Tampa Bay ha infatti messo sotto contratto il DT Tony McDaniel, appena rilasciato dai Seattle Seahawks per ragioni legate al salary-cap dopo la conferma di Russell Wilson.
McDaniel ha 30 anni ed ha giocato da titolare 29 partite negli ultimi due campionati disputati con la maglia dei Seahawks. Si tratta di un innesto importante, che garantisce un'ottima rotazione nel reparto dei DT soprattutto dopo i problemi alla schiena di Akeem Spence, fuori almeno sino ad ottobre.
McCoy, Melton, McDonald e McDaniels: ad oggi sono questi i 4 DT che i Bucs possono alternare sul terreno di gioco, davvero niente male come batteria di Defensive Tackle.
McDaniel ha firmato un contratto di un anno, per circa 2,5 milioni di dollari. Prima di diventare un titolare pressochè fisso a Seattle, McDaniel aveva già giocato in Florida con le uniformi di Dolphins e Jaguars, senza brillare in maniera particolare (5 presenze da starter in complessive 7 stagioni).
Star ricordi che ti avevo parlato di un undrafted che mi piaceva molto? Stavolta potrei averci preso ahah
RispondiEliminaFAB 3. DELAIRE MAKING A SOLID IMPRESSION
Buccaneers defensive end Jacquies Smith came out of nowhere last year to claim the starting left defensive end job by November and finish second on the team with 6.5 sacks. Thanks to the coaching wizardry of defensive line coach Joe Cullen, the Bucs have several undrafted free agent defensive ends the team is excited about, including Smith, T.J. Fatinikun and a pair of undrafted rookie free agents in Ryan Delaire and Jamal Young.
One of the players that has really come on during the first two weeks of training camp is Delaire, who is currently a fourth-string end behind starter George Johnson and veterans Larry English and Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. The Bucs believe Delaire is a strong candidate for the practice squad as of right now. If he has a good preseason and proves he can rush the passer, produce a few sacks and contribute to special teams Delaire could steal a spot on the 53-man roster.
Towson DE Ryan Delaire has posted double-digit sacks.
“I just want to lay it all out there in practice,” Delaire said. “With the motivation of all my teammates, and the advice from the veteran D-lineman were able to give me I’ve gotten a lot better.”
Delarie had 22.5 sacks in his career at Towson, including 11 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss three forced fumbles as a senior for the Tigers. Minor knee surgery forced him to decline postseason all-star games, but he was healthy enough to run a 4.7 at his pro day, which 23 teams attended, including Tampa Bay. Following the draft, he signed with the Bucs, who gave him a $15,000 signing bonus, which was one of the higher amounts paid out to an undrafted free agent in May.
“The main reason I chose Tampa Bay was because it was a great opportunity,” Delaire said. “I saw a lot of great undrafted players coming out of here and being able to perform. Working with Joe Cullen, too. He coached Terrance Knighton, who was from my high school. Just knowing that he coached him, it steered me in the right path of coming to Tampa Bay.
Smith likes what he has seen from Delaire in training camp.
The Towson coaching staff called Delaire a sponge in college because he listens and soaks up so much knowledge. He’s continuing with that practice at the next level.
Delaire won’t make the Bucs’ roster based on his ability to rush the passer alone. If he wants to win the final defensive end position in Tampa Bay he’ll have to contribute on special teams, which is something he’s eager to do.
“I play on special teams and I’m loving it,” Delaire said. “As an undrafted free agent you have to put yourself everywhere and make yourself available. You have to go to special teams meetings even if your numbers not called, you just have to make yourself available to just show that you want to play special teams. If you don’t end up being on the defensive line as a starter or a backup position, you want to position yourself on special teams.”
Like all rookies, Delaire can’t wait to play in his first NFL preseason game, and is looking forward to Saturday’s game at Minnesota where he can prove to the Bucs – or another team – that he belongs at this level.
“To be honest, I’m very excited for this weekend,” Delaire said. “I just want to put myself out there and show that even though I’m an undrafted free agent I belong here as much as every other player. Drafted or undrafted – if you can play, you can play.”
Freeman 80
Ryan Delaire... il nome ce lo siamo segnato, e speriamo che il tuo "protetto" si riveli una piacevole sorpresa, nel reparto dei DE avremmo proprio bisogno di qualche giocatore esplosivo e produttivo...
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