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Pat White

AFC West Rumors: Ross, Chargers, Broncos

July 30th, 2022 at 4:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross was one of the biggest names left on the board when the 2022 NFL Draft concluded. Unfortunately for the team that signed him, Ross was placed on the injured reserve by the Chiefs earlier this week. 

Ross helped lead the Tigers to their 2018 national championship as a true freshman with 46 receptions for 1,000 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He followed it up as a sophomore with 66 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ross’s college career was derailed by a congenital fusion condition of his neck and spine. The condition and the required surgery had the potential to end his entire career. He missed the entire 2020 season and came back to play in ten games of his redshirt junior season, catching 47 balls for 524 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn’t quite the end he desired in Clemson, but Ross decided to forgo his senior year and head to the NFL.

His debut with the Chiefs will have to wait, though, as he underwent foot surgery that will delay his first appearance in red and yellow.

Here are a few other notes from around the AFC West, starting in the City of Angels:

  • The Chargers announced the hiring this week of Pat White as a new offensive assistant for the team. White is the former star quarterback for West Virginia who became a second-round pick for the Dolphins in 2009. White appeared in 13 games as a rookie for the Dolphins but never threw a pass, mainly being utilized in the Dolphins’ infamous Wildcat formation of the time. White spent last year’s training camp with the Chargers as part of the team’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship and has spent the past few regular seasons coaching quarterbacks in the college ranks at institutions such as Campbell, Alcorn State, South Florida, and Alabama State. It will be interesting to see where White fits in the coaching staff for the Chargers this season.
  • With new ownership set to take over in Denver, senior vice president of strategy, and former heir apparent to be controlling owner of the Broncos, Brittany Bowlen has stepped down from her role with the team, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Denver Post. The daughter of late owner Pat Bowlen, Brittany was long presumed to be the next in line, taking all the necessary steps in preparation to take over. But with the team’s sale last month, Bowlen informed the Broncos’ staff that she would be stepping away, wishing the Walton-Penner Family Ownership luck in the process.

Extra Points: Holmes, Steelers, Cards, Willis

March 20th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver Santonio Holmes isn’t getting any bites this offseason and he told SI Now (video link) that he doesn’t understand why he’s out of a job.

“It baffles me a little to know that I’m not a part of any organization,” Holmes said. “It is a gift and a curse at the same time. And I say that because the gift of playing and the opportunity to be a figure in the National Football League. I enjoyed my time. And the curse of having one injury in my entire career that people are now looking at me as if Santonio Holmes is not the guy anymore.”

Many feel that Holmes is no longer the same player after suffering a Lisfranc fracture in 2012 with the Jets. It also doesn’t help that he has a reputation as a difficult locker room presence.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Steelers haven’t exactly been aggressive in free agency so far, and that approach won’t change anytime soon. Team president Art Rooney II said today that Pittsburgh continues to look at available options, but he isn’t expecting much in the way of upcoming free agent signings, as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review outlines.
  • The Cardinals have been a bit more active in free agency than Pittsburgh, having signed Mike Iupati to a lucrative long-term deal. However, for the most part, GM Steve Keim is on the lookout for bargains, writes Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com.
  • Appearing on NBC Sports Network on Thursday, speaking to former teammate Takeo Spikes, Patrick Willis said he’s having no second thoughts about his decision to retire, and adamantly stated there’s no chance he attempts a comeback. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com has the details and quotes.
  • Former Dolphins quarterback Pat White has announced his retirement, according to the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos (on Twitter). White only played in the CFL in 2014 and didn’t see the field much with the Eskimos as there were multiple quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. Former Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland drafted White No. 44 overall in 2009 but the West Virginia product did very little on the NFL gridiron.
  • The Cowboys, Saints, Chiefs, and Texans will have some cap work to do between now and the summer, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (Twitter links). Meanwhile, the Browns, Jaguars, Titans, and Buccaneers figure to have lots of cap space leftover (Twitter link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Seahawks Hire Jeff Ireland As Draft Consultant

April 26th, 2014 at 11:35am CST by Matt Feminis

Former Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland is assisting the Seahawks’ draft preparations, reports Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez, who says Ireland and the team could discuss a full-time role after the draft.

Ireland served as the Dolphins’ GM from 2008 until January when he was jettisoned — not coincidentally — amidst the team’s bullying scandal involving Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito. Under Ireland’s leadership, the Dolphins managed a mediocre 35 wins over his his last five years at the helm, in part because of his poor drafting and inability to assemble a productive, cohesive offense. Notable busts on his record include Chad Henne, Phillip Merling and Pat White, while last year’s No. 3 overall pick Dion Jordan has already hit the trade block. Several other players drafted in the first four rounds have also struggled to establish themselves.

Aside from constructing a lackluster roster, Ireland did not do the organization any favors from a public relations standpoint, either. In 2010, he infamously asked draft prospect Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. In 2012, he swore at a fan. And most recently, it was revealed that Martin’s agent brought the bullying issue to Ireland’s attention, at which point the GM suggested Martin fight Incognito.

Ireland began his professional scouting career working for the National Scouting Combine before working for the Chiefs as an area scout, then climbing the ladder in Dallas, where he earned the respect of Bill Parcells, who handed Ireland the reins in Miami.

The Super Bowl champs hiring a controversial executive would be mildly surprising if not for the fact Ireland and Seahawks GM John Schneider are “buddies,” notes NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).