Love or Hate Him, Johnny Manziel Would be Good for the Fleet and AAF

In an otherwise impressive start to the inaugural season for the Fleet, with flashes from “Thunder & Lighting” duo Ja’Quan Gardner and Terrell Watson, WR Nelson Spruce/TE Gavin Escobar and a more than reliable defense, the Fleet have yet to catch a break when it comes to the most important position on the field—quarterback.

The latest setback came last week in Memphis when Phillip Nelson, who replaced Mike Bercovici in week 2 and led the Fleet to two straight wins, went out early in the game with a fractured clavicle.

In his place was former Coastal Carolina QB Alex Ross, who despite coming hot out of the gate with a 30-yard TD pass to Marcus Baugh, struggled for the majority of the game, finishing the night 8-18, 80 yards, TD and INT.

With Nelson out for at least a month, Martz announced Bercovici would once again be taking over as the starter, continuing the Fleet’s latest trend of quarterback hot potato.

Even before Nelson got injured against Memphis, some Fleet faithful and fans around the league started speculating former Heisman winner and 1st round NFL pick Johnny Manziel could be heading to San Diego—assuming the San Antonio Commanders say “no” since they have first crack due to regional rules—after he was recently released and banned from the CFL.

Those talks grew much louder after last Saturday’s game, but were temporarily silenced after the organization decided to sign QB Alek Torgersen, who impressed coaches during a recent workout with the team.

Whether you love or hate Manziel, here’s a few reasons why, in my eyes, he’s the best option for the Fleet this season and why he'd be great for the AAF.

Experience counts

We all know how Manziel’s NFL career went. Not great. Still, the 15 NFL games he played in are still 15 more games than any current Fleet quarterback has to their name.

And as this league has shown so far, NFL experience matters. Four of the Fleet’s most experienced players, TE Gavin Escobar, DE Damontre Moore, LB AJ Tarpley and CB Ron Brooks, are the leaders of this team and have often looked dominate so far this season. The four also have played in a combined 185 NFL games.

Another player in the AAF who had a less than stellar NFL career is Trent Richardson, who despite a rough 2.4 yards per carry this season, leads the league with 7 rushing touchdowns.

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that the experience these players have going up against the world’s best athletes in the NFL gives them a sizable advantage against AAF team’s made up mostly of former NFL practice squad players.

Sure he has experience, but is he any good and has he matured?

Has Manziel shown any semblance of a good starting professional quarterback since leaving Texas A&M? Not really. But I’m not ready to give up on him yet.

As we know, Manziel dominated college football back in 2012 and 2013 on his way to becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. And frankly, most of the defenses he faced in college were made up of similar (or sometimes better) players that he’d face in the AAF.

In the CFL last season, Manziel bounced back from a disastrous 4-interception game in his first start to close the year with 5 TDs and 3 INTs in his final 6 starts.

Although it seems like Manziel has been around for years, he’s still only 26 years old and could easily play until his 30s if he wanted to. The biggest question—and the reason he barely lasted in the NFL—was due to his off the field problems. Again, no matter what you think about him, Manziel’s done a good job of late staying out of the spotlight and out of trouble. It seems, at least from the outside looking in, that he really does love playing football again and wants to not be remembered as a 1st round bust.

Signing Manziel is great for the growth of the league

After solid numbers in week 1 that saw 2.9 million CBS viewers tune into the AAF’s inaugural Saturday games, numbers have slowly declined since, with 409,000 viewers tuning in for week four’s Saturday games.

This isn’t much of a surprise since the the opening week of any new league should be high, but fans don’t want to see a trend of lowering numbers. Luckily for the Fleet, attendance hasn’t been much of an issue, with an average of 17,000 fans attending the first two home games (good enough for third most in the league). One way to almost guarantee a ratings and attendance spike is by signing Manziel.

Case in point, look at the CFL. The league saw its highest ever ratings on ESPN when Manziel started his first career CFL game with the Montreal Alouettes and every sign points to similar results if he were to sign with the Fleet or another AAF team.

At the end of the day, no matter what team we root for in the AAF, we all want this league to succeed and grow for years to come. At least until the AAF gets further established and draws more recognizable names, Manziel would not only would be the biggest name in the league by far, but he’s still possibly the best option the Fleet have to securing a playoff spot this season.

5 Questions Heading into the Fleet's Home Opener Against the Legends

As great as it was to finally see the San Diego Fleet in action last week, the 15-6 loss to the Commanders left more questions than answers heading into this evening’s home opener against the Atlanta Legends.

Coming off an embarrassing 40-6 loss, the Legends are the perfect team for the Fleet to go up against this week as they attempt to win their first game of the season and turn the ship around.

Below are 5 questions and predictions going into tonight’s home opener against the Legends:

Will QB Philip Nelson Take Hold of the Starting Job?

The quarterback position is the most important position in football, and with the Fleet it’s no different. Shortly after the conclusion of last week’s game, Coach Martz wasted little time naming Philip Nelson the starter over Mike Bercovici.

Whether it was because of Bercovici’s struggles through 3 quarters (15-25, 176 yards, 2 INTs), Nelson’s ability to string together a good drive late in the 4th, or a mixture of both, Coach Martz felt it was wise for a change going into week 2.

With a small sample size from Nelson—10 pass attempts last week and only 2 in the preseason game against the Apollos—it’s hard to have much of a read on how he’ll fare. However, this can work out in the Fleet’s favor as the Legend’s have little film to work off of.

While I’m more on the side of giving Bercovici another chance (assuming he’s ok after that huge hit last week), I’m excited to see what Nelson will do in his first professional start against a very beatable team.

Prediction: Nelson doesn’t play fantastic, but does enough to win the game and earn another start next week. A reasonable statline would be 20-32, 165 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT.

Will the Offensive Line Show Improvement?

A big part of the reason why the quarterback’s struggled (and why the offense mustered only 6 points) was due to the poor blocking up front. The offensive line gave up a league-high 6 sacks, as well as 3 false start penalties. On many plays last week, Bercovici simply had too little time in the pocket and the coaches weren’t doing him many favors by calling screen plays or quick passes.

Despite giving up 40 points last week, the Legends managed to pressure Quarterback Garrett Gilbert 13 times, including 4 QB hits and one sack.

Prediction: Unfortunately, I don’t see this issue going away any time soon. From a stats standpoint, I’d be surprised if the line gives up 6 sacks again simply because the Legends defensive line isn’t as good as what the Fleet saw last week. Plus, I think the Fleet will lead for most of the game and will be running the ball more.

Will the Fleet Defense Pressure QB Matt Simms?

The question mark in every game is whether or not a defense can get pressure on the opposing quarterback. Luckily for the Fleet, perhaps the biggest bright spot last week was the team’s ability to hassle Logan Woodside. Leading the charge was former NY Giants DE Damontre Moore, who had a whopping 9 QB pressures, 1.5 sacks and even a pass deflection. His performance led to on the AAF Team of the Week nomination.

Matt Simms looked shaky to say the least last week (15-28, 126 yards, 2 INTs), but to the Legends credit, they have some playmakers at receiver that have the potential for a great game tonight if the Fleet let Simms (or Aaron Murray) sit in the pocket.

Prediction: With Matt Simms not exactly being Michael Vick when it comes to scrambling, look for Moore and company to have another great game. Getting pressure on Simms will hopefully result in interceptions, like we saw last week from Ron Brooks and Ryan Moeller. I’m expecting 4 total sacks tonight, with 2 coming from Moore.

Can the Fleet Establish the Run?

Despite just 8 carries last week, Ja’Quan Gardner out of Humboldt State really took advantage of his limited action. Averaging 6.9 yards per carry (helped by a 25-yard run), Gardner showed great burst and looked the AAF’s version of Darren Sproles at times.

Since the Fleet trailed all game, Bercovici/Nelson had to throw much more than Fleet fans would have liked, which of course resulted in turnovers and mistakes.

Prediction: Apollos RB’s Akeem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson thrashed the Legends for 7 yards a carry on 15 combined carries last week. With the hope that the Fleet will lead for a chunk of the game, I’d like to see the same from Gardner and former Philadelphia Eagle/Pittsburgh Steeler Terrell Watson. Doing so will help Nelson in his first start and will set up the play action pass later in the game.

Last, But Not Least: Will We See Some Fleet Touchdowns?

As we saw yesterday from the Memphis Express, who were goose egged in week 1 against the Iron, it’s very hard to go touchdown-less in 2 straight games.

Although the Fleet had to settle for two field goals last week, they were able to get the ball in the red zone before mistakes and turnovers reared their head. I’m expecting this game to be much different. Coach Martz is a special offensive mind and I’m more than confident he’ll call a much better game against Atlanta.

I’m also curious to see who Nelson will target the most this game. He connected with Brian Brown twice last week, including a 29-yard strike to get the ball down the Commander’s 8-yard line.

Prediction: There’s no reason the Fleet can’t put up as many points as the Apollos did last week. I think it comes down to offensive line play and if they can give Nelson time to get in a groove early on. When the Fleet get to the red zone, look for power back Terrell Watson to punch it in the end zone once or twice.

Final score prediction: San Diego Fleet 27 Atlanta Legends 14

Ask Twitter!

So most of us haven't been Fleet fans our whole lives. There's no family loyalty to your team that spans back decades (although one day it will). We all have our story of how we came to be fans of the Fleet. Personally, I just went with the team in the same state as my Raiders (until they leave for Vegas), the San Diego Fleet. I decided to ask a few new Fleet fans like myself on Twitter how they became fans, among other things. 

I had the pleasure of chatting with:

1. How did you hear about the AAF?

Trevor: 
Well, I work for 247sports and our parent company is CBS. They’ve been pumping it pretty
hard on our network, so I definitely thought it was worth a shot.

Zachary: 
Heard about the league through a commercial ran during the Super Bowl.

Gabriella: 
I am a sport management major at Drexel University and our classes are heavily focused on current and league events. The announcement of the AAF was one welcomed with
excitement in my classes and a homework assignment for my corporate sponsorship class
was to watch the first game.

Garrett: 
I heard about the AAF I think while just watching an NFL game and the promoting
commercials came on and it looked interesting. I’d been thinking it’d be cool for the NFL to
have an almost developmental league if you will like the NBA and MLB, and it makes sense.


2. What team do you root for in the NFL, and how did you decide to root for the Fleet in the AAF?

Trevor: 
I grew up a Brett Favre fan, so naturally I root for Green Bay. Though I don’t follow the nfl
much anymore. A group of friends and coworkers decided to get together last Saturday and
watch some football. San Antonio and San Diego just happened to be the game that was on
the tv and it really boiled down to the fact that their helmet and logo was just too cool to
ignore. So we went with it. We began cracking jokes on social media and with other bar
patrons that we were lifelong Fleet fans and have never missed a game. It just went from
there. We actually got really into it and I’m glad we did because it made the viewing
experience a lot more fun.

Zachary:
I am not much of an NFL fan. I am from New England and definitely enjoy the Patriots.
However my favorite football to watch is college. I love the ability to watch players play the 
game to win and advance rather than make millions. I think that’s why I want to love the AAF. It’s a pure form of the game when players are still trying to advance in their careers.

Gabriella:
I’m a Philly native but all of my family is from La Jolla, with the majority of my
family living in Sherman oaks outside of LA. I picked the Fleet because of my family’s roots
and I love the lifestyle and atmosphere of the San Diego area.

Garrett:
I am a huge Chiefs fan for the NFL being born near Kansas City though I now live in San
Clemente, CA. I also go to KU for college and there are a couple of former Jayhawks on the
Fleet like WR Laquvionte Gonzalez and TE Ben Johnson. TE Gavin Escobar was also on the
Chiefs during the preseason as a backup to Kelce so it was nice to hear of some familiar
names. I decided to root for the Fleet mainly because there isn’t a football team in California I
would root for being a Chiefs fan.


3. Obviously our first game didn’t go so great. What were your highlights, and what do you want to see from the team at home against Atlanta?

Trevor:
I feel like they could be pretty tough to beat defensively, so that was encouraging.
Offensively, that’s another story. The offensive line sure gave up a lot of pressure. Hopefully
the QB play improves under Evans. Outside of his pick in the 4th quarter, I thought he
definitely gave the Fleet a much needed spark. He can roll out of the pocket more, which
they’re gonna need if that offensive line struggles like they did last week.

Zachary:
No comment except that there is a lot of room to improve.

Gabriella:
Defense is really solid, moving forward I would definitely like to see more offensive plays and
opportunities to score.

Garrett:
The first game showed some promise, I think the defense looked alright and racked up a few
INTs. I really think the O Line could use some work since the world saw Bercovici take that
nasty hit (though I was surprisingly relieved they didn’t throw a flag like the NFL would have).
I’d like to see the O Line step up and us be able to finish drives and get some TDs with a
new QB this week against Atlanta.


4. I’ve seen people propose different mottos for our team, such as Set Sail, Yeet Fleet, and Drop Anchor. Do you like any of these, or should we go with something completely different?

Trevor:
I’ve seen a few. I like #TakeCommand, but I’m open for pretty much anything. Yeet Fleet is
great with me.

Zachary:
Yeet Fleet sounds pretty cool!

Gabriella:
Definitely some interesting and creative names there but I would go with something that can
become universal and used as brand recognition. Like a play on words maybe: are you a
part of the #FleetNavy?!

Garrett:
I think Set Sail sounds cool, and Yeet Fleet sounds hilarious!

5. Anything else you want to say about the team?

Trevor:
The league turned out to be a lot more exciting than I anticipated. I’m excited for it. I love the
city of San Diego so I hope they have success. Go Fleet!

Zachary:
Philip Nelson should be quite fun to watch next week. This league is great for fans. Who
doesn’t want football in the spring? My favorite part of this league is watching players grind
and grow and get a chance to make an NFL roster. Man is this team going to be fun to
watch!!!! Yeet Fleet

Gabriella:
I’m really excited to see the potential of this team move forward. I like the new style of play
in the AAF and am eager to see the season unfold!

Garrett:
I’m happy there’s a football team in Southern California that I don’t have to root against! Go
Fleet and go Chiefs!

And if it means anything, I’m studying abroad in the UK for the semester and the first game
started at 2am here, but I still watched until halfway through the third quarter until I needed to
sleep, but I watched the highlights the next day to catch up on what I missed.

_________________________________________________________________________________

As you can see, the Fleet Navy is made up of people from all walks of life, and all of us are excited for our home opener this Sunday against the Atlanta Legends!

YEET FLEET!

Meet the Coaches: Head Coach Mike Martz

Throughout the AAF's inaugural broadcast, the purpose of the league came up as a topic several times. The AAF is designed to be a complementary league to the NFL, unlike the ill-fated USFL, whose run ended when they decided to switch from a spring schedule to a fall schedule in 1986, attempting to directly compete with the NFL. Since 1986 was their last season, we can all guess how that went.

But our new, beloved AAF provides players—whether not quite good enough to make it into or stay in the NFL—with a second chance at greatness. With the amazing coaching talent brought into the league, the players have the best setup possible to improve, and perhaps no coach is more suited to fill this role than our own Head Coach, Mike Martz.

Ex-Rams coach Mike Martz with team president Kosha Irby at SDCCU Stadium as the league formally announced San Diego as one of the eight teams in the newly formed Alliance of American Football league. Photo courtesy of the AAF

Martz has been in the football world longer than many people—myself included—have been alive. He started as an assistant coach for a high school team way back in 1973. He quickly worked his way through multiple colleges, including Fresno State and Arizona State before finally landing in the NFL as the Los Angeles Rams's QB coach in 1992. He briefly left the Rams for two years in 1997 to work for the Redskins as their QB coach, but was quickly called back to the Rams (now in St. Louis) in 1999 as their offensive coordinator.

Back with the Rams, Martz's scheme—a variation on the proven successful Air Coryell scheme—lit up the league. His first year back, the Rams won Superbowl XXXIV, which solidified Martz's rise to the Head Coach position after his predecessor, Dick Vermier, retired.

Beginning with their 1999 season and running through the 2001 season, Martz's offense became known as The Greatest Show on Turf due to the fact that they smashed records for both their franchise and the league as a whole. Martz brought the Rams to the playoffs in 2000 and back to the Superbowl in 2001, but they couldn't squeeze out a win against the New England Patriots, giving Tom Brady his first Superbowl win. As a Raiders fan, I personally think that game should have been Rams-Raiders, but that's for an argument for another time.

After leaving his position with the Rams in 2005, Martz went on to be the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and the Chicago Bears, enjoying varying degrees of success, most notably bring the Chicago Bears to the NFC championship game against Green Bay in his first year (2010).

After that, Martz retired from coaching, only to come back to coach our very own San Diego Fleet. Personally I'm thrilled to have a head coach with such a storied history in the NFL. I'm sure there are plenty of fans wondering if Martz still has 'it', but only time will tell. As the season goes on, I'm sure comparisons to Jon Gruden will sprout up (in fact, Martz has already given Gruden his seal of approval), but I'll hold off speculating here until we have a few more weeks to under our belt.

Slow out of the dock, the Fleet stall in their opener. Game 1 Recap

San Diego Fleet: 6, San Antonio Commanders: 15

The San Diego Fleet entered the Alamodome to boos, and their night didn't improve much from there. Held to just six points by the San Antonio Commanders, we have a lot to discuss about how the Fleet might adjust in their upcoming games.

The Good:

The defense. With three sacks (D. Moore 1.5, T. Tupou 1, A Barrett .5) and two interceptions (R. Moeller 1, R. Brooks 1), the defense showed up and kept the team in the game. Keeping the Commanders to 6 points at the half and allowing only 9 more the rest of the game with a couple impressive red zone stands, the defense will look to build upon their success. They looked a bit gassed in the final quarter, but that's understandable when the offense can't keep you off the field.

Ryan Moeller doesn't need gloves to make big plays for the @AAFFleet. pic.twitter.com/N4jgDauXDj

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 10, 2019

The run game. Ja'Quan Gardner looked great, finding holes and running with good acceleration and movement. He finished with 8 carries for 55 yards, good for a 6.9 YPC. He also hauled in 2 of 3 targets for 17 yards. Phillip Nelson also chipped in 20 yards on 3 rushes after he was brought in for the benched Mike Bercovici, which brings me to the bad.

The Bad:

The blocking. Clearly the least impressive aspect of last night's game, the Fleet's Oline was almost non-existent. Sacked six times, Bercovici hardly had any time in the pocket to make things happen. The first sack he took set the tone for the rest of the game, forcing Bercovici to get the ball out of his hands quickly or face another punishing hit like the one from Shaan Washington.

Shaan Washington can BRING IT. pic.twitter.com/7VqYNk3DwD

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 10, 2019

His release was quick, and he had some nice throws including one to TE Gavin Escobar (4/6, 66) where he directed traffic and Escobar slipped behind the corner for a nice gain, but they were overshadowed by his two interceptions. Frustrated by his QB play, coach Mike Martz pulled the plug on Bercovici at the end of the 3rd quarter and inserted Phillip Nelson. Bercovici ended the game going 15/25 for 176 yards, two interceptions, and no touchdowns. He also rushed once for 14 yards. Faced with the same Oline that Bercovici had, Nelson didn't fare much better, finishing 5/10 for 68 yards and an interception (that ended the Fleet's chances of a comeback), along with his 20 yards on the ground.

The biggest interception in @aafcommanders history!

What a play by Zack Sanchez! pic.twitter.com/h0OYbyOtPk

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 10, 2019

Like my colleague Paul asks in his article about our QB situation, did Bercovici have a bad enough game on his own to warrant being benched? He had some poor throws, but behind that line it's hard to know if it warranted his benching. And if Nelson (who has been named the week two starter) has a bad game as well, what then? Hopefully, Martz has a plan in place.

Our next game will be at home against Atlanta, Sunday, February 17th at 5pm western/8pm eastern.

You can find player stats and the full play-by-play here.

Figuring Out the Fleet's Quarterback Situation

In the midst of a historic night that saw the Fleet take on the San Antonio Commanders in the AAF’s first-ever week of football, there seems to already be debate in San Diego: who

While it’s typical to not jump to conclusions after only one game, the Fleet wasted little time announcing week 1 backup Philip Nelson the starter heading into the home opener against the Atlanta Legends next Saturday after Bercovici ended the night 15-25 for 176 yards and 2 INT’s.

After losing quarterback Josh Johnson to the NFL before the season started, the Fleet were left scrambling to find their starter going into the season. The Fleet ultimately gave the week 1 nod to former Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici, who spent some time with the San Diego Chargers in 2016-17.  

While neither quarterback’s final stat line on Saturday was impressive, it’s worth note that the Fleet’s offensive line didn’t do either quarterback any favors. Bercovici was sacked 6 times (including this vicious hit 5 minutes into the game).

But is a decision to already change quarterbacks the right call or did the team jump the gun too quickly? Comment below what you think!

Taken by San Antonio Express News

Philip Nelson:

Nelson took over for Bercovici in the 4th quarter and helped lead the team into the red zone after a great 30-yard strike to WR Brian Brown. But on the very next play, Nelson tried lobbing the ball to Nelson Spruce in the corner of the end zone and was easily intercepted by the Commanders’ Zack Sanchez.

Nelson’s final passing statline was similar to Bercovici, finishing 5-10 for 68 yards and an INT. However, Nelson was perhaps most effective with his legs, rushing for 20 yards (second most on the team just behind RB Ja’Quan Gardner) on just three attempts. He also gave the team a much-needed jolt late in the game before throwing the late interception.

An up-and-down college career, which included being kicked off the Rutgers football team following assault charges, Nelson briefly played in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Following the end of the game, Coach Martz stated, "Mike's just not ready,” he said. “Mike is going to be a really good player. Mike has not been in this system. Phil has."

Mike Bercovici:

It wasn’t a good birthday for Mike Bercovici. On the day Bercovici turned 26, the former Arizona State quarterback didn’t manage to get the team in the end zone and was benched in the 4th quarter.

The good: Maybe my favorite throw of the night was in the second quarter when Bercovici scrambled to his right and while on the run, lobbed a great pass over the defender to TE Gavin Escobar for 25 yards.

The bad: Shortly before one of his best throws of the night, Bercovici threw a terrible interception into double coverage that helped set up a Commander’s field goal. On 3rd and 20, Bercovici tried going deep to Francis Owusu, but it was easily picked off in the end zone and returned all the way to the Fleet 30 yard line.

Verdict:

As underwhelming of a performance as it was, Bercovici was constantly under pressure and never had much of a chance to get comfortable in the pocket. Both of his interceptions were not excusable, but the same can easily be said for the bad end zone interception Nelson threw late in the game also.

While I appreciate Martz trying to give the team a spark heading into week 2, making a change at quarterback after only one game could potentially have bad drawbacks. Not only does it put more pressure on the team that one bad performance could have them benched, but what happens if Nelson gets injured or struggles next week against Atlanta? Flip-flopping between quarterbacks is not good for either player and does little to ensure confidence moving forward.

Let’s hope the quick trigger finger from Martz pays off next week against an Atlanta team that got blown out 40-6 in week 1 against the Apollos.

San Diego Fleet Roster Preview: Wide Receivers

There’s a good chance the names on the San Diego Fleet’s wide receiver depth chart won’t sound familiar. But while there may not be alack high-profile receivers on the Fleet roster, all 6 receivers have spent at least some time on an NFL roster this past year before signing with the Fleet. This will hopefully prove valuable once the season starts.

Nelson Spruce (Colorado, Los Angeles Rams)

Those who watched the Los Angeles Rams’ Hard Knocks series may remember Spruce’s fantastic game in the first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, where he caught six receptions and had the game-winning touchdown. However, Spruce injured his knee on the touchdown grab and was released soon after.

Since then, Spruce has bounced around the Bears, Chiefs and Chargers practice squads before finding a home with the Fleet. From what little we’ve seen from Spruce in his short-lived NFL career, all signs point to him being successful with the Fleet. At the University of Colorado, he set or tied 43 school/conference records, including the conference record for career receptions.

While Spruce hasn’t played in a meaningful game since his time with the Rams, it seems likely he’ll be one of the best offensive options on the Fleet this season.

Francis Owusu (Stanford, Miami Dolphins)

Owusu was a 4-star prospect at Southern California’s Oaks Christian High School. He caught 34 passes for 3 touchdowns while at Stanford, including what some was the touchdown catch of the year in 2015.  

Like the rest of the receivers on this list, Owusu was on and off the Dolphins roster before signing with the Fleet this past November. Although not incredibly fast, at 6’3” Owusu is the tallest receiver on the team and should be a viable red zone target.

Dontez Ford (Pittsburgh Panthers, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys)

Ford was second on the Detroit Lions in receiving yards and scored a touchdown during the 2018 preseason, but was released during final roster cuts. The 24-year-old has the size, speed and pass-catching ability to be a nice weapon for the Fleet and QB Mike Bercovici.

LaQuvionte Gonzalez (Kansas, Los Angeles Rams)

Like Spruce two years prior, Gonzalez was with the Rams in training camp in 2018 before being eventually being released before the start of the season. Although a talented receiver, but some off the field issues caused Gonzalez to be dismissed from the University of Kansas after an impressive junior year. Gonzalez is joining the Fleet with something to prove and will likely get significant playing time this season as perhaps the Fleet’s best deep threat receiver.

Brian Brown (Richmond, Detroit Lions)

Brown was a prolific receiver at the University of Richmond, breaking the school’s career receiving record as a senior in 2016. His abilities caught the eyes of the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Brown was on the Cowboys practice squad in 2017 and joined the Lions practice squad the following year.

Kameron Kelly (San Diego State, Dallas Cowboys)

Kelly is a converted cornerback who played at local San Diego State. With the Aztecs, Kelly was a shutdown corner who had an impressive 9 career interceptions. Many projected Kelly to go in the late rounds in the 2018 NFL draft, so it was surprising when no team selected him. The Cowboys signed Kelly as an undrafted free agent and seemed like he had a good chance to sneak on the active roster. However, Dallas released him before the start of the season.

Now a receiver (a position he played and excelled at in high school), Kelly has great potential and can obviously catch the ball, as evidenced by his 9 career interceptions in college. Look for Kelly to be another reliable deep threat and play a big part in special teams.