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Dylan Thompson

Commanders Move Doug Williams Back To Personnel Role, Part Ways With Eugene Shen

June 25th, 2024 at 3:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Best known for his late-1980s run as Washington’s starting quarterback, Doug Williams remains with the organization. Though, the former Super Bowl XXII MVP’s role has changed a few times in recent years. Another adjustment will take place moving forward.

Moved out of the personnel picture early in Ron Rivera‘s tenure with the franchise, Williams is now back in the front office mix. The Commanders announced Tuesday the veteran exec will work as a senior advisor to GM Adam Peters. This will not be a foreign role for Williams, who was receiving Fritz Pollard Alliance recommendations for GM gigs in the late 2010s.

The first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl — a Washington romp over Denver that ended with the QB throwing four touchdown passes — Williams previously worked as Washington’s senior VP of player personnel during a three-year stretch from 2017-19. Days into his tenure atop the club’s personnel hierarchy, Rivera shifted Williams to the title of senior VP of player development. The Bruce Allen-era staple, despite multiple GM changes since the team president’s exit, remains and will join Rivera-era hires Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney as Peters lieutenants moving forward.

The Commanders also hired Texans director of player development Dylan Thompson, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Thompson, a former Lions character coach who spent three-plus years with Nick Caserio in Houston, to work as their senior director of team support and advancement. A former 49ers UDFA quarterback, Thompson did not overlap with Peters in San Francisco. But he will be part of the new Washington GM’s staff.

Washington is also moving on from senior VP of football strategy Eugene Shen, ESPN.com’s Seth Walder and John Keim report. Shen’s tenure lasted less than eight months, with Josh Harris having hired him in November. Coming to Washington after stints in Jacksonville, Baltimore and Miami, Shen was in place to provide more of an assessment rather than serve in a long-term capacity, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s JP Finlay.

Hurney remains in place after following Rivera to Washington, and fellow Rivera hire Rob Rogers will as well. Reported to be staying on at least through the draft, the ex-Panthers exec — hired in 2020 — is still with the club as VP of football administration. Carrying extensive negotiating experience, Rogers held this title for 11 years with the Panthers as well.

Additionally, the Commanders hired Doug Drewry as their manager of football research and development. Connor Nickel and Travis Ho are coming aboard as coaching analysts, while Matt Peterson is on the staff roster as the team’s football operations coordinator. Cyrus Daniels is in place as a football ops assistant. Dustin Regan is also now with the team as a college scout, being among the new scouting hires the now-Peters-led team has made this offseason. Charles Brensinger, Alberto de la Guardia, Mitch Sterner and Miles Turner are now scouting assistants with the NFC East team.

AFC South Rumors: Texans, Watt, Colts

February 19th, 2021 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the breaking point for Deshaun Watson came when the Texans did not keep him in the loop on their hires this offseason, he shared his frustration to coaches and management after last year’s DeAndre Hopkins trade. Then-Texans GM Bill O’Brien assured Watson he would be kept abreast on big-picture decisions going forward, according to Mike Sando, Aaron Reiss and Jason Jenks of The Athletic (subscription required). Watson voicing those concerns following the Hopkins swap also led to the no-trade clause in his Texans extension. However, the quarterback became further disillusioned with the franchise as the regular season progressed. After the Texans’ losses piled up and Cal McNair fired O’Brien, Watson questioned the team’s direction, per The Athletic. Shortly before Watson signed his extension, he said he “loved” the McNairs, the organization and Houston. The Texans have insisted they are not interested in trading Watson, but several teams are interested. And the three-time Pro Bowler has shown no indication he will back down.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

  • Watson’s longtime teammate, J.J. Watt, has been on the market a week. He has been connected to a few teams, including the Titans. After GM Jon Robinson confirmed the team had engaged in discussions with Watt, Mike Vrabel — Watt’s former defensive coordinator in Houston — addressed the possibility of a signing. “You mentioned J.J. Watt, and there will be other veteran players that become available that we’ll have discussions on, and we have had discussions on J.J. Watt,” Vrabel said during a call with season-ticket holders. “… There’s a lot of things that go into bringing in free agents, certainly ones that are past 30 or in the back half of their career.” Vrabel was the Texans’ linebackers coach from 2014-16 and DC in 2017. The Titans signed ex-Vrabel charge Jadeveon Clowney last year, but he is on track for free agency. And Tennessee’s pass rush remains in need of bolstering.
  • Although Matthew Stafford viewed the Colts as a possibility during his time on the trade block, Indianapolis did not offer its first-round pick for the 12-year Detroit starter. Washington and Carolina offered first-rounders and change, while the Rams won out with their monster proposal. The Colts, though, were a bit concerned about the 33-year-old quarterback’s level of play and whether it would end up being worth a big trade package, Stephen Holder of The Athletic notes. Frank Reich‘s history with Carson Wentz undoubtedly played a key role in the Colts taking a gamble on the longtime Eagles starter, and the team ended up retaining its 2021 first- and second-round picks in doing so.
  • The Texans are hiring former Lions character coach Dylan Thompson for a similar role, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. A former UDFA quarterback who moved to an off-field NFL role, Thompson is a friend of embattled Texans executive VP Jack Easterby‘s, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes. His relationship with Easterby helped lead to his job in Detroit and previously with the Charleston Southern basketball program.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/15/17

June 15th, 2017 at 5:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Rams Sign QB Dylan Thompson

May 30th, 2017 at 1:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have signed quarterback Dylan Thompson, according to a team announcement. To make room, running back De’Mard Llorens has been waived. Dylan Thompson (vertical)

The deal marks Thompson’s second stint with Los Angeles. Last year, he was with the Rams in the preseason before being dropped just prior to the 75-man cut. This time around, he might just have a chance of making the 53-man roster. As of this writing, he is the team’s QB3 behind starter Jared Goff and primary backup Sean Mannion.

Llorens, a product of Northwestern State, finished tenth all-time in school history with 2,381 rushing yards and scored 180 points in his time on campus. The hope was that he would follow fellow NSU alum offensive tackle Pace Murphy by making L.A.’s 53-man roster, but he’ll now have to try and stick somewhere else. The Rams’ running back group is headlined by starter Todd Gurley with support from former Cowboy Lance Dunbar, Malcolm Brown, and Aaron Green. USC rookie Justin Davis and Southern product Lenard Tillery are also on the 90-man.

NFC Notes: Dak, Vikes, Panthers, Packers

October 19th, 2016 at 8:51pm CST by Zachary Links

As expected, the Cowboys are starting quarterback Dak Prescott after the team’s bye week against the Eagles, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Tony Romo may not be ready to be considered for the following week against the Browns either, Rapoport hears.

More from the NFC:

  • It’s possible Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards’ DWI arrest in May will negatively affect his chances of eventually becoming a head coach, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press details (Twitter link). Edwards was among six assistants the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes minority hiring in the NFL, recommended last offseason for a head coaching job. Whether the Fritz Pollard Alliance endorses Edwards again will come down to opinions from Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, FPA chairman John Wooten told Tomasson. “I want to talk to Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer and see what their thoughts are, and whether they still support him in moving up the line,” he said. In a positive development for Edwards, Zimmer stuck by the 49-year-old assistant Wednesday in explaining his role with the 5-0 team. “He does a whole ton of things for me that I don’t have to do,” said Zimmer. “We talk about things all of the time as far as game plans. He goes through a lot of the research tape that I really don’t have time to do and we talk about of different things. But George is a very smart guy. He’s very diligent about his work. He cares about making sure his side of the ball performs very well.”
  • The Panthers worked out 14 free agents Wednesday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk was among those to report. Tight ends Alex Bayer, Kivon Cartwright, Jim Dray and Eric Wallace; defensive backs Tay Glover-Wright, Demetrius McCray, Jeremiah McKinnon and Shaun Prater; running back Darrel Young; quarterbacks Dylan Thompson and Sean Renfree; receivers Jeremy Ross and T.J. Graham; and defensive end Malliciah Goodman each tried to impress Carolina brass. The most experienced members of the group are Dray (91 appearances, 37 starts), Young (90, 36), Graham (47, 17), McCray (46, 16) and Goodman (34, 11).
  • The Packers have to consider moving on from Sam Shields next year, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com opines. Shields, a talented cornerback, recently suffered his second concussion in nine months and his fourth in the last six seasons. The soon-to-be 29-year-old plans to continue playing football, but it’s fair to wonder if he can return to his old form and stay on the field. By cutting Shields, the Packers could recoup some of the four-year, $39MM deal they gave him in 2014.

Rams Make Several Roster Moves, Down To 75

August 30th, 2016 at 1:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams are down to the 75-man roster limit. Here’s the full slate of transactions made by Los Angeles, per a club announcement.

Waived:

  • K Taylor Bertolet
  • TE Benson Browne
  • DB Michael Caputo
  • LB Zach Colvin
  • C/G Brian Folkerts
  • LB Darreon Herring
  • S Jordan Lomax
  • LS Jeff Overbaugh
  • WR David Richards
  • TE Jake Stoneburner
  • OT Jordan Swindle
  • QB Dylan Thompson

Waived/Injured:

  • FB Zach Laskey
  • WR Marquez North

If Laskey and North clear waivers, they’ll revert to the Rams’ IR list.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links) first reported most of these moves.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/16

June 6th, 2016 at 5:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Titans waived wide receiver Nick Harwell and waived/injured linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets, adding that Cudjoe-Virgil could revert to injured reserve if he clears waivers.
  • The Colts signed tackle Mitchell Van Dyk and waived/injured guard Isiah Cage, Mike Chappell of CBS4 tweets.
  • The Cardinals signed wide receiver Rico Richardson, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The former Jackson State player previously spent time with Tennessee.
  • The Raiders signed former University of Washington receiver Marvin Hall, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. Hall had been a tryout player at Oakland’s rookie mini-camp last month.
  • The Saints cut former Arkansas tight end Mitchell Loewen with a non-football injury designation and signed former Air Force tight end Garrett Griffin, reports Wilson (Twitter links).
  • After being cut by the 49ers a month ago today, quarterback Dylan Thompson has signed with the Rams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who notes that Los Angeles could be stockpiling arms in anticipation of trading or releasing Nick Foles.

49ers Sign DeForest Buckner, Draftees, UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers have confirmed the previously-reported signings of sixth-round draft picks Kelvin Taylor and Jeff Driskel, and announced nearly two dozen more roster moves to go along with those signings. In a press release, the Niners said they have waived four players from their 90-man roster, signed nine draft picks (including Taylor and Driskel), and added 12 undrafted free agents to the mix.DeForest Buckner

San Francisco’s most notable transaction is the signing of defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, who becomes the highest-drafted player to ink his rookie contract so far. Buckner, a standout at Oregon, was snagged by the 49ers with the seventh overall pick in last week’s draft, and is in line for a four-year contract worth more than $18.19MM, including a signing bonus of approximately $11.43MM. His deal also features a fifth-year option for 2020.

Listed below are the other draftees signed today by the 49ers, in addition to Buckner, Taylor, and Driskel. Only first-round guard Joshua Garnett and third-round defensive back Will Redmond are still unsigned:

While the 49ers had plenty of space on their roster for their draft picks, the team didn’t have much extra flexibility to add more than a handful of undrafted free agents. As such, San Francisco has cut four veterans: offensive lineman Jordan Devey, kicker Corey Acosta, running back Kendall Gaskins, and quarterback Dylan Thompson.

Devey is perhaps the most notable name in this group — the 49ers didn’t make many headlines when they acquired him from the Patriots in a trade for tight end Asante Cleveland last August, but Devey unexpectedly made his way into the club’s starting lineup to open the season. Although he was replaced down the stretch, the 28-year-old made nine starts and played nearly 400 offensive snaps for San Francisco in 2015.

With a few spots cleared on their 90-man roster, the Niners officially added 12 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full list of those UDFAs:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Place Colin Kaepernick On IR

November 21st, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Ben Levine

In a somewhat surprising move, the 49ers have decided to shelve Colin Kaepernick for the rest of the season.

The team announced today that they’ve placed the quarterback on the injured reserve. Quarterback Dylan Thompson has been promoted from the practice squad to take his place, tweets Aaron Wilson the Houston Chronicle.

The fifth-year quarterback who had been benched for the 49ers’ previous game due to ineffectiveness went through practice as a full participant this week, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch reports (on Twitter), and was listed on the injury report as probable with a left shoulder injury. However, after Friday’s practice, Kaepernick consulted with the 49ers’ team doctor, complaining of left shoulder pain, and the team opted for this IR move, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).

Barrows also tweets a second opinion revealed a significant tear in Kaepernick’s left labrum, inducing a likely surgery.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport hears the injury will require surgery (Twitter link), something Kaepernick is requesting, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). As rumors are rampant for a Saturday afternoon, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group’s tweeting Kaepernick’s surgery’s already scheduled for Tuesday.

Kaepernick has a $16.7MM cap hold in 2016, but the 49ers can avoid paying him the $11.9MM base salary set for next season if they cut him prior to April 1, ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan tweets.

Speculation’s already begun as to whether the signal-caller’s played his last game as a 49er, with Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller wondering if the team wants to make sure the former second-round pick is healthy before they release him in the offseason (Twitter link). As long as Kaepernick can pass his physical, the 49ers aren’t on the hook for the aforementioned salary, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

Following two seasons where he guided the 49ers to the NFC title game, Kaepernick signed a team-friendly, six-year, $114MM deal in June 2014. The quarterback’s salaries from 2015-17 are guaranteed for injury only, increasing the 49ers’ incentive to be over-protective here, as their season is almost certain to not end in the playoffs.

No more fully guaranteed money remains on Kaepernick’s contract after this season, as NFL.com’s Albert Breer notes (via Twitter), despite the QB playing in just the second year of the deal.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West

September 6th, 2015 at 5:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed to practice squad (link via Matt Maiocco):
    • WR DiAndre Campbell
    • CB Marcus Cromartie
    • RB Kendall Gaskins
    • DT Kaleb Ramsey
    • OLB Marcus Rush
    • NT Garrison Smith
    • QB Dylan Thompson
    • OG Andrew Tiller (Twitter link via Matt Barrows)
    • S Jermaine Whitehead (Twitter link via Barrows)

Seattle Seahawks

St. Louis Rams

  • Signed to practice squad:
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