Tag: Rypien

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Brett Rypien (11) slides for a first down before being downed by Green Bay Packers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (59) during the second quarter of their game at Lambeau Field Sunday, November 5, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Bears sign backup QB Brett Rypien to one-year deal.

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Chicago Bears are expected to find their new starting quick at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft.

On Wednesday, they went the backup route and signed Brett Rypien to a one-year deal.

Chicago is believed to be eyeing Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. The Bears are also expected to trade Justin Fields, who started 38 games over the past three years.

Rypien, 27, will likely compete with Tyson Bagent for the No. 2 job.

Rypien has made four NFL starts since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019 with the Denver Broncos. He has passed for 950 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 games.

Last season, Rypien started for the Rams in a 20-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 9. He was 13 of 28 for 130 yards and one interception and was released two days later.

He had brief stints with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets later in the season.

Rypien played college football at Boise State and holds the Mountain West career passing yardage record of 13,578. He is the nephew of Mark Rypien, who played 11 NFL seasons (1988-97, 2001) for five teams and was MVP of Super Bowl XXVI for Washington.

–Field Level Media

Oct 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is sacked by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Rams QB Matthew Stafford (thumb) unlikely to play

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is unlikely to play Sunday at Green Bay, multiple media outlets reported Saturday night.

Brett Rypien would start for the Rams (3-5) against the Packers (2-5) if Stafford is ruled out. Dresser Winn was elevated from the practice squad and would serve as the backup.

Stafford is officially listed as questionable but did not practice all week after sustaining the injury last week vs. Dallas and leaving the game. Rams coach Sean McVay said earlier this week that it would likely be a gametime decision.

“You give him up until right before the game,” McVay said.

Stafford was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his throwing thumb after making contact with a helmet while throwing in last Sunday’s 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

McVay said Stafford is making progress, as the swelling in his thumb has gone down and his grip has improved.

Stafford, 35, has thrown for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games this season.

Rypien replaced Stafford against the Dallas Cowboys last week, going 5-for-10 for 42 yards.

–Field Level Media

Aug 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Sean McVay: Rams QB Stetson Bennett facing issue ‘bigger than’ football

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Brett Rypien was signed to the 53-man roster of the Los Angeles Rams for their Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers and appears to be set for an extended stay as the No. 2 quarterback.

Rypien now is the primary backup to Matthew Stafford and will be active on Sunday for the Rams (1-0), who placed rookie Stetson Bennett on the non-football illness list on Wednesday.

Head coach Sean McVay said the roster move involving Bennett is unrelated to a minor shoulder injury he experienced. McVay said he couldn’t share specifics, but said the issue was “bigger than” football.

“Out of respect for him and the situation, I’m going to leave all the specifics and particulars in-house,” McVay said. “And I want to be able to do that out of respect for that situation, so I’m not going to really have any follow-up information or anything that I’ll give in that regards.

“I really hope that you can please respect my wishes in regards to keeping that in-house. I understand you have a job to do, but there are certain things that I think are a little bigger and a little more important. And out of respect for the particulars and the specifics, we want to keep it in-house, and that’s where I want to leave it please.”

Bennett played well in the preseason. A fourth-round pick, he won back-to-back national championships at Georgia with a record of 29-1 combined in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

But Bennett, despite being 25, faced questions about his maturity and readiness for the NFL during the pre-draft process following an arrest for public intoxication.

–Field Level Media

Oct 23, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien (4) motions at the line of scrimmage in the first quarter against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos rule out Russell Wilson; Brett Rypien to start vs. Cardinals

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Russell Wilson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against Arizona and Brett Rypien will start at quarterback for Denver.

The Broncos announced Friday that Wilson had cleared concussion protocol but will be given more time to recover.

Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett said Wilson wasn’t happy with that decision.

“He wants to be out there and play. He’s very, very competitive, as we all know and wants to compete for this team and be out there,” Hackett said.

“And we as an organization after discussing and talking throughout this entire week have decided it’s best for our organization. It’s best for Russell. We talked about this from top all the way to the bottom. So we looked at every single thing and just wanted to give him another week to get ready.”

Denver (3-10) has lost five straight and has been eliminated from the AFC playoff picture.

The team is targeting the Christmas Day road game against the Los Angeles Rams for Wilson’s return.

Wilson, 34, sustained a concussion in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s 34-28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wilson has completed a career-low 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,805 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games in his first season with the Broncos.

Rypien, 26, relieved Wilson and completed 4 of 8 passes for 16 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Chiefs in relief of Wilson.

Rypien has made two NFL starts with one coming in Week 7 when Wilson was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Rypien was 24 of 46 for 225 yards and one interception in a 16-9 loss to the New York Jets. His other start came in 2020, a 37-28 win — also against the Jets.

It will be a Week 15 battle of backup quarterbacks with Colt McCoy starting for the visiting Cardinals (4-9) on Sunday in the absence of injured starter Kyler Murray.

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Wilson likely game-time decision for Broncos vs. Jets

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Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said Friday that the team likely will make the call on gameday whether to play injured quarterback Russell Wilson against the visiting New York Jets on Sunday.

“He’s day-to-day at this point, so it’ll probably be a game-time (decision),” Hackett told reporters. “We just want to be sure he can protect himself. That’s the most important thing.”

Wilson was limited in practice for the third consecutive day and was listed as questionable to play Sunday after he hurt his hamstring during Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s also playing through an injury to his throwing shoulder, a partially torn lat muscle that required a platelet-rich plasma injection.

Backup Brett Rypien would be tapped to start if Wilson can’t go. Rypien shared first-string reps with Wilson at practice to prepare for that possibility. Journeyman Josh Johnson is also with Denver but would need to be called up from the practice squad.

The Broncos’ offense has struggled despite the offseason acquisition of Wilson. The former Super Bowl winner has thrown for 1,442 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions through six games, completing 58.6 percent of his passes, far below his career average of 64.8.

Last season marked the first time in his 11-year NFL career that Wilson missed a game, ending a 149-game ironman streak. He missed three in all last season for the Seattle Seahawks.

“He’s a grinder,” Hackett said. “He works hard and he’s tough. That’s who he is — he fights through everything.”

Denver cornerback Essang Bassey (hamstring) was ruled out and safety Caden Sterns (hip) was listed as doubtful. Defensive tackle DeShawn Williams did not practice Friday with a back injury and is questionable, along with offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz (foot), linebacker Josey Jewell (knee) and defensive tackle D.J. Jones (ankle).

The Jets ruled out defensive end Jermaine Johnson II (ankle) and wide receiver Elijah Moore, who requested a trade Thursday. Safety Ashtyn Davis (hamstring) is questionable.

–Field Level Media

Aug 27, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien (4) prepares to pass the ball the ball in the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos give QB Brett Rypien starter reps with Wilson limited

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The Denver Broncos are preparing quarterback Brett Rypien for the event that he must start Sunday’s game against the visiting New York Jets in place of the injured Russell Wilson.

Wilson was a limited participant for the second straight practice due to a hamstring injury suffered in last week’s 19-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He’s also playing through a injury to his throwing shoulder, a partially torn lat muscle.

Coach Nathaniel Hackett said Wilson looked “very good” Thursday and declined to say how the reps were being split.

“We’re working through all that,” Hackett said. “We want to be sure that we are taking care of Russ and making sure he is getting ready for the game. I don’t know the number exactly. We want to be sure we are getting everybody ready to go.”

That includes not only Rypien but journeyman Josh Johnson, who is on Denver’s practice squad.

Rypien, the nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Mark Rypien, has played in four NFL games and made one start. Coincidentally, that came against the New York Jets in 2020, a game Denver won as Rypien went for 242 yards on 19-of-31 passing with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Jets (4-2) and the Broncos (2-4) are among the NFL’s biggest surprises this year for different reasons. The Jets have won three straight games, including last week on the road against the Green Bay Packers, while the Broncos’ offense has struggled despite the offseason acquisition of Wilson.

Wilson has thrown for 1,442 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions through six games, completing 58.6 percent of his passes, far below his career average of 64.8. Last season marked the first time in his 11-year NFL career that he missed a game, ending a 149-game ironman streak.

“You want the guys that want to be on the field,” Hackett said. “They’re going to do every single thing they can, and they think that they can play all the time. Those are the tough discussions you have to have with people because you don’t want to put anybody out there that isn’t healthy.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 1, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (3) talks with quarterback Brett Rypien (4) in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos CEO: Team must take stronger virus precautions

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Denver Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis called on players and staff to increase their vigilance amid the COVID-19 surge, days after his team was forced to play without an established quarterback because of the virus.

“As we enter the final month of this unprecedented season, we must do even more with the COVID-19 spike around the league and community,” said Ellis, who himself tested positive for the virus in early November. “I met with [general manager] John Elway and [coach] Vic Fangio virtually on Monday afternoon, and together we outlined what needs to be done to step it up.”

The Broncos lost 31-3 on Sunday to the New Orleans Saints with practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback. Starter Drew Lock, backup Brett Rypien and practice squad member Blake Bortles were forced to quarantine after they were ruled to have had close contact with quarterback Jeff Driskel, who tested positive for the virus last Thursday, and were unavailable against the Saints.

The quarterbacks reportedly were not wearing masks as required when they were together, and Lock apologized for letting his guard down.

“We share the disappointment of our fans for the challenging and unique situation our team faced at the last minute this weekend,” Ellis said. “While it’s easy to point fingers, all of us must take responsibility and work together to prevent it from happening again.”

Multiple outlets reported that Lock, Rypien and Bortles were negative in the latest round of testing and can return to practice Wednesday.

Earlier, the NFL fined Fangio $100,000 and the Broncos $250,000 for failure to follow mask protocols on the sideline in September.

Despite his disappointment, Ellis said he recognized the challenges all team personnel have endured.

“I’m proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff to create a safe environment for everyone, led by our medical, facilities and compliance efforts.” Ellis said. “It’s especially important to recognize the discipline and sacrifices of the players – and their families – this year.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (3) looks to pass in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Broncos QB Lock moving closer to return

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Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock was a full practice participant on Wednesday as he closes in on a return from an injury to his passing shoulder.

Lock suffered his injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he landed hard on his right shoulder.

Denver coach Vic Fangio hasn’t named a starter for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. Fangio said either Lock or Brett Rypien will start, while allowing it will depend on how well Lock progresses during the week.

Lock is pointing toward being the starter against the Patriots.

“It feels good to be doing what I love and doing what I feel like I was put down here to do,” Lock said after Wednesday’s practice. “… Great to be back with the guys, calling plays in the huddle … gets pretty lonely back there with the headset.”

Lock passed for 216 yards and one touchdown in a season-opening loss to the Tennessee Titans. But he was hurt early in the game against the Steelers and has missed the past two games.

Rypien made his first career start in Week 4 and passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-28 win over the New York Jets. But he also displayed his inexperience by throwing three interceptions and making a couple other questionable throws.

The Broncos will return to Lock when they think he is healthy and Lock said the shoulder is definitely ready for contact.

“I am ready for the first hit, just to get it out of there, let it happen, let everyone hold their breath for a couple seconds and when I get up everything is just fine,” Lock said. “… I’m excited to get back out there.”

–Field Level Media