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Bryce Love

Washington Waives Bryce Love

April 19th, 2021 at 2:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A former college standout will need to find a new NFL home. Washington has waived running back Bryce Love, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

It’s been a tough road in the pros for the former Stanford star, who has struggled to get over his knee issues. Love tore an ACL in his final game at Stanford, and has dealt with multiple setbacks in his recovery. Love was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in the 2017 season, and was talented enough for Washington to still use a fourth-round pick on him in 2019 despite the fresh injury.

He didn’t play at all as a rookie, and although he was active for a few games in 2020, he never touched the ball. He was placed on injured reserve in October, and although he later began practicing with the team, they eventually shut him down and didn’t activate him.

He’s undergone multiple knee surgeries, but is also still only 23. Given his youth and decorated college career another team will likely still at least take a flyer, but it’s not looking great for his NFL career.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Giants, Love

December 1st, 2020 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles did not hire an offensive coordinator this offseason, though former OC Marty Mornhinweg is on Philadelphia’s staff. Doug Pederson may be amendable to adding one in 2021. The Eagles HC said he is open to giving up play-calling responsibilities. However, nothing is imminent on a play-caller change this season, Tim McManus of ESPN.com notes. Although the Eagles have seen several of their skill-position players return to action, they used their 10th offensive line configuration to open Monday night’s game. Nothing has worked particularly well for Philly as of late; the Eagles rank 28th in total offense. These issues have upset owner Jeffrey Lurie, whom McManus adds skipped the Eagles’ Week 11 game in Cleveland out of frustration. The Eagles lost their weeks-long NFC East lead Monday night and sit 3-7-1.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

  • While Mark Columbo‘s dismissal from his post as Giants offensive line coach seemed abrupt, issues between he and Joe Judge escalated for weeks. Judge wanting to use a rotation up front to give younger linemen more experience irked Colombo, who sought continuity, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes. The Giants have used guard Shane Lemieux and rookie tackle Matt Peart off the bench this season. Lemieux has since usurped left guard starter Will Hernandez, though the latter still plays in a part-time role. Judge also interrupted one of Colombo’s O-line drills at a recent practice, correcting a Nick Gates technique. Colombo took exception to Judge’s adjustment and told Gates to ignore it, Dunleavy adds. Former Patriots O-line coach Dave DeGuglielmo is now overseeing Big Blue’s O-line.
  • The Giants did not have to worry about their quarterback depth chart, from an injury perspective, for 15 years; Eli Manning never missed a game due to injury. Daniel Jones has run into a hamstring malady, however, and faces at least a one-game absence. The Giants hosted Alex Tanney on a visit and may be planning an atypical arrangement for their former backup. Their tentative blueprint appears to be for Tanney to sign but reside away from the team for precautionary reasons, in light of what transpired in Denver last week, Twitter links via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Tanney was with the Giants during the 2018-19 seasons and learned Jason Garrett‘s system this offseason before being a preseason cut.
  • This may not be a set-in-stone setup just yet, though. The Giants hosted Joe Webb on a visit Tuesday. Webb, 34, has been in the NFL since 2010, operating as a special-teamer, wide receiver and backup quarterback.
  • Washington will not activate Bryce Love from injured reserve this season, according to ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). This will mean a second straight full-season absence for Love, a standout running back at Stanford. A Heisman finalist in 2017, Love tore his ACL in his final regular-season game with the Cardinal the following season and underwent multiple knee surgeries. He returned to practice last month but will not be promoted to Washington’s active roster before his 21-day activation window closes.

Bryce Love To Undergo Another Surgery

October 21st, 2019 at 9:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Redskins rookie running back Bryce Love is set to undergo knee surgery tomorrow, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). It will be a minor procedure that’s “aimed at speeding up the rehab from his original knee surgery.” JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington was first with the news (on Twitter).

Back in 2017, Love was one of the top running back prospects in the country, as he compiled more than 2,000 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns for Stanford. However, he struggled a bit during his senior campaign, and he ended up tearing his ACL during his final regular season game. The injury had a slight impact on his draft stock; while he was originally projected to be selected in the second or third round of the 2019 draft, he ended up falling to the fourth.

The Redskins still believed in Love’s potential, and the running back was basically expected to redshirt his rookie season. There was pessimism that Love wouldn’t fully recover from his injury, so the Redskins will naturally bring him along slowly. While tomorrow’s surgery is intended to speed up the process, it will still be a while before Love makes his NFL debut.

The Redskins have had some tough luck at running back, as former second-rounder Derrius Guice has been limited to a single game since entering the NFL. The 22-year-old is currently recovering from a torn meniscus, and he could be activated from the injured reserve later this season. Thanks in part to the injuries, the Redskins have been forced to give a 34-year-old Adrian Peterson the majority of their carries this season.

Redskins Sign Dwayne Haskins, 6 Others

May 9th, 2019 at 4:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Washington’s quarterback of the future signed his rookie deal on Thursday. Dwayne Haskins inked his four-year contract, with the 2023 option, the Redskins announced.

Chosen No. 15 overall, the Ohio State product signed his slot deal — worth $14.416MM with an $8.504MM signing bonus.

Six other Redskins draftees joined Haskins in signing shortly before the team begins its rookie minicamp. Running back Bryce Love, guard Wes Martin, center Ross Pierschbacher, linebacker Cole Holcomb, wide receiver Kelvin Harmon and cornerback Jimmy Moreland signed their four-year rookie pacts.

The second Redskins first-round quarterback pick this decade and fourth this century — following Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell, and Robert Griffin III — Haskins comes to Washington on the heels of throwing 50 touchdown passes as a sophomore. He joins a new-look Redskins quarterback room, featuring Case Keenum, and will likely see extensive action as a rookie.

The only members of Washington’s draft class yet to sign are Montez Sweat and Haskins’ college teammate Terry McLaurin.

Latest On Redskins’ RB Situation

April 28th, 2019 at 9:46am CST by Rory Parks

The Redskins selected Stanford running back Bryce Love in the fourth round of the 2019 draft yesterday, and running back Derrius Guice — whom Washington drafted in the second round last year — promptly tweeted out a nonplussed emoji that drew plenty of attention on the NFL Network’s draft coverage. Guice later said his tweet was not a response to the Love selection at all, but regardless of his thoughts on the matter, the pick does set up an interesting dynamic in the team’s RB room.

Guice, of course, tore his ACL last August, thereby ending his rookie campaign before it started. There was a report in December that his recovery had hit a snag, though he was said to be sprinting at full-speed in February. The last we heard, Guice was aiming for a training camp return, and as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote this morning, head coach Jay Gruden expects the LSU product to be back prior to the start of training camp. Gruden also refuted the December report that Guice’s rehab was delayed, and he added that the Love selection is no reflection on Guice.

Gruden said, “[The Love pick] is no reflection of anybody. We just got an opportunity to draft one heck of a player with an unbelievable production at a big-time school.”

Love entered his final collegiate season as a potential Heisman candidate after a tremendous junior year, but he put together an underwhelming campaign before tearing his ACL in December. There has been some chatter that Love could redshirt his rookie season in Washington as he continues to recover, but Love himself said he plans to be ready to go by the middle of training camp.

That is probably a little ambitious, and Love may very well spend the entire season the PUP list. But if he is ready to suit up at some point this year, it would create a logjam in Washington. The team is also rostering Adrian Peterson — who signed a two-year pact in March — Chris Thompson, and Samaje Perine. As Florio notes, one or more of those players will be on the move when Love is ready to go.

Draft Notes: Giants, QBs, Broncos, Tillery, Dolphins, Savage, Bryce Love

April 19th, 2019 at 12:31pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Giants have been one of the most heavily scrutinized teams leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft. Many observers thought they were going to take a quarterback with the second overall pick, but they passed on signal-callers like Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen to take Saquon Barkley. After Eli Manning had another disappointing season, it seemed like his time as New York’s quarterback was coming to an end, and that the Giants would almost certainly take on early this year. Instead, the Giants have more or less doubled down. They’ve already declared Manning will be the starter in 2019, and they’re reportedly even open to him starting in 2020 and beyond. As the draft got closer, the idea of the Giants passing on a quarterback began to pick up more and more steam.

But now we’re finally getting some pushback on that, and momentum appears to be heading the other way with the draft less than a week away. “Several smart people around the NFL are convinced” the Giants will use the sixth overall pick on a passer, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network hears (Twitter link). We heard yesterday that the Giants are doing their homework on West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, who could be a target on Day 2. Overall, the Giants have done a pretty good job keeping us all in the dark about their intentions, and we won’t know for sure what they’re doing until draft day.

Here’s more draft buzz from around the league with just six days until the draft kicks off:

  • “One of Broncos final pre-draft visits was with Notre Dame DE Jerry Tillery,” a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). Many analysts are very high on Tillery’s upside, and he’s currently projected by most to go sometime in the second round. Tillery played defensive tackle at Notre Dame, and could fit nicely as an end in Denver’s 3-4 defense. Last year with the Fighting Irish, Tillery had 8.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. With Von Miller and Bradley Chubb already in place, the Broncos would have a very talented pass-rush if they added someone like Tillery.
  • The “odds remain in favor of the Dolphins addressing their defensive line with their first-round choice,” writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. A lot of Dolphins fans have been hoping Miami would take a quarterback with the 13th pick, but the team appears set to punt on the position for now and take a bigger swing at it in 2020. The Dolphins appear set to roll with Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter for the duration of the 2019 season, and as much as they want to deny it, are tanking.
  • Darnell Savage Jr., the Maryland safety, has been shooting up draft boards. Savage has had a meteoric rise, and could go as high as the late first round. He’s been busy recently, visiting with the “Cardinals, Bucs, Steelers, Colts, Seahawks, Lions, Titans, Falcons, Chargers, Rams, Patriots, Panthers, Browns, Eagles and Steelers,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (Twitter link). Last season, Savage had 52 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss, and had four interceptions.
  • If he had left after his junior season, Stanford running back Bryce Love likely would’ve been an early draft pick. The 2017 Heisman runner-up opted to return to school for his senior year, and ended up tearing his ACL last season. Love’s stock took a hit, and it could be tumbling even further. Teams are very concerned that his knee, the same one where the ACL was torn, remains very stiff, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). Love attended the combine’s recent medical re-check, and some teams are apparently concerned he might not get back to 100 percent. Pelissero does note that the stiffness is an issue that can be treated, and it could require another surgery. Here’s to hoping Love makes a full recovery.

 

Stanford RB Bryce Love Tore ACL In Final Game

January 11th, 2019 at 9:06pm CST by Micah Powell

Though it was not reported at the time, Stanford running back and NFL draft hopeful Bryce Love tore his ACL during his final regular season game, Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel writes. 

Thamel reports the star back underwent surgery to repair the injury on Dec. 18 with Dr. James Andrews and is expected to make a full recovery. He will be at the NFL Draft Combine in February, but will obviously be extremely limited. He is also too early in the rehab process to have a return date set.

“I’m very grateful to Dr. Andrews and his team for making the surgery a seamless process,” Love said in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “Obviously, there’s no such thing as an ideal injury, but I’m on the path to recovery, and my goal remains the same — getting drafted by an NFL team and being the ultimate professional. I’ll be back better than I’ve ever been.”

Love burst on the scene as a junior, taking over for the departed Christian McCaffrey in Stanford’s backfield and rushing for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2017. The breakout season helped him finish second in the Heisman Trophy balloting, behind only Baker Mayfield. His senior campaign was not as impressive, however, as Love logged just 739 yards on 166 carries in 10 games.

According to WalterFootball.com, Love is tabbed as the No. 5 running back prospect in the upcoming draft, with a projected draft spot coming in Round 2 or 3. That is likely to take a plunge following the news of the serious knee injury.