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Rod Taylor

NFL Injury Roundup: Jefferson, Herbert, Hamilton

December 10th, 2023 at 6:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Justin Jefferson‘s return from injured reserve may not last long. In Jefferson’s first game back from the IR-stint caused by a nagging hamstring injury, the Vikings wide receiver was knocked out of the game early with a separate injury.

While cutting across the middle of the field on a deep slant, Jefferson leapt up, arms extended, in an attempt to grab a high pass from quarterback Joshua Dobbs. While Jefferson was fully exposed in the process of the catch, Raiders safety Marcus Epps delivered a big shot to Jefferson’s rib cage from the side.

It didn’t take long for the team to rule Jefferson out for the remainder of the game with a chest injury. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Minnesota decided to transport Jefferson to a local hospital in Las Vegas. While perhaps not indicative of the worst-case scenario, the Vikings are likely just acting out of an abundance of caution.

At 6-6, the Vikings are one of a handful of NFC teams on the boundary of playoff contention, even without Jefferson for the last eight weeks. If Jefferson’s chest injury is not too painful to overcome, he would be a great asset in a playoff push to close the season.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the league:

  • The Chargers are facing an uphill battle in their attempts to remain in playoff contention. Things won’t get any easier as starting quarterback Justin Herbert was ruled out of today’s game with a finger injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. With Herbert out, backup quarterback Easton Stick has entered the game for his first game action since the 2020 season. Since starting in place of an injured Tyrod Taylor in Week 2 of his rookie season, Herbert has not missed a single start in his career. If Herbert’s finger keeps him out for more than a few days, with Los Angeles facing a short week, Stick could see his first ever NFL start in Vegas this Thursday.
  • Ravens do-it-all safety Kyle Hamilton was forced to leave today’s overtime win over the Rams with a knee injury. He had sat out a couple of plays after initially tweaking his knee before returning to the field of play earlier in the game. A few drives later, he would not return and was ruled out for the rest of the game. According to Schefter, the plan is for Hamilton to undergo an MRI scan tomorrow in order to determine the extent of the injury. Baltimore is set up well with Marcus Williams and Geno Stone at safety, but Hamilton lines up in so many places on the defense that he would be virtually impossible to replace with a single player if he’s forced to miss any time.

QB Rumors: Trubisky, Winston, Taylor, Lock

March 13th, 2022 at 4:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants’ new head coach, Brian Daboll, worked with free agent quarterback Mitchell Trubisky when they were both with the Bills last year (Daboll as offensive coordinator). Well, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN, Daboll has interest in luring Trubisky to join him in New York.

There’s been some interest in bringing Trubisky to Pittsburgh, as well, where a path to starting is much more clear. If Daboll’s familiarity with the sixth-year quarterback is able to attract him to the Giants, though, the head coach sees the potential for him to mirror the results of Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. A quick refresher: Tannehill arrived in Nashville in 2019 in a trade with the Dolphins. Tannehill started the season in the role of back up quarterback to the incumbent starter Marcus Mariota. After a 2-4 start to the season, Mariota was benched in favor of Tannehill, who went 7-3 for the rest of the year and led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game.

Daboll holds hope that, while Daniel Jones may retain the starting job in New York, if the need presents itself, Trubisky could provide the same effect as Tannehill.

Some other notes concerning quarterbacks around the league:

  • Another option the Steelers could be looking into, Jameis Winston is looking like the most likely starting quarterback for the Saints in 2022, according to Graziano. With Teddy Bridgewater headed to free agency, a return to New Orleans could be possible, and Winston may see some opportunities in testing the free agent market, himself. But Winston is a locker room favorite that saw success on the Saints before tearing his ACL midseason last year.
  • Tyrod Taylor lost the starting job in Houston last year to rookie quarterback Davis Mills. With Mills expected to return to the starting position next year, the Texans do have interest in bringing Taylor back in the role of back up quarterback, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Taylor has chased starting jobs throughout his career and has seen some success at times. He may search for a new opportunity to start, but, if not, Taylor has shown professionalism several times in back up roles mentoring young quarterbacks.
  • After receiving Drew Lock in the Russell Wilson-trade with the Broncos, Seattle is considering the elements to Lock’s lack of success in Denver, according to Fowler. Some believe that the revolving door of offensive coordinators contributed to his struggles. Seattle is analyzing whether they believe in Pete Carroll‘s ability to develop Lock, who showed glimpses of promise in his early appearances as a Bronco, or whether they need to make moves for Deshaun Watson to win now.

NFL Bans Rod Taylor

December 31st, 2019 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has suspended free agent guard Rod Taylor indefinitely, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Taylor is no stranger to the NFL’s disciplinary program and this latest ban could be his last. 

Taylor, 25, has now been hit with three separate suspensions from the NFL. First, there was a four-game suspension in September, believed to be tied to PEDs. Then, in October, he was handed a ten-game suspension for reasons unknown.

Taylor was a 2018 seventh-round draft choice by the Bengals. He ended up missing his entire rookie campaign after tearing his ACL on the first day of training camp. The team was confident he’d make the roster prior to the injury, but they didn’t like what he looked like when he returned. Taylor was ultimately waived by the organization in June.

As a senior at Ole Miss in 2017, Taylor started all 12 games at right tackle. Cincinnati had converted him to a guard before he went down. He’s versatile and talented, but Taylor will have a serious mountain to climb if he ever wants to play in the NFL again.

FA OL Rod Taylor Suspended 10 Games

October 19th, 2019 at 9:12am CST by Ben Levine

Rod Taylor‘s hope of returning to the NFL took another hit yesterday. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the free agent offensive lineman was slapped with a 10-game ban.

The 24-year-old had just wrapped up a four-game suspension that was handed out back in September. The 10-game ban would seemingly indicate that this is the player’s second violation related to banned substances or PEDs.

Taylor was a 2018 seventh-round draft choice by the Bengals. He ended up missing his entire rookie campaign after tearing his ACL on the first day of training camp. The team was confident he’d make the roster prior to the injury, but they didn’t like what he looked like when he returned. Taylor was ultimately waived by the organization in June.

As a senior at Ole Miss in 2017, Taylor started all 12 games at right tackle. Cincinnati had converted him to a guard before he went down. Considering his versatility and youth, it’s certain that an NFL team will eventually give the lineman another look. However, the 10-game suspension means Taylor probably won’t be auditioning for teams prior to the offseason.

Free Agent OL Rod Taylor Suspended 4 Games

September 7th, 2019 at 7:48pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Free agent Rod Taylor has been dealt a blow in his quest to get back in the league. The young offensive lineman has been suspended four games, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).

It’s unclear what the ban is for, although a four-game suspension is often for violations related to banned substances of PEDs. Taylor entered the league last year as a seventh-round pick of the Bengals. He missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL on the first day of training camp in late July. The team was apparently confident he was going to make the roster before the injury, but they didn’t like what he looked like when he returned.

Back on June 10th the Bengals cut him, and we haven’t heard of any interest since. As a senior at Ole Miss in 2017, Taylor started all 12 games at right tackle. Cincinnati had converted him to a guard before he went down. Perhaps he’ll be able to latch on somewhere in a few weeks when he’s done serving his suspension.

Chargers Slash Roster To 53

August 31st, 2019 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to the Chargers’ Russell Okung announcement, they finalized their 53-man roster.

Cardale Jones did not make the team, with Los Angeles going with Tyrod Taylor and rookie Easton Stick behind Philip Rivers. The XFL has openly mentioned Jones on multiple occasions, so the former Bills and Ohio State passer could be a high-profile candidate for the upstart league.

Here are the Bolts’ Saturday cuts:

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/18

August 4th, 2018 at 5:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Waived/injured: LB Garrett Sickels
  • Waived from injured reserve: WR Aaron Lacombe

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DE Ricky Ali’ifua
  • Waived: C Marcus Henry, DE Eddy Wilson

Tennessee Titans

Bengals’ OL Rod Taylor Tears ACL

July 28th, 2018 at 9:41am CST by Ben Levine

It looks like Bengals rookie offensive lineman Rod Taylor will have to wait until 2019 to make his NFL debut. Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com reports that the seventh-rounder has torn his ACL and will miss the upcoming season.

Taylor suffered the injury during training camp on Thursday. The lineman “crumpled to the ground and grabbed his right knee” before being carted off the field by trainers. He was seen using crutches in the locker room on Friday, and it didn’t take long for an official diagnosis. Owczarski notes that the rookie will eventually be placed on the injured reserve, but the team isn’t in a rush as they evaluate the “surgical options.”

The six-foot-three, 320-pound lineman started all 12 games at right tackle for Mississippi last season. The Bengals ended up selecting him with a seventh-round pick (No. 252) in this past year’s draft, as Owczarski writes that the team was confident that he’d make the roster due to his athleticism.

With 14 offensive linemen on the roster, Taylor was still going to have to prove his worth in order to make the opening day roster. With the rookie out of the picture, the likes of Kent Perkins and Justin Murray could have an increased chance of making the team.