at 10:06am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears’ quarterback hierarchy appeared set. At least, the team’s Nos. 1 and 2 spots did. One of the other options on Chicago’s roster entering cut day, Brett Rypien, will not be part of the team’s 53-man edition this afternoon.

Rypien received word he will be released, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. After four Broncos seasons, the former UDFA has become a journeyman. He has bounced from the Rams to the Seahawks to the Jets to the Bears in less than a year. Rypien is a vested veteran and will head straight to free agency.

Rypien, Caleb Williams and Austin Reed arrived as newcomers this offseason, as the Bears revamped their QB room. As the team builds around the No. 1 overall pick, its Justin Fields backup — Tyson Bagent — remains in its plans. The former Division II standout is on track to remain Chicago’s backup.

Adding Rypien on a one-year, $1.13MM deal, the Bears did not guarantee the former Broncos QB2 anything. Rypien, 28, would profile as a third-string option somewhere — especially now that the NFL’s attempt at changing the emergency third QB rule failed. Teams are no longer allowed to elevate a third-string quarterback an unlimited number of times, which stands to factor into clubs’ decisions today. Reed remains on the Bears’ roster, though it would be interesting if the team’s QB room consisted of two rookies and a 2023 UDFA from Division II.

The Rams released Rypien after he struggled in a start against the Packers, leading to Carson Wentz‘s re-emergence. Rypien has made four career starts, two of those in relief of Russell Wilson in 2022. He is 2-2 as a starter, carrying a 58.3% completion rate and just a 5.7 yards-per-attempt number. The Seahawks added Rypien to their practice squad following his Rams release, and the Jets reunited him with Nathaniel Hackett by signing him to their active roster weeks later.

Bears Committed To Tyson Bagent As Backup Quarterback

June 18th, 2024 at 3:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tyson Bagent made the rare climb from the Division II level to seeing rookie-year starts as a quarterback. Although the Bears have changed offensive play-callers since Bagent’s cameo in relief of Justin Fields, they remain committed to the former UDFA.

Chicago certainly changed up its QB room this offseason by making the unsurprising move to draft Caleb Williams first overall. The team added Brett Rypien, who is now entering his sixth NFL season. The Rypien move is not expected to affect Bagent’s status, with The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain noting there does not appear to be a competition for the Bears’ QB2 post (subscription required). As the only Bears QB returning from 2023, Bagent should not expect a change to his role.

Rypien could settle in as Chicago’s emergency third QB. Another tweak to the NFL’s rule involving emergency passers will allow teams to stash their emergency option on the practice squad and elevate that player continually. Teams will not need to pass their QB3s through waivers. Waivers would not apply to Rypien, who is a vested veteran, but the Bears would take a risk if they kept Rypien and exposed Bagent to waivers come August. But based on how the Bears structured their reps during their offseason program, Fishbain points to a clear Williams-Bagent-Rypien hierarchy — with Rypien on the practice squad as the emergency QB — being in place.

Bagent beat out both P.J. Walker and Nathan Peterman to be Fields’ top backup last year. His early work, as could be expected, featured some stumbles. While Bagent averaged only six yards per attempt and closed his four-game starter offering with three touchdown passes and six interceptions, the Bears did win two games with the Shepherd alum at the controls. Bagent also completed 65.7% of his passes, though he has been tasked with developing in new OC Shane Waldron‘s system.

Chicago added Rypien on a one-year, $1.1MM deal that includes no guaranteed money. The former Broncos backup spent the 2023 season with three teams. The Rams waived him after a rough start in Green Bay, and he made his way to the Seahawks’ practice squad — under then-Seattle OC Waldron — before the QB-needy Jets plucked him for their 53-man roster to close the season.

The Bears are currently carrying four QBs on their 90-man offseason roster. Rookie UDFA Austin Reed represents the least experienced option; he appears to be vying for a P-squad gig. The 16-man taxi squad era (since 2020) has given teams more flexibility, but even with the expanded P-squads and the recently reimplemented emergency-QB rule, carrying four passers has not been standard practice. Reed and Rypien may well be competing for one spot.

Reed spent the past two seasons as Western Kentucky’s starter, taking over for Bailey Zappe in the Hilltoppers’ pass-happy system. Reed’s numbers did not match Zappe’s record-setting 2021 slate — though, he did throw 71 TD passes from 2022-23 — but he did enough to convince the Bears to add him post-draft. It would still be a stretch for the Bears to use two young UDFAs as Williams’ backups; Rypien’s experience would stand to benefit him given the current Chicago QB room’s makeup.

Bagent can be retained on a rookie deal, through the ERFA and RFA channels, through 2026. The Bears could form a steady QB1-QB2 arrangement for a few years, should the second-year player keep impressing as the backup arm. Training camp represents Bagent’s next window to do so, but barring a significant step back, it appears the backup gig is his to lose.

Bears Sign QB Brett Rypien

March 13th, 2024 at 3:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent remain on the Bears’ roster, with the draft expected to be used to bring in the team’s next starter. The Bears are also adding another veteran arm.

Brett Rypien signed a one-year deal with the Bears on Tuesday. Rypien spent time with new Bears OC Shane Waldron in Seattle last season. This will be team No. 4 for Rypien over the past six months.

The Rams rostered Rypien for the season’s first half, bringing in the former Broncos backup just after the draft. Following a rough start in Green Bay, however, Rypien received his walking papers ahead of the Rams’ Carson Wentz addition. The Seahawks then added the veteran to their practice squad, which preceded a Jets late-season poaching. The middle stint is the most relevant to Rypien’s latest move.

Waldron resided as the Seahawks’ OC last season, and Rypien spent nearly a month on the team’s P-squad. While that is a brief cameo even by NFL standards, it does appear Waldron liked enough about Rypien’s form. A Denver backup for four years prior to the three-city 2023 odyssey, Rypien stands to be a factor for the Bears’ second- or third-string job once the offseason program begins.

Chicago is widely expected to draft Caleb Williams first overall. Unlike other QBs being considered in Round 1, the 2022 Heisman winner should not be expected to be stashed as a developmental project. With Williams ticketed for the QB1 role, the Bears are almost certain to trade Fields. That said, the three-year Chicago starter’s market has not taken off like the team hoped. A brief Raiders connection fizzled, and given that Luke Getsy coached Fields for two seasons, Las Vegas’ Gardner Minshew payment (two years, $25MM, $15MM guaranteed) probably matters with regards to the QB’s trade value.

Once connected to fetching Chicago a potential Day 2 pick and perhaps more, Fields may no longer be likely to generate such compensation. The Bears are standing pat for the time being, though Fields should not be expected to be on their 2024 roster. That could leave Rypien and Bagent in a competition behind Williams.

Jets To Sign QB Brett Rypien Off Seahawks’ Practice Squad, Waive Tim Boyle

December 5th, 2023 at 11:34am CST by Adam La Rose

Set to make another change to their quarterback depth chart, the Jets are making a shake-up to their roster as well. New York is adding Brett Rypien off the Seahawks’ practice squad and waiving Tim Boyle, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson.

The latter passer received a pair of starts after the decision was made to bench Zach Wilson. Boyle did not impress in either outing, however, and he was lifted in favor of Trevor Siemian in the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 13 loss. Now, a new face will enter the situation in the form of Rypien, who had been in Seattle for roughly one month following the end of his Rams tenure.

The 27-year-old filled in for an injured Matthew Stafford for one contest, but he struggled and was let go as a result. No teams put in a claim for him, leaving him free to sign anywhere. He elected to join the Seahawks, a decision which recently saw him elevated in the wake of Geno Smith facing availability concerns. Smith was able to play, however, and the presence of backup Drew Lock limited Rypien’s prospects of seeing playing time in the Emerald City.

Now, the the former Bronco will have the chance to earn practice reps and/or playing time with the Jets as they continue to search for a short-term answer under center. Wilson had an extended run in the wake of Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear, but he was later demoted to third-stringer for the second season in a row to clear a starting spot for Boyle. With the latter now out of the picture, Wilson is believed to be the Jets’ preference for Week 14. A report from Monday indicated, however, the former second overall pick has expressed hesitancy over returning to game action.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh had not yet named a starter for Week 14 or beyond, something which especially makes sense given today’s news. The addition of Rypien will give New York a new option to consider as the team looks to find some level of consistency on offense. Boyle, meanwhile, will hit the waiver wire, making him available to any interested teams. If he clears, he will become a free agent and be able to join the Jets’ practice squad or head elsewhere in search of playing time.

Seahawks Activate CB Coby Bryant From IR

November 23rd, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Rory Parks

NOVEMBER 23: After placing rookie sixth-round safety Jerrick Reed II on IR following a torn ACL, Carroll was indeed able to find room on the roster for Bryant. The second-year Cincinnati product is now set to return to a crowded cornerbacks room led by Witherspoon, Woolen, and Brown with solid contributions from Jackson and Burns. Brown seems to have taken his third cornerback role while Jackson started ahead of him all last year, so it will be interesting to see how Bryant fits into the defense moving forward. Reed, in his first season out of New Mexico, hasn’t been asked to do much as a rookie on defense but is currently third on the team in special teams tackles.

In addition to the two IR transactions, the Seahawks also activated practice squad quarterback Brett Rypien for tonight as a standard gameday elevation. They’ll hope he’s not necessary, but with Geno Smith banged up heading into the Thanksgiving Day matchup with the division-rival 49ers, Rypien will serve as Drew Lock‘s backup should Smith be forced to the bench for any reason.

NOVEMBER 19: The Seahawks selected Coby Bryant in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and Bryant appeared in all 17 games in his rookie season, including six starts. He also enjoyed a 65% snap share.

He started the first two games of the 2023 campaign at nickel and played in 77% of Seattle’s defensive snaps despite exiting the club’s Week 2 contest early due to a toe injury. That injury ultimately forced the ‘Hawks to place Bryant on injured reserve.

According to head coach Pete Carroll, Bryant is healthy and is ready to return to the field (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). However, the Seahawks have not yet opened his 21-day practice window because they feel they do not have enough room for him on the active roster.

That serves as both an indictment of Bryant’s play as well as a testament to the quality of Seattle’s cornerback depth chart. Rookie Devon Witherspoon, the No. 5 overall pick of this year’s draft, has been on the field for every defensive snap this season, and he has thrived. Pro Football Focus’ metrics presently position the Illinois product as the eighth-best corner in the league out of 109 qualified players, and the 55.2% completion rate and 80.7 quarterback rating he has yielded support that assessment. He has also amassed two sacks, a pick-six, and 12 passes defensed.

Riq Woolen, who earned a Pro Bowl nod and led the league with six interceptions in his rookie season in 2022 — he was selected one round after Bryant — is enjoying a solid sophomore season, and he rarely comes off the field. Tre Brown, meanwhile, has a 60% snap share and has generally played well, and Michael Jackson and Artie Burns have been useful complementary pieces.

Bryant, who was tied for third in the league with four forced fumbles in 2022, has struggled in coverage, having yielded a 75% completion percentage and 116.5 QB rating in 2022 and a whopping 90% completion percentage and 98.7 QB rating this year. In his limited action in 2023, PFF assigned him an abysmal 39.1 coverage grade.

As such, Bryant may need to wait for an injury or a sudden downturn in performance from one of his fellow CBs to come off of IR and aid in the Seahawks’ push for an NFC West title.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford Expected Back In Week 11

November 16th, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Ben Levine

NOVEMBER 16: Stafford returned to practice in full on Wednesday, and he said (via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic) he expects to do the same during the rest of the week. The veteran added he originally thought his thumb injury was worse than it was, but a strong next few days will pave the way for his return. That will be a welcomed development for a Rams team looking to improve on its 3-6 start.

NOVEMBER 13: Matthew Stafford is expected to be back under center for the Rams in Week 11. Coach Sean McVay told reporters that his starting QB should be good to go for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks (via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop).

“He’s making great progress, and so we’re operating with the anticipation and expectation that he is going to be good to go,” McVay said. “He’ll be pushing through, but we expect him to be able to start and play and do his thing and lead the way this week.”

Stafford injured the UCL in his thumb back in Week 8. The Rams went with Brett Rypien in Week 9, and the organization ended up moving on from the backup following that loss to the Packers. Barring an unexpected setback, newly-signed Carson Wentz will be the Rams QB2 moving forward. McVay spoke on the Rams’ QB switch, noting that the front office viewed the move as a clear upgrade.

“[We] feel good about Matthew returning, and obviously when he’s out there, you feel great about the leadership and everything that he provides, but god forbid if something were to happen where he weren’t available, felt like this would offer an opportunity for somebody that’s played a lot of high level football to get him in here [and] get him kind of familiar with some of the things that we’re doing,” McVay said.

Thanks to the Rams’ Week 10 bye, Stafford has had two weeks to recover from his thumb injury. While the veteran’s completion percentage and TD percentage are among the lowest of his career, the Rams offense will surely welcome back their starter.

Seahawks Sign QB Brett Rypien

November 10th, 2023 at 12:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although no team claimed Brett Rypien on waivers this week, the veteran backup will rejoin one of his former Broncos QB mates within the Rams’ division. The Seahawks signed Rypien on a practice squad deal Friday.

Rypien will join Geno Smith and Drew Lock in Seattle’s quarterback room. Rypien backed up Lock in Denver, and the two were teammates from 2019-21. The Rams used Rypien as their Week 9 starter, but after the former UDFA struggled in Green Bay, the team decided to bring in Carson Wentz during its bye week.

Rather than demote Rypien, the Rams cut him soon after his start. The Boise State alum had been with the Rams since May, signing nearly two months after Sean Payton preferred Jarrett Stidham as Russell Wilson‘s backup. Rypien, 27, had operated in this role in 2022, staying on after the Broncos included Lock in the blockbuster trade to acquire the decorated passer from the Seahawks.

Lock and Rypien both arrived in Denver in 2019, the former a second-round pick. These two represented the constants in a changing Broncos QB room from 2019-21. The team traded for Joe Flacco to start in 2019, and Brandon Allen replaced the ex-Ravens mainstay due to Lock being injured as a rookie. Rypien received his first start in 2020, replacing Lock, and both were later part of the team’s QB room that ended up unavailable due to statuses as COVID-19 close contacts against the Saints later that season. Rypien resided as the Broncos’ third-stringer behind Teddy Bridgewater and Lock in 2021 but received more playing time last season, starting twice for an injured Wilson.

Against the Packers last week, Rypien completed just 46.4% of his passes and added two lost fumbles to a stat sheet that included an interception. After their 20-3 loss, the Rams decided to upgrade in Matthew Stafford insurance. He and Wentz, 30, are now the only two passers on the Rams’ 53-man roster or practice squad. Rypien averaged just 5.5 yards per attempt in two starts last season, one of which coming against a top-five Jets defense, but helped the Broncos to a late-season win over the Cardinals.

Rookie UDFA Holton Ahlers went to training camp with the Seahawks and ended up bouncing on and off the team’s practice squad during the season. The Seahawks did not dress Ahlers as an emergency third QB on gamedays, with Smith having been durable since being given the keys post-Wilson. After three weeks without a de facto third-stringer, the Seahawks will install Rypien in that role. While the team now has a recent Rams QB ahead of the Seahawks’ Week 11 matchup with them, Seattle already has extensive intel here, seeing as ex-Sean McVay staffer Shane Waldron is aboard as OC.

Rams To Waive QB Brett Rypien

November 7th, 2023 at 2:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the news of the Carson Wentz agreement, the Rams will spend their bye week with just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. With Wentz coming in, Brett Rypien will be jettisoned.

The Rams are waiving Rypien, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The former Broncos backup received the call against the Packers in relief of Matthew Stafford. After a 20-3 Rams loss that featured a poor Rypien performance, the team will have Stafford and Wentz as the QBs on its roster.

After four seasons in Denver, Rypien signed with Los Angeles shortly after the draft. The team had him in mind as a placeholder while Stetson Bennett developed. The 26-year-old rookie, however, landed on the reserve/non-football illness list in September. This left Rypien as the top Stafford backup. With Stafford again needing to miss time due to injury, the Rams were without another option. The Wentz deal will cover them going forward.

Rypien, 27, will be waived despite being a vested veteran. With the trade deadline having passed, all cut players are subject to waivers. Considering the QB trouble around the league, it will be interesting to see if someone picks up the former UDFA. But Rypien struggled in Green Bay, completing 46% of his passes while throwing an interception and fumbling twice. With Bennett out of the picture presently and the team cutting Dresser Winn from its practice squad, a spot could be open for Rypien — should he pass through waivers.

Considering Stafford’s recent injury history and Wentz being new to the team, it should be expected the Rams will carry a practice squad QB. Rypien has made four career starts, replacing Stafford, Russell Wilson and Drew Lock. He posted a 60.2% completion rate last season, throwing two TD passes and four interceptions. The nephew of Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien, Brett saw the Broncos give Jarrett Stidham a two-year, $10MM deal to replace him. The Rams have now ended Wentz’s near-eight-month free agency stay to do the same.

After Stafford gave the Rams 21 starts (counting the four postseason outings) in 2021, the Rams have started five QBs over the past two seasons. They turned to John Wolford, Bryce Perkins and Baker Mayfield amid Stafford’s injury-plagued 2022. Stafford made it through eight games this season and is expected to be ready for Week 11, but Wentz would now be in line to run that number to six should the starter need to miss more time.

The Rams attempted to reacquire Wolford by signing him off the Buccaneers’ practice squad last week, but the Florida native cited a desire to stay in Tampa, via the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. Although Wolford would not have had a choice had the Bucs not agreed to bump him up to their 53-man roster, the team did, cutting off a QB avenue for the Rams.

In addition to the QB transactions today, the Rams waived running back Myles Gaskin. The former Dolphins and Vikings back played in one game for the Rams, who reconfigured their backfield after the Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers injuries. Both must miss at least two more games. Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman have operated as L.A.’s primary backs since those IR moves came to pass.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford Inactive For Week 9

November 5th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Rory Parks

Brett Rypien will be the Rams’ starting quarterback in the team’s game against the Packers today, and Matthew Stafford will be inactive. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported last night that this was the expected outcome, and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic was among those to confirm that news this morning.

Stafford is dealing with a UCL sprain that he suffered in last week’s loss to the Cowboys. Luckily, the Rams have a Week 10 bye, so the 35-year-old passer will have plenty of time to get healthy before the team takes on the division-rival Seahawks in Week 11.

Although the Rams started the season with a somewhat encouraging 3-3 record, they have dropped both of their past two games and are relying on a former UDFA with three career starts to prevent a three-game skid. Stafford, meanwhile, has not rebounded from a disappointing 2022 campaign as Los Angeles had hoped, as he has completed less than 60% of his passes for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. That adds up to a subpar 82.0 quarterback rating.

Despite going into last week’s trade deadline with a 3-5 mark, the Rams never shopped any of their high-profile players, a list that includes Stafford. Of course, Stafford’s recent on-field performance and injury problems make his contract — which runs through 2026 and includes a fully-guaranteed base salary of $31MM in 2024 — largely untradeable anyway.

Rypien, whom the Broncos signed as a priority UDFA in 2019, made one start for Denver in 2020 and two more last season. He has gone 2-1 in those outings, though he has thrown just four TDs against eight picks in his pro career.

Rypien joined the Rams on a one-year contract in May. He was released as part of roster cutdowns at the end of August and subsequently joined LA’s taxi squad.

Load More Posts