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Christine Michael

XFL Draft Day 1 Fallout

October 15th, 2019 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The XFL’s two-day draft began Tuesday. In addition to certain quarterbacks being assigned to teams, several notable players went off the board in the rebooting league’s selection event.

The league divided its draft into sections. Skill-position players (and other quarterbacks) went in one portion of the draft, with offensive linemen going second and then select defenders in another section. Connor Cook was the first quarterback to go in the non-allocation portion of the draft, being selected by the Houston franchise at No. 2 overall.

Here are some recent NFL skill-position players taken:

Here are the notable offensive linemen selected in that section of the draft:

Lastly, some front-seven names of note came off in that part of this event:

For a full team-by-team breakdown, Sporting News cataloged the first parts of this event.

Jones, Michael To Work Out For XFL

June 6th, 2019 at 8:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both Landry Jones and Christine Michael enjoyed short stays on AFC South rosters last season. Jones caught on with the Raiders this offseason before a May release. Each will now explore a new option.

Jones, Michael and former Packers fullback Aaron Ripkowski are three known players who will work out for the XFL at an upcoming showcase, the restarting league announced recently (via Twitter links). All three will work out in Dallas, which is one of eight sites where these summer showcases will take place.

While the Dallas and Houston auditions are this weekend, the other six XFL cities — New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tampa Bay, St. Louis — will run theirs between June 14 and July 13. There will likely be a host of familiar names at these tryouts, considering what happened to the Alliance of American Football earlier this year.

XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said the teams will start signing players after their respective showcases but added there will be some type of out clauses for them to accept NFL offers. The XFL also plans to have a dispersal draft in September or October. The purpose of said draft will be divvying up the players who do not make NFL rosters this summer.

“If a guy signs with us and then three weeks later, prior to our draft, has an opportunity to go to an NFL team, we’ll say, ‘Take the opportunity,’” Luck said, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “After the draft, we’ll expect those players to stay. If they think they have an opportunity in the NFL they have to do that before the draft.”

The Jaguars briefly employed Jones last year but cut the longtime Steelers backup after a three-week stay. The Raiders opted for Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman over the 30-year-old veteran.

Michael did not participate in any known workouts after the Colts cut him in late September. Michael, 28, enjoyed a productive stint with the 2016 Seahawks (469 rushing yards, six touchdowns) but spent the 2017 season on IR and most of the ’18 campaign unemployed. The Chiefs signed Ripkowski, a three-year Packers fullback, to a reserve/futures deal this year but cut him after the draft.

Colts Cut RB Christine Michael

September 24th, 2018 at 4:48pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Colts are releasing veteran running back Christine Michael, a source told Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). The 27-year-old lasted just three weeks in Indianapolis, the latest stop in his long-winding career.

Michael was always someone thought by evaluators to be high on talent, but could never put it all together. He re-signed on a one-year deal with the Colts this March after spending all of 2017 on injured reserve. Through three weeks, he appeared in just two games, carrying the ball twice for nine yards. Rookie Jordan Wilkins has emerged as a solid runner this year, and the team apparently feels comfortable moving forward with just Wilkins, Marlon Mack, and fellow rookie Nyheim Hines on the depth chart.

Michael was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round back in 2013, but never made a huge impact in Seattle. At the beginning of the 2015 season, he was traded to the Cowboys for just a conditional seventh round pick. Just a couple months later, he was waived by Dallas. After a short stint on the Redskins’ practice squad, he found himself back with the Seahawks. He spent parts of the next two seasons as Seattle’s starting running back, and played well, but was surprisingly waived in November of 2016.

He spent the rest of 2016 with the Packers, before signing with the Colts. It’s been a long journey for Michael, and he’ll likely resurface somewhere on a team that needs running back help. For his career he’s rushed for 1,080 yards on 254 carries (4.3 YPC) with seven touchdowns.

Colts Re-Sign RB Christine Michael

March 21st, 2018 at 5:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have re-signed running back Christine Michael, the club announced today.

Michael, 27, has typically been long on talent and upside, but short on results, during his five-year NFL career. Last season, the former second-round pick signed with Indianapolis in early June only to be placed on injured reserve two weeks later. The Colts must have liked what they saw from Michael during that brief stay on the roster, as they’ve now agreed to bring him back for another campaign.

Michael’s most productive season came in 2016, when he split time between the Seahawks and Packers. After beginning the year as Seattle’s starting running back, Michael managed six touchdowns before being surprisingly released at midseason. He managed only 3.7 yards per carry after being picked up by the Packers, who eventually cut him the following summer.

The Colts do not plan to re-sign veteran Frank Gore, so Michael will join a running back depth chart currently comprised of Marlon Mack, Robert Turbin, Matt Jones, George Winn, and Josh Ferguson.

Colts Place Christine Michael On IR

June 15th, 2017 at 7:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Christine Michael‘s stay on the Colts’ active roster was short, as the veteran running back has been placed on injured reserve, the club announced today. Indianapolis has signed fellow running back Troymaine Pope to fill its empty roster spot.Christine Michael (vertical)

It’s unclear exactly what type of injury forced Michael onto IR, but Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that Michael went down hard in practice yesterday following a collision. Depending on the severity of Michael’s health issue, he could conceivably be released with an injury settlement, allowing him to once again the free agent market after he recovers.

Michael, 26, had just signed on earlier this month to serve as a reserve for the Colts behind starting running back Frank Gore. After averaging 3.9 yards per carry and scoring seven touchdowns with the Seahawks and Packers a year ago, Michael had been set to compete for playing time alongside fellow backups Robert Turbin and rookie Marlon Mack.

Now, that opportunity will go to Pope, who like Michael is a former member of the Seahawks. The 23-year-old Pope appeared in three games for Seattle in 2016, rushing 11 times for 43 yards.

Colts To Sign RB Christine Michael

June 1st, 2017 at 2:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have signed running back Christine Michael, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, running back Brandon Radcliff has been cut."<strong

The Colts’ running back depth chart is currently headlined by a 34-year-old Frank Gore. Robert Turbin, fourth-round rookie Marlon Mack, and Josh Ferguson are also on the roster. Michael will be competing for one of the spots behind Gore and he could apply some pressure to Ferguson, a 2016 UDFA who didn’t do much after garnering buzz last summer.

Michael was released by the Packers earlier this offseason as a part of the club’s effort to make room for the three running backs selected in the draft.

The Texas A&M product was once viewed as a high-upside player, but it’s not clear what C-Mike can bring to the table at this stage of his career. The running back averaged 5.1 yards per carry in a limited sample for the Seahawks in 2014, but he has not been able to replicate that success in the last two seasons.

This now marks Michael’s fifth NFL team after time spent with the Seahawks, Cowboys, Redskins, and Packers.

Patriots Host RB Christine Michael On Visit

May 10th, 2017 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

Christine Michael visited the Patriots on Tuesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Michael was released by the Packers earlier this month along with fellow running back Don Jackson, creating room for the three running backs selected in the draft. Christine Michael (vertical)

[RELATED: Patriots Could Use UFA Tender On LeGarrette Blount]

Michael signed a new contract with the Packers earlier this offseason, but it didn’t take long for them to have a change of heart. The Texas A&M product was once viewed as a high-upside player, but it’s not clear what C-Mike can bring to the table at this stage of his career. The running back averaged 5.1 yards per carry in a limited sample for the Seahawks in 2014, but he has not been able to replicate that success in the last two seasons.

The Patriots, meanwhile, are pretty well set at running back after signing Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead. James White, Dion Lewis, Brandon Bolden, and D.J. Foster are also under contract, giving the team six quality veteran RBs on the roster. Michael could be added to the mix as low-cost competition, but it doesn’t seem like his chances of making the team are all that high.

Packers To Cut RB Christine Michael

May 1st, 2017 at 11:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers are reshaping their running back depth chart. Moments after cutting Don Jackson, the Packers are also releasing Christine Michael, league sources tell Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Christine Michael (vertical)

Michael signed a new contract with the Packers this offseason – a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with a paltry $25K signing bonus. Already, Green Bay has decided that it would be better off without him. After cutting the 26-year-old, Ty Montgomery stands as the team’s only running back under contract.

Green Bay claimed Michael off waivers from the Seahawks last fall and the former-second round pick proceeded to handle 31 carries for the Packers down the stretch. Before joining GB, Michael spent seven weeks as Seattle’s clear-cut No. 1 running back and posted two multi-score games during that run.

North Notes: Steelers, Lions, Riddick, Pack

March 26th, 2017 at 4:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a quick spin around the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • Although the Steelers are proceeding as if veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will return in 2017, the club is still expected to search for a long-term successor in the draft, according to Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com. “I think we’ve been in that mindset for the last several years, that’s what this business tells us to be in,” said Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin. “We better start sharpening our sword in terms of evaluation of quarterbacks and what’s available to us or potentially available to us, that’s just due diligence. So yes, we have.” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert also indicated earlier this year that his team would start to look for a Roethlisberger replacement at some point, a course of action PFR suggested when assessing Pittsburgh’s top offseason needs.
  • Lions running back Theo Riddick had surgery on both wrists near the end of last season, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, who adds those operations forced Riddick to be placed on injured reserve in December. Riddick, who still managed 53 receptions in an injury-shortened 2016 campaign, is expected to be available for the beginning of OTAs. Detroit is still expected to upgrade its backfield this offseason, meaning the club could target options either through free agency (where a number of backs are still unsigned) or the draft.
  • Christine Michael‘s new contract with the Packers is a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal that includes a $25K signing bonus, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Thanks to the MSB, Michael will earn $800K but only count for $640K against Green Bay’s cap. Michael, 26, is one of only three running backs currently on the Packers’ roster along with Ty Montgomery and Don Jackson.

Packers Re-Sign Christine Michael

March 22nd, 2017 at 5:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers have re-signed running back Christine Michael, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).Christine Michael (vertical)

Green Bay claimed Michael off waivers from the Seahawks last fall, and the former-second round pick proceeded to handle 31 carries for the Packers down the stretch. Michael, 26, spent seven weeks as Seattle’s clear-cut No. 1 running back, and posted two multi-score games during that run.

Michael’s role soon dwindled, however, and while he also didn’t manage much of a role with the Packers, Michael ranks as PFR’s No. 8 free agent back. He’ll give Green Bay another option in a backfield that currently only includes Ty Montgomery and Don Jackson. The Packers lost Eddie Lacy earlier this month when he signed a one-year deal with Seattle.

Michael visited the Packers earlier today along with free agent offensive lineman Byron Bell.

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