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Trenton Gill

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/24

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LS Matt Orzech
  • Waived: DL Jonathan Ford

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Bears should soon be getting some offensive reinforcement. Most notably, lineman Larry Borom returned to practice today after missing the first chunk of the season with an ankle injury. The former fifth-round pick has been a reliable swing OT for the Bears over the past three years, starting 23 of his 39 appearances. The team will also welcome back Travis Homer, who has been sidelined since Week 3 with a finger injury. The veteran RB may have a tough time cracking the rotation upon his return with D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, and Khalil Herbert currently leading the depth chart. The Bears will have 21 days to activate either of the two players to the 53-man roster.

Jordan Phillips was back at Cowboys practice today after landing on IR in mid-September. The defensive lineman’s injury wasn’t ever made particularly clear; the Cowboys claimed the player was favoring his previously repaired wrist, although the player later hinted that he was forced to the sideline because of conditioning. After more than a month on the shelf, the veteran will now get another look. The Cowboys acquired Phillips from the Giants back in August, and the veteran only got into about one fourth of his team’s defensive snaps before landing on IR. Phillips appeared in 26 games for the Bills between 2022 and 2023, collecting 35 tackles and four sacks.

Buccaneers Waive P Jake Camarda

October 22nd, 2024 at 7:51pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Buccaneers have waived punter Jake Camarda, a 2022 fifth-round pick who failed to live up to expectations in his first three seasons.

Camarda played in Tampa Bay’s first four games this season, averaging just 36.5 net yards per punt, the second-lowest in the NFL. The Buccaneers then turned to former Bears punter Trenton Gill, elevating him from the practice squad for their last three games. After Monday night’s loss to the Ravens, Gil was all out of elevations, forcing Tampa Bay to promote him to the 53-man roster if they wanted him to continue punting duties.

Camarda was a highly-touted punting prospect out of the University of Georgia, where he earned first-team All-SEC honors and was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award given out to the best punter in college football. Camarda was the second punter drafted in 2022, selected with the 133rd overall pick in the fourth round just three spots after the Ravens drafted Penn State punter Jordan Stout.

The former Bulldog did not struggle with power in the NFL, ranking fifth in gross yards per punt in each of his first two seasons. However, his 41.4 net yards per punt in 2022 and 41.2 in 2023 ranked 12th and 20th, respectively, indicating an issue with his ability to minimize return yardage.

Those numbers dropped precipitously in 2024, with Camarda averaging just 45.3 gross yards per punt, the fourth-lowest in the league. Gill, however, ranks dead-last with 41.3 gross yards per punt, though his 38.3 net yards per punt exceeds Camarda’s.

Camarda leaves the Buccaneers as the franchise’s leading punter at 49.0 gross yards per punt, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/24

October 21st, 2024 at 7:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Green Bay Packers

  • Activated off IR: DL Jonathan Ford
  • Released: LS Matt Orzech

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, today’s moves were purely procedural. After returning to practice earlier this month, Jonathan Ford was nearing the end of his activation window. To avoid the defensive lineman landing on season-ending injured reserve, the Packers activated the former seventh-round pick to the active roster. That meant the Packers needed to carve out a spot, and long snapper Matt Orzech was the temporary casualty. However, Silverstein says Orzech will land back on the roster later this week following more roster machinations.

Meanwhile, the Giants added Armon Watts to the active roster following the lineman’s stint on the team’s practice squad. It sounds like rival teams may have forced the Giants hand. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, other teams expressed interest in the former Bears starter, forcing the Giants to secure Watts services now (vs. continuing to stash him on the taxi squad).

Elsewhere in New York, Haason Reddick was officially activated from the Did Not Report list today. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Jets now have a two-game roster exemption to officially add the pass-rusher to the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/24

October 3rd, 2024 at 7:33pm CST by Ely Allen

Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Phillips’ spot on the 53-man roster was filled today when Miami signed outside linebacker Tyus Bowser from Seattle’s practice squad.

The young running back in Baltimore will have his 21-day practice window opened as he attempts to come back from injury after being placed on injured reserve the day of the season opener.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/24

September 28th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor transactions and practice squad callups for the Week 4 weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Elevated: G Kyle Hergel

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/24

September 25th, 2024 at 6:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR John Jiles

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: DT Shakel Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trenton Gill has caught on with the Buccaneers practice squad after getting cut by the Broncos back in August. Gill spent the previous two seasons as the Bears full-time punter, with the 25-year-old averaging 46 yards per punt while landing 28.6 percent of his punts inside the 20. As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes, this addition is a sign that Bucs punter Jake Camarda may be on the hot seat. The former fourth-round pick is averaging a career-low 39.8 net yards per punt.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/24

September 24th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are Tuesday’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: DB Morice Norris

Green Bay Packers

  • Released: TE Johnny Lumpkin

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Released: TE Luke Benson, CB Nehemiah Shelton

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR John Jiles

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Marcus Haynes
  • Released: TE Matt Sokol

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This year’s ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ Key did not make the Jets’ initial 53-man roster. The 24-year-old was retained via the practice squad, but he did not see any regular season action. Now a free agent, Key will look to latch on with another organization.

Ross signed with the Eagles in May as part of his bid to return to the NFL. The former Combine 40-yard dash record holder was released during roster cutdowns, however, after he was unable to carve out a depth role on offense. Ross will rejoin the team in a bid to provide Philadelphia with a complementary receiving option as the team deals with a number of injuries at the WR spot.

Broncos To Waive P Trenton Gill

August 26th, 2024 at 2:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trenton Gill impressed in the Broncos’ punter-friendly confines, but he did not do enough to win the team’s punting competition. Riley Dixon has prevailed, which will lead to a roster move.

Denver is waiving Gill, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. The Broncos become the second team this year to cut Gill. The Bears did so after drafting Tory Taylor in the fourth round.

The Bears’ punter from 2022-23, Gill fared well during the preseason. He led the NFL with a 53.6-yard preseason average, but the Broncos will hold onto Dixon’s two-year contract. Dixon did not have any guarantees remaining on his deal; it would have cost the Broncos only $300K to release the more experienced option.

Dixon, who turned 31 on Saturday, was part of the Broncos’ 2016 draft class but was eventually traded to the Giants to clear a spot for Marquette King. The King deal did not lead to a long-term partnership, and the Broncos could not settle on a punter in the years that followed. Dixon punted for the Giants for four years and then served as the Rams’ punter in 2022, eventually coming back to Denver during Sean Payton‘s first season at the helm.

Gill averaged more than 46 yards per punt in each of his two Bears seasons; Dixon came in at 46.3 last season. Gill placed 26.3% of his punts inside the 20-yard line last year, while Dixon’s inside-the-20 number checked in at 34.2%. Gill is not yet a vested veteran, so a team considering a punter move could look to the former Chicago seventh-round pick via waivers.

Broncos To Sign P Trenton Gill

May 15th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

While no one claimed Trenton Gill‘s rookie contract following his Bears exit, the two-year Chicago punter will have another chance elsewhere. The Broncos are signing Gill, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Waived shortly after the Bears used a fourth-round pick on Iowa punter Tory Taylor, Gill will head to Denver after two years as Chicago’s punter. It appears he will compete with incumbent Riley Dixon for the Broncos’ punting gig.

The Bears placing fourth-round-level importance on upgrading at punter provided a clear sign Gill would not have a chance to keep his job in Chicago; the cut came days after the draft choice occurred. Gill, 25, served as the Bears’ punter over the past two seasons; he arrived in Illinois as a seventh-round pick out of NC State.

Dixon initially arrived in Denver as a seventh-rounder back in 2016, but the team traded him to the Giants to accommodate a Marquette King signing. The latter move did not pan out in Denver, with King lasting only four games with the 2018 team. The Broncos have cycled through punters in the years since, with Dixon coming back — via a two-year, $3.5MM deal — during Sean Payton‘s first offseason with the team. No guaranteed money remains on Dixon’s deal.

Gill averaged 46.1 yards per punt last season. Despite punting in Denver’s thin air, Dixon averaged 46.3 per boot. Gill averaged 46 even per punt in 2022, while Dixon fared better with the Rams (career-high 48.4). Both Dixon and Gill finished outside the top 20 in this category last season. Dixon, 30, finished last season having placed 34.2% of his punts inside the 20; Gill closed his second Bears slate at 26.9%.

Should Gill beat out Dixon, the Broncos will have used four punters in the past four seasons. The team deployed four between its 2018 Dixon trade and his 2023 return.

Bears To Waive P Trenton Gill

May 1st, 2024 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears turned to the fourth round for a punter last week, tabbing Iowa’s Tory Taylor to take over. This will mean a change, and Chicago is not wasting much time finalizing it.

Rather than entertain any notion of a competition, the Bears are waiving incumbent punter Trenton Gill, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. Gill operated as the Bears’ punter for the past two seasons. Two years remain on Gill’s rookie contract.

Among regular punters, Gill’s 46.1-yard average ranked in the bottom quartile last season. The Bears ranked 31st in net punting, which obviously affects more than just Gill’s range, but finished 30th in punts inside the 20 (26.9%). Chicago chose Gill 255th overall out of NC State in the 2022 draft. Gill is due a $985K base salary in 2024; the Bears will incur a minimal dead money hit (less than $40K) via this transaction.

The move clears the way for Taylor, who was on the field often for an Iowa team that struggled offensively in 2023. Averaging 48.2 yards per boot in 2023, Taylor managed this despite punting 93 times. Iowa’s 15.4 points per game ranked 132nd in Division I-FBS. Their punter, meanwhile, broke several FBS single-season and career records and earned All-America acclaim in 2022 (second team) and ’23 (first team).

Entering the draft with only four picks, the Bears brought in Caleb Williams (No. 1) and Rome Odunze (No. 9) before drafting Yale tackle Kiran Amegadjie 75th overall. When the Bears took Taylor at No. 122, they were out of picks. The team later traded a future selection to move into Round 5 for Kansas State edge rusher Austin Booker. Taylor’s rookie contract will run through 2027; the Bears will be hoping his Windy City tenure lasts longer.

Three teams over the past four years have chosen a punter in Round 4, though between 2007 and 2019, only one — the 2012 Jaguars, who chose Bryan Anger in Round 3 — did so. The Bears decided to follow the recent trend, deeming an upgrade here a priority.

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